After fifteen minutes of intense focus, he could do them without having to think through every single step.
“Your muscle memory is kicking in.” Devyn gave an approving nod as she released his hands.
He missed the feel of her skin against his at once.
“Is that, um, a real thing?”
“Absolutely. Once movements get encoded in your brain, you can do them without conscious thought. You’re getting there.”
“I’m not sure I’ll remember them by Friday without prompting, though.”
“If you run over the steps every night once or twice, you’ll be fine.”
He rubbed his neck. “I wish I had your confidence.”
“Trust your feet. But learning the basic steps in isolation is different than dancing. Let’s try putting them together with music.”
She crossed to the folding chair where she’d left her bag, pulled out her phone, scrolled through, and called up a song.
While he was no forties aficionado, even he recognized “In the Mood.”
“This is my favorite swing number.” She rejoined him and held out her hands again. “Let’s start with the basic triple swing to get into the rhythm, then I’ll call out the steps. Dive in whenever you’re ready.”
He picked up the beat and launched into the triple swing step, and as Devyn called out the other moves, he transitioned into them with only minor missteps.
By the time the song ended, he was grinning. “That was actually fun.”
She disengaged and hurried over to the chair to shut off her phone, cheeks flushed, eyes sparkling. “I agree. It’s been ages since I’ve done a swing dance. And I can’t believe how fast you picked up the steps. You also have impeccable rhythm.”
“I don’t know about that. I had a few fumbles.”
“But you got back on track immediately. A lot of people can’t do that. I think you’re ready for the command performance at the wedding.”
Yeah, he was. Best of all, he’d survived the lesson without a major testosterone spike.
If they left now, in ten minutes, he’d be home free.
Except dangerous words suddenly spilled out of his mouth. “What do I do if whoever I get paired up with at the wedding wants to use the traditional dance position? That could be tricky.”
As the question hung in the air between them, his heart skipped a beat.
What on earth had promptedthat?
He’d made it through the whole session without getting too up-close-and-personal. He should be hightailing it out of here as fast as possible and thanking his lucky stars he’d escaped unscathed.
Instead, he was angling for an invitation to get cozy.
It didn’t make sense.
“Well...” Devyn moistened her lips. Folded her arms. “I suppose that could happen, but all the steps are the same. I guess we could run through the moves again in the closed position if it would make you feel more comfortable, though.”
It would likely do just the opposite.
Yet this could be his only chance to hold her in his arms, and after watching her from afar these past few weeks ... after all the sparks that had flown between them ... the temptation to go for it was suddenly too strong to resist.
“I think it could be helpful.” Despite his attempt to sound nonchalant, his reply came out a tad husky.
After a brief hesitation, she walked toward him. “Okay.”
