“Like a date?”
He chuckled. “Of course. Dinner and dancing or a movie. I am not much of a dancer.”
“You’re doing fine,” she breathed. “You move so well.”
“Nah, this is easy. I’m, talking about dancing at the club. I wouldn’t know my right foot from my left.”
They both laughed at his attempt at joking about himself. Archer was a good conversationalist moving the conversation along. As they danced, they chatted about trivial things, things that she never talked about with Vasco. She found herself quite relaxed with this man that when the first song ended, she was disappointed. It seemed that he was able to read her mind because as soon as the other song started playing he pulled her even closer than before and started moving to the beat.
Of all the parties that Mira had attended with Vasco, this was the only one she completely enjoyed. Vasco never danced with her the way Archer did, neither did he look at her with such adoration in his eyes.
They danced to the next four songs, sometimes in silence and other times speaking about music, art or whatever the song inspired them to talk about. Mira was mesmerized by not only this man’s voice, but the way his body moved against hers. Closing her eyes, she imagined another kind of dance where the rhythm of their heartbeats was the only harmony she needed.
Feeling her heartbeat increase and her skin flush, she tried to slow her breathing. Archer must have sensed something because he was now whispering in her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.
“Are you okay?”
Her eyes fluttered open. “Hmm.”
They stared into each other’s eyes for a moment, before he paused and took her hand. Next thing he was leading her towards the humongous double glass doors that led unto the terrace and lawns.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked, her voice hoarse.
Without answering, Archer guided her through the door, onto the terrace and into the gardens. He did not stop until they were deep inside a maze of flowering plants, neatly trimmed. When he stopped, he pulled her into his arms and covered her mouth with his. His actions initially surprised her and she stiffened. But as his tongue sought hers, her body yielded to the electrical charges that exploded inside her.
With knees weak and heart drumming heavily, she clung to the lapels of his jacket. His arms tightened around her and she was about to snake her own arms around his neck when the hairs on her nape stood on end. Vasco’s face popped up before her and her eyes widened in horror. Mira pushed hard, breaking the kiss and stepping away from Archer.
“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I don’t know what came over me. No, that’s not true. You are so damn sexy, I wanted to do more than kiss you.”
“Please don’t apologize,” she replied, stepping close to him and speaking in almost a whisper. “I loved the kiss. I just …”
“Vasco.”
“It’s complicated.”
He reached for her, pulling her into his arms and cradling her head against his chest. “I know we just met, but you don’t know how badly I want to un-complicate things right now.”
“I really wish you could, but you can’t.”
“We’ll see about that, Amira,” he whispered. “We’ll see about that.”