God it felt so good to just let loose, move to the rhythm and think of nothing. It had been so long since he'd been able to just let go of himself and not worry about the next gig, sound checks, screaming fans, constant travel. He loved the life and wouldn't trade it for anything but it was exhausting.
Zac watched the crowd around him as he let his body move to the beat. This was a great little town in the middle of nowhere, busy with the late summer tourists who came to enjoy the beauty and sunshine of the North Cascade Mountains. It was an eclectic crowd of yuppie 20-somethings, local hicks and college kids working here for the summer.
He closed his eyes and moved his large frame up and down while his hands worked the beat against his body, his natural actions as a "rhythm man" taking over. As the song flowed through him Zac lost awareness of the room and those around him, drifting into thoughts all his own. He felt himself letting go of all the weeks of being on the move, always up for the fans and performances, keeping up an impossible schedule. He took many deep, relaxing breaths as he moved to the music and let go of the incredible tension that had been part of his life for too many months.
The song was winding down as Zac came back to the room and the present. He smiled and laughed just from the shear enjoyment of having fun with no worries for right now. Looking around the room, he spotted his brothers and their wives in the back at the booth they claimed for the night. He finished out his solo dance and spun around to head back to his family.
Moving through the crowd he stepped carefully to avoid hitting anyone on the packed floor. With his 6'2', 190 pound, muscular frame it was easy to forget his size could easily knock smaller people over if he wasn't careful. Getting almost off the dance floor, he felt something hit him suddenly in the middle of his back and he went flying into the bodies right ahead of him. He grabbed onto the nearest thing, which turned out to be the hips of a woman directly in front of him.
"Oompf! Gosh I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" came a voice from behind him. Apologizing to the woman he grabbed (she had a nice ass by the way), he turned to deal with his 'assailant.'
Looking down into a sweet female face, Zac chuckled, "Yeah, but I'm not sure about the chick I just grabbed. She probably thinks she just got mauled by a drunk looking for a cheap feel."
Dark blue eyes crinkled at the corners as she broke into a smile revealing even white teeth set in full lips. Her pale complexion was softened by just a few light freckles scattered across her nose and cheekbones. Thick black hair flowed around her shoulders framing an oval face.
"I'm so sorry! I have this terrible habit of tripping over my own feet, and I fell right into you. Are you really okay?" she asked, her face falling into a worried frown as she looked into his eyes.
"Hey, I think so, but maybe we should discuss this. Can you join me for a cold drink?" He smiled, thinking that this girl was looking really good and it could be a few lonely weeks in these mountains.
Her nose wrinkled slightly and he could tell she was thinking hard about his offer, although what was so difficult he wasn't sure. Zac may not have been as handsome as Taylor, his older brother, but he never got too many complaints about his buff build, shoulder-length blond hair, and deep brown eyes.
As Zac watched, she smiled, relaxed her shoulders, and said, "Hey, that would be nice, but I need to check with my friends and let them know I'll be with you for a few minutes."
He could see over her shoulder that there was a group of three or four young women hanging back and watching their conversation. She turned around and whispered to the closest one. Zac took the opportunity to look more closely at his "assailant". She was a little taller than average and fairly slender, but he could see nice curves in her tight blue jeans and black knit, cropped shirt. She turned back to him with a smile saying, "Okay, lead the way. I could use a cold one. That dancing made me thirsty!"
Zac grabbed her hand, turned and headed for the booth his brothers occupied. Her hand felt small and soft in his large, callused one. It felt so good to touch a female other than a family member or fainting fan. 'Wow, I've got to get out more, if I'm going to get this turned on from holding hands' went through his mind as he led her around several tables to the back of the room.
He stopped suddenly and she bumped into him again. Turning quickly he grabbed her shoulders to make sure she didn't fall. For some reason, he kept his hands where they rested and said, "Sorry 'bout that, but it just hit me that I don't know your name yet and you're about to meet some of my family. I'd look pretty stupid if I tried to introduce you with no name!"
"No problem. It's Lucinda Marshall. My family calls me Lucy."
Zac chuckled, thinking 'this is too weird.' "What a coincidence. I wrote a song years ago about a Lucy. My brothers will get a kick out of this."
Lucinda smiled a little and asked, "Well, I hope your brothers are as nice as you otherwise maybe I should know more about this song and you before I meet them."
"Hey, don't worry about anything. We're all here on vacation, just kicking back. Their wives are with them tonight, and they haven't seen them for a while. My brothers aren't too interested in anything except them tonight." Zac could feel her shoulders shrug in acceptance. He let go of her and started moving towards the booth, just a few steps away.
Unbeknownst to Zac, his family members had been watching this little exchange with growing amusement. It was obvious Zac was already feeling some attachment to this attractive young woman the way his hands lingered on her. Taylor and Isaac grinned at each other and their wives, Colleen and Amanda.
