Page 16 of I Wanna Dance

She stopped walking and took a deep breath. “It’s who I am, Marco.” What she didn’t say but hung in the air between us was,take it or leave it.

“You shouldn’t worry so much about other people and their opinions,” I remarked softly. “You’re fine just the way you are.”

“Thanks, Marco.” She looked at her watch pointedly. “Ah, time for this Cinderella to get home, glass shoes and all. I have some early appointments tomorrow.”

On a Sunday, I wanted to ask but didn’t. It was obvious she’d had it with my blowing hot and cold routine. Anyone else would’ve called me out for being a dick. Leah didn’t. Instead, she diverted our conversation, and when I dropped her off, she said goodnight pleasantly.

“I had fun,” I said as we stood in front of her door, her apartment key fob in her hand.

“Me too. I’ll see you at salsa class.”

Her tone was friendly but distant—nothing like before. Her guard was up, and I had no idea how to fix it. Maybe she wasn’t the only one acting like a teenager. Right now, I felt like a sullen kid, annoyed that the girl I’d been pushing away wanted to leave.

“We should do this again,” I threw out there.

She smiled and shrugged as she stroked the key fob on top of the electronic lock. “We’ll see when we have time, okay?”

With that politego fuck yourself,she walked into her place and shut the door on my face.

Yeah, I so deserved that.

CHAPTER 7

Leah

Viviana had cancelled class the previous week because of personal reasons. I had almost decided not to go this week. My second date with Marco had left a bad taste in my mouth. He seemed irritated with me, and that I was dead sure was because he got to know me better and didn’t like what he found.

I was hurt but not surprised.

Rose was furious with me for taking the blame for Marco’s foul mood. But after a lifetime of carrying the weight of other people’s emotions, I couldn’t see past it—even though I wanted to.

“When you went to see Gray about my divorce, you ripped him a new one,” Rose admonished me, “How come you don’t stand up for yourself like you do for your clients?”

Good fucking question that I had no answer to.

I decided that it was easier to fight for fairness and the rights of others who I believed deserved better. I, on the other hand, deserved what I got.

On that happy note, I slipped on my dance shoes with their soft suede soles. I’d decided to wear a dress—one that flared beautifully when I twirled. I needed a little extra pep in my step, so I went for a new outfit and a bold swipe of red lipstick. Wasn’t it Coco Chanel who said red lipstick could lift your spirits? Or maybe it was Marilyn Monroe? One of them had been a Nazi supporter, and the other had died of an overdose. Perhaps it was time I found better role models.

I half hoped that Marco would skip class. The other, the one that had put on the red lipstick, wished he wouldn’t so I could show him how little I cared about him being an asshole to me.

I had come fifteen minutes early, which was stupid because now I had more time to worry abouthim.

When was the last time I worried about a man liking me who wasn’t Kevin? I couldn’t even remember. I felt like a stupid teenager pulling petals from a flower, saying, "He loves me,he loves me not.”

Get a grip, woman! What would Princess Leia do? She’d probably smoke a doobie and tell Marco to go fuck himself.

He camefiveminutes before class began, just to piss me off, obviously. I wiped away all emotion from my face and put on a plastic smile, the one Mrs. Kevin Jameson was an expert at wearing, though Kevin would have called my lipstickwhorish. Well, he could go fuck himself as well.

Marco looked good, the son of a bitch.

He moved toward me, his easy smile tugging at the edges of my nerves, unraveling them just a little. He was dressed in a dark green shirt rolled up at the sleeves, the fabric stretching slightly across his broad chest. His slacks molded his ass. Yeah, why would this guy want me? Just look at him.

“Hi, Leah.”

“Marco. How are you?”

He took a deep breath and then held out his hand. “Ready?”

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