keeps. It left her heart pounding. Bill cupped her face with gentle hands as he drew back. The pads of his thumbs moved in slow circles over her temples, while his fingers tangled in her dark curls.
DeeDee's pulse skidded out of control. Every sense was singing with life.
His hands slid down over her bare arms, which were rippled with gooseflesh. "Cold?" he asked.
"Just happy." She pressed her cheek against the pleasant wooly scratchiness of his shoulder.
"I hope that answered your question," he murmured against her hair. !
"Mmm ... I'm not sure. I may need a little more convincing."
He drew her to him again in a long, lingering kiss.
"Any better?" he asked.
"Keep it up. This may take all night."
"What about the party?"
"Oh, I'm sure Lila won't mind if we leave early. It's for a good cause."
"Yeah?"
"Well, if you're going to be America's new teen sex symbol, you're going to need a lot of practice acting sexy, right?"
He laughed. "If you say so. Are you applying for the job of coach?"
"Are you accepting applications?"
"Just one."
He lowered his mouth against hers, stopping any further conversation. DeeDee let herself be carried away on a wave of warm sensations. It was an enchanted night, in spite of the way it had started out.
Gently she pulled away and looked up at Bill. The moonlight bleached his hair to silver-white, and his eyes looked almost black. She touched his cheek. There was something she wanted to tell him, but at the moment she was too full of emotion for words.
Bill said it for her. "I know. I love you, too."
Sixteen
"You must be losing your magic touch, Jess," Cara teased. "First Bill, and now Tom. That's two strikes in one night."
Jessica glared at Cara. It was humiliating enough without having her friends making a big joke out of it!
"Bill's a creep," she snapped. "I was getting tired of him, anyway. It's a relief to have DeeDee take him off my hands."
"What about Tom? Did you notice that he and Patsy have been dancing practically every dance together?" She giggled. "Maybe the punch was spiked with Elmer's Glue."
Jessica didn't laugh. In fact, there was nothing even remotely funny about this whole evening as far as she was concerned.
Through the sliding glass door that led out onto the patio, she caught a glimpse of Bill and DeeDee. DeeDee was laughing. Bill bent to
smooth a wisp of hair from her cheek and whisper something in her ear. Jessica looked away. She couldn't stand to watch anymore. Those two made her sick.
"What about Roger?" Cara asked cattily. "Look at him--he's been sitting over there in the corner by himself practically the whole evening. I'll bet he could use some company."
Jessica pounced upon it as the perfect chance to divert the conversation away from the painful topic of her failures. With a wicked smile, she turned to Lila, who had just walked up.
"I think we should save Roger for Lila. Don't you think they'd make an adorable couple?"
Lila groaned and clutched at her stomach. "Ugh! Don't make me ill!"
Cara played along with the gag. "I don't know. I think he's kind of cute, Lila."
"Why don't you go over there and ask him to dance?" urged Jessica. "After all, it's your party. You're supposed to make all the guests feel welcome."
Lila was on the verge of turning green. "I wouldn't dance with Roger Barrett if he were the last boy on earth!" she declared.
Unfortunately, just as she said it, the record that had been playing ended. In the lull that followed, Lila's voice carried across the room, every word audible.
It was obvious from the flash flood of red that washed across Roger's cheeks that he'd
heard. His eyes glistened. Even at a distance, Jessica could see the painful way his Adam's apple was working above his collar. She couldn't help feeling a little sorry for him.
Even Lila looked embarrassed as Roger twisted out of his chair, bolting from the room as if he'd just discovered it was on fire.
Elizabeth, glowing as she walked in on Todd's
DeeDee's pulse skidded out of control. Every sense was singing with life.
His hands slid down over her bare arms, which were rippled with gooseflesh. "Cold?" he asked.
"Just happy." She pressed her cheek against the pleasant wooly scratchiness of his shoulder.
"I hope that answered your question," he murmured against her hair. !
"Mmm ... I'm not sure. I may need a little more convincing."
He drew her to him again in a long, lingering kiss.
"Any better?" he asked.
"Keep it up. This may take all night."
"What about the party?"
"Oh, I'm sure Lila won't mind if we leave early. It's for a good cause."
"Yeah?"
"Well, if you're going to be America's new teen sex symbol, you're going to need a lot of practice acting sexy, right?"
He laughed. "If you say so. Are you applying for the job of coach?"
"Are you accepting applications?"
"Just one."
He lowered his mouth against hers, stopping any further conversation. DeeDee let herself be carried away on a wave of warm sensations. It was an enchanted night, in spite of the way it had started out.
Gently she pulled away and looked up at Bill. The moonlight bleached his hair to silver-white, and his eyes looked almost black. She touched his cheek. There was something she wanted to tell him, but at the moment she was too full of emotion for words.
Bill said it for her. "I know. I love you, too."
Sixteen
"You must be losing your magic touch, Jess," Cara teased. "First Bill, and now Tom. That's two strikes in one night."
Jessica glared at Cara. It was humiliating enough without having her friends making a big joke out of it!
"Bill's a creep," she snapped. "I was getting tired of him, anyway. It's a relief to have DeeDee take him off my hands."
"What about Tom? Did you notice that he and Patsy have been dancing practically every dance together?" She giggled. "Maybe the punch was spiked with Elmer's Glue."
Jessica didn't laugh. In fact, there was nothing even remotely funny about this whole evening as far as she was concerned.
Through the sliding glass door that led out onto the patio, she caught a glimpse of Bill and DeeDee. DeeDee was laughing. Bill bent to
smooth a wisp of hair from her cheek and whisper something in her ear. Jessica looked away. She couldn't stand to watch anymore. Those two made her sick.
"What about Roger?" Cara asked cattily. "Look at him--he's been sitting over there in the corner by himself practically the whole evening. I'll bet he could use some company."
Jessica pounced upon it as the perfect chance to divert the conversation away from the painful topic of her failures. With a wicked smile, she turned to Lila, who had just walked up.
"I think we should save Roger for Lila. Don't you think they'd make an adorable couple?"
Lila groaned and clutched at her stomach. "Ugh! Don't make me ill!"
Cara played along with the gag. "I don't know. I think he's kind of cute, Lila."
"Why don't you go over there and ask him to dance?" urged Jessica. "After all, it's your party. You're supposed to make all the guests feel welcome."
Lila was on the verge of turning green. "I wouldn't dance with Roger Barrett if he were the last boy on earth!" she declared.
Unfortunately, just as she said it, the record that had been playing ended. In the lull that followed, Lila's voice carried across the room, every word audible.
It was obvious from the flash flood of red that washed across Roger's cheeks that he'd
heard. His eyes glistened. Even at a distance, Jessica could see the painful way his Adam's apple was working above his collar. She couldn't help feeling a little sorry for him.
Even Lila looked embarrassed as Roger twisted out of his chair, bolting from the room as if he'd just discovered it was on fire.
Elizabeth, glowing as she walked in on Todd's
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