Blue Ribbon Summer (The Baltimore Banners Book 3) (6 page)

"I don't think Jake would show up," because she would seriously kick his ass if he did something like that, "but still..." She gave the shirt several hard shakes then turned it right-side out before handing it back to Ian. "It would probably look better if your shirt wasn't inside out when we got back."

Ian laughed, then leaned forward to give her a quick kiss, his arms wrapping around her and holding her loosely against him. "Jake said there was some kind of bull roast Saturday night at some firehouse."

"Yeah, at Maryland Line. It's an annual memorial fundraiser."

"I, um..." Ian looked away for a second and cleared his throat, then looked back at her, his gaze uncertain. "I was wondering if you would like to, um, if you would like to go with me. Be my date. If you want to, I mean."

Kayli almost laughed at his sudden nervousness, thinking he was teasing her. How could he be nervous after what just passed between them? But then she realized he was serious, that the nervousness wasn't an act, and her heart melted dangerously. She told herself that it was nothing, that she shouldn't read anything into it, but his uncertainty was her undoing.

But instead of jumping up and down, instead of throwing herself further into his arms and knocking him to the ground, she merely swallowed and nodded. "Yeah, that would be fun I think."

"You think?" Ian pulled away just the slightest bit and looked down at her, worry and indecision in his eyes. "If you don't--"

"No, I do." Kayli took a deep breath and leaned forward to give him a quick kiss. "I'd love to be your date."

She was rewarded with a dimpled smile and her heart jumped a little at the sight. His head dipped so his mouth could claim hers, and the kiss this time was gentle and sweet. He pulled away, and she tried not to moan at the loss of his arms as he stepped back, still smiling.

"Good." Ian nodded, then repeated himself. "Good. Except...Jake said Lori was going and that the twins could come, that there would be other kids there. I should have said that first, so if you change your mind, that's okay."

"Well in that case..." She had meant to tease him, but his smile immediately wavered and she reached out to put her hand on his arm. "Ian, I was joking. I figured Sara and Shelly would be with you. That's completely okay. It'll be fun."

Again she was rewarded with another smile, and again her heart tripped at the sight. She ran her hand down his arm until she could entwine her fingers in his, then turned and tugged. He didn't say anything, just followed her across the barn and outside into the bright heat where she had left the four-wheeler.

Kayli dropped his hand and climbed on, kicking the engine to life before looking over to where he still stood. "Are you getting on?"

Ian smiled and said something, but she couldn't make out what it was over the roar of the engine before he straddled the seat behind her. She felt the warmth of his jean-clad legs pressed tightly against the outside of her thighs and the heat of his chest pressed against her back. His strong arms circled around her waist, and she had to stop herself from leaning back against him with a sigh.

She put the four-wheeler in gear, smiling as she tried to figure out the longest route back to the house.

Ian did not consider himself to be the jealous type. He had dated models in the past, beautiful women who drew the attention of every living male from the age of six to sixty, and had never been bothered by a single glimmer of jealousy. He had certainly never felt threatened before.

That had all changed tonight; Ian now knew that he was very capable of jealousy.

And that he was feeling it right now.

His hand tightened around the plastic cup of beer, forcing some to slosh over the rim. He sat it down on the table in front of him and reached for the pile of napkins, wiping his hands on one of them then balling it up and tossing it on the empty plate off to his side.

He turned in his chair and looked out at the dance floor. Kayli was laughing at something her dance partner was saying as they moved through the steps of some kind of line dance. His date was smiling and laughing with some other guy, and he was learning all about jealousy--first-hand.

"Why don't you just ask her to dance?"

Ian turned to face Jake. The man was sitting next to him, his long legs stretched out in front of him, a cup of beer held in his strong hands. A grin was on his face, and Ian didn't know if he should be amused or offended that Kayli's brother could read his thoughts so easily.

"I don't really dance to this kind of music." His frustration was clear in his grumbled words, and Jake laughed loud enough to draw the attention of the few other people sitting at the table: an elderly couple who looked like they were sleeping with their eyes open, and a lanky young teen who had been pouting ever since Lori took the she-devils to play some of the game wheels. Ian knew exactly how the kid felt.

"It's easy. Just follow what everybody else is doing. I mean, look: it's not like everyone is perfect and in-step. Just go do it."

