Page 80 of Knot Just for Show

“No, you didn’t…last night with you and Lysander was absolutely delicious.” Ursula’s pinched expression of concern softens into a sultry smile, a worthy prize for my efforts.

“Hey you two!” an unfamiliar woman’s voice calls from the far end of the dance floor—ripping Ursula and I from our intimate exchange. We turn to face her as one—her high brunette ponytail swinging with each step as she bounces across the dance floor in her hot pants and bra top—a pair of split sole jazz shoes on her feet.

“Hey guys! I’m Diego, and this is Maya—and we’re going to be your dance instructors for the day!” The woman’s partner, aman in matching black spandex bike shorts and tank top and sneakers dazzles us with his blinding white grin.

I want to roll my eyes, but I keep a smile on my face and give Ursula’s hand a squeeze.

We’ve got this. Easy.

“Have you ever danced before?” Maya asks sunnily.

“Yes,” I answer, prepared for Ursula’s declination.

“Yes,” Ursula chirps back, and I am more than a bit surprised.

I raise a brow at her, as if to ask ‘Since when?,’ but Ursula handily ignores me.

“Oh what do you dance?” Diego rubs his hands together, looking us over.

I wait half a beat in a silent gesture of ‘ladies first’ toward Ursula, but she isn’t taking the bait, so I jump in.

“I haven’t been to classes for anything since I was back home for the holidays last year—but ballet, jazz, hip hop, modern, tap, lyrical,” I list off as casually as I can manage.

“And what about you, miss?” Diego rounds back to Ursula.

“I still belong to a women’s only Lindy Hop group that meets every few months, but I used to Fox Trot and Paso Doble too—though it’s been ages since I’ve done any kind of ballroom.” She bats her long black eyelashes at him while he flashes his brilliant smile back at her, and I can’t help but feel the ugly beast of jealousy sink its green claws into my heart.

“Why didn’t you tell me!?” I wrap my arm around her waist protectively, pulling her against me.

She looks at me with a devilishly challenging smile and says, “You never asked, Teddy-bear.”

Well, fuck me. She’s right, of course. I never did ask—and she just dragged me face down through the mud about it while using a new pet name for me…is it wrong that both things have me practically aroused?

I really am learning things about myself on this show. Goddamn.

“Well, it sounds like you two should pick up the choreography pretty easily, then.” Maya claps her hands together, pulling Diego back to her—another staff member from the resort taking a seat behind the turntable to handle our music.

“Shall we begin?”

More and more of my assumptions and biases seem to fall away with each passing minute in this place.

Before today, I would have thought that a woman who looked like Ursula wouldn’t have been able to keep up with me on the dance floor when it came to even the most basic of salsa dancing.

Considering today’s tutors served us up exactly that slice of tourist-digestible-choreography, and Ursula and I cut up the floor with grace and ease—her passionate escobilla stealing the breath out of my lungs as her feet met the floor with their loud, percussive strikes.

If Maya and Diego had given us any time alone, Ursula’s heels wouldn’t have been the only thing getting percussive, let me tell you.

After the dance lesson, we’re taxied back to the villa by Kimmy and Timmy and the trusty big white van to enjoy a private lunch served on huge wicker trays that float lazily in the gently rippling water of the infinity pool—the two of us seated on the wide stone steps—half submerged in the water to beat the heat.

“So, how have things been going between you and the boys?” Ursula asks innocently out of nowhere as she pops a wedge of bright pink dragon fruit between her lips—the brilliant magenta juice staining her full lips a distracting shade of pink.

I give her a smirk—my dirty girl. She knows full well but she wants to hear me say it anyway. Fine, I’ll bite.

“Slow…but a little quicker after you gave Lysander and I a little shove in the right direction last night.” I lift a slice of kiwi and lean across the floating tray to offer it to her.

“Mmmhmm,” she prompts, sticking out her tongue—stained with fruit, for the coin of green kiwi. I’d like to put something else on that tongue…three or so hours until the guys come home and she heads off on her date with Mavren, that’s plenty.

“I gotta actually, y’know, talk to the kid when he gets home—I’m not going to lie, I was a little spooked after last night.” I crane my neck, placing the round of kiwi in her mouth—watching as she closes her eyes and savors the juicy morsel.

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