CHAPTER 5
THE BET
Nora walked into her room following dinner with her grandma to find a letter on her bed from Rixon. Things had been really hard on their friendship, harder than usual since the whole salsa deal had began. They were always rockier than her and Patch, Rixon was more moody and introverted like Nora. He was also more like their parents, not understanding that she might have dreams and goals of her own. He, like them, expected her to follow the 'proper' path in life, his proper path. She knew he cared about her, loved her even, and she did love him, she just wasn't 'in' love with him. Still, she never wanted him to be hurt and she was more confused than ever. On one hand she had the younger Cipriano brother head over heels for her when she only really wanted friendship, then there was Patch, her best friend and the one she had been lusting over. She was sure they had come close to kissing a few times during dance practices, but something always happened to interrupt, often it was Rixon.
Nora picked up the letter with a sigh. Knowing Rixon this was going to make her guilt even worse.
Dear Nora:
I need some space from you right now. I've asked Vee to keep her time with me separate from you. I just can't be around as long as you're doing this (whatever "this" is) with Patch. It hurts me to see you together when all I want is for that to be me. Watching you touch him, even if you're only dancing. Watching him touch you as only a lover should. Hearing you talk and laugh with him like you guys have always done when I should be the one with you, not him.
You've told me time and again that my brother is just your friend. Maybe you still think of him as only that, but I think you may be deluding yourself. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm afraid I'm right. I've seen the look you get in your eyes whenever I interrupt you. I've seen the way you dance with him. You fall silent whenever I come in, you've both shared secrets our whole lives that I've never been a party to.
I don't want to keep doing this, Nora. It's eating me up inside. I'm always angry nowadays, and I hate it. You were meant to be mine.
Perhaps dancing with Patch is your way of punishing me for refusing to dance with you in the first place? Maybe it's because as you've said before, your love for me is not the same love I hold for you. You've made me regret my decision every day since I turned you down.
I've been the proverbial third wheel since childhood with you and Patch. I'm praying this is just a whim of yours, temporary insanity. All I know is I would put up with many things to have you, I don't want to lose you, Nora, I want so much for us to be together. We can have it all, our families business and income, a family with kids, a big house and nice cars. We can take vacations together, travel and see the world. I would lay it all at your feet. It's what our parents have always wanted, what I have always wanted. I can't even find it in me to blame you for this. I know my brother. I've seen him weave his spells whenever you're dancing and I hate it. I warned him not to try and take you away from me. I'm not surprised he didn't listen to me. I expected as much from him, but not from you, which is why I can't help but think that you might want to be taken away, that you want him to seduce you. He's older than us, Nora, it's just not right. Maybe it's all the time you've spent together, all the nights you slept in his arms as he comforted you from through your nightmares. I would have done the same things for you, I will do the same things for you, only I can give you my heart where my brother only has his friendship to give you. He's no good, Nora, not for you.
I don't want to come to blows with Patch over you. Not just because it's a forgone conclusion who will come out the winner, but because it won't change anything in the end. If you choose him over me, so be it. I'll just have to learn to live with that. I'm trying to do what grandma Clista has been telling us, to 'follow my heart'.
Patch has shown that he is constant in his affections for you. He's proven that he's willing to do whatever it takes to protect you, perhaps even more so than I am. However much it pains me to admit this now, you're the one who brings out the side of Patch no one else ever get's to see. You bring out the love in my brother. You bring out the best in both of us. If he was willing to change for you, forsake his wild ways than you would both have my blessing and I wouldn't stand in his way or yours if it's really him that you want. I don't think he's ever going to do that though. Nora, you want to have the husband, the house, the kids, the car and Patch...Patch is Patch he won't settle down or take anything serious, he'll never be able to make you happy.
For now I'm putting some distance between us and Vee agrees with my decision to back off. I just ask that you try to truly search your heart between now and the dance contest. You're loyal to a fault and I know you would never want to hurt either of us. It all goes back to us following our hearts, I don't want to continue pulling you one way if your heart wants to go another. At the end of the day it's not fair to any of us. I want you completely, Nora, or not at all. I don't want to share you with Patch. I am that selfish. I've shared you enough already, I won't continue to do it.
I'm not giving up on you, Nora. Please use this opportunity to explore what's in your heart. We can talk after the dance competition and I hope that you will have the answer for me I've been waiting to hear, that we've all been waiting to hear from you.
Forever Yours,
Rixon Cipriano
Meanwhile Patch was out with his close pal, Angelo.
"Oh, come on, Angelo!" Patch exclaimed, and started counting on his fingers. "There's just a few pesky little problems like she's way to young and innocent to be with someone like me, I'm practically her brother which makes me sick in the head, AND she's supposed to be my brother's girl, she's practically signed, sealed and delivered to him. Then there's my annoying conscience that knows I don't really deserve her like he does, so I can't just up and take her from him. She's not just any other girl that I can rob of their innocence without a thought. She's a virgin, Angelo, she should stay that way, wait for the right guy even though the thought of her..." Patch trailed off for a minute unable to finish that thought, not liking the direction it was taking him. "Oh, and yes, let's not forget that she doesn't want to be taken because I'm her 'best friend', nothing more and nothing less..."
Angelo mulled this over for a moment and then said. "Are you so sure about that?"
Patch groaned and buried his head in his hands. "Well, I'm as sure as I can be after we almost shared a passionate kiss this morning...before she remembered our friendship, came to her senses and ran out on me..."
