Page 34 of It Had to be You

She knew the moment she turned around to look at him, that she was really hoping for a kiss.

It didn’t have to be passionate in any way, but she really wanted to know what it felt like even if it was only for a moment.

The way he looked at her.

The subtle shift as he leaned closer.

And the way that his eyelids lowered as he looked down into her eyes, all of it felt like she was hovering, levitating just a tiny bit above the floor. And to keep the world from spinning around her, she closed her eyes.

But the kiss wasn’t on her lips, it was on her forehead and then her cheek.

When she heard his voice, it startled her ever so slightly and her eyes opened, and she could

see him out of the corner of her eye.

"Tomorrow," his voice was lower than before, "I’ll see you tomorrow."

She must have been in a daze, because when her brain finally put his words together like

puzzle pieces, he was gone and she could hear the soft DING of an arriving elevator.

"Well," she struggled to understand what had just happened, "that was… strange."

Closing the door to her room, she let the silence echo around her, and let the last few moments

replay in her head over and over again.

Something had changed between them, shifting sideways or upside down, she couldn’t tell.

She would have to wait until the next day and see.

Things would be clearer then…

Right?

CHAPTER 9

Off tempo.

That was one thing Tatum didn’t want to be… off tempo.

Timing was everything for a dancer.

Knowing the rhythm and keeping it was as important as breathing.

Something was off.

She just couldn’t put her finger on it.

And stopping everything to ask Alexander about it wasn’t going to happen. So, except for the looks off and on between teaching the steps to the group, she had no idea how she was going to find out the problem.

Well, without asking him outright.

And that seemed odd, even to her.

Thank goodness that Ben and Pearl kept her spirits up with their affable natures. It was easier for her to ignore the curious stares from the others in the class. If there was one downside to making a connection on this cruise, it was having the other people on board know it too. Before she could just enjoy the magic happening around her, now she got a chance to see first-hand what kind of bumps and ruts were in the road to… well, she’d see soon enough.

The group was practicing turns and having a great time. She was too, except when she caught

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