Chapter 24

24

DAPHNE

B ored out of my skull, I chatted to some of the other chaperones at the dance, but ultimately, just having to stand there and watch the kids was dull. Even by my standards.

I'd kept my promise to my mom about coming, though. Not long after I'd gone home from the bakery, they arrived back from the game. They'd come to check on me and Mom had offered me an out for this evening, saying that she was sure they could get by with the chaperones they had, but I'd made her a promise.

I'd committed to being a chaperone and I hadn't wanted to let her down. So I'd put on my dress, slapped on some lipstick, and pulled on my big girl panties. A little heartbreak wasn't going to keep me down.

My heart didn't even really have any right to be broken. Sterling and I hadn't been together and we never would be. That was the end of it. The ridiculous organ just had to get onboard.

"It's time for you to announce the homecoming king and queen dance." Mrs. Taylor, my former art teacher, smiled as she came to stand beside me. "Are you ready? You have their names?"

I drew in a deep breath and returned her smile as I nodded. "Of course. Thanks, Mrs. T. I'm sure Joshua and Betty appreciate you."

She chuckled. "Well, I suppose that answers my question. Go ahead, honey. They're waiting."

Motioning to where the newly crowned couple were, in fact, waiting, I picked up my dress and strode across the auditorium to the stage. The lights were nearly blinding. The DJ faded out the music he'd been playing for my announcement.

While I was onstage, I squinted against the bright lights and smiled as I wrapped my fingers around the microphone. As I opened my mouth, the doors at the back suddenly opened and Sterling marched in. I was so surprised that I nearly squeaked.

Wearing a black suit with a black button-down shirt and a white rose pinned to his lapel, he looked just like that demigod I'd thought he was in high school. With his black hair neatly combed back and those eyes dark and laser-focused, he looked so handsome and so mysterious that despite my recent argument with him, I felt my stomach fluttering once more.

"Ladies and gentlemen," I said into the microphone, but my gaze was fixed on his. "I'm proud to present to you, your king and queen, Joshua Adams and Betty Monroe."

Applause rang out and Joshua led his queen onto the dance floor. I smiled, watching them from the corner of my eye with my attention still mostly on Sterling. Sterling wasn't stopping his advance across the room as he approached the stage.

When he reached it, I had been on my way back down the stairs, but he came up to join me instead, talking to me right there on stage in front of everyone. "You look ravishing tonight, Daph."

"You're late," I said, my cheeks flushing at the compliment he'd given me so easily with over a hundred people watching.

He smirked at me, his hands sliding into his pockets as he gave me a very obvious onceover. "I never agreed to do this."

"So why are you here?" I asked, aware that the microphone was picking up some of our conversation.

Despite the fact that I was trying to be mad at him in order to guard my heart, being in his presence was intoxicating. Especially when he was looking at me like he'd come here only because he'd known I'd be here, and he was doing it so extremely confidently in front of so many people.

It made my own self-confidence swell, and instead of dragging him off the stage to speak in private, I found myself quite content staying right where we were. He held my gaze, removing one hand from his pocket and extending it to me.

"I came here to dance with you," he said.

My eyebrows shot up, but then I laughed. "You're joking."

"I'm serious," he said. "Will you dance with me, Daphne LaSalle?"

The homecoming king and queen were just finishing their dance, and the king himself turned and started a chant, clapping his hands and then raising them, waving for his peers to join him. "Dance with him! Dance with him! Dance with him!"

My cheeks ignited and I smacked my palm into Sterling's, needing to get off this stage. Even my newfound self-confidence wasn't enough for this kind of attention. Sterling smiled and tucked my fingers into the crook of his arm, covering my hand with his own as he walked me to the dance floor.

A slow song started playing and kids swarmed to the center of the room, joining us until we were practically swallowed up by the crowd. This is better.

"You do realize you just caused a scene at homecoming, right?" I murmured as he spun me into him, bringing me gently back in and sliding his arms around my waist. "People are going to find out about it."

"By people, you mean your mom and your brother, right?" he asked, keeping his own voice low and his gaze locked on mine. "I'm okay with that."

"Are you?" I asked, tilting my head and staring deep into his eyes. "Okay with Eric finding out that you asked me to dance, I mean?"

A sexy, devilish grin spread on his lips. "It's not like I made some indecent proposal, Daphne. It's a dance. Not sex."

My cheeks flushed. "Right."

He chuckled, bending his head closer to mine. "Did you ever go to prom?"

I shook my head. "I never got asked."

