Owen found himself placed between Dade and Chris among the drummers. He was caught up in learning the rhythms and watched either Chris or Dade’s hands to pick up the beat. This he found was also a good place to be as the dancers stopped often and danced right in front of the drummers or brought them drinks.
After an hour his arms were tired and he honestly had a new admiration for the men beside him who were still going strong, moving effortlessly from one rhythm to the next.
During a slower beat, he noticed several of the dancers moving through those at the edge of the circle and through the drummers. He watched as the dancers took their wreaths off and placed them onto a male’s head. He was sure the males didn’t realize how silly they looked wearing flowers and ribbons, although when the dancers gave them a kiss, he was also sure they didn’t care how odd they looked.
Kasey paused in front of the drummers and began to weave her way toward them, slowly taking off her wreath. She smiled in a shy, nervous kind of way at the drummers. Neither Dade nor Chris paused in their drumming, but Owen could feel them both waiting to see who she was going to place her wreath on. When she passed Dade and went to Chris, Owen noticed and enjoyed the grin on his new friend’s face.
Chris actually missed a few beats in the rhythm as he raised a hand to place behind her head to receive the kiss. Owen didn’t see steam, but he felt warmer just witnessing their kiss.
He found himself wishing some woman would make him look like an idiot and place her wreath on his head. He turned to watch the same with Doc and Rachel. He was sure Steven was blushing after it, or maybe it was just from the heat of it.
At the point when Cora began seductively dancing her way into the drummers, his heart stopped. She was far too exotic a woman for him to handle, but if she placed her wreath on his head, he would certainly try. He felt like a schoolboy wanting to jump up and say, “pick me,” but he dug deep and found his dignity somewhere.
She passed him by and held the eyes of the man beside him. When she placed the wreath on Dade’s head and leaned her mouth down to his, Owen was sure the sparks that flew between them somehow burned him. In his own amazement, he realized it was a kiss out of a movie that made your heart speed up. Dade didn’t miss a single beat on the drum, though the kiss seemed to last more than just a few moments.
He found himself wishing for mistletoe or a cute puppy, anything that would bring one of them to him. His heart tripped and almost stumbled when he noticed Leena was dancing toward the drummers. He fought the urge of wanting to look around and make sure he was the only one in the area without a wreath on his head but held onto what adult-like composure he had left.
When she stopped in front of him, it was all he could do to not stand and meet her halfway, so he held the drum in front of him tightly and stayed seated. As the wreath touched his head, she smiled a smile that made his insides burn. He reached up to gently guide her head down to his.
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Book II coming in March 2012
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