Angelo's eyebrows shot up. "Again? For a girl who claims to love you as 'just a friend', she sure has come close to kissing you a lot since this all started, my friend! Don't you think that's kind of significant? Even if you did get together, it's not like you must have sex until she's ready to." Angelo had known Nora almost as long as Patch had and he knew she wasn't the type to go around trying to kiss just anybody. In fact, she hadn't been the type to kiss anyone... ever.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm irresistible and all." Patch shook his head incredulously. You know, I never pegged you as a closet romantic, Angelo. Don't tell me you actually believe in fairy tales."
"Smart ass." Angelo grumbled. "You know, some happy endings do come true."
"Not if your love is unrequited, it sucks any way you look at it." Patch sighed, suddenly serious again. "Nora would never admit that she feels something for me. I'm convinced when she says we will always be friends that that's what she means, friends. I'm always going relegated back to my perpetual status of 'best friend, protector, and stand in brother'."
Angelo rolled his eyes. "She sure has a funny way of showing her friendship then. At least, I don't go around almost French-kissing my friends! I don't know about you though..."
Patch was about to retort when Angelo's girlfriend walked up, greeting them.
"I'll catch you later, Angelo. Have a good night." He was already walking away when he heard Angelo call after him.
"Think about what I said." Patch just gave him a wave before ducking out the door.
Nora was now sitting on the edge of her bed holding the note loosely in her hand lost in thought... "I've seen the way you dance with him..." Yes. How could she completely lose herself just dancing with Patch? Why was she constantly craving to touch him, to kiss him?
And then this morning when he almost kissed her...or she almost kissed him. Whatever, they'd almost kissed...
The letter slipped from her suddenly numb fingers. She squeezed her eyes shut when the truth hit her like a ton of bricks.
She was in love with Patch Cipriano. She was 'IN' love with her best friend, with a guy who went through girls like most people went through toilet paper.
She fell back on her bed. Staring at the ceiling with unseeing eyes, her mind sluggishly trying to grasp the astounding concept that seemed so patently obvious once her eyes had been opened to see the truth that had always been in her heart. The truth that her grandma had known all along.
God help her, she was in love with Patch...
How on earth had that happened? Who was she kidding? Somewhere inside of her she'd always known, she just never wanted to admit it, not even to herself...
In the last couple weeks he had made her feel more grown up, more desirable than she'd ever felt before. He'd shown her what it could be like if they fell in love.
Granted, she had always been attracted to him, even at five years old. You'd have be blind not to be. She had tried to pass this off on physical attraction and hormones. She wasn't so shallow though that she would fall for just another pretty face.
Looking back, hindsight being 20/20, she could see how it had been gradually sneaking up on her. She hadn't even been aware that her heart could be in any danger. She had felt so secure in her friendship with Patch, so much so that it had blinded her to everything and everyone else. She'd missed all the telltale signs of trouble.
In spite of several warnings from her sister and Rixon, she'd foolishly left her heart unguarded. She hadn't been ready to fight because she hadn't even been aware that there might be something to fight against, they were just friends... Patch had staged an assault, she was sure of it, and it had gone undetected by her, he'd breached her defenses and taken up residence in her mind and in her heart as far more than only her best friend. Definitely more than a brother.
She'd been sidetracked by the constant pressure to be Rixon's. That had been their parents hopes and dream as well as his hearts desire, but not hers. Never hers, it was like the hints that grandma Clista was always dropping about her and Patch, how she had fallen in love with him the first day she met him, that seemed like forever ago. If she took her grandma's advice and followed her heart would his heart meet hers halfway? Nora didn't think so sadly. She was safe guarded in the strictly 'friend zone' category. Her mind filled with thoughts of their past, cataloging all the little moments of closeness between her and Patch. Surreptitious touches, lingering looks she should by rights have recognized for what they were. There had simply been too much tension, too strong of emotions for 'just' friendship. It was more like a game of playful teasing, sexual attraction and flirty banter between two people who were hovering on the brink of becoming something a whole lot more...
There was one more thing that Nora was unaware of. Patch had read that letter before it was delivered to her. Rixon had made sure he would get the girl by making her feel remorse for the time Patch and her had spent together preparing for the dance. She would probably blame herself and abandon the salsa contest so she wasn't tempted. Nora was the type of girl who felt guilty for feeling guilty.
Patch would be damned if he let her get away with wallowing in guilt and standing him up as a result, especially after he spent all this time getting her ready and he, in fact, deemed her as good as ready as ready could be. There was still an outstanding bet to consider, a wager involving a certain dress that was at stake.
A slow, dangerous smile curved his lips. If he had lost the battle, he still had by no means lost the war, he wasn't ready to admit defeat. Not by a long shot. He picked up the phone and called Bella and Vee.
On Tuesday morning, Nora was intentionally trying to avoid running into her sister. Of course Vee was the very first person she bumped into leaving her bedroom.
"Where were you yesterday? I looked all over for you and knocked on your bedroom door and you never answered."
Nora fidgeted uncomfortably, "I had a headache. I stayed in bed all day," she replied, and that wasn't even a lie. She tried never to lie to Vee, but there some things she just couldn't tell her...yet.
"Damn. I was hoping you came to your senses about Rixon."
How could Nora tell her sister that Rixon, Vee's best friend, was never going to be her boyfriend no matter how hard he tried and no matter how much Nora cared about him. She wished Vee would just stop. It was bad enough that Rixon pressured her like he did, then her mom had started bringing bridal magazines home with pages dog-eared to brides dresses she thought Nora might 'love' to have. Nora was only seventeen, she wouldn't 'love' to have any of them! Especially not with Rixon! To make matters even worse there was the constant tug and pull on her between her sister and Patch. Sometimes she just wanted to stomp her feet, throw things and scream into her pillow. She didn't want to talk about Rixon, she didn't want to think about Patch...especially not about almost kissing him...
