Perfect Song (Mason Creek Book 2) by Lauren Runow (christmas read aloud .txt) 📕

stomach flutters. I have to look away to scold myself for the physical reaction. I let out a breath and lift my chin, trying to act like I’m not affected by his presence.

“I should be saying that to you.” I nod my head toward his hands, which are clean of grease. “If I do recall, your hands got pretty dirty today, changing that tire.”

“Dirty? Hands? What’s going on over here?” Laken asks, grinning between the two of us.

“Nothing,” I’m quick to respond. “I got a flat today while driving my mom’s car, and Tucker here had to come to my rescue and changed the tire.”

“Correction.” He holds up a finger. “I helped you change the tire.” He looks over to Laken. “She did a great job too.”

“Oh. Huh. And funny that you just happen to be here again tonight.” Laken purses her lips, like she’s in thought, as she taps her chin.

She’s being so obvious that I want to slap her, but I know it would only make it that much more obvious if I do.

“It was no big deal. He changed it in a flash.” I try to bring the subject back to the car.

“I bet that’s not the only thing he’s changing around here,” Laken says under her breath as Tucker talks to Emma. “For the record, I think he’s hot. Don’t let anything you hear about his divorce sway you otherwise. If there is, you know, something going on here. I’d go for it. For sure.”

“What are you talking about with his divorce?” I whisper back.

She raises her shoulders in an I’m not going to tell fashion.

“Besides, there’s nothing going on.”

Her eyes go to the back of him as he’s leaning over, looking at something Emma is showing him, making his broad shoulders look even yummier than before. “Uh-huh. Okay. I believe you. Your outfit makes way more sense though.”

She tries to hide her giggle, and I roll my eyes in response.

Laken smiles brightly over my shoulder. “Hey, Tucker. Do you want to join us with our friends over there?”

I widen my eyes at her blatant question.

I turn to face him, and his expression is asking me if it’s all right with me.

I tilt my head toward the table. “Come on. You’re welcome to.”

We all walk back to our friends, where they pull up a seat for Tucker. Between the booths lining the bar and tables that have been moved around, everything is squished, so we can all sit together.

“Tucker Simms,” Olivia says with a grin. “Has our girl here caught the eye of the most eligible bachelor in town?” She looks at me and then back to him.

He winks in my direction. “I guess you can say, I’ve made a new friend.”

His smoldering stare lights my insides up.

Thankfully, Sienna leans across the table, her bracelets banging on the wood as she asks, “Tell me all about New York.”

Everyone at the table gets lost in conversation about the city and what we’ve all been up to, and of course, they fill me in on the latest gossip with everyone we went to high school with.

Though music has been playing through the speakers above us the entire time we’ve been here, employees move the tables on the dance floor, marking the official start of dancing time, which they didn’t have last night. When I was younger, I’d try to sneak in just to dance, so being here legally now, there’s no way I’m going to miss out.

“Who’s down to dance?” I ask the table.

The girls holler, jumping off their stools, and the guys follow right behind them. When I look to Tucker, he stands without hesitation. We all head toward the dance floor, moving around in a group, as the DJ spins some country tunes, which makes me laugh, as it’s such a change from New York, where clubs only play pop and Top 40 songs.

Being here, with my old friends from high school and dancing around like fools, really puts my mind at ease. When groups of people start line-dancing, my heart feels at home. Tucker joins right in, and I love seeing him move smoothly to the steps that he obviously knows very well.

I smile at Laken, silently thanking her for begging me to come out yesterday and joining me tonight. She grabs my hand and playfully swings me around before shaking her booty once again.

When a slow song begins, the couples all pair up while others head to get another drink.

Before I can leave the dance floor to get my refill and rest for a minute, I feel a hand tugging me back. When I turn, I see it’s Tucker with a smoldering gaze under the soft lights shining down on us.

“Dance with me?”

I glance around, not sure how I feel about slow dancing with a man I barely know after everything that happened. I know my body is attracted to him, but I wonder if I’m mentally up for any of this. It’s just making my head spin, but I keep wanting more even though my mind is screaming no.

Then, I remember the way he helped me today. If he wanted to take advantage of me, he could have when we were driving in his truck or when he was standing behind me with the tire. If anything, I felt safe with him today. The safest I’d been around any man since that fateful night.

Taking an inhale, I nod. After all he did for me, a dance doesn’t seem harmful.

He places his palm on my lower back as we head to the middle of the crowd. I turn to smile at him, and he instantly takes my hand, swinging me around until I’m facing him again.

Holding me close, he leads me around the floor. Being in his arms fills me with warmth. His grip on my hand and back is tight but in a comforting way, not a possessive way.

His fingers tug on my lower back, and I willingly move closer to him, pressing