Chapter Ten

Last Dance … One More Chance

"Dance with me.'

She heard him whisper from behind her, his breath stirring the fine tendrils of her hair around her ear. Wordlessly she got up and put her hand in his outstretched one, letting him lead her to the dance floor. Woody swung her into his arms as the music started. Jordan let him pull her close, her face next to his. "How does it feel to be the man of the hour?" she asked, smiling at him.

Woody shrugged. "It's okay. But I'll be honest. It feels better being able to walk…and dancing with you again feels even better than that." He returned her smile with a dimpled grin. "So…how's the arm?"

Jordan looked at her left arm, resting a little awkwardly on his right one. "Better…still not quite one hundred percent, but it's getting better…thanks to the physical therapist and you."

"Maybe this would be easier on you." Woody let go of her right hand and moved both of his hands to her waist, gently encircling it and bringing her closer, making her put both of her arms around his neck. "How's that?"

She let him pull her even closer. "It's good, Woody. Real good." She sighed softly and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Hmmmm," was his reply. He was too busy smelling her scent…her perfume…relishing in the feel of her against him again, gently sliding his hands from her waist to right under her breasts and back down again. Jordan felt his lips on her neck…right where it met her shoulders. She sighed again, wishing that the music wouldn't stop…the evening wouldn't end.

But it did…at least the music stopped. And when it did, she raised her head to find them in a secluded corner, his hands staying around her waist. He noticed she made no effort to move out of his arms. "Are we hiding?" she asked, raising her head to smile at him.

"Sort of. I don't want anyone to nab you away from me."

"I'm not going anywhere," her eyes telling him that she meant far more out of that statement than just the simple fact she wasn't leaving him to go dance with someone else.

"Good…" He pulled her back into his arms for another dance when the music started again. And kept her there the rest of the evening, until the dancing was over with and he helped her with her coat, gently easing it over her left arm. "Thanks for the dances," he whispered in her ear.

"My pleasure," she replied, turning her face to his and finding him very near. He closed the distance and caught her lips for a brief, but sweet, kiss.

"No….the pleasure was all mine."

She caught her breath at the contact and hoped that he was serious, and not just making intimate small talk.

"Do you still run?" he asked suddenly.

Taken off guard at the quick change of subject, she could only nod.

"Are you planning to run tomorrow?"

"I can."

"Good. I'll meet you at the park…the last place we ran together, remember?"

She nodded as Garret showed up to take her home. A run? What brought that up?

He caught up with her the next morning at the same spot they had stopped to rest over a year before…when she had told him about her blind date and accused him of moving on with other women…and where he had felt a streak of jealousy over the fact that she was seeing another man.

"Good morning," he greeted her.

She grinned. "I thought that you were going to run with me…not meet me here and wimp out on half of the six miles."

He returned her grin with one of his own. "Sorry…my legs won't do six miles yet. Only a couple or so."

"Slacker."

He huffed and took off with her following close behind. He finally slowed down after about a mile. "God, so much has happened since we last ran together," he said when he came to a stop.

She nodded, still trying to catch her breath. "That's an understatement." She finally had a chance to ask him what she had been wanting to. "So…have you moved on, Woody?"

"Sort of…how about you?" He kept his eyes on the ground.

"No…not really. I've been too busy."

He raised his eyes to hers. "Do you still feel the same way you did when I was in the hospital?"

This time, she lowered her eyes…not sure exactly where the conversation was going or if she was going to like his response. "Yes. I do. I understand why you would doubt it…doubt me…why I said it. But I meant it. I…I still do."

Woody shook his head. "I did doubt it…and you. But seeing you lately…after you were in the hospital…helping you with your therapy the same way you helped me…made me change the way I was thinking…and the way I felt. I had forgotten how much I like you…."

Oh, damn, Jordan thought, he's going to play the 'friends' card again. Her heart couldn't take it. "Please, don't. Just don't tell me that you want to be just friends again. I can't handle that. If that's the way you feel about me…if friendship is truly all you want, I can't stay here. I can't stay in Boston." She turned her back to him.

"Why?"

"Because…because it's hard to move on when the person you love is right there in front of you all the time." Her voice trembled on the last word.

Then she felt his arms slip around her from behind, turning her into him. "Oh, Jordan…we'll always be friends…because that's what we were first.
Friends. But if you're willing, I'd like to see if this time we can't be more than friends…given that both of our feelings are running pretty deep."

"You do?" She looked up at him, somewhat startled at his confession.

"Yeah…but this time…we do it my way, okay?" he replied, raising an eyebrow at her.

She nodded. "What does that mean?"

"It means we do take it slowly…one step at a time…no games….and that you have to trust me. Can you do that?" he asked, knowing trust didn't come easy for her.

She nodded again and leaned her head on his chest, answering with just one word, but putting her whole heart behind it. "Yes."