Page 5 of Why Not Both?

“I know what I said,” she snaps before turning to give me a look of consideration. I just wait while she glances back at her friends, one perfect golden eyebrow arched at them.

Then she turns back to me, her eyes alight with mischief and interest despite her odd conversation. “More than you can imagine.”

She holds out a hand and I take it in mine, noting the bright red nails before I help her to her feet. She’s about six inches shorter than me in those fuck-me heels she’s wearing. I can’t help it as my eyes rake down her body, so close to mine, and I lead her to the dance floor where the DJ is playing something with a heavy beat.

I lift my arm and spin her under it and away from me, noticing a pretty flower tattoo on her arm—a daisy and something that looks like a vibrant red lily—before tugging her back. She laughs up at me as her body meets mine.

“Who taught you how to dance?” she asks.

I give her my most mysterious smile. “You can’t open the book of my life and jump in the middle. Like Woman, I am a mystery,” I quote from one of my favourite shows.

She squints her eyes at me. “You just quoted something,” she says.

“I did. You know it?” I ask, surprised. It’s not one of the more popular quotes from the sci-fi show. And Firefly itself isn’t as well-known as it should be.

She thinks for a moment and then shakes her head. “I can’t remember.”

I think I’ve just found my soulmate. Even if she can’t remember what it’s from, she has to have seen it enough times to recognize it.

I spin her out and back a few times, delighting in her laughter every time and the way her hair flies with the movement. As the song comes to an end, I pull her against me.

“What’s your name?” I ask.

“Lis,” she says.

“Liz? Like Elizabeth?”

She shakes her head. “Lis, with an S.”

I smile and lean closer. “I’m Spencer. Also with an S.”

She tilts her head back and laughs again and it takes every ounce of willpower not to capture that sound with my lips. She’s a perfect firecracker.

“You want to take a break?” I ask.

Her eyes search mine. In the darkness of the bar, I’m no longer certain that they’re blue. They look more green now, or maybe some colour in between. Either way, right now, they’re shining for me.

“I’m right where I want to be.”

The next song is slower than the first and I hold her against me, swaying to the beat, our eyes locked together. My head dips toward her until our foreheads touch. I want to press my lips to hers so much, but I also don’t want to move too fast.

“Spencer,” a shrill voice says from right next to me. I lift my head to find Lucy standing there, a calculating smile on her lips, and I can see in her eyes that she’s come back to fuck with me for blowing her off. As Lis turns in my arms, Lucy alters her expression into a look of outrage.

I sigh, leaning down to say to Lis, “This is Lucy. My ex-girlfriend. She broke up with me about a week ago and for some reason is having trouble remembering that tonight.” I don’t want her to have any doubt that I’m free to dance with her however I want.

“How could you, Spencer? After all we’ve been through.”

“You broke up with me, Lucy,” I remind her again.

“But I made a mistake.”

I roll my eyes and am about to respond when Lis does instead.

“Sweetie, it’s over. Sometimes people make mistakes. But you need to stop stalking him.” Then she turns in my arms and tugs my lips down to hers.

And just like everything else about her, it’s perfect. Her lips are soft and when I dip my tongue into her mouth, she tastes like strawberries. I lose all concept of time and space as our kiss deepens and she moves against me. Lucy disappears, the bar and the dance floor disappear. My whole world narrows to the feeling of Lis’ body pressed into mine. I need her more than I need to breathe.

I break the kiss, keeping her close.

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