Twelve Nights Of Temptation

He swallowed the remainder of his beer and rose from his chair.

James held out his hand to Tasha.

She gave up talking shop and accepted the invitation.

James was younger than Henry, likely in his late twenties. He was from Idaho and had a fresh-faced openness about him that Tasha liked. He was tall and lanky. His hair was red, and his complexion was fair. She didn’t think she’d ever seen him in a bad mood.

It wasn’t the first time they’d ever danced together, and he was good at it. He’d once told her barn dancing was a popular pastime in the small town where he’d grown up. She knew he’d left his high school sweetheart behind, and she got the feeling he’d one day return to her, even if he did prefer the West Coast to rural Idaho.

As the song ended, a figure appeared behind James. It took only a split second for Tasha to recognize Matt.

“What are you doing here?” she asked him, her guard immediately going up. She assumed this was too simple, too low-key to be his kind of place. “Is something wrong?”

“Dance?” he asked instead of answering.

James backed away. “Catch you later.”

Matt stepped in front of her as a Bruce Springsteen song came up.

He took her hand.

“Did something happen?” she asked. “Was there another breakdown?”

“Nothing happened. Can’t a guy go out for the evening?”

She struggled to ignore his light touch on her back and the heat where his hand joined hers. It was a lost cause. “This isn’t your typical hangout.”

“Sure it is.”

“I can tell when you’re lying.”

He hesitated. “I was worried about you.”

“Why?”

“There’s a criminal out there.”

She almost laughed. “If there is, he’s focused on your company. It has nothing to do with me.”

“We don’t know that.”

“We do.”

He drew her closer as they danced, even though she knew getting more intimate with Matt was a big mistake.

But the words didn’t come. Instead of speaking, she followed his lead. It was the path of least resistance, since their bodies moved seamlessly together. He was tall and solid and a smooth, skilled dancer.

She told herself she could handle it. They were in public after all. It’s not like they would get carried away.

“I know you like to be independent,” he said.

“I am independent.”

“The truth is, people are less likely to harass you if you’re with me.”

His words were confusing.

“Nobody’s been harassing me. Nobody’s going to harass me.”

Matt glanced around the room with apparent skepticism, as if he was expecting a gang of criminals to be lurking next to the dance floor.

“See that guy in the red shirt?” She pointed. “He worked at Shutters Corner. And the guy talking to Alex? He’s Henry’s coworker. They’re local guys, Matt. They’re mechanics. There are a lot of local mechanics here. And I’m talking to them all.”

Matt’s hold on her tightened. “Are you dancing with them all?”

She tipped her chin to look up at him, seeing his lips were thin and his jaw was tight.

He looked jealous. The last thing she wanted him to be was jealous. But her heart involuntarily lifted at the idea.

“No.” The sharp retort was as much for her as it was for him. “I’m here asking questions. I’m gathering evidence, if you must know.”

“Oh,” he drawled with immediate understanding.

“Yes, oh. If anybody’s having the same problems as us, these guys are going to know about it.”

“That’s a really good idea.”

She put a note of sarcasm into her tone. “Why, thank you.”

“I’m not crazy about the dancing part.”

“You asked me,” she pointed out.

“What? No, not with me.” He canted his head. “With them.”

She wanted to point out that he was dating other women. But she quickly stopped herself. Matt’s romantic life was none of her business. And hers was none of his. The more women he dated, the better.

His voice lowered. “You can dance with me all you want.”

“We’re not going there, Matt.”

“Okay.” His agreement was easy, but his hold still felt intimate.

“You say okay, but we’re still dancing.” She knew she could pull away herself. She knew she should do exactly that, but he felt so good in her arms, she wanted to hang on just a little bit longer.

“The song will be over soon.” He went silent for a moment. “How are you getting home?”

“Driving.”