"I got a phone call from Patch..." Vee announced, immediately getting Nora's full attention. Then again, maybe she did want to think about Patch, well, talk about Patch, maybe not think.
"Why would Patch call you?" Nora said in surprise.
Vee looked slightly taken aback at Nora's strange reaction. She may not agree with the way he spent his time or the way she sometimes thought he led her sister on with constant flirting, but Vee and Patch had grown up together and still did talk.
"Nora? Is something the matter?" Finally Vee had caught on to Nora's discomfiture.
Nora waved her hand, trying to appear casual, "No, no, nothing. So, Patch called you, huh?"
Vee looked suspiciously at her for a moment longer, a worried frown creasing her forehead. Then her usual ebullience popped up again, and her voice rose with her enthusiasm when she gushed, "Yes! And he had the most wonderful idea. Apparently he knows a great bar, and he wants us to go there with him!"
Nora looked nonplussed for a moment, "What? Patch knows a bar? I imagine he knows a lot of bars. What's so special about this one?"
Vee huffed reproachfully, "Well, Nora, if you wouldn't keep interrupting me," Nora raised her eyebrows at this point, but Vee ignored her and went on, "I could tell you."
Nora made a zipping motion with her hand in front of her mouth, indicating she'd keep mum.
"It's a bar where they do a salsa night once a month. They turn the bar into a salsa café and have a salsa band playing all night. We could go there and practice! Sounds great, huh?" Vee looked at Nora expectantly.
"Great," Nora muttered weakly.
Vee went right on, "So, it's only this Wednesday. I'm totally in a tizzy about what I'm going to wear! I might even have to go and buy something new this afternoon!"
Nora's eyes widened, "Wednesday? But… that's… tomorrow?"
Vee nodded enthusiastically, "Yup. Oh, I think it's so neat that he invited us along! We're going to have so much fun!"
Well, at least somebody will, Nora thought. Vee and Scott were having a great time learning to dance together, they'd been joining her and Patch off and on for practice and instruction, Bella and Shadow had even came to observe them a few times, mostly though it was just Nora and Patch.
Rixon wanted me to explore my feelings...consider this exploring Nora thought as she got ready the next night. She had called her grandma that day to talk to her about going dancing with Patch. Her grandma had been encouraging, telling her to have a good time and just let things go and have fun, stop over thinking things.
Patch pulled up in his jeep with the hard top off so when they set out the wind tugged on her hair. She felt good, free, happy for a moment. Turning she cast him a sideways glance, surreptitiously admiring his chiseled features, gorgeous Italian complexion, deep onyx eyes and shock of messy, windswept raven hair with the little curls at the bottom where he kept it longer. The slanting rays of the evening sun gilded the clean-cut lines of his face, from her vantage point seemed to crown him with an unearthly halo of burnished gold, making him look every bit an angel, a fallen angel, she mused.
Nora corrected herself drily, it was probably more accurate to say he reminded her of Lucifer! Then she bit back a smile at her own mental image: Lucifer indeed! They'd never let him in the pearly gates anyway; he'd wreak too much havoc with his sinfully sexy good looks.
Patch felt her eyes on him and turned his head slightly to look at her for a moment before returning his eyes to the road. "Why are you looking at me like that, Nora?"
Unthinkingly, she blurted out. "I was thinking you look like Lucifer..."
Patch smiled teasingly back at her. "If by that you mean to say that I'm devilishly handsome, you're absolutely right."
She shook her head with an indulgent smile at his brazen impudence. "I was surprised you invited Vee and Scott tonight. You don't exactly get along with Scott."
"There's a reason I don't get along with him, which is putting it mildly, by the way. I have to admit though, I had another reason for inviting Vee tonight. Remember our wager? If I could get you to dance salsa well enough to satisfy Bella and Vee's critical judgment, I get to choose your dress for the contest. Bella is sick so Vee is honorary judge."
Nora turned to him excitedly. "Do you actually think I'm good enough then? You never said so!"
Patch answered drily. "I never got the chance. Remember last Saturday?"
Nora blushed furiously: Saturday he had dared her to show him she was ready for the contest, she had almost initiated a kiss before coming to her senses and bolting out the door. It seemed like such a long time ago, when in reality it was only a few days.
Patch chuckled when he saw her blushing. "I see you do remember. Well as far as I'm concerned, you've become quite a proficient salsa dancer, so I figured it was time to cash in on my wager. Be ready to lose..." He smirked as he pulled into a parking space.
Nora swung her long elegant legs out of the car, and accepted Scott's extended hand with a smile. He pulled her up and looked her over thoroughly before saying appreciatively. "Hey, sexy lady! I have to say that you sure look great tonight!" Vee frowned.
Nora returned his flirtatious smile with a shy one of her own, her eyes softening when she looked at her longtime friend. "You don't look too bad yourself, sir." She nudged him in the arm.
They started walking towards the entrance with Vee and Patch trailing behind them.
"Vee, you should probably take better care of your date." Patch told Vee tersely. "You know, make sure he stays out of harms' way."
"What?" Vee looked puzzled, Scott was a big guy, plenty big enough to take care of himself.
Patch stared pointedly back at her and drawled. "Not now, Vee, but he's going to need it if he keeps flirting with my date."
Vee's eyes widened. "Your date, is it?" Then she smiled teasingly. "What's with the sudden caveman-date attitude, Patch?"
"It doesn't bother you that your date just called your little sister sexy?"
