‘Love is not a fire to be shut up in a soul. Everything betrays us: voice, silence, eyes; half-covered fires burn all the brighter.’
Jean Racine
the moment Gray pulled me into a dance position, everything else slipped away and I all but sighed with relief.
‘We’re square after this?’ Gray double-checked.
‘Square.’
If he could go back in time he probably never would have agreed to go to classes with me, but Gray wasn’t the type to go back on his word. So, twice a week for the past year, Gray and I had gone dancing.
He was atrocious at first, but once he got over himself and realised no one was going to point and laugh he started to improve; now he was quite good. And when it came to the lifts he was so strong he pulled them off with ease.
Our kind of dancing was by the book. I loved to get a little carried away when I was in my own space, but whenever I was close to another body I was hyper-aware, and Gray respected my … limitations.
He put me through a good workout, spinning me at every opportunity. He tossed me around a few times and the people in our immediate vicinity moved back to give us more room.
By the end of the second song, I was covered in a thin film of sweat, but since I knew that this was the last time I was going to force Gray to dance with me, there was no way I would let him off the hook. I looked up to tell him just one more song only to feel my heart stall. My eyes fixed not on Gray’s but on the blazing green ones just over his shoulder – firing into mine to a depth only they could achieve.
Seeing my face, Gray intuitively and cautiously stepped back, putting some distance between us. Lincoln stood rigid, jaw clenched, hands fisted by his sides.
Gray’s eyes darted from Lincoln to me and I could see his mouth running over a string of mumbled curses. Eventually, when it became clear no one else was about to speak, Gray cleared his throat.
‘How ’bout I go buy your friend over there a drink?’ he asked.
Lincoln nodded curtly. ‘How ’bout,’ he said, his wild eyes not leaving mine.
Gray was out of there so fast he practically ran. I took a tentative step back, feeling the tension rolling off Lincoln. I glanced at my table of friends, whose eyes were all fixed in our direction, mouths hanging open. Onyx had swivelled his chair around to get a full view.
Great. Nothing like a captive audience.
And then, suddenly, I blushed. I hadn’t meant to get carried away on the dance floor. I certainly hadn’t meant for it to make Lincoln angry. He shouldn’t have even been able to see us from the far side of the room.
As if reading my mind he took a step towards me. ‘I went over to your table to tell you that you were right. It was a good call hitting them tonight and I was being stubborn.’
‘Oh,’ I said nervously, with a shrug. I took another sideways step, edging off the dance floor and towards our table, hoping that was all he came over to say. But as soon as I moved Lincoln closed the distance, his hand bracing tightly on my hip. Feeling the warmth of his touch, I stiffened in a hopeless attempt to guard myself. And then his voice dropped as he spoke close to my ear.
‘You learned to salsa.’
I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry. ‘I suppose.’
‘Why?’ he asked evenly, not moving away, his hand pushing into my hip.
I leaned back, trying to look away. ‘A hobby, I guess.’
His lips pressed together but then he tugged me closer, speaking in my ear again. ‘So, you can salsa. But is that all you can do?’
He’s too close. Too close! I can smell him. I can feel his warmth, his breath on my neck.
‘I … I …’
Not waiting for me to fumble through the answer, he stepped away, leaving me instantly bereft and held out his hand.
‘What?’ I blurted.
He half smiled. ‘You still owe me a dance,’ he said, his voice flat.
I baulked. ‘What? That was …’ I couldn’t even find the words. That dance was something we’d promised each other before everything had happened. It was …
He shrugged, hand still out. ‘Yes, well, there haven’t been many opportunities since then.’ He raised his eyebrows. ‘Afraid?’ It was a challenge.
Damn it.
I wanted to run and hide. Or just crumple to the floor and roll up into a ball. But another part of me was going to be damned if I looked like the pathetic girl who couldn’t even manage to be in the same room as him. I’d already let him humiliate me once today.
My shields were up and if we were going to work together to find Spence it was about time he understood I was stronger than he realised. A little dancing would hardly undo me.
‘Fine,’ I gritted, lifting my hand towards his. ‘But I believe it was you who owed me the dance.’
He snatched my hand and led me to the centre of the dance floor, spinning me out and then snapping me back into his chest. ‘Then I’ll be sure to do my best to not disappoint,’ he growled.