My eyes shot to Dean. He was still leaning against the bar but now was waiting expectantly. Eyes gentle as he turned to face me.
I turned the bar stool to face him again, barely grazing my knees passed his thighs. My heart began its routine race as I laughed nervously and stammered, “I can’t dance.”
He shrugged and pushed away from the bar, offering me a hand. “It’s just swayin’.”
Easy for him to say when he isn’t wearing heels.
I chewed my lip as I glanced from the large room in the center of the apartment, full of couples waltzing to the music, and then back to his upturned palm.
“I promise I’m not about to make you dance the Paso Doble,” he said, lips quirking slightly.
“You know how to dance the Paso Doble?”
He chuckled as he shook his head. “No, but my mom did.”
“I imagine she taught you some things though?” Was I asking these questions to avoid dancing? Of course.
“Besides rhythm and not stepping on your partner's toes?” He lifted a brow and reoffered his hand. “Dance with me, Lily.”
I worried my bottom lip, sweeping my gaze from his eyes to his hand, and then sucked in a breath. Turning on the stool again, I plucked my drink from the bar and threw back the rest of it. Grimacing at the brain freeze and instant rush of alcohol flooding my system, I placed my hand in his and got down off the stool, smoothing out the wrinkles in my dress as I said firmly, “Okay.”
He glanced at the empty glass sitting on the bar. Amusement on his face. “Are you okay?”
“I think so.” Never mind his touch was sending my thoughts into a spiral. I swear if either of us looked close enough, we might’ve been able to see the faint flutter of my heart beneath my skin.
If he looked at my chest, I may self-combust.
I trailed along behind him as he led us through the crowded room before we came to a stop in the middle of the dance floor. Not exactly the place I wanted to be considering I couldn’t dance. There were a lot of people around us, and a lot more watching from the edges of the room. I know he said we would just be swaying, but I didn’t have a lot of faith in my ability to do that either.
All that worry slipped away when Dean brought his hand to my lower back. He had all my attention as the warmth from his hand spread through my body. Or was that the alcohol? When he shifted us just a little closer together, I reminded myself to breathe unless I wanted to melt into a puddle on the floor.
With a little unsureness in my movements, I skimmed my left hand up to his shoulder while my other remained in his. After double-checking my stance, and that I wouldn’t exactly tread on his shoes, my eyes settled on the collar of his shirt and the skin exposed between.
Not wasting another moment, Dean led us into a slow sway, until we were gradually spinning to the easy rhythm of the music. The movements were a simple box step, the basics for almost every classical dance, but I didn’t dare look up unless I wanted to risk stumbling if I caught him looking right back.
He moved so easily though, which made it easy to follow. It quickly became a routine; forward, sidestep, backward, sidestep. I almost had the hang of it without my feet stalling, when his hand dropped from my back, and he gently spun me once on the spot. The dress spun with me, the shine of the satin glimmering in the warm light of the room.
I was giddy and grinning when he caught my waist again.
The smile on his face could’ve powered the lights in the room. And maybe this entire side of Manhattan.
“You were thinkin’ too hard,” he explained softly, guiding me back into the steps.
“I was trying not to step on your toes.”
“That’s very considerate of you.”
I hadn’t stopped smiling yet. “Why, thank you.”
He huffed a laugh, and then the smile wavered just a little as something crossed his mind. Evident in the way his eyes softened and his palm pressed gently against my back.
“I never got to thank you properly for saving my life."
I shrugged a little. “You don’t have to—”
A hand tapped him on the shoulder — tapped and popped our little bubble before the rest of the room flooded in.
Dean pulled away and stepped aside, revealing Antonio behind him.