"So what?" Truth was, it didn't bother her the way it should, it should be a jealous woman not just a protective sister kind of bother her. Right?
"Men are essentially primitive creatures, Vee." Patch shrugged. "I shouldn't have to tell you that we wrote the book on possessiveness."
"I know that, but Scott and Nora are just friends like you and her, Patch." Vee sounded irritated.
Dammit, she thought, why was she even defending this, when in fact she agreed with Patch? Scott shouldn't be flirting with Nora; her sister didn't like him like that and he was supposed to be here with her, just like with Patch and Rixon, he was more concerned about Nora. It hurt her more than she cared to admit, almost as much as Rixon caring more about Nora than her.
"He wants to be more than friends." Patch pointed out, cutting straight to the chase.
"Okay, so they have some history between them." Vee admitted reluctantly. How could they not when Scott had grown up playing in the sandbox with Nora where he had been known for some time as 'Scotty the Potty' until he grew up and Vee changed his nickname to 'Scotty the Hottie'.
"I'll be damned if I let him add something more to that history." Patch muttered under his breath, staring daggers at Scott's back.
Vee looked at Patch somewhat startled by his reaction to Scott. He'd always been overprotective, but this was Nora's FRIEND. "Watch and learn, Vee." Patch told her quietly.
In a louder voice he said. "Can I just remind you that we have some history together just like these kids do? Or don't you remember the days when you were all 'girl likes boy, boy likes girl, sex'?"
Vee blushed slightly, wondering how he even knew about that. If she recalled it correctly, she'd said those words to Nora a long time ago when she was crushing on her sisters best friend.
She startled out of her reverie when Patch sidled closer to her and casually slung an arm over her shoulders. "Back in the days when I might have been up for it." He winked suggestively. "You wouldn't even have thought of turning me down."
"Please! Don't remind me. I got over you when I got over dieting!" Vee mumbled before realizing her mistake, she'd never gotten over dieting, her full curvy body was still that...full. Still, she didn't shrug off his arm.
"You have to admit we used to have fun together. I bet if I had tried doing that thing to you that..."
"What are you guys talking about?" Nora suddenly appeared at Patch's side, and Patch suppressed a satisfied smirk. Oh yeah, he was protective, she was HIS Angel, not Scott's not anyone else.
Patch winked at Vee again, his good mood instantly restored. "Oh, Vee and I were just reminiscing about old times..."
Vee jabbed her elbow in his ribs to keep him from saying more on the subject, and Patch withdrew his arm from around her.
Nora eyed the people waiting in a line outside, hoping to be allowed in, and said, "Well, Mr. Cipriano, I think it's time to prove your powers of persuasion!"
"Sure thing, Miss Grey," Patch replied nonchalantly, and looked towards the entrance. When he saw who was carding the people waiting to get in, one corner of his mouth quirked up in a slow smile.
Nora followed his gaze to see what he was staring at and saw he was observing a young woman standing by the rope closing off the entrance to the club.
She was dressed… well, that might not be the appropriate word, Nora simmered silently. She had poured herself into some kind of black leather corset that displayed her ample …um … assets to best advantage. Leather hot pants and fish net stockings showcased endless legs and gem-studded pumps completed the outfit. A wealth of wavy, luxuriously thick hair the color of copper spilled loosely over her shoulders and down her back, reaching all the way to her bottom. Her face bore an expression of bored ennui as she had everybody show their identification before allowing them in.
"Wait here while I handle this," Patch said breezily, "Won't be a minute."
He sauntered off, past the line of waiting people, most of whom followed his progress with curious envy. He stepped across the red rope as if he had every right to do so, and Nora watched as the redhead looked up with an irritated frown, clearly intending to tell him off.
But as soon as her eyes lit on him, her mouth snapped shut, and she sized him up approvingly, the frown disappearing. Patch started talking to her, and although the jaded look slipped off her face fairly quickly, she still shook her head.
Nora wasn't close enough to hear what was being said, but she could tell her sister was definitely listening. "It's not working; she's so not gonna let us in," Vee told Nora quietly, perverse pleasure ringing in her voice at Patch's anticipated failure.
They both observed Patch leaning over to whisper something in the girl's ear. Vee's frown told Nora that she hadn't been able to hear what he'd said, but the redhead's eyes widened and she suddenly gazed up at him with an inviting smile that made her look very pretty. Then she nodded.
Patch turned around and beckoned them closer. As Vee, Scott and Nora stepped over the red rope, the girl eyed them a little disdainfully, but she let them in without asking for ID.
When Patch made to follow them, she stopped him with a hand on his chest and told him in a throaty voice, "Enjoy yourself, cutie pie. Should you be bored, I'm off at eleven… Just ask for Candy!"
"Why, thank you, Candy. I'll be sure to remember that," Patch said in what Nora had dubbed his bedroom-voice, because it sounded all silky and seductive.
It made Nora bristle, and she hardly waited for them to be out of earshot to snap at him, "Did you have to do that?"
"Do what exactly?" Patch looked at her curiously, and when her eyes slid to Candy-the-carroty haired-corset-girl, his brow cleared. "You wanted to get in, didn't you? So I got you in. You even told me to use my powers of persuasion!"
"You know that's not what I meant. You could have just flirt with her to let us in," Nora replied sulkily.
Patch burst out laughing, "Well, well, well! Who'd have thought little ole innocent you of all people would be advocating the use of flirting." He smirked, "Although maybe innocent isn't exactly accurate in this case."
Nora scowled at him, and they walked inside. The interior of the club was quite dark, but Nora saw a bar along the wall on the one side, and scattered tables and chairs on the other. A big space in the middle was cleared for dancing.
