Page 36 of Smoke and Glitter

I look at him. "What?"

His thumb moves against my cheek.

"I couldn't."

My eyes go past him to the table and the chair where he'd spent most of the night, then back to him.

He could have taken the chair beside me. He didn't. I asked him to dance. He understood and stayed seated.

Now he's here.

Bex's voice cuts in from somewhere behind Sam.

A laugh breaks out near her, but Sam doesn't turn around.

Lucia pushes between us instead.

"Why did you kiss Autumn?"

Sam looks down at her, then at me.

I wait for him to make it easy.

He doesn't.

"Because I wanted to."

Lucia accepts that with a nod and immediately turns back toward Marisol.

I watch her go, then look at Sam.

"That's all she gets?"

"She asked a question."

"And you answer hers?"

His mouth lifts, but his hand stays at my waist.

"Dance with me."

I glance toward the people moving around us. "You dance?"

Instead of answering, Sam takes my hand.

He steps back just enough to pull me with him, then turns me smoothly into his chest before I have time to decide whether I was teasing him.

His hand settles low at my waist while mine lands on his shoulder, and within a few steps he's guiding me through the crowd like he's been doing this all night.

I look up at him.

"What?"

"You could have mentioned this."

"Mentioned what?"

"That you're good at this."