Ian tossed Jake an incredulous look then turned to stare back out at the dance floor. Jake was right, of course. Nobody out there seemed to care if they were in-step or even moving in the same direction. They were just doing the best they could and having fun, not caring who watched.

Although he seemed to be the only one watching the dancers. Because more than a few curious stares were still focused on him. Not as bad as when they first walked in, but he was still drawing a few looks here and there.

Ian shouldn't have been bothered by them. Hell, he shouldn't have even noticed. It wasn't like hadn't gotten stares before. Usually, most of the players went unnoticed in crowds, but there were always a few people who would recognize them. And it was never a big deal: a few curious glances, an occasional double-take as recognition set in, one or a couple autograph requests. It was all harmless and generally unnoticed.

Tonight was different, though. Tonight wasn't about recognition--it was about being an outsider.

An outsider who had shown up holding Kayli's hand.

And because of that, he was now the subject of curious stares and blatant suspicion. Kayli had worked the room--he didn't know how else to describe what she did when they first got here--introducing him to people she knew--which turned out to be almost everyone here. She always made sure she was either holding his hand or somehow touching him, making it obvious that they were together.

And it became very clear, very soon, that people were judging if he was good enough for Kayli...and most of the jury was still out on the decision. It left him with a feeling he had never experienced before, and one he didn't know how to describe.

He reached for the cup of beer and took a long swallow, still watching the dancers on the floor, still watching Kayli. Dressed in jeans, boots, and a modestly-cut short sleeve blouse, she blended in with most of the other women here.

Except she didn't, not really. There was a spark or light or something that made her stand out, that made everyone around her smile. It was one of the first things he had noticed the first time he saw her, and what had drawn him to her. He had no idea what it was, but he wasn't the only one who noticed.

And the fact that more than a few of those who noticed it were males--and that they were just as drawn to it--is what had him sitting here becoming entirely too acquainted with a little green monster.

Make that a big green monster.

The song ended, and Ian watched as Kayli's dance partner leaned closer to say something to her, his hand resting on her shoulder. Her head tilted to the side as she listened, and Ian watched as her smile faltered. She looked over at him, then shot a quick glance at her partner and shook her head as she stepped away. The guy looked over at Ian with a small smirk then turned back to Kayli and said something else.

Ian had no idea what was going on, and he didn't care. He took another swallow of beer, sat the cup on the table, then stood up and walked toward the dance floor. Something was finally going right for him tonight, because the band started a slow song just as he reached Kayli. She looked up at him with a smile in her eyes, her face flushed from dancing.

Ian pushed past the guy and pulled Kayli into his arms, claiming her lips in an all-too-brief kiss as the music played around them. He tightened one arm around her waist, fitting her snugly against him as he clasped her right hand in his and held it against his chest.

"Hi."

Kayli smiled at his simple greeting, dipping her head just a little closer. "Hi back."

"You having fun?"

"I am. But I don't think you are."

Ian briefly tightened his hold on her and leaned closer, his mouth close to her ear. "I am now."

Kayli looked up at him, her eyes soft in the dim lighting, and offered him another smile, this one shy. He held her gaze for several seconds, her body pressed against his as he led her in the slow dance. She rested her head against his shoulder, close to his chest, and he leaned down to kiss the top of her head. Her hair was down tonight, soft waves of honey that reached below her shoulder blades and teased his arm with their soft strands. She smelled of clean air with the softest hint of fresh cut flowers, and he had to stop himself from inhaling her scent too deeply so she wouldn't think he was sniffing her.

He could imagine her quick comeback if he did, and the thought brought a smile to his face. His hand tightened around hers and he closed his eyes, holding her against him, letting the music set the pace of their slow swaying on the floor.

Kayli's step faltered for just a brief second, and he opened his eyes to look down at her. Her head was tilted up, her eyes soft and warm as she just looked at him. She pressed herself even closer, and Ian lowered his mouth to hers, claiming her lips in a soft slow kiss that instantly tightened his body. There was no way she could miss his reaction, not pressed against him as she was. But she didn't pull away; instead she deepened the kiss, her fingers tightening around his as the music faded in the background.

Something banged into his thigh, effectively ending the kiss as he pulled away from Kayli and looked down. He tried to swallow his groan, and wasn't surprised to hear the small laugh from Kayli when the she-devils grabbed onto their legs, trying to join in the dance.

"Uncle Ian, are you gonna have a baby now?"

"Because we want a cousin to play with like Lori."