Patch turned to her with an appealing look and extended his hand to her, "If I promise not to do it again, will you dance with me?" Oh God, Nora thought. Puppy dog eyes? The thing about having a friend as close as Patch was to her is that they know all the little buttons to push to get exactly what they wanted. It was absolutely no use trying to resist him…
Still, she hesitated a fraction of a second. This was the first time she was actually going to dance with him since discovering her feelings for him, and the thought made her nervous. Somehow it felt more significant now.
She looked at his extended hand and gingerly placed hers in it. A tingle of electricity raced up her arm from where their fingers touched and her eyes flew up to his, startled. For a moment the bar and its patrons faded away, every sound dimming. Her world shrunk to his luminous ebony eyes steadily gazing into hers. They were on an island of quiet, just the two of them...
The noise and the people rushed back suddenly as Vee jostled them on her way to the dance floor with Scott in tow. Nora blinked, uncertain what had just happened. Then Patch gave a little tug at her hand, pulling her along towards an empty spot on the dance floor.
The band was playing an up-tempo salsa song, and the dance floor was already crowded with couples dancing energetically to the rhythmic beat of the Latino music. When Patch pulled Nora's body closer to avoid bumping into too many others, Nora stiffened a little.
When they started dancing, she couldn't immediately find their normal, intuitive synchronization and she kept trying to avoid his eyes: it was as if being aware of her feelings for him had made her too sensitive to his every touch, unbalancing her and breaking her concentration. She quivered, all too aware of Patch's hand in the small of her back; all too aware he was touching her bare skin.
She had the impression of being closed in by the other dancing couples; she was uncertain about her moves; she didn't feel the rhythm as she should. When she took a wrong turn again, Patch's eyebrows climbed higher on his forehead, and he said, "What's wrong, Nora? This isn't like you at all: you aren't normally so unresponsive."
Her eyes flickered up to his, and she fibbed, desperate for an excuse to cover her bungling of the well-known salsa moves, "I don't know. I'm nervous, I guess. It's my first dance in public!"
Patch frowned, looking puzzled until he remembered how their last dance had ended.
He stopped dancing, and raised her face up to his with two elegant fingers under her chin, searching her countenance for clues and finding averted eyes and a telltale blush, "Nora. There's no need to be nervous: you look gorgeous and you are a wonderful dancer. Just forget about everything else tonight: we're just going to have some uncomplicated fun. I'll be the perfect gentleman, I promise. Now just relax, look into my eyes and let yourself feel the music!"
Nora took a deep breath and looked up at him, forcing herself to relax and her mind to stop buzzing. He placed his hand low on her back and resumed dancing, his eyes holding hers captive.
And just like that, the magic was back again: the breathtaking, wonderful harmony of their bodies moving in sync to the vivid salsa rhythm. The dancers crowding around her didn't bother Nora any longer and her body responded to his guidance as if he was a master musician and she was his favorite instrument...
They say that time flies when you're having fun, and that certainly proved true. Once Nora had vanquished her awkwardness and uncertainty, she enjoyed herself immensely. Patch guided her through combinations of known steps and turns they hadn't yet tried, and Nora had no trouble following his lead now. She even tried some variations herself, to Patch's obvious amusement.
Time was immaterial as they moved across the dance floor in perfect harmony, dancing without reserve, uninhibited sexy and completely attuned to each other, unaware of the other dancers casting them admiring and sometimes envious looks.
All too soon the band had finished their last song before taking a break, and Nora looked at Patch, and remarked with an edge of grudging admiration in her voice, "I have to admit that you are really very good at this!"
"I know," Patch replied smugly. He'd never been in the habit of practicing too much false modesty; why begin now?
But Nora lifted a mock-censorious eyebrow, "Cocky much?"
Patch looked down at her with a mischievous grin and said, "Very much!" Then he lowered his head to murmur in her ear, "But I have every right to be…"
Nora shivered when a flash of desire raced through her, turning her legs wobbly and making her stumble and blush furiously.
Patch responded by casually slipping an arm around her waist and pulling her closer to him as they made their way to the bar. Nora didn't object; in fact, she leaned in closer, deliberately intruding in his personal space. It made him smile slightly, because he hadn't been as sure about her reaction as he'd made out to be. But it also caused Vee, who was observing them from her vantage point on a bar stool, to raise an eyebrow in surprise.
Vee had kept a bar-stool for Nora as well, and Patch lifted her onto it without asking, his fingers lingering marginally too long on her waist. Nora thanked him with a tiny smile, and he leaned against her bar-stool, one arm behind her back as if she needed the support. Nora didn't say anything about that either, and Vee frowned, unable to shake the impression that Patch and Nora were undeniably emitting coupley-vibes.
As soon as Patch and Nora joined them, Scott excused himself to visit the men's room. Patch waited for Vee to hand Nora a much-needed drink before raising his voice slightly to make sure he could be heard over the music, "So, Vee, about why we are undertaking this school excursion…"
"I should have known there would be a reason apart from just having fun!" Vee replied sounding slightly peeved.
"Well, duh. Big, bad boy reputation here! Have you ever known me to do things out of the goodness of my cold heart?" Patch drawled sarcastically.
When Vee opened her mouth to reply, he held up a hand to stall her and said, "That was a rhetorical question, Vee!"
When Vee smirked, he bared his teeth menacingly and taunted, "Babysitting the kindergarten is ruining my reputation as it is! Don't add insult to injury by implying that I'm as harmless as a fluffy white bunny! It makes my teeth itch."
