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Bryce gave Samantha’s hand a gentle squeeze when he felt her let go. She looked up at him and his heart stuttered at the uncertainty in her eyes. He wasn’t sure if she was unsure about holding his hand or if she thought he wouldn’t want to be seen holding hers, but he planned to find out.
“Thanks, Rayelle. We’re going to go dance before the DJ packs up to leave. Catch up with you in a bit?”
He didn’t wait for her response. He tugged Samantha’s hand and made his way toward the makeshift dance floor just as the music slowed down. “Dance with me?” he finally asked once they reached the dance floor.
“I didn’t figure I had a choice,” Samantha teased.
He pulled her close. “You seemed uncomfortable, so I figured this was the best way to get you one-on-one again. Are you okay?”
She stepped in close as they began to sway to the music. He kept one hand on her lower back, and as she slid her hands up his arms to rest on his shoulders, he intercepted her right hand and held it over his heart.
“I’m great,” she said, keeping her gaze on their entwined hands.
“Don’t lie to me.” He rushed on when she stiffened in his arms. “I mean, you can be honest with me. Please don’t just say what you think I want to hear. What made you uncomfortable? Is it being here with me?”
Finally, she looked up and met his gaze. “I just wasn’t sure how you wanted us to be around your friend. I didn’t want our walking into the party hand-in-hand to cause you any problems.”
“Do I look concerned? Rayelle isn’t just my friend. She considers you her friend, if you haven’t noticed. I took your hand because I wanted to hold your hand. I don’t really care what anyone thinks.”
“Oh,” she murmured.
“Yeah. Oh,” he repeated with a teasing smile.
Even wearing high heels, Samantha’s head fell just below his chin. She fit his arms perfectly, and they swayed in silence for the rest of the song. He could practically hear Samantha trying to analyze everything he said. When the song was over, he used one finger to tilt her chin, causing her to look up at him.
“You seem like you want to talk.”
“Do you want to talk?” she asked slowly.
“Yeah. I feel like we should. Seems like there’s always something going on and everything keeps getting left up in the air. Want to come to my place so we can have a drink and a conversation?”
The worry in her eyes caused his body to heat as uncharacteristic anger began to spread through him. He hated that she didn’t recognize talking as normal. Even if he didn’t end up the man for her, she deserved to know her worth. She deserved for someone to show her what love was supposed to look like.
“You can trust me, you know.”
“Yeah,” she breathed. “I do know. Let’s go talk.”
Chapter 11
Samantha trusted Bryce, but she insisted on following him in her vehicle. She didn’t fear being in the car with him, or think she’d be stuck at his house, but if the conversation went south the awkwardness of being driven to her car would kill her. The only time she was an extrovert was on stage when she wasn’t being herself. In real life, she hated the thought of an awkward situation.
She recognized the neighborhood once they got close. He lived near Rayelle, but she hadn’t seen where. She relaxed when he pulled into his driveway and she found it to be within easy walking distance of Rayelle’s house. Being at his house didn’t feel so strange when her friend was just down the road.
The inside of his house reminded her a lot of Rayelle’s. The layout was nearly the same down to the kitchen island where he directed her to have a seat. She watched him move around the kitchen and before she even realized what he was doing, he set out a plate with cheese and crackers.
“Wine?” he offered. “Something stronger?”
“A little wine sounds good. Definitely nothing stronger. I’m kind of on a health kick so I can be my best for the show.”
After taking two glasses down from a cabinet, he filled them about halfway with red wine. “How’s that going, by the way?”
Samantha’s nerves began to fade as they made conversation. She could do small talk. She could talk about her upcoming role. “Today was amazing. We rehearsed with the entire cast for the first time. We sang ‘Seasons of Love’, and I got to practice my solo with the whole group. I can’t even describe it.”
Bryce took the seat next to her and slid a glass her way. “I can’t wait to see it.”
She gave him an extra-long look. “Really?”
“Yes, really. Now,” he said before taking a drink of his wine. “Want to tell me what you were stressing about tonight?”
