“Never?”
“Never.”
Kellen shrugged. “Can't think of one.”
“This is why he's my best friend. He always agrees with me.”
“I didn’t say it was normal.”
Owen blocked his screen from view as he downloaded something to his phone. The waitress set two bottles of water and a glass of ice tea on the table. She smiled first at Owen and then at Kellen before blushing and rushing back toward the kitchen.
“Do you think she knows who we are?” Kellen asked.
“Did she rip off her shirt and ask you to sign her tits? No, she doesn't know. She just thinks you’re hot.”
Caitlyn reached for her tea, but before she could take a sip, Owen took her by the hand and pulled her from the booth.
“What are you doing?”
“Dancing.”
From his phone, “The Chicken Dance Song” began to play. When Owen began to flap his arms and scratch and peck, Caitlyn gaped at him.
“Dance with me, Caitlyn.”
She laughed—half mortified, half amused. “Oh my God, you are so embarrassing!”
“Dance, Caitlyn, or I'm following this with ‘Play That Funky Music White Boy.’ ”
“You don't want him to go there, Caitlyn,” Kellen said, opening his water and sipping it nonchalantly.
Every person in the restaurant was gawking, pointing, or laughing. And if Owen hadn't been so f**king cute, they probably would have called the cops on him for disorderly conduct.
“Dance, Caitlyn.”
“I don't know how,” she lied. She'd danced to this song as a child. Back when she'd known how to have fun.
He whirled her around and stepped up behind her, one hand on her belly and his groin pressed against her ass. She wasn't sure how he made The Chicken Dance sexy, but by God, she was completely turned on the instant he began to move with her. Especially when he made her shake her hips and rub up against him just right.
Her face was flushed with something other than embarrassment as she let loose and started to move.
“I thought you didn't know this dance,” Owen said in her ear.
“I'm a fast learner.”
Two young women in a booth several tables away climbed to their feet and joined in. It appeared that they’d had a few too many as they stumbled around more than they danced. When one of the girls spotted Kellen in the booth, looking amused rather than annoyed, she grabbed his wrist and tried to pull him to his feet.
“Come and dance with us,” the tipsy girl said. “Come on. It’s fun!”
“No, thanks.” There was no room for argument in his tone, so with a scowl she released his wrist and settled for rubbing up against Owen from behind.
Owen laughed as he attempted to avoid hands not belonging to Caitlyn. “Three on one, no fair. Save me, Kellen.”
“There isn't enough tequila in Mexico to make me dance The Chicken Dance in a diner at one o’clock in the morning.”
Caitlyn turned to face Owen and wrapped both arms around his neck. She lifted an eyebrow at one of the eager young women behind him and the woman stepped back, tripping over her own feet. Her friend kept her from falling to the floor.
“Want to go party with us?” one of the girls asked Owen. “We love to party.”
“Caitlyn's all the party I can handle right now,” he said and kissed Caitlyn, as if to make his intentions clear.
She drew him closer, kissing him deeper, still sort of wiggling to the song. He squeezed her to stop her motion and tugged his mouth free. “Now that I have you loosened up,” he said, “how about a slow song?”
“How about you hurry up and eat your sandwich so we can go to your room and be alone?”
Owen glanced at Kellen and lifted his eyebrow to accompany the I-told-you-so lift of his head. “Now do you believe that dancing is a great method of seduction?”
“I have less obnoxious methods,” Kellen said.
“Yeah, sitting there looking cranky actually works well for you,” Owen said.
Kellen gave him the finger.
“There's a bar that's open for another couple hours just down the street,” one of the young women said, “if you want to have some fun. Come on, you don’t want to hang around with her all night, do you?”
Caitlyn hoped it was the alcohol making the girl so impolite.
The girl tugged on Owen's arm, and he pulled his gaze from Caitlyn's to look at her. “I’m not interested. But my friend might be.” He nodded toward Kellen and grinned at the look of horror on Kellen’s face when both girls squeezed into the booth with him.
“If you don't stop torturing him, he's going to wind up hating you,” Caitlyn said.
“Not possible.”
But based on the look on Kellen's face as he tried to put some space between himself and the tipsy women now crowding into his booth, Caitlyn wasn't so sure.
“Are you ready for that slow song?” Owen whispered. “I need a good excuse to hold you close in public until my sandwich arrives.”
“You really do show your cards,” Caitlyn said.
“Did you think Kellen was joking?”
“I didn't think Kellen was joking, I've just never met anyone who throws it all out there in the open.”
“Do you like it? I hope so, because I’m not sure if I can keep a lid on it now that I’ve let loose.”
Caitlyn leaned back so she could look him in the eye. He scared the hell out of her, to be honest. She had no idea what to expect out of him next, and he had no problem alerting her to the fact that it would be something she was not expecting, but yeah, she did like it. “I like it when you’re being yourself. Don’t put a lid on it. Just be you. That’s what I like.”
His brilliant smile did things to her heart, and she definitely wanted to be pressed against him, swaying to a slow song in the middle of diner at one o’clock in the morning.
“Can I pick the song this time?” she said. “I wouldn't want to end up doing the chicken dance again or worse, dancing disco to some song better left in the past.”
“Promise you’ll pick something slow and sexy.”
“I promise.” Caitlyn found the song she wanted on his phone while Owen tried to talk the young ladies into leaving Kellen alone since Kellen was having no luck convincing them that he didn't want to get drunk with them. Even though they kept yelling, “Party!” intermittently, Kellen was obviously not the least bit interested in joining their brand of fun. The young ladies had no business drinking any more than they already had, anyway.