Vee quipped, "But Patch, fluffy white bunnies are so cute! It would guarantee you loads of female attention; all the girls will want to cuddle you. Wouldn't we, Nora?"
Patch looked down at Nora and teased, "How about it, Nora? Want to cuddle me?"
Nora retorted, "Fluffy white bunnies don't do a thing for me, Patch," She raised her eyes to his and added in a teasing voice, "Big, bad boys with reputations on the other hand…" Their eyes met and locked.
The intense way they were gazing at each other made her big sister wiggle on her stool uncomfortably: something was definitely happening here. She cleared her throat and said in a joking tone, "Now that we've established that my little sister is a bad boy junkie and insane, can we get to the reason we're here?"
Nora looked away from Patch first, her cheeks becomingly rosy. But it was Patch who picked up the thread of the conversation again, "Right. We're here because Nora and I have a wager going, and-"
Vee perked up again, and interrupted him, making Patch blow out an aggravated breath, "Ooh, another wager! Nora, you sly thing! From the way you gave me an earful yesterday, I thought you disapproved so strongly about betting!" She looked at Nora with a wicked gleam in her eye.
When Patch looked askance at Vee, she bent over to explain, as if telling a juicy bit of gossip, "See, Bella and I had this wager going about my sister's … um… activities…"
Vee made that sound positively dirty, prompting Nora to intervene with a warning look at her sister, "I'm sure nobody's interested in that, Vee!"
Patch's mouth lifted at one corner, and he drawled, "Oh, I'm interested alright, in fact, when it comes to you I'm fascinated. What activities were these?" If possible, the way Patch said it, infused it with even more naughty connotations, and Nora kicked Vee to keep her from answering.
Vee jumped and exclaimed, "Ouch! Nora! What did you do that for? It's not like Patch isn't aware of what you were up to?"
Nora blushed and evaded Patch's eyes by looking crossly at her big sister, who pouted, "Well, it's your own fault for telling me you got some good action, and then refuse to share the smut! When I tell you everything!"
Scott came back just in time to hear Vee's last remark and his face lost a shade of color.
Nora had enough. She slid off the bar-stool and extended a hand to Scott, "Will you dance with me, Scott? We can leave these two heartless creatures to their own devices!"
Scott smiled, and gratefully accepted Nora's invitation. They took themselves off to the dance floor without looking back.
"When is Nora supposed to have indulged in these X-rated activities?" Patch asked absently, a furrow between his eyebrows as he watched Nora walking towards the dance floor on Scott's arm.
Last weekend," Vee answered blithely.
"Last weekend? But she wasn't…" Patch snapped his mouth shut as the pieces clicked together, and he murmured with a smile, "Oh, I see…" Nothing to worry about, no guy stealing little Nora's virtue...she'd been with Patch, trying to steal his virtue with a kiss, but as much as he would have liked that he still felt she was too close to being a little sister at this point.
"Oh, you see, do you? Well, I don't see, since nobody ever tells me anything," Vee heaved a frustrated sigh.
"Maybe that's because you hardly allow anyone to get a word in edgewise?" Patch quipped with a mocking smirk, "I was trying to tell you something, but you just keep interrupting me."
"Oh, yes, the wager! What's it about then?" Vee wasn't deterred by Patch's sarcasm.
Patch explained the wager to Vee. Vee was quick to agree, although from what she'd seen so far, she suspected she already knew the inevitable outcome. Nora wouldn't have to worry about choosing her own dress.
Just as soon as she'd agreed, Patch turned his back on her and started walking away.
"Hey! Where are you going?" Vee called after him.
Patch half-turned and said over his shoulder, "What does it look like? I'm going to dance with Nora. I've had enough of watching Nephile deliberately put his hands in all the wrong places!"
Nora's eyes widened when Patch suddenly appeared next to them and tapped Scott's shoulder. Scott lost track of the steps and stopped dancing haltingly.
Patch said smoothly, "Scram, playboy! I'm cutting in here!" To Nora he added with a smile, "Miss Grey. This is our song, I believe?"
Scott was so surprised he let Patch slip into his place without saying a word. Then he shrugged and returned to Vee, avoiding Nora's apologetic look.
"What do you mean, this is our song? Patch, we don't have a song!" Nora exclaimed, her eyes flashing for a moment at his rude way of shouldering Scott aside.
Still, she fell into step with his direction quite fluidly, marveling once more at how effortless he guided her, especially after struggling through some of the turns with Scott.
"Oh, Nora! Every song is our song as long as I get to dance with you!" Patch murmured. "And now you'll have to give your best performance, since Vee is watching us and I don't intend to lose that wager!"
Before she could say anything in return, he took her hand and started twirling her, making her laugh in genuine delight.
The enthusiasm and passion of the people dancing around them seemed to saturate the air with living energy, and Nora absorbed its stimulating power, making her feel as though she could dance this way all through the night without ever tiring.
Her eyes were glowing with giddy excitement as she responded to Patch with a new kind of awareness, enhanced by her realization of being in love with him. She was high on the joy of dancing with him, drunk on his mere presence, blissful because he was touching her and she was touching him…
Patch was all too conscious of Nora's intense fixation on him: his male senses detected it almost like an electric current crackling between their bodies, raising every hair on his body in reaction.
He wondered why the attraction seemed suddenly so very much stronger than it had been. He'd always been aware of the chemistry between them, but now… It was all he could do to keep the male in him from surfacing and claiming his best friend for his own. He couldn't, he wouldn't do that, not with Nora. For all the flirting and innuendo's she was like a little sister to him, one he loved to tease and make blush and one he would fight to the death to for. She had no idea the lengths he would go to protect her.
