Free This Much Is True by Katherine Owen

and I show the partying crowd just how provocative dancing together can be. The music pulses. I welcome the numbness that descends upon me even as I gasp a little for breath at the frenetic pace of the movements. My ribs begin to throb in painful protest. I brush up against him a couple of times, and he twirls me around. His eyes never leave my face; and I smile a little, enjoying the unexpected freedom from sorrow. I’m enamored by the idea of just being in the moment and nowhere else. It’s been a long while since I felt this free.
    The rebellious side of me seems to have been shaken from her slumber. Then, someone decides to mess with my newfound rhythm because the very next song is a slow one with some singer crooning about love and loss. I start to walk off the makeshift dance floor when Lincoln Presley grabs my hand and pulls me into his chest. I can feel his fast heart rate as it pulses through his shirt directly against my cheekbone. He pulls me in closer. His membership as part of the male human species serves as a dead giveaway of his physical attraction for me. I look up at him, a little disconcerted by this and the sudden intensity I see in his eyes. He nuzzles my neck with his chin.
    “Sorry.” He laughs a little. “What can I say? You’re seriously attractive.”
    “Seriously.” I kind of push away from him but he holds me tighter to him.
    My body resists him for a few seconds and then reluctantly molds to his. I allow myself to enjoy the closeness of him while my mind indulges in all kinds of fantasies. I’m unleashed. He is the sexiest guy I’ve ever met. He makes all the others before him seem like boys. I guess they were.
    He traces my lips with his fingertip. “What are you thinking about?” he asks.
    “Boys to men.”
    “Ah…the band? Was that one of their songs?”
    “No. I don’t think so.” I smile because he’s so misinterpreted my secret thoughts. I almost laugh, and he’s looking at me even more intently.
    Somewhere along the way, the music has stopped; but we’re still swaying to all these secret musical notes that apparently only the two of us can hear.
    “Do you want to get out of here?” He gets this shy, hopeful look.
    I laugh a little because, yes, I do want to get out of here with him, and he’s quite charming with this innocent I’ve-never-done-this-before kind of look on his face. “I want to get out of here.”
    The music starts up again, louder now. He smiles and shouts something to Charlie the party host, who briefly nods and absently waves a hand in our general direction. I manage to give a little secret hand wave to Marla to text me later with the plan. We always have a plan. She lifts an eyebrow, takes a long practiced look at my conquest, and covertly assesses his worthiness as a hook-up. She finally gives me the subtle finger-lift of approval.
    Linc leans in and whispers, “This way. Follow me.”
    He clasps my hand in his and hauls me out of the party in an experienced two-minute drill.
    This is going to be fun.
    As I follow him out, I swear I hear Holly’s contrived whisper asking me, “are you sure?’ I nod my head in an attempt to dispel my mind’s eternal quest for hearing her voice just one more time.
    “I’m sure,” I say as the cool summer breeze stirs my hair and lifts his at the nape of his neck. Linc glances back when he hears me say this, and he smiles.
    * * * *

CHAPTER SEVEN
    Tally  ~ A sure thing
    L inc pulls me along through the back door of the kitchen and then directly across the expansive lawn toward a nicely trimmed hedge. He lithely climbs up the few steps that lead to a charming stone guest house located in the back of the Masterson’s gigantic property. He produces keys, unlocks the door, and steps aside, allowing me to pass through first.
    “My place. When I’m here. They let me stay here whenever I want,” he says by way of explanation.
    He still grasps my hand, keeping me steady. His smile is strangely reassuring. Like I