Page 34

And she wasn't quite sure what the hell to do about it.

Chapter Seventeen

By the time their plates had been cleared and fresh cups of coffee sat in front of them, Grady had come to two conclusions. First, Amanda Sparks was nothing like the woman he’d thought she was when he’d pulled her over. Oh, she was still stubborn, opinionated, and capable of being a royal pain in his ass, but there was a hell of a lot more to her than that.

The second conclusion was far more troublesome. He really liked her. More than he’d expected to after one dinner, and certainly more than he should considering their first several encounters.

Taking a sip of coffee, he watched her over the rim of the mug. Somewhere during dinner, he’d stopped noticing the outrageous makeup and clothes she’d worn to embarrass him. Or maybe he’d simply gotten used to them. Either way, she could’ve shown up wearing a garbage bag, and he doubted it would’ve mattered.

When a new slow song started and several couples headed to the dance floor, he set his mug down. “Dance with me.”

Her eyes widened. “What?”

“You heard me.”

Gaping, she gestured toward her outfit. “Have you forgotten what I’m wearing?”

“Nope.”

“And you want to parade me around in front of all those people?”

“They’ve been looking at you all night.” He cocked his head. “Might as well give them something worth watching.”

She stared at him for a moment before a reluctant smile appeared. “You really are impossible to embarrass, aren’t you?”

“Pretty much.” He pushed his chair back, stood, and held out his hand. “C’mon. One song.”

Her gaze dropped to his outstretched hand, and for a moment, he thought she might refuse. Then she sighed, muttered something he couldn’t hear, and slipped her hand into his.

Smart enough not to celebrate his victory, he led her toward the dance floor.

The band was halfway through the first verse when he guided her into his arms. He held one of her hands and placed the other at her waist. She rested her free hand on his shoulder as they fell into step with the music.

After a few moments, she relaxed until his gaze wandered over the teased side ponytail, outrageous makeup, and black-and-hot-pink shirt before dipping to the shiny miniskirt and red boots. Her eyes narrowed when he looked up again, warning him not to comment on her outfit.

“You know, putting the jacket back on really would’ve completed the look.”

Apparently, he wasn’t that smart.

She stiffened in his arms, but the twitch at the corners of her mouth gave away her struggle not to laugh. “Would you like to finish this dance with my boot shoved somewhere unpleasant?”

“There’s the woman I arrested.”

“Keep it up, cowboy.”

He drew her a little closer. The move caught her off guard, and the playful challenge in her expression faded. Her gaze met his as they kept moving together, and Grady became acutely aware of how good she felt in his arms. Damn, she was beautiful, ridiculous outfit and all.

He’d dated a few women over the years, but nothing serious, and no one who made him look forward to seeing her again before the first date even ended.

As the song ended, Amanda glanced toward their table and started to step away, but his grip on her hand kept her on the dance floor as the band launched into a faster number.

“That was one song,” she reminded him.

“One wasn’t enough.” He doubted a few more would be, but he wasn’t ready to let her go yet.

“You’re not very good at keeping your word, Sheriff.”

“What can I say?” He shrugged. “Sheriffs are notoriously untrustworthy.”