He had no choice but to sublimate the instinct by channeling it into something else. His best option right now was the music and salsa, and he directed it all at Nora. He adjusted his way of dancing slightly, his hands lingering longer on her bare skin than before. Somehow he succeeded in turning every single touch into a caress that made Nora's body hum with tension until she felt like one of those wind-up toys, ready to uncoil at the lightest touch.
The band decided to lend a hand by playing a slower Meringue song, and Patch didn't hesitate in pulling Nora as close as possible, closing his eyes for a moment when the friction of her body against his relieved some of the pressure. His hands took advantage of the fact that there was a big expanse of uncovered skin between her skirt and her top, and his fingers drew hypnotizing lines and circles on her warm flesh. For the moment Patch forgot that she was his best friend, that she was so much younger, so innocent still and let him self get lost in it all.
His surreptitious caresses heated up her exterior and his eyes dark as a starless night burned down into hers with an intensity that reminded Nora of the heart of a flame, and made her feel just as hot inside…
She was burning up, her insides having turned to jelly under Patch's sensual assault. If not for Patch holding her up, she would have melted into a puddle on the floor by now.
They were both so completely engrossed in each other that they didn't notice Vee and Scott dancing right next to them. Vee had observed Patch and Nora for a while, unsure about what exactly she was seeing, but not liking it at all. In her eyes, that should be Rixon dancing like that with her sister, not Patch. Patch was the screw up of the family's, the black-sheep, the embarrassment.
What about Rixon? Vee decided to err on the side of caution and whispered to Scott that she was going to cut in, and he'd have to dance with her sister while she danced with Patch.
She tapped Nora's shoulder and said chirpily, "Hey, guys, how about we change partners for a while?"
Nora dazedly let go of Patch, and Scott quickly stepped in.
Nora shook her head, the spell of dancing with Patch only slowly dissipating. She looked at Scott apologetically and said, "Would you mind sitting this one out, Scott? I feel a bit flushed with the heat in here. I think I'd like to get something to drink," Scott nodded in agreement and took Nora off to the bar.
"Vee, what do you think you're doing?" Patch demanded.
Vee halted abruptly right in front of him and bit right back, "No, Patch, what do you think you're doing?"
Patch cast her a dark look and snarled, "I asked you first!"
Vee rolled her eyes, and blurted out, "What are we, twelve?" Then she answered anyway, "I'm just trying to protect Nora, Patch. She doesn't know what she's getting herself into by dancing with you."
Patch lifted one eyebrow, and replied glibly, "Why would she need any protection from me, Vee? After all, we were only dancing!"
"You call that dancing? My goodness, no wonder you have Nora all…" Vee swallowed the rest of her words, but muttered under her breath, "I did warn her about this, but would she listen?"
"I have Nora all… what, Vee?" Patch asked. "Not that it is actually any of your business what Nora and I get up to, is it?"
Vee shook her head, "It so is my business! Nora's my LITTLE sister. I warned her about you, but she just wouldn't believe she was landing herself in hot water. She should have known better though! Look where it got me!"
Patch shook his head in exasperation. It was no use trying to convince anyone of his good intentions. Apparently the only person who really believed he wasn't a black-hearted villain was Nora herself…
"It got you saved. You'd be dead if I hadn't saved you that day." Patch remarked drily.
Vee shook her head. "You didn't do that for me. You only did it for Nora."
Patch raised his eyebrows, "Thank you for pointing that out, Vee. I did it for Nora. Which proves my point that I don't mean to cause her any pain!"
Vee took hold of his arms in a last effort to get through to him, "You don't mean to cause her pain, Patch. But you will nevertheless. Because someday soon I'm afraid you'll get bored and she'll get hurt…"
Patch was already shaking his head, "That's where you're wrong, Vee. I don't do bored where Nora is concerned. You however, are boring me to tears right now."
He took a step back, extricating himself expediently from her grasp and added, "Which is why I'm sure you'll excuse me for removing my unwanted presence from your company now."
He knew he was being harsh, which was probably uncalled for considering Vee was only trying to look out for Nora, but he was seething at her for interfering and utterly sick of always being painted as the bad guy. He turned on his heel and stomped outside, leaving Vee to stare at his retreating back in confusion. Then she shrugged and went looking for Scott and Nora.
When Vee walked up to Scott and Nora at the bar alone, Nora looked first puzzled by Patch's absence, and then alarmed. "Where's Patch, Vee? Is he dancing with someone else?"
"He can go dance with the devil, for all I care!" Vee was miffed, "The High and Mighty Mr. Cipriano took himself off, Nora, and good riddance too!"
Nora looked baffled at her sister's uncharacteristic vehemence. Then she asked. "What did you say to him?" She was now standing on tiptoe, her eyes scanning the people on the dance floor and at the randomly scattered tables against the walls. There was no sign of Patch's messy dark hair or his tan complexion anywhere. She looked at Vee again, awaiting her answer with trepidation.
Vee dropped down onto the bar-stool and pouted, "Yeah, go ahead and worry about the conceited prick whose been your life long best friend instead of supporting me, your SISTER AND lifelong friend. I'm sure he's only sulking somewhere because I gave him a piece of my mind."
Nora narrowed her eyes at her older sister and repeated, "What did you say, Vee?"
Vee huffed and said, "Well, no need to get all snippy with me. I was just trying to be a good sister to you, Nora, but I must say that all these mixed signals from you have me totally confused! You know that Patch is going to hurt you, right? And-"
Before Vee had uttered her last word, Nora had stopped listening and was already on her way out, pushing past the line of people still trying to get in.
