Dancing in the Dark: A Novella by Virginia Kelly Page B

"Somehow, cleaning up the Jameson's back yard isn't how I expected to spend the day with you."
    She wore one of his T-shirts and a pair of his mother 's shorts. She'd had to wear two pairs of socks to keep his mom's tennis shoes on.
    " If we hadn't, I would have broken my promise," he said.
    " What promise?" she asked.
    " That we don't make love again until we do something else together. I told you." With that, he gave her a quick, smacking kiss.
    " So now we hit the shower?"
    He looked at her and reconsidered. She had to be tired. He 'd kept her up most of the night and the Jameson's yard had been a mess. He was in pretty good shape, and while her shape was perfect for him, she wasn't used to that type of hard physical labor.
    " Maybe you hit the shower. I'll check Mom's yard just to be sure I didn't miss anything."
    " I'm not sore, Matt."
    " You will be, honey. And not just from yard work." He gave her bottom a quick pat.
    She laughed and slapped at his arm. God, it was so good to be with her, to have this easy time with her. He pulled her into his arms and swung her around.
    His cell phone sat on the coffee table where he'd left it. Hugging her close, he lowered her, feeling her body against his. He looked down and said, "I'd better check my cell."
    She nodded.
    He picked it up. It was working. He walked back outside.
    " Well?" she asked when he came back in a few minutes later.
    " Janey, honey—"
    " He's not—"
    " Dead. No. He's not." He held his arms out and she went straight to him, burying her face in his shoulder. "There's some screw-up. They're trying to sort it out."
    " What sort of screw-up?"
    He hesitated. "Communications gone awry." A total freaking cluster fuck with her brother in the middle of it.
    " You can't talk about it."
    He didn 't reply. She stiffened in his arms for just a moment, then she nodded and relaxed.
    " I've told you what I can, more than I should have."
    She took a breath. "I pray he's okay."
    " I do, too, Janey."
    He held her for long minutes, gently rubbing her back. Finally, even though the timing absolutely sucked, he had to do what he 'd planned.
    " We need to talk."
    She tried to pull away, but he held on.
    "I told you I don't—"
    " Expect anything, I know." He kissed her forehead and pulled back enough to look at her upturned face. " I expect."
    There. He 'd said it. "I want you in my life. I don't want to lose you, and I know that can happen given what I do."
    She bit her lower lip .
    He clasped his hands together behind her lower back. "You already know that waiting is part of this."
    " Waiting and not knowing."
    " Yes. The life I can promise is a bit of a gamble."
    Her eyes focused on his chest for a moment before she met his gaze. "Isn't life really just a roll of the dice?" she asked. "We get a shot at it, if we take a few risks, we might lose, but we might also win. Big time."
    " You're a gambler, then.
    " I don't think so. I've never been one. I'm the sure-bet sort of person. I like the security of knowing."
    " Then know this." He brought his right hand up, traced her brow with his thumb, then ran it down her arm to take her hand. "I love you, Janey Blackmon."
    Now he 'd said it.
    Her eyes rounded in surprise, then she took a breath. "And I—"
    He quickly stopped her, the fingers of his left hand on her lips, and shook his head. "No. No commitment on your part, Janey. Not until you're sure. It's not an easy life."
    She seemed to consider that for a moment, then kissed his fingers, still on her lips. Gently, she took that hand in hers. "I'm sure of this. I love you."
    " I said no commitment from you."
    " I can't help loving you." She took a breath. "So there."
    She smiled at him and her words echoed in his heart. He was the luckiest man alive.
    "We've done something else today. Now what do we do?"
    " What? The wild librarian is going to wear me out?"
    " That's my plan." She kissed him quickly, then nibbled at his lower lip. "Two weeks from now," she whispered, "you'll be a