Hallie jumped out of his hold. “Sorry. Two left feet, remember?”
He reached for her again. “Just relax and follow my lead.”
She took a breath and stepped back into his hold. At first, she clung to him, not trusting her own abilities to carry her through the length of the song. But as they flowed in rhythm to the music, Christian’s murmured instructions helped Hallie relax. The fluidity of his movements, the confidence of his steps invited her to trust him. In his arms, she knew exactly where he was leading her, pushing her to do more, give more, be more. All the while, her heart urged her not to tread lightly.
It urged her to take a flying leap.
Into what?Her logical side feared the answer. But her heart refused to let go of this feeling. Like floating on air.
Her heart raced much faster than the beat of the music. His intoxicating scent swirled around her, making her lightheaded. And when was the last time she took a breath?
Dancing with Christian was a full body experience, each of her senses stimulated to maximum level through the remainder of the dance. As the song played its final gentle chord, he tightened his hold on her back and slowly lowered her into a dip.
Hallie squeaked in surprise, and she clung to his neck as if she’d land flat on her back if she let go even a little. Then a quiet hush fellover the room, that brief pause before a new melody began. Isla and Penelope stilled, seemingly aware that something was happening, though too young to grasp exactly what.
Hallie wasn’t sure herself, only that something had shifted. Slowly, her eyes rose from his neck to his face, locking on his piercing, soulful eyes that in the moment held nothing but warmth. And maybe a little fear.
Yep, there was definitely some fear there.
His gaze flitted to her mouth, then back up to her face.Is he going to kiss me?Did she want him to?
The magical moment poofed into nothing the instant Christian raised her back to standing and stepped away. “I think that’s enough dancing for one night.” He turned away from her.
Confused at the mixture of disappointment and relief at his sudden distance, Hallie took a deep breath. “Where’d you learn to waltz?” she asked. The confidence in his steps, the way he’d positioned their hands, and the grace in which he’d carried himself spoke of more than just a basic knowledge of the dance.
“Ballroom,” he mumbled.
“What?” Did she hear him correctly?
He swiveled around again. “I was on the ballroom team in college.”
She coughed, reeling back her surprise at his odd look. “You were?”
“Why is that so shocking?”
Hallie crossed the room to stand next to him as the girls resumed their dancing. “I just took you as more of the nerdy type. Or a jock. I hadn’t decided which.” She smiled at his sudden crack of laughter.
“Iama big nerd.” He flashed her a self-deprecating look. “But I like sports too. Growing up, I wanted to play hockey. So naturally, my mom put me in ballroom lessons instead.”
“I’m sure your teeth thank her,” Hallie said.
His smoldering half-smirk sent her heart racing again. “I think they’re more grateful for the four years of braces.”
“Four years? Yikes.”
His laughter sliced through the last bit of tension in the room. “Yeah. The teenage stage wasn’t kind to me.”
The years were kind to him now. Way too kind. “It seems she made the right call.”
Christian shrugged. “It was fun while it lasted.”
“While it lasted?” she repeated. “You don’t dance anymore?”
His forehead creased as pain flashed across his handsome face. And then, just as quickly, he steeled his composure once again. “No. Not with all the baggage.”
She pondered that through the rest of dinner cleanup. Her mind momentarily dropped it when Penelope insisted she only wanted Hallie to help her get ready for bed. She couldn’t pinpoint why the toddler had latched onto her so quickly, but Hallie was finding it impossible not to give the adorable girl everything she wanted.
But when Hallie finally made her escape—was escape the right word when she was actually enjoying herself?—Christian’s words latched onto her brain again.
