Excellent.
Dax grinned at her as she did this and his grin did not waver, nor did he hide the intensity of his pleasure when she ceased laughing but did so turning more fully to him, adding leaning toward him in her chair.
Dax reciprocated this gesture by leaning toward her.
At this, she seemed to brace but visibly forced herself to relax as they continued conversing.
"The steaks are totally gonna burn," Noc muttered.
"We"ll leave them be and go buy more," I suggested.
Dax said something amusing again, for Circe laughed again, this time doing it reaching out a hand to touch his forearm that was resting on the arm of his chair.
He did not grin as he watched her laugh.
He looked down at her hand on him and immediately twisted his arm so he could lace his fingers in hers.
In return, Circe instantly stopped laughing.
I held my breath.
"f.u.c.k, bold move and too soon," Noc remarked tersely.
I let my breath loose on a chant, "Don"t let her go. Don"t let her go. Don"t let her go."
Circe stiffened, moving her torso away a bit.
Dax did not let her hand go and leaned in deeper, pursuing her, even seated.
She dipped her chin, turning her head and further hiding her face with a fall of hair.
Dax was speaking to her as she did this and continued to do so as she kept her face averted.
He did this for some time.
Noc and I remained silent and watchful for that time.
And then I drew in a sharp breath as Dax lifted his hand, touched gentle fingers to Circe"s jaw, and forced her to face him.
"f.u.c.k," Noc growled.
Dax kept speaking.
I held tense.
After moments that felt like eternities pa.s.sed, she nodded, a warm, relieved look washed over Dax"s face and he dropped his fingers from her jaw but continued to hold her hand and his place in her s.p.a.ce.
"Now we really gotta check on the potatoes," Noc muttered.
I took my hand from the slats and turned to him.
He was so close I felt my arm brush his chest as I did so. Also as I did so, he took his hand from the slats and looked down at me.
I gazed up at him, all of a sudden stunned.
He was so beautiful. Sheer perfection in every way.
It wasn"t the first time I"d noted that, but now that I"d sensed his pain, I couldn"t help but feel the silenced throb of it beating under the surface.
This made me sway into him at the same time wrapping my arms around his waist.
Noc returned the gesture.
"A few more minutes and I"ll go out and intervene. Give her some respite so she can catch her breath," I told him.
"Think that"s a good plan."
I nodded and rolled up to my toes to touch my mouth to his.
When our lips parted, I didn"t roll completely back.
I held his gaze and shared the love I had for him in mine.
"Thank you for your patience with this," I whispered.
"Baby, do anything for you, but helping you guide Circe to happy is not a hardship."
I pulled an arm from him, lifted my hand and cupped his cheek, running my thumb along the edge of his bottom lip.
"Yes, I know that, it"s very you. But thank you all the same."
He didn"t respond. He just shook his head as if to negate the compliment I"d paid, dipped it and brushed his lips against mine.
"I need to check the potatoes," he said when he"d lifted away. "And you need to give our girl a breather."
I nodded.
Noc"s arms gave me a squeeze.
I squeezed him back.
He drew his arms from around me but took my hand and held it, even though we were simply walking to his kitchen.
I waited inside it, watching Noc do something peculiar, this being poking the potatoes with a fork.
I didn"t ask after this partly because I didn"t care, but mostly because I had other things on my mind.
These other things being that I felt I"d given it enough time.
So I went out to see to "our girl."
"Frannie, get away from the window," Noc ordered.
"They can"t see me," I retorted.
"Don"t you think you"ve spied on them enough?" he asked.
I looked from the window, having been watching Dax and Circe as they stood on Noc"s front porch, to Noc.
"No."
"He might kiss her," Noc said, leaning against the brick at the side the mantle of his fireplace, his expression cross, his eyes on me.
"Good," I replied, turned back to the window and peered through the blinds. "I don"t want to miss that."
I was barely able to swallow my surprised cry when, seconds later, my hand was seized and I was yanked bodily from the window.
I was then twirled, pinned with legs to the arm of the couch and finding myself falling, ending with my back to the couch and Noc on me.
"Leave them alone," he demanded.
I caught my breath and decided not to be annoyed by Noc"s machinations (or t.i.tillated by them) and further annoyed at perhaps missing Circe and Dax"s first kiss.
Instead I decided it"d be just the thing to dissect the entire evening.
"Once Dax broke the ice on your deck, they barely looked at either of us all evening."
Noc stopped looking severe and started grinning. "I know, gorgeous. I was there."
"And when we were in the kitchen refreshing drinks and they were hidden behind your fireplace and they"d been standing so very close and had to separate when we arrived, Dax was so infuriated we broke their moment, I thought he was going to aim a punch at you."
Noc kept grinning. "Yeah, Frannie, caught that too because I was there."
"She came well into herself," I remarked. "She was most amusing. And then she"d be bashful in all the right ways. It was delightful how she often couldn"t meet his gaze and that becoming blush would hit her cheeks. Dax couldn"t take his eyes off her."
"You"re determined to do the blow by blow," he murmured in defeat, still handsomely grinning, therefore, I knew, not minding a bit.
"Of course," I returned. "The only thing better than a successfully executed plot is, commending yourself at length on your genius at successfully executing a plot."
Noc started chuckling, doing this rolling toward the back of the couch and adjusting us so we were both sitting up but with me tucked so closely to his side, I was nearly on his lap.
I gave a sidelong glance in the direction of the door and murmured, "I hope he"s asking to see her again."
"He"s so totally asking to see her again."
I refocused on Noc and smiled.
I then proclaimed, "This will mean we"ll need to take her shopping for the perfect outfit. None of this attempting to decide something from garments you already own."
"A woman doesn"t need a new outfit for every date," Noc decreed.
He was very wrong in that but I sensed I"d never convince him of it so I didn"t try.
"All I know is," Noc went on, "if Circe wants something new, she"ll have to take you. I start work tomorrow so our trips to the mall have become your trips to the mall." As an afterthought, he finished, "Which means we need to find more time to get you back behind a wheel."
"I do believe it would be beneficial if Josette or I were able to traverse the city on our own and I do think, at first, that will need to be me," I agreed.
"You down with that?" he asked.
"I quite like driving. Your interstates are somewhat alarming but we"ll work up to that."
He gave me a proud smile. "Yeah, we will."
The door opened and both of us turned to it, me having to twist exceedingly to look over my shoulder, Noc simply having to turn his head to look over my other one.
Circe was inside.
And oh.
My.
Word.
"He so totally kissed her," Noc whispered in my ear.
He so totally did.
She seemed barely awake. Sleep walking.
And dreaming good dreams.
"Circe, babe, you good?" Noc called quietly.
For a moment, she was lost in her own world and neither Noc nor I said anything for it was clearly a good place to be.
Suddenly, she started and looked to us.
"I"m sorry, what?" she asked.
"Did he kiss you?" I asked back.
"Frannie," Noc clipped.
"I...he was..." Circe stammered and then started beaming. "Yes."
My word.