Page 9 of I Wanna Dance

The logical part of me knew she was right, but the emotional part of me—the part that still heard Kevin’s voice telling me it was my fault that he’d cheated because he wanted excitement, and I wasn’t it.

“You know what? If Marco Cabrera makes a move, I’ll give him a shot.” I thought I was saying it to appease her, but as soon as the words were out, I knew they were also true. The man had stirred me. It felt good to bestirred.

“Now, that’s the spirit.” Rose raised a hand, and I high-fived her.

“Speaking of making moves, is that horrible assistant who kept trying to get it on with Gray still at the company?”

Rose’s face went from smiling to laughing. “Oh, I have something delicious to tell you. She confronted me last night when Gray was giving a speech, telling me I was ruining his life by making him leave his career blah blah.”

“That little bitch.” I narrowed my eyes. “What did you say?”

“Gray was giving a speech then, so I told her to shush.”

A laugh burst out of me. “You told her to…shush?”

“Yep. And then Gray called me up on the stage and told everyone how much he loved me. It was epic.” Rose let out a breath, looking dreamy, and then she frowned. “Am I being petty?”

“Hell, yeah, and you deserve to be. That little shit was hitting on your husband and being cruel to you. So, how did she look when you told her to shut the F up?”

“Properly upset. It was wonderful,” Rose admitted.

When it was time to leave, we hugged again.

“Don’t let fear decide your life for you,” she whispered in my ear.

“I’ll try,” I promised her and to myself.

CHAPTER 4

Marco

Inever expected to look forward to a salsa dancing class—but I was, and it was because of the woman standing near the window, adjusting the strap of her shoe. Her hair was pulled back, but a few loose strands framed her gorgeous face. She wore black leggings that were hot on her and a fitted red top that curved around her tits, making me want to undress her slowly so I could savor….

She straightened, and her eyes met mine.

The music was already playing, a steady, pulsing rhythm that made my feet tap. The mirrored walls reflected a blur of movement as the others warmed up, but I couldn’t look away from Leah.

“Marco.” Her greeting carried over the music.

“Leah.” I walked toward her, making an unsuccessful effort to ignore how attracted I was to her. “How are you? Ready for round two?”

She laughed, a sound that felt like it was meant just for me. “If byready, you mean prepared to step on your toes again, thenabsolutely. But since they call youSeñorSteel Toes, I don’t have to feel too bad about it.”

I offered her my hand. I liked her sense of humor. I liked how she lightened the mood. I liked how she looked at me as if I was all she could see—or was it the other way around, and I was transferring?

“You’re not going to step on my toes,” I assured her.

Her fingers slid into mine, and for a moment, the noise around us faded. It was just the two of us, standing there like the rest of the world didn’t exist.

“All right, lovebirds, focus up!” Viviana’s voice cut through the air, breaking the spell, bringing me back to reality.

Our instructor was a force of nature. She was full of bright energy and made sweeping hand gestures as she clapped her way to the center of the room. Tonight, she wore a vivid purple jumpsuit with a gold belt, and her heels clicked loudly against the hardwood floor.

“Let’s start with a new move tonight,” she announced, grinning at all of us. “The cross-body lead. It’s a classic, it’s sexy, and if you can’t get it right, it’s going to look like you’re dodging each other at a bad high school reunion.”

The room chuckled, and Viviana turned to demonstrate the move with her assistant, a tall, elegant man who made every step look effortless. “Gentlemen, you’re leading. You’re going to guide your partner across your body, nice and smooth, keeping that connection the whole time. Ladies, follow with grace—don’t pull away, don’t rush. This is all about flow and chemistry.”

Flow and chemistry.

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