"I think our brother is about to fall, and fall hard!" Taylor blurted out. Ike laughed, "Yeah, right on his ass!"
Amanda, Isaac's wife, hit his arm. "Ike, leave Zac alone. He needs a woman in his life. We ALL need him to have a woman in his life."
Colleen burst out laughing. "If I see him staring at my undies in the bathroom one more time, I'm sending him a personal sampler from Vickies!"
Taylor looked over at his wife with mild disbelief on his face. "Oh God, not the leopard print bra and thong?"
"No, just some panties I left a few times after a shower," Colleen giggled. "You just never noticed because you were too busy trying to convince me you needed to be in the shower too!" Taylor turned a light shade of red while Isaac and Amanda joined Colleen laughing at him.
Amanda kept laughing, "Yeah, Ike, just like all those times you coaxed me into the bathroom with "honey, could you help me with something" and all you wanted was a quickie!"
Taylor choked on his beer and started gasping. "Oh my God, that explains all those times I felt those extra bumps on the bus. I though it was bad roads but it must have been you two!" Everyone was laughing so hard no one could speak, much less say anything polite as Zac brought Lucinda up to the booth.
It wasn't too hard to figure out what the group was laughing about. Every time his brothers had to leave their ladies for more than a few days, sex was all they had on their minds. After a few drinks, the flirting wasn't subtle at all, usually downright outrageous. Zac glanced over at Lucinda thinking 'this is just great.' He wanted to spend a few minutes getting to know this girl and his family was totally out of control like a rauncy episode of Jerry Springer.
Grabbing Lucinda's hand and giving it a gentle squeeze, he said, "Everybody, I want you all to meet Lucinda. She tried to knock me over so I insisted she had to let me treat her to a drink and the special honor of meeting you guys. So let's keep this a G-rated conversation please!"
Taylor was still coughing and Colleen was hitting his back trying to help him, while still giggling herself. Isaac was laughing while getting a big shove from Amanda who was trying hard not to look embarrassed but laughing anyway. She was the first one to glance up and get something like sanity back.
"It's nice to meet you Lucinda. I'm Amanda, Isaac's wife, and this is Colleen, Taylor's wife," she said while pointing to each. "We're having a "Hanson" moment here so please forgive us." The brothers shot Amanda a look that said 'too much information for a prospective date.' Amanda winked at them and continued, "Some day be sure to ask me what that means. Right now I don't want to scare you off. These guys are really pussy cats and couldn't be nicer." Ike started chuckling and Amanda jabbed him with her elbow. "They've been away on business for a few weeks and some of them can't seem to control their libidos."
Lucinda was having a tough time keeping up with the banter but they all looked like they were really nice and having a lot of fun. "It's nice to meet you all. It's really nice of Zac to invite me for a drink after I nearly knocked him over on the dance floor", she said while glancing up at Zac for reassurance.
He smiled and squeezed her hand again. "Okay people move over so we can sit down." Taylor and Colleen slid closer to Isaac and Amanda while Lucinda sat down next to Colleen and Zac sat on her right. She was feeling a little overwhelmed. All of these people were so beautiful and at ease with each other and having so much fun. It must be great to be part of such a family.
Zac bent close to her ear and asked, "What would you like to drink?" She hesitated for a moment and replied, "Since I won't be 21 for a few months it had better be a Coke."
"Sounds good. If you don't mind, I like Henry's."
Lucinda shook her head, "No, I don't mind, it sounds good to me too!"
Zac grabbed the next passing waitress and everyone gave her drink orders and requests for more nachos too.
While they waited for their order everyone started talking again. "Lucinda, what brings you to this burg in the mountains of Washington State?" Isaac asked.
"Well, I'm working at a resort here for the summer until I return to the University of Washington in late September for my senior year," she answered.
"Oh really? We're staying out at the Flying Horseshoe Ranch. Are you working any where near there?" Zac asked.
"Well, as a matter of fact, that's where I work. You probably haven't seen me because I work with the horses most of the time and I was out on an extended overnight ride with several guests this past week," she replied. "I hope you're enjoying your stay. Be sure to sign up for some horseback riding. The day trips in the surrounding mountains are really beautiful."
Zac looked at Lucinda with new respect. "That sounds like a great summer job. You must know the mountains really well."
"I do, and I am really lucky to have this job. I've been working here since my senior year in high school. It's so much fun working with people and riding all the time. It doesn't seem like a real job. If you come on a ride I'll make sure you get special treatment."
Taylor started coughing to cover his laugh while shooting a quick glance at Zac. Zac gave him a hard stare with the 'you better shut up and keep your horny thoughts to yourself' look.
"That sounds like a great idea. We'll probably take you up on that. I'll check into it ASAP, all right guys?" Zac looked around the group and everyone was nodding with big grins on their faces.
