They huddle close together under the umbrella Trudy loaned them and hurry across the street in the pouring rain to Piggy's Roadhouse for dinner. It's raining too hard to keep them completely dry, and Darcy squeals when they run through a puddle and the water splashes high on her bare legs. "This fucking rain," she shouts and he huffs out a laugh. She's mouthy and kind of swears like a sailor, and he finds that more attractive than he thinks he ought to. Steve holds the door open for her and she quickly ducks in out of the weather.
The joint is much more crowded than Steve would've guessed, but in a small town like this he figures this is probably the hot spot on Friday and Saturday nights. But the food smells wonderful and the music is loud and upbeat. Darcy is watching the people spinning around on the dance floor with a lot of interest. "God, I love this place already," she says with a happy grin and tells the hostess they need a table for two. "We're totally dancing after we eat."
Steve gives her a lopsided grin and shrugs. "We'll see."
Darcy waves him off. "Well, I'm definitely dancing. I'm sure there's a cowboy in here willing to take me for a spin around the dance floor if you won't."
"I'm sure you're right, but I never said I wouldn't dance with you." She casts her eyes sideways and smirks at him, nudging him with her shoulder. He's quickly getting in over his head where Darcy's concerned and he just as quickly realizes he doesn't care. This is the most fun he's had in a long, long time. He's spent so much time alone on the road that it's nice to finally have someone to talk to. He's going to enjoy the time with her while it lasts.
The hostess seats them in a booth close to the dance floor and he immediately digs into the bucket of peanuts on the table. Darcy looks over the menu and he can see her red painted lips mouthing the words to the song playing. Her boots are tapping along to the beat under the table when she accidentally kicks him and her head shoots up. "Oops! Sorry, Steve," she apologizes, her blue eyes glittering in the light of the neon sign on the wall.
"Don't worry about it. What sounds good to eat?"
She glances back down at the menu and hums. "All of it. I could eat all the pig in Piggy's Roadhouse right now. But, I think I'll get the pulled pork sandwich. You?"
"Either the full rack of ribs and a pulled pork sandwich, or the barbecue dinner for two. I'm so hungry. Wanna share fried pickles, too?"
"Jesus," Darcy laughs. "Where are you gonna put all of that food?"
"High metabolism," he tells her and takes a sip of his water.
A waitress comes by and takes their order and they talk a bit while they wait about the places they've been on their respective road trips. She talks more than he does, but he likes listening to her voice and the flair she inserts into her stories makes him laugh. When it's his turn, she leans forward and listens intently, smiling and laughing about some of the weird things he's encountered along the way.
"What do you do that affords you all this time to travel?" Darcy asks and takes a sip of her beer.
"I was in the Army for a long time. Now I am a freelance consultant specializing in security, so my schedule is very flexible." It's the closest thing to the truth that he can say.
"Thanks for your service, soldier." She salutes him, and he smirks back. It's silly and adorable.
"What are your plans after you're done traveling?" Steve asks.
Darcy sighs dramatically and fiddles with an extra coaster on the table. "I'm going to work for my dad. I think. No, I am." She laughs dryly and rests her chin in the palm of her hand. "I change my mind about it every other day or so. I'll be in security, too, but I specialize in the computer variety."
Steve's intrigued by this stuff with her dad and gives her an encouraging smile. "Why do you change your mind about it?"
She takes another drink of her beer and then shrugs. "If you knew my dad, you'd completely understand. I didn't know him until I was twelve, and our relationship was pretty tenuous for a long, long time. We're very similar, so I think that's part of the issue. He's a bit of a handful, too," she winks and Steve chuckles over the top of his beer.
"Do you have other options?" he asks.
"I do," she nods absently. "I did an internship during my undergrad with an astrophysicist and she's dying to have me back, but I know I don't want to do that job. Science isn't my thing, and not to sound like a snob, but I think my master's degree means I can do more than fetch coffee and pop-tarts and make sense of scribbled notes, you know? I've had offers for jobs similar to what I'll be doing with my dad and I threaten to take one when he starts driving me crazy—which is practically every other day. So, long story short, while I frequently change my mind about my dad and question whether working for him will drive me to the loony bin, I know come September I'll be in New York working for him."