“Never.”
Kellen shrugged. “Can't think of one.”
“This is why he's my best friend. He always agrees with me.”
“I didn’t say it was normal.”
Owen blocked his screen from view as he downloaded something to his phone. The waitress set two bottles of water and a glass of ice tea on the table. She smiled first at Owen and then at Kellen before blushing and rushing back toward the kitchen.
“Do you think she knows who we are?” Kellen asked.
“Did she rip off her shirt and ask you to sign her tits? No, she doesn't know. She just thinks you’re hot.”
Caitlyn reached for her tea, but before she could take a sip, Owen took her by the hand and pulled her from the booth.
“What are you doing?”
“Dancing.”
From his phone, “The Chicken Dance Song” began to play. When Owen began to flap his arms and scratch and peck, Caitlyn gaped at him.
“Dance with me, Caitlyn.”
She laughed—half mortified, half amused. “Oh my God, you are so embarrassing!”
“Dance, Caitlyn, or I'm following this with ‘Play That Funky Music White Boy.’ ”
“You don't want him to go there, Caitlyn,” Kellen said, opening his water and sipping it nonchalantly.
Every person in the restaurant was gawking, pointing, or laughing. And if Owen hadn't been so f**king cute, they probably would have called the cops on him for disorderly conduct.
“Dance, Caitlyn.”
“I don't know how,” she lied. She'd danced to this song as a child. Back when she'd known how to have fun.
He whirled her around and stepped up behind her, one hand on her belly and his groin pressed against her ass. She wasn't sure how he made The Chicken Dance sexy, but by God, she was completely turned on the instant he began to move with her. Especially when he made her shake her hips and rub up against him just right.
Her face was flushed with something other than embarrassment as she let loose and started to move.
“I thought you didn't know this dance,” Owen said in her ear.
“I'm a fast learner.”
Two young women in a booth several tables away climbed to their feet and joined in. It appeared that they’d had a few too many as they stumbled around more than they danced. When one of the girls spotted Kellen in the booth, looking amused rather than annoyed, she grabbed his wrist and tried to pull him to his feet.
“Come and dance with us,” the tipsy girl said. “Come on. It’s fun!”
“No, thanks.” There was no room for argument in his tone, so with a scowl she released his wrist and settled for rubbing up against Owen from behind.
Owen laughed as he attempted to avoid hands not belonging to Caitlyn. “Three on one, no fair. Save me, Kellen.”
“There isn't enough tequila in Mexico to make me dance The Chicken Dance in a diner at one o’clock in the morning.”
Caitlyn turned to face Owen and wrapped both arms around his neck. She lifted an eyebrow at one of the eager young women behind him and the woman stepped back, tripping over her own feet. Her friend kept her from falling to the floor.
“Want to go party with us?” one of the girls asked Owen. “We love to party.”
“Caitlyn's all the party I can handle right now,” he said and kissed Caitlyn, as if to make his intentions clear.
She drew him closer, kissing him deeper, still sort of wiggling to the song. He squeezed her to stop her motion and tugged his mouth free. “Now that I have you loosened up,” he said, “how about a slow song?”
“How about you hurry up and eat your sandwich so we can go to your room and be alone?”
Owen glanced at Kellen and lifted his eyebrow to accompany the I-told-you-so lift of his head. “Now do you believe that dancing is a great method of seduction?”
“I have less obnoxious methods,” Kellen said.
“Yeah, sitting there looking cranky actually works well for you,” Owen said.
Kellen gave him the finger.
“There's a bar that's open for another couple hours just down the street,” one of the young women said, “if you want to have some fun. Come on, you don’t want to hang around with her all night, do you?”
Caitlyn hoped it was the alcohol making the girl so impolite.
The girl tugged on Owen's arm, and he pulled his gaze from Caitlyn's to look at her. “I’m not interested. But my friend might be.” He nodded toward Kellen and grinned at the look of horror on Kellen’s face when both girls squeezed into the booth with him.
“If you don't stop torturing him, he's going to wind up hating you,” Caitlyn said.
“Not possible.”
But based on the look on Kellen's face as he tried to put some space between himself and the tipsy women now crowding into his booth, Caitlyn wasn't so sure.
“Are you ready for that slow song?” Owen whispered. “I need a good excuse to hold you close in public until my sandwich arrives.”
“You really do show your cards,” Caitlyn said.
“Did you think Kellen was joking?”
“I didn't think Kellen was joking, I've just never met anyone who throws it all out there in the open.”
“Do you like it? I hope so, because I’m not sure if I can keep a lid on it now that I’ve let loose.”
Caitlyn leaned back so she could look him in the eye. He scared the hell out of her, to be honest. She had no idea what to expect out of him next, and he had no problem alerting her to the fact that it would be something she was not expecting, but yeah, she did like it. “I like it when you’re being yourself. Don’t put a lid on it. Just be you. That’s what I like.”
His brilliant smile did things to her heart, and she definitely wanted to be pressed against him, swaying to a slow song in the middle of diner at one o’clock in the morning.
“Can I pick the song this time?” she said. “I wouldn't want to end up doing the chicken dance again or worse, dancing disco to some song better left in the past.”
“Promise you’ll pick something slow and sexy.”
“I promise.” Caitlyn found the song she wanted on his phone while Owen tried to talk the young ladies into leaving Kellen alone since Kellen was having no luck convincing them that he didn't want to get drunk with them. Even though they kept yelling, “Party!” intermittently, Kellen was obviously not the least bit interested in joining their brand of fun. The young ladies had no business drinking any more than they already had, anyway.
