Dance for Me

Chapter Fourteen

I spent way too much time picking an outfit, and now I'm late. Jed's is packed for a weeknight, but Brody's ability to plan ahead allows me to go straight in. The hostess points me toward a table in the back, and even though I spent the entire afternoon filled with doubt and a creeping sense of unease due to Annie's strange behavior, I still find myself searching for any sign of Ransom.

I hate myself for being so weak. Why can't I just stop thinking about him? I need a distraction, something to help me take my mind off everything. I feel some of the tension I've been carrying around dissipate when I spot everyone seated around the table. Brody brought a couple of his friends along, as well as Mitch and Price, who we've known for years, and I see that Annie managed to drag Jason along, too. I can't say that I'm happy to see his blotchy red face, but I am happy that Annie appears happy.

Brody sees me first, and his wide smile serves an injection of happy. I could be in the worst mood, and one look at him would make everything right again.

Maybe Annie was onto something. Why am I chasing after someone untouchable, when I have Brody?

That's an easy question to answer. It's the very fact that Ransom is untouchable that makes me crave him. I've always been the kind of person who gravitated toward trouble. A shrink would probably tell me that I have daddy issues, or it's due to my parents' untimely deaths and having to grow up too fast. And they'd be right because what kind of person could get dealt the hand I have and not be screwed up?

Unfortunately, I can't help wanting what I want. The side effect of owning a heart is that you can't control who it falls for. There's no reasoning with it, no talking it out of stupid decisions. Even when it's bound to get burned, it runs headlong into the fire. But people can train themselves to like different things. Can't they?

When Brody leaves the table and embraces me, I decide to prove to my heart that it doesn't rule me, and I give him an extra-long hug. His arms tighten around my shoulders and he kisses my hair in response. When he pulls back, he gives me a strange smile like he's not quite sure what to make of my behavior. Hell, neither am I. I just know that I need to crush this unhealthy obsession for Ransom before it takes over any more of my life.

After forcing his friends to move down so I can have the chair directly beside him, Brody pours me a glass of beer from the pitcher sitting in the center of the table.

"You look beautiful tonight," he says, leaning down to whisper the compliment in my ear.

"As opposed to every other night?"

The kiss he places on my temple is sweet and full of affection. "You know what I meant."

I do. Brody always appreciates the way I look, even when I'm at my worst. Finding his heavy thigh under the table, I squeeze it. "Thanks."

His eyes catch mine, and he tips his head. It would be so easy to let myself fall for him. Brody is an easy guy to love. He's charming and sweet, cute and gentle, and the best part of all—we're friends. We don't even have to try to get along because the connection is already there.

Laying my head on his shoulder, I glance down the table to where Annie and Jason are seated. She's looking at me with raised brows, and I raise mine right back. I don't know what message she's trying to send me, but I hope she gets mine—I don't need anyone's approval on how I choose to live my life.

"Good to see you made it, Jason," I say, raising my voice so he can hear me over the music. "We missed you last time."

He lifts his chin, a gesture I've always hated, but only when he does it. "Hey, Joe."