Their clear voices carried across the dance floor just as the music came to a stop, and Ian felt all the blood in his body rush to his face as embarrassment swamped him. His mouth opened and closed soundlessly, and he felt dozens of eyes on him, judging, as he tried to find his voice.

Kayli jumped to his rescue as she laughed and reached down to pick up Shelly, then took Sara by the hand and led the way to the edge of the dance floor.

"No, girls, your Uncle Ian is not going to have a baby. Why would you think that?"

"Because he was kissing you!"

"And that's how you make babies."

Ian stood frozen, completely speechless as the girls looked up at Kayli in earnestness. She laughed again then led them over to the table so everyone could have a seat. Except for Ian, who was still too stunned and mortified to do anything besides stand there in mute shock.

"Girls, you cannot make babies just by kissing. Now who told you such a thing?"

"That's what Maria said."

"She lives down the street from us."

"I'm sorry girls, but Maria was missing a few things when she told you that." Kayli leaned closer to the girls, offering them a gentle smile as she reached out to smooth their hair away from their faces. "Remember when your mom brought you up to the house to watch the cows? And we put them in the field with the bull?"

"What?" Ian's voice came out as a strangled croak, and everyone turned to look at him. Jake's shoulders were shaking with suppressed laughter, and Kayli just smiled and shrugged.

"Well, that's what we did." She turned back to the girls. "And you didn't see the cows kissing at all, did you?"

The she-devils giggled and shook their heads. Ian watched as Kayli opened her mouth to say something else, but he quickly stepped forward and tried to cover the twins' ears.

"Oh no. No, no, no. They don't need to hear this.
I
don't need to hear this." He stopped trying to cover their ears, since he was short two hands to do it effectively anyway. The girls continued to giggle at him, and he finally sat down in the metal chair next to Kayli. He reached around her and grabbed his beer, draining the plastic cup in one long swallow. "Babies. Oh God. If your mother heard about this...No. No girls, nobody is having any babies."

He leaned across the table to grab the plastic bucket of beer and refill his cup, surprised to realize that his face was still hot from embarrassment. He told himself that the flush had nothing whatsoever to do with the vivid images that came to mind when he heard "babies" and "Kayli" in the same sentence.

"Here, try some of this. It looks like you need it." Ian looked up to see Jake holding out a small cup a quarter-filled with clear liquid. He took it and tossed it back, draining it in one shot.

And nearly fell out of the chair as instant heat exploded through him.

"Jake Alexander Evans! You are an ass. I cannot believe you just did that!" Kayli reached for one of the bottles of water sitting in the middle of the table, twisted the cap off, and handed it to Ian. He drank it, waiting for the cool liquid to douse the flames roaring in his gut.

"Wha--" He cleared his throat and drank some more water then tried again. "What was that stuff?"

"Jake, how could you?" Kayli was still yelling at her brother, who was still shaking with laughter. She turned to Ian and gave him an apologetic look, trying to hide her own smile. "Hooch."

"What?"

"Hooch. Homemade moonshine. And it's not even the flavored kind." She turned back to Jake. "I guess Dale didn't listen when I told him not to bring any over."

Jake shrugged, still grinning, and held up a small mason jar filled with clear liquid. "It's just a little bit. And it looked like Ian could use it."

Ian shook his head and took another swallow of water, still trying to douse the burning in his throat and gut. He didn't say anything, just turned and looked down at the she-devils, who were watching him with curious eyes. "Girls, do me a favor, and don't tell your mother about any of this."

They laughed and Ian knew it was the wrong thing to say, and that he had just guaranteed that Bonnie would hear every little detail plus some. He felt a reassuring hand squeeze his shoulder, and he looked over to see Kayli smiling at him.

"It'll be fine, don't worry." She lowered her hand and glanced over to the dance floor as the band started playing another song. It was crowding quickly as people filed out to dance, and Ian noticed the wistfulness in Kayli's eyes as her feet tapped the floor under her chair.

He took a deep breath and looked over at Jake, who was watching him carefully. He glanced down at the twins, who seemed content to be quiet and still...for once.

Kayli had called it hooch. Ian figured it must be the same as liquid courage. He reached over and grabbed Kayli's hand and tugged as he stood. "So, do you think you can show me how to dance to this?"

Ian was rewarded with a bright smile and sparkling eyes, and knew that he would gladly suffer any embarrassment as long as she looked at him like that.