Steve's eyebrows shoot up and his face splits into a huge grin. "New York?" he asks, surprised. "Really?"
She gives him a wicked smile and brings her beer to her full red lips again just as their food arrives. "How 'bout that? We'll be in the same city."
Darcy watches in amazement as he polishes off his dinner, and when he glances at her uneaten fries, she just laughs and pushes the basket across the table for him. The waitress comes by and asks if they need anything else and she orders another beer while he asks for a dessert menu. Darcy snorts. "I don't know whether to be impressed or disgusted, honestly." Steve gives her a boyish smile and tosses another fry into his mouth.
The DJ announces they're going to play a few line dancing songs and her face lights up. "I'm going to head out there. I love me some line dancing," she grins. "Want to come with?"
He shakes his head and gives her a friendly smile. "Nah, you go ahead. Have fun."
"Suit yourself," she shrugs. "I'll get you out there before the night is over. Count on it." Darcy waggles her fingers and hurries out to the dance floor.
Steve sits back and sips his beer while he watches her try to figure out the dance steps, which she does pretty quickly. There's a bright smile on her face and when she messes up, she throws her head back and laughs. He can't hear her over the music, but he imagines it's a big, full sound. Everything about her seems vibrant and he likes it. Knowing that she'll be in New York does nothing to curb the attraction he feels for her. In fact, it only magnifies it tenfold.
His eyes are drawn to the sway of her hips and the short denim cutoffs she's wearing as she moves around the floor. Darcy looks over and waves, a pretty smile on her face as she turns around in quick circles before bumping into another dancer. Steve snorts out a laugh when she looks to him again, pulling a funny face and shrugging her shoulders innocently, mouthing "Oops!" She tucks her lower lip between her teeth, smiling around it, and—damn it all, he wants her. They've only known each other for a handful of hours and he can't help but wonder what it would be like to tug that full red lip between his teeth.
Darcy's having the best time dancing; everyone is so nice and more than willing to help her with the steps when she doesn't know them. She wishes Steve would get up and dance, but he seems pretty content to just watch. He gets a free pass for now since he just consumed half the kitchen, but she's getting him out on this dance floor before the night is over.
It's not one, but this night feels a whole lot like a date and she doesn't try and talk herself out of feeling that way. Steve's gorgeous and sweet and charming and he lives in the same city she's going to be living in soon. She doesn't put a lot of stock into fate (none, actually), but even with all her cynicism, she has to admit it's quite the coincidence that they met. While she has absolutely enjoyed the solitude of her trip, it's been so nice having someone to share a meal with and have an easy conversation.
Someone taps her on the shoulder and she turns to find a man with gray hair, wrinkles, and mischief twinkling in his green eyes standing there. "How 'bout a dance, darlin'?" he asks with a Texas twang and she happily obliges.
She's surprised by how well this man—Clyde, he tells her—dances and she laughs as he spins her around the dance floor. "Darlin', hope I'm not makin' your boyfriend jealous," Clyde says after a bit and twirls her in a circle.
Darcy blinks owlishly at him before shaking her head. "He's—Steve's not my boyfriend," she replies and resists the urge to look over shoulder at their table.
"Youth is wasted on the young," Clyde chuckles and turns them around so she can see Steve. He's still seated at the table, fingers looped lazily around the neck of a beer bottle, watching her with a quiet smile on his face. "That fella hasn't stopped watching you since you set foot on the floor, young lady."
Darcy feels her cheeks warm and she smiles softly at Steve before looking up into Clyde's face again. "Really?"
Clyde kisses her hand when the song is over and thanks her for the dance. He pauses before walking away, clapping his strong and wrinkled hand on her shoulder. "Better ask him to dance, darlin'. Other fillies in this place have their eye on that one."
There are butterflies in her tummy and—oh, this is just silly. Darcy crooks her finger and motions for him to come out and dance with her. Steve grins and shakes his head no, so she walks over to the table and holds out her hands for him. "C'mon, Steve. It's time to two-step."