Their drinks and food arrived and everyone settled in to help themselves and pass the food around. Each couple chatted and everyone had fun laughing at each other and the action on the dance floor. The guys ordered another round of drinks and the women just rolled their eyes. This was going to be a real "Hanson" night. Hopefully no one got too looped and did anything really dumb. Colleen and Amanda traded looks with knowing eyes.
"Okay, I'm the designated driver tonight", stated Amanda, giving Isaac a nudge with her hip. "You guys are on the road to getting plastered and I'm not letting any of you behind the wheel." The brothers all groaned at the "mom" talk and shrugged their shoulders. This would not be the first time one of the women had to take charge and get them all home in one piece.
"That's what I love about you, honey. You're always there when I really need you." This earned Isaac a really big jab to the ribs, so of course he HAD to grab Amanda around the waist and hold her arms down to keep from getting any more bruises. It didn't hurt that his fingers just lightly touched her right below her bra. This earned him a hiss from his wife to which he just squeezed her harder and briefly stroked her breast with his fingers.
Seeing this, Taylor wanted some action too so he grabbed Colleen's leg and scooted closer to her. Zac looked around the booth and down at Lucinda thinking 'this is really great. My brothers are not only drinking too much but now the horns come out! Okay, it's time to take some action here.'
"If it's all right with Lucinda, she and I are going to go dance while you Romeos get it on." Isaac and Taylor started laughing again while their wives giggled. Lucinda was glad Zac suggested dancing because the vibes going around their table were getting a little too steamy, although they sure seemed to be having a greattime. She looked up at Zac and smiled her consent. They slid out of the booth and he led her onto the dance floor.
Don Henley's "Boys of Summer" was playing which seemed to fit the evening perfectly. Lucinda reached up to put her arms around Zac's shoulders while his hands went around her waist. She looked up into his eyes as they swayed to the music. He smiled softly and she found herself melting into the warmth of his dark brown eyes. Zac was equally caught by the magic of her smile, her warm body moving under his hands, and the faint scent of citrus from her skin. Unconsciously their embrace tightened as Lucinda rested her cheek against his shoulder. Zac slid his hands around her waist and gently caressed her back through the fabric of her top. Lucinda sighed and nestled a little closer so that her breasts rested against Zac's chest. This got Zac's attention in a hurry. He could feel his body begin to respond to her closeness. 'Whoa, this is feeling really good, and I need to keep this under control or we'll both be regretting something tomorrow' he thought to himself.
They continued to sway gently to the Henley tune as the last few bars were played. As the song ended Lucinda raised her eyes to Zac's with a sweet, inviting smile on her face. He could feel his knees go weak and he held onto her for a few seconds longer to steady himself. As she stepped back from him, he let go and grabbed her hand in his.
"That was nice. I really like the way you feel in my arms." 'Oh my god, did I just say what I think I said,' he thought. 'What's she going to think of me, that is such a pick up line!'
Lucinda blushed, thankful for the dim lighting. Zac was moving pretty fast for her, but it felt so good to be in his arms, she didn't know how to react. He was looking a little unsettled. Maybe this was happening faster than he expected too. She leaned up to his ear and said shyly, "I really enjoyed that too."
Zac breathed a sigh of relief and led her off the dance floor putting his arm around her shoulders. "Hey, do you want to catch some air and find a place to talk?" She nodded okay. "Let's go let my family know so they don't think I've left the planet."
Heading back to the booth, Zac could see serious make-out moves taking place. Taylor was all over Colleen, whispering (or something) in her ear while she giggled. Isaac was kissing Amanda while she smiled and kissed him back when his cheek came into range. "I hate to interrupt the 'Hanson House of Hickies' but Lucinda and I are going outside to talk for awhile. How much longer are you all going to hang around here?"
Amanda, being the most sober of the group, responded first. "I think we're heading back to the resort in just a few minutes. This group definitely needs to hit the sheets before we're arrested for lewd and drunken behavior."
That got Isaac's attention. "Yeah honey, you said it. We definitely don't need to get picked up for PDA (public displays of affection). Dad would have a cow and Chris would spend a fortune keeping it out of the media." Taylor and Colleen started laughing again. Lucinda raised an eyebrow over the "keeping it out of the media", not sure why that had anything to do with them, but kept her thoughts to herself for now.
'Was it really that funny or was it the beer talking?' Zac wondered. "Whatever, we'll wait for you out by the SUV. Come on Lucy let's leave the love birds alone. Whenever they've been apart for a few days their not responsible for their actions." This sent all four lovers into more fits of laughter, and, sure enough, the hands, and lips, were soon back where they'd left off. Zac made sure that Lucinda didn't see more of that. She was already a little spooked by his own boldness. There was no need to let her see more of the same from his family. She might think that's all they ever did, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but probably overwhelming for a non-Hanson. Come to think of it, that's probably what Amanda meant by her earlier crack at "having a 'Hanson' moment." 'Oh damn, are we really that horny?' he thought. 'Better watch my step for a while until she gets to know me, and not my hormones!'