The way Amy stammered out her reply to him was adorable; as a matter of fact, everything about Amy was adorable. Malachi was suddenly glad that he’d tied on a tie and come down to the Valentine’s dance. Looking down at the beautiful redhead, he smiled and blurted out, “I’m having fun, y’know…and I wasn’t sure I would…at the dance.”

This was so nice; Mal didn’t want the dance to end. The sweet, beautiful girl in the beautiful dress, the shy blushing, the little looks they were giving each other, the feeling of her hands on his body…the innocence of restraint. A boy like him rarely got such a treat; he’d been strapped with a bad reputation and labeled a ‘bad boy’, so he got the party girls…the ones who pulled at your shirt and stuck their tongue in your mouth when you walked in the door. Nobody knew that Malachi wanted the wife, kids and the house with a white picket fence; nobody cared.

Tonight, Malachi could dream that Amy was his girl and they were going to live happily ever after. Of course, he couldn’t say anything like that, he had to act cool. Leaning his forehead against hers, Mal purred, “Maybe after this, I can get them to play Lady in Red. Would you dance with me again?”