Nin halted mid-twirl, her eyes widening. A bright smile blossomed on her lips. Something in his chest tightened unexpectedly.
“Well,” she said, “I suppose it’s a little like being quick on my feet. I may not be graceful in other ways, but spinning around like this—” she whirled in demonstration, “or sliding like this—” she glided forward, "reminds me of how I’d pickpocket people.”
She followed his lead as they spun, their hands connecting before clapping.
Cedric kept in time with the steps, despite the uneven thrum of his heart. “Yet you failed to do so with me.”
She chuckled. “Yes. I wasn’t expecting someone like you to catch me.” Her eyes danced. “You’re far more experienced than most of the nobles I’ve pickpocketed.”
Cedric led her through the next turn, their palms brushing before separating again. With every touch, a tingling warmth surged through his fingertips, a pulse he was finding impossible to ignore.
“Well, yes, I have a lot more training,” he said matter-of-factly.
They slid sideways across the floor, pausing as the routine demanded.
“But I guess you’re not always prepared for everything,” she said mildly.
His brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
Before he could react, she slipped around him, grabbed his arm, and twisted it behind his back. His breath hitched at thesudden pressure.
“Something like this,” she said lightly before releasing him.
Cedric huffed, rolling his shoulder as a new, unwelcome awareness flamed through his body. “A clever trick,” he admitted. “But perhaps I could teach you something more effective.”
“Probably nothing I haven’t already learned myself,” she said with an unimpressed shrug.
“You’ve learned to survive on the streets,” he countered, taking a step closer. “Not formal training.”
“Perhaps,” she said. “But playing dirty is usually what wins.”
“That may be true,” he said. “But…”
He twisted smoothly out of her reach, his movements swift and controlled, and before she could recover, he spun her around and pinned her gently against the wall.
His hand braced beside her head, and his breath caught.
It was almost the same position as the day they had met.
In a flash, she changed position, employing a quick maneuver that almost ended with her knee coming up to his groin.
Cedric shook his head, half-amused and half-impressed.
In a blur of motion, she swept a foot beneath him, forcing him to tumble back onto the bed. She pounced, trapping him with her elbow poised above his throat.
Cedric reversed them with a swift move, rolling her beneath him in one motion.
He stilled.
Their faces were suddenly inches apart, breaths mingling in the charged silence that followed. For one suspended moment, neither of them dared to move.
Cedric pulled away at once, every inch of him scorched by her touch. He took another step back toward the door and cleared his throat.
“Well,” he said, his voice tight and breathless. His ribcage ached from his drumming heart. “I believe we should continue the dance lesson another time.”
“You haven’t even taught me the other ones I need to know,” she said, her voice more nonchalant than the situation called for. She sat up, blinking innocently at him.
For a traitorous moment, his eyes flicked to her lips.