She walked further from the entrance, in the direction of the parking lot, looking around anxiously for Patch.
It was now fully dark outside. Pretty soon she felt as if she were chasing shadows: her human eyes were ill adapted to search the badly illuminated parking lot, where only sparse streetlights cast a feeble yellow glow over the assorted parked cars.
Still, she kept walking and scanning the parking lot. She had almost reached Patch's jeep when she heard something. It sounded like a woman's breathy moan…
She retraced her steps until she noticed a dark passage in between the club and another building. It was too obscure for her to make out what was happening there, and she squinted to see through the darkness.
She could feel her heart pounding with panic and taste bile rising in her throat. Clapping her hands over her ears to block the sound of the moans, she recoiled, backing away in the direction of the parking lot… until she bumped into something solid. Strong arms wrapped around her torso from behind, like bands of steel, and she opened her mouth to take a deep breath, about to let out a blood curdling scream when a hand clamped over her mouth to silence her, and Patch's soft voice caressed her ear, "I can't leave you alone for a minute, can I? What are you doing outside?"
"Patch! You scared me!" Nora exhaled in relief when she recognized his familiar voice, and she sagged against him weakly, allowing Patch to wrap his arms around her from behind.
Patch hugged her against him, murmuring, "I'm sorry for startling you, Angel. But when I couldn't find you… Especially since I discovered there's a rapists that's been hanging around the premises..." There were no words to describe the panic he'd felt when Vee told him Nora had run off alone.
When Patch was sure that Nora was okay they set off to find Vee and Scott. Vee spotted them and ran up to hug her sister.
"You scared the shit out of me! Taking off like that when some psycho is on the loose. We're going home right now. Scott and I drove separately so you can ride with me and see Patch tomorrow." She was already dragging Nora towards her car.
Nora gave one last long glance at Patch over her shoulder, but reassured he was watching to make sure they got to the car safe she followed her sister.
Vee shoved Nora unceremoniously in her car then went around to get in the driver's seat. As soon as they pulled out of the parking lot, Vee glanced over at her sister. "Okay, babe, spill. What's going on with you and Patch?"
Nora looked at her, and shrugged. Vee raised an incredulous eyebrow. "Oh, come on, Nora! The way you were dancing and generally carrying on before, all that touchy-feely stuff, those lingering looks. You can't tell me nothings going on there!"
"Me and Patch..." Nora sighed. "It's complicated."
Vee looked at her sister with compassion. "It always is."
She was silent for a minute, and then continued carefully. "But let me take a wild guess and say that the complication in this case has something to do with your age and a certain life long friendship at stake?"
Nora's shoulders sagged. "Yes. I don't want to hurt Rixon either, but-" She whispered.
"But you will, and it will hurt him even more if you don't come clean with anyone about your feelings, Nora. That's not how grandma raised us."
Nora's voice broke as she said quietly. "How am I ever going to be able to tell Rixon that I've fallen in love with his brother!"
Vee's mouth fell open.
"Well, what did you think I was going to say?" Nora asked when she saw Vee's reaction.
Vee swallowed and said quietly. "Honestly? That you and Patch...um..."
Nora frowned, not understanding. "That we... what? Vee, what?"
Vee squirmed uncomfortably. "Well, there's this obvious chemistry between you two; everyone can see there's about a gazillion sparks flying. And you don't need to love someone to get down and dirty with him. so..."
Nora's eyes widened, and she whispered disconcertingly. "What? You thought I slept with him? That I had SEX with him? Vee!" Nora may not have been a total prude but her sister had a vast amount of experience compared to her. Vee wasn't a whore, she didn't put out like other girls, but Nora still had an innocence that Vee lacked.
"Okay, so you didn't stray from the straight and narrow. Kudos to you, Nora, seeing as it's Patch we're talking about here, but... What?" Vee broke off when Nora blushed and looked down at her hands she was wringing in her lap.
When Nora didn't answer right away, Vee pressed on. "Come on, what's going on in that pretty little head of yours, babe?"
"I wanted to, I mean I'm not ready to... I just...I-" Nora was almost glowing in the dark with the heat of her blush.
"You thought about it. You were curious." Vee finished for her sister who nodded. "That's perfectly natural, Nora. Just don't rush things, it's something that once you lose it you ain't ever getting it back, and this thing with Patch..."
"I know." Nora cut her off and they drove in silence the rest of the way home, both lost in thought.
"What are you waiting for, Nora?" Vee's voice broke through the swirl of thoughts in her head as she walked up the stairs to her room.
Nora looked at Vee incredulously, "I need to sort out all this stuff. I can't just jump straight into things with Patch. I've never been IN love with anyone Vee and Patch's my very best friend I can't lose that!"
Vee shrugged, "I don't see why not. You feel the way you feel. What good will it do to wait?"
Nora interrupted her, "But what if I'm wrong about how I feel? Or perhaps I should say: wrong again? Rixon was supposed to be forever!"
"That's what our parents planned out, but you've NEVER felt that way have you?" Vee pursed her lips. "You can't protect yourself from making mistakes like that, Nora. You need to put your heart on the line. Love is all about taking risks. You only live once, and your life can be over quicker than you know. I can certainly attest to that! Seize the day, that's my motto!"
"Seize the day…" Nora repeated thoughtfully. "So you think I should just go for it?"
Vee hesitated but then she said, "For what it's worth… and I never would have thought I would hear myself say this, but I don't think you are making a mistake, Nora. I know I've always supported mom and dad and it's going to look like that still, but grandma's right, you need to follow your heart, sis.