Page 87 of Destined To Fall

I feel Jeremy stiffen beside me, and I suck my bottom lip into my mouth, four seconds from bursting into a fit of laughter.

“And I hope you survive the ride.” She chuckles, as do most of the regulars.

“Bollyx?”Jeremy whisper-shouts.“You’ve got to be kidding me. We’re doing Bollywood dancing? Seriously?”

“Seriously.” I smile, finally looking Jeremy in the eyes, mine no doubt a bright blaze, his resigned.

“You should have left me to die,” he mutters.

“As this is fast-paced,” Lisa continues,“but repetitive, there will be few instructions. Everything runs on a loop, so to speak, until the end when it’s all combined.You’ll pick it up quick enough for the most part. Just try to have some fun, and let your crazy fly. Let’s go!”

“Some days, I think you hate me. That you get some sick pleasure out of torturing me.”

“Oh, you’re not wrong there. But I can’t hate you. You’re too much fun to play with.”

“Right.”

“Now shush and try to keep up.”

He doesn’t say a word,but shakes his head. Eitherresigned or genuinely annoyed, it’s hard to tell. I’ve only ever seen him mad once. Every other time I’ve been around Jeremy, he’s been lighthearted and juvenile. He takes my antics in stride, though, and after a good twenty-five minutes to get a feel for it, he’s screwing in the light bulbs and turning on the taps with the rest of us. His arms stop flailing like he’s drowning, and his facerelaxesthe grimace he’s been stuck on since we started. By the time we get to the end, the big grand finale, I’m willing to bet he’s actually enjoying himself.

“Are you all ready? This is it, so make it count,” Lisa booms above the music as the tune reaches fever pitch.

“Y’all ready for this?” Jeremy shouts in my ear, and my laughter threatens to take over the music.

I’m unsure if he’s referencingSpace JamorBring It On.Both fitting and damn funny all the same.

We get into position, side by side, spirit fingers at the ready, but I keep twisting to look at him, and he at me, like a couple of silly teens, giggling like schoolgirls. I’m having way too much fun for this intense exercise. I should have brought Jeremy sooner. He makes everything better.

I shake myself out of that stupid thought and focus on what we’re doing. Of course Jeremy notices my distraction and shoots me a quizzical look, his head cocking to the side while he appraises me. I shake my head at him and stick out my tongue, then nod toward Lisa right before she starts.

A squeal escapes me as I try to get into sync, my fingers twisting and jiggling to the beat as I wave them all about. I turn in the wrong direction, ending up facing Jeremy, making him laugh and miss a step.Hislips move in a curse, clearly frustrated at either himself or me, andI snigger. Stillkeeping pace, but putting a little extra oomph in my movements, really hitting each step, and it doesn’t go unnoticed.

Jeremy’s gaze narrows on me, and instead of jumping to our left, turning away from each other as we should have, we both jump on the spot. I bite my bottom lip, swallowing the laugh on my lips, and raise an eyebrow in challenge.

It’s game on.

We hit it hard, my muscles straining as I push my arms and legs in and out and above. Jeremy’s seem to pulse, the veins along his arms rippling and his thighs taut with the effort. I can feel the sweat trickling down my back and along my chest. One particular bead grabs Jeremy’s attention, his gaze heating a path as he watches it slide along the curve of my breast and disappear into my sports bra. I look away seconds before his gaze catches mine, but I still feel the intensity of it warming my face.

We finish thelaststeps, holding for a beat before both collapsing on the floor, panting for breath, our fingertips brushing with the proximity. I’m breathless for more reasons than I care to be and fight to ignore the tiny electric shocks that simple caress sends through my hand, but it’s an effort I don’t have in me.

“This was something else. You are something else,” Jeremy says, twisting to face me, a funny little twinkle in his eye.

“I’ve tried to tell you, but you never believe me.” An awkward chuckle escapes me.“You hated it, didn’t you?”

“Surprisingly, no. I find it hard to hate anything when I’m with you.”

I laugh at the cheese in that statement.“For your benefit, I won’t make that into a challenge. Though it’s real damn tempting, I tell you.”

“I think I should definitely be grateful for that.” He chuckles, getting to his feet, somewhat gingerly I notice, and sticks out his hand for me.

I take the offered appendage and stifle my groan of protest, my muscles pulling and twinging in all the right places.

“Did I wear you out, or do you still have another thirty-odd minutes left in the tank?” I ask. He looks at me sideways and narrows his gaze, making me laugh.“I was talking about a walk, you perv.”

“Yeah, that’s not what I was expecting. Sure, I could do with walking this off.”

“There is a limit to how much torture I inflict on any one day.”

---