I started swaying, and when it coaxed a smile from Ben I got a little more dramatic. He glanced around.
“You realize that if any of the people in these restaurants look out they’ll see you.”
“Let ’em,” I said, amping up the performance even more. “What’s the saying? Dance like no one’s watching?”
I one-two-three-ed by Ben, hoping to jolly him out of whatever had parked a black cloud over his head. It felt like a role reversal, but I owed it to him. He’d spent his time with me regulating everything to help keep me sane and happy, and now it was my turn.
“Come on,” I held out my hand. “Show me what you’ve got.”
Ben looked around again. “Fine,” he sighed. “But we’re doing it my way.”
He reached out and grabbed my hand, then pulled me to him while simultaneously walking backward toward the shadows of the buildings.
He took me into his arms and paused, I assumed to find the beat before he started twirling me about. But instead of launching into movement he pulled me tightly to his body and barely shifted his weight.
“Like this,” he whispered in my ear.
He swayed, slow as molasses but somehow still in time to the music. I’d expected a big, dramatic waltz like the one he’d done with Justin, but our version was intimate. Just for the two of us clenched together and hardly moving in the dimly lit alley.
I rested my cheek on his shoulder and let him lead, the thickwool of my coat and his puffy down parka a chaperone between our bodies. The only skin-to-skin contact was our raised hands, but it was enough. I could still feel the rise and fall of his chest, and the pressure of his palm pressed against my lower back.
I closed my eyes, blocking out the cold weaving around my bare legs.
“Hey,” he said in my ear.
I raised my head to find him watching me hungrily, doing that thing that rendered every human he came in contact with lulled and powerless to resist him.
I wasn’t sure who kissed whom, all that mattered was that it was happening. Our dance slowed so that we could both focus on how it felt to finally kiss again. He let go of my hand to gently grasp the nape of my neck, and when I closed my eyes to savor the sensation I saw fireworks. Ben pushed against the wall and pinned me there. We kissed for I don’t know how long.
It struck me howeffortlesswe were together. How our body parts slotted together perfectly, like we belonged tangled up in each other’s arms. Each new touch felt choreographed and surprising at the same time,
It took effort but we finally pulled apart, each breathless and pink cheeked.
“Come to my place,” I whispered. “Kayla and Erica won’t be home for hours. Please.”
“Quinn, you know that’s not a good idea. The agreem—”
I went up on my tiptoes to kiss the words from his mouth and I swore I could feel his resistance faltering.
“Abstinence,” he muttered against my mouth. “Before you compete. It’s important.”
The way he kissed me made me doubt he believed it.
“Debunked lore,” I countered and nipped his bottom lip. “There’s no scientific evidence that it has an impact.”
“But...” He kissed each eyelid then traced lower. “The cardboard bed...”
My head dropped back to give him more access to my neck. “I’m sure you tested them in Switzerland.”
He pulled away abruptly, flustered but incredulous. “I’ll have you know that I had zero sex in Switzerland.”
I eyeballed him. Was it possible that he believed the abstinence hype, or was he just trying to convince me he didn’t man-whore it up, considering we spent the night together?
It didn’t matter now.
“Then let’s go test that cardboard,” I whispered.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