"I would've taken you," he murmured, sounding completely genuine.

I arched a disbelieving eyebrow at him. "You hardly even spoke to me back in high school, Mr. North Star."

"I've come to realize what a mistake that was," he said, and I almost swooned when he kept staring right into my eyes as he said it.

"That tongue of yours really is dangerous," I murmured, feeling myself stepping into him, holding him even closer despite the fact that I hadn't intended to.

A slow smirk spread on his lips. "You have no idea."

I groaned, resting my head on his shoulder to hide how very red I'd gotten. Sterling adjusted his grip on me, his hands covering my lower back as he held me gently but tightly to him. When the song finally ended, we separated, but he stuck close by and followed me off the dance floor as I resumed my post as a chaperone. It was nice to have him next to me, even though we weren't as close as I would have liked.

Eventually, the dance started drawing to a close and the students started leaving group by group.

Sterling winked at me. "I wonder where the after-party is this year."

"I wouldn't know," I said, starting to look around for the chaperone I'd come here with. He was nowhere to be seen, though, and I sighed. "I think I've been left stranded."

"What do you mean?"

"I got a ride with a guy I used to work with, but it looks like he snuck out early."

Sterling's eyebrows rose slowly, something dark and dangerous flashing in his eyes. "You were on a date ?"

I smacked his shoulder and laughed. "No. Man, why is everything always so serious with you? I used to teach with Caleb at the elementary school, but he's filling in here at the high school at the moment while Mrs. Anderson is on maternity leave. When he found out I was chaperoning, he offered to give me a ride. He lives two houses away from my parents."

"So he just wanted it to be a date and he neglected to tell you."

I scoffed. "He's married with a toddler and a baby on the way. Trust me, it wasn't a date. It was a ride, but he must've been called home or drank too much spiked punch."

After holding my gaze for another beat, Sterling suddenly relaxed again. That glint of darkness vanished from his eyes and he smiled. "It looks like we're the last ones standing."

I jerked, realizing he was right. "Damn, how did the place empty out so fast?"

He chuckled, shrugging his shoulders as he looked around the room. "People had better stuff to do. It's always like that with homecoming. The official events are only a cover for everything else that's happening."

I snorted. "That sounds about right for the popular crowd. For me, the parade was always the main event."

He dipped his chin in a nod, taking a step back and surveying the damage. "Do we have to clean up before we can go?"

"Just the basics," I said. "There are people coming in tomorrow to clear it out, but I promised my mom I'd get started. Do you feel like helping me pull down the streamers?"

He nodded and moved a chair into position for me as we got started. We ended up making more of a mess with the pieces of streamer that disintegrated as we pulled them down. Then Sterling grinned and chucked a handful of the stuff at me.

I squealed with laughter, dodging before I grabbed a handful of my own and tried tossing it at him. In the process, we accidentally knocked over a punch bowl and I groaned as it splashed all over the floor.

"Crap," I said. "I'll get a mop."

Dashing to the hall, I fetched a mop and a bucket, but when I got back, he was already rolling up his sleeves. His jacket was hanging across the back of a chair nearby and he held out his hand for the mop. "Let me do it."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded. "It's the least I can do."

"Well, I suppose you were late," I said, handing over the cleaning equipment.

"I couldn't have been late. I never said I'd come."

Pulling out a chair, I sat down and watched him as he started mopping the floor. I never thought I'd see him do anything like this, but I definitely appreciated the view. The strong muscles in his forearms rippled under his rolled-up sleeves, and his body moved gracefully from side to side as he made quick work of the mess.

It sure didn't look like that when I mopped.

"Why did you come?" I asked, repeating my earlier question. "Don't tell me it was to dance with me."

"Okay," he agreed easily. Too easily. "I won't tell you that, but it does happen to be true, so if you don't want me to tell you that, you're going to have to tell me what you do want me to say."

My brows pinched, my heartrate kicking into a higher gear. "You really came here to dance with me?"

"Primarily, I came here to apologize, but yes. I was hoping I would get to dance with you as well." Finishing with the mop, he stowed it back in the bucket and snapped his jacket up from the chair. "If your ride has left, can I take you home?"

"I still need to lock up. You can go ahead." I could definitely use the time alone to clear my head, but instead of leaving, he stayed with me.

As we strolled out into the cool night air, he glanced at me, another slow, charming smile on his lips. "How about that ride home now?"

"I prefer to walk," I said.

Sterling didn't hesitate for a second, holding his hand out in my direction. "Sounds good. Let's do it. I'll walk with you."