"I don't know how," he says from his seat.
Darcy pouts her lips a bit and bats her eyelashes. She definitely doesn't miss the way his eyes flick down to her mouth. "I don't either. But, I'll hold on to you, you'll hold on to me, and we'll figure the rest out as we go."
Steve sighs like he wants to say no, but she knows he's not going to because the manners his mother instilled in him will kick in. The corner of mouth ticks up as he places his hands in hers and lets her pull him to his feet. "Alright," he surrenders and she smiles winningly up at him. He wraps his fingers fully around her right hand, giving it a little squeeze, and he follows her out to the dance floor.
The jolt of excitement that rushes up her arm does nothing to tame the butterflies doing their own two-step in her belly.
Darcy was wrong. They don't figure out that dance whatsoever and they mostly end up laughing too hard, stepping on each other's toes, and bumping into people. He moves left instead of right and Darcy's boot gets caught on his, pitching her forward. His arm snakes her around the middle to keep her from face planting on the dance floor. Darcy's eyes go wide a moment before she dissolves into a fit of raucous laughter. "We are terrible at this," she yells over the music. Steve chuckles in agreement and sets her upright on her feet, his hands lingering for a moment on her waist.
The music thankfully slows, and Steve thinks they both can handle it without much incident. "Let's try a slow one," he says lowly, holding out his hand for her. Darcy takes it, curling her fingers around his and steps closer to his body, tentatively resting her right hand on his shoulder, the warmth of it seeping through the fabric and into his skin.
"Can't go wrong with Patsy Cline," she smiles warmly as "Crazy" starts playing. He wraps his free hand around her waist, resting it on the small of her back, and they start swaying back and forth in time with the music. She's warm and soft in his arms, and from this close he can smell the perfume she sprayed earlier. It's not overpowering, but dark and sexy, much like the woman he's dancing with.
Darcy looks so pretty right now with the lights of the bar slanting over her face and big, blue eyes staring up at him beneath the brim of her straw cowboy hat. "I've had a lot fun with you tonight," he says after a beat. She captures the corner of her bottom lip and the rest of her mouth curls into a sexy grin the same way she had done earlier and—fuck. He's in so much trouble.
"I've had a lot of fun with you, too," she tells him and slides the hand resting on his shoulder down a bit, her fingers slightly curling into the fabric of his shirt. "We're having much better luck with this dance."
Steve grins and slides the hand on the small of her back just a fraction lower, his fingertips brushing against the denim of her shorts. "Yeah, definitely."
Another slow song starts playing and Darcy shifts closer, pulling her hand out of his grasp to loop both of her arms over his shoulders. "This is a great song," she sighs, blinking slowly at him. Steve doesn't know it, but if it's responsible for that dreamy look on her face and the way she brushes her fingers lightly against the back of his neck, he's inclined to love it.
Something shifts between them and this dance is starting to feel very dangerous. God. He wants her so much that it's distracting. His brain is turning over one explicit image after another of the things he'd like to do to her, with her. He swallows thickly and fights to keep his hands still on her back. Darcy's fingers run over his neck again and his eyes shut in response as he inhales a sharp breath. "Darcy," he groans in warning and she lets her arms slide down his arms. His eyes open and he sees that her own are a little wild, her red lips parted slightly. Fuck it, he thinks. Life's too short and he wants to kiss her.
He leans in slowly, watches as Darcy's head tips back just enough, her eyes fluttering shut, fingers flexing into his arms, and closes his eyes. His lips are a breath away from hers when someone bumps right into his back, jolting them both out of the moment. Steve straightens to his full height and makes a disgruntled noise. Darcy's hands fall away from him and he shoots her an apologetic look.
She stares at him for a long moment, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. "Wanna get out of here?" she asks finally.
Dangerous, indeed.
Steve nods once. "Yes."
"Let's go," she tells him, fisting her hand in his shirt and leading him off the dance floor.
She tosses some bills on the table, grabs her bag, and heads for the door. He follows, heart thumping erratically in his chest.
