“Very well. I suppose this is fine.” Her plate is loaded quickly, and I’ll have to thank the chef for being so confident in choosing Mila’s favorites.
By the time I’ve made my selections and joined her at the table, she’s already dug in, and I can’t help but stare. I’ve never been around women who eat anything more than a few pieces of lettuce, so it’s refreshing to see her eat to fuel herself.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” She catches me staring and glances down to see if she’s dropped food onto her shirt before wiping her mouth with her napkin. “Is something on my face?”
I smile and shake my head, finally taking a bite from my own plate but barely tasting it. “You’re astounding.”
And she is. She rolls her eyes as she continues, and I follow each bite from her plate to her mouth. Despite her harsh exterior, she’s graceful, her etiquette as flawless as any old-money New Yorker I’ve known. It’s just another reminder of the mystery behind this woman. My hunger grows, and it’s not for anything the chef prepared.
Like magic, she finishes just as one of her favorite songs begins to play.I have to remember to thank Misha for the remote for the stereo and for telling me a few of her favorites.Rarely does a genuine smile cross her face, but when it does…wow.
Standing, I reach for her, hoping that despite my massive, crushing vulnerability at this moment, she’ll accept. “Shall we?”
“Shall wewhat?”
“Dance of course,” I say, hand still extended.
“This isn’t a song to dance to.”
“Any song is a song to dance to if you try hard enough.”
She sighs as she begrudgingly takes my hand. “Fine, I’ll dance. One song. Then I’m going back to my office to work. And keep your hands to yourself.”
If one dance is all I have, I’m going to make it the most amazing one she’s ever had. Knowing Mila, it might be the only one she’s ever had.
“How are we supposed to dance together if I can’t touch you?”
She grabs my hands, placing one on her shoulder and one on her upper back. “Light touches only. Anddon’tmove them.”
“Yes, Ma’am. But just so you know, you can touch me anywhere.” I wink.
The song reallyisn’tone to dance to; she was right about that. It’s upbeat enough not to be romantic, but not so energetic that you can party it out, leaving only the middle awkward fun moves. Surprisingly, Mila follows as I sway us back and forth, catching on to the rhythm quickly.
I get a single chuckle from her when I start doing the disco. “You’re a very silly man, Thatcher Prescott.”
“Of course, life’s not worth living if you never have any fun!”
“Life isn’t just about fun. Say that to the people who have had to fight tooth and nail to be here today.”
I place my hands back where she gave me permission to touch her, holding her a bit tighter than before. “What kind of life are they fighting for if they don’t intend to enjoy it?”
“It’s not always about serving yourself. Sometimes you have to fight so that others can live.”
“And what do you think they would do if they didn’t have to fight? What would they do for fun if they could?” I ask, rubbing my thumb up and down with such a light brush, I’m almost unsure if I’m dreaming of the warmth of her skin.
“I don’t know. Everything I do has a purpose, including my leisure. My time is all calculated. I can’t recall a time I’ve done something nonsensical.”
“Do it now! Jump in the pool.”
“Oh, I don’t think so. I have my clothes on and—”
“So? I’ll do it too, with our clothes on and everything. It’s nonsensical. You shouldn’t have zero memories of doing somethingjust because. Please? Jump in with me.”
She looks between the water and me several times before letting out a defeated, “Okay, let’s do it.”
“Hell, yeah! Alright, um. Take my hand?” She reluctantly does as I ask and follows my lead to the deep end of the pool. “Alright on three. One. Two.”
I swear she yelps when I pull her close to me and jump one count early. Keeping her in my arms, I swim up to the surface, reveling in the feel of her body against mine.
