Page 81 of In Step

“Oh right.” My mouth curved up in a slow-spreading grin. “Because I’m out now, aren’t I?” I paused as the reality of the morning truly sank in, rolled to my back, and shouted at the ceiling. “I’m gay and you can all go screw yourselves, especially you, Dad.”

Abe laughed and flung an arm over top of me. “AndI’mthe lucky bugger that gets to screwyou.”

A pissed off yowl sounded from the laundry, and we broke into giggles.

“But no undying declarations ofanything,okay?” I whispered. “Let’s not make things harder than they are, agreed?”

“Agreed. But dating, yes?”

I grinned. “Absolutely. And you can move out of your bedroom and up here with me. I want your body on tap while I can.”

He snorted. “So much for dating.” The back of his hand hit his forehead. “I feel so objectified.”

I poked him in the ribs and he jerked away with a cry of protest. “I meant having your body on tap fordancing. I’ve no idea whatyouwere thinking.”

“I was thinking about dancing too.” He nuzzled into my neck and palmed my increasingly interested cock. “Lots and lots of...dancing.”

“Hmm, I like the way you think.” I pulled the sheet over our heads and was just about to show Abe exactly what sort of dancing I had in mind when the sound of car doors slamming bolted me upright in bed.

“Shit, they’re back.”

“You take the shower first.” Abe threw me my clothes, yanked the duvet over the sheets, and opened a window. Although, what the fuck he thought that was gonna do in thirty seconds, I had no idea. The place stank like a gay club bathroom after a pride parade, and he was still dragging his jeans up over his jizz-crusted belly when the first knock came.

“Why is the door locked?” Leroy’s voice came sing-songing through the keyhole.

“Just a second,” I answered, hissing at Abe to hurry up.

Leroy laughed. “That’s another twenty bucks, babe. Pay up.”

“Goddammit,” Fox grumbled, then shouted through the door, “You guys are costing me a fortune.”

CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO

Two weeks later

Abe

“Okay, listen up, everyone.”I clapped my hands and the chattering conversation hushed, all twenty couples gathering for a summary of what the remaining free public dance lessons would cover.

Everyone, not least of all Judah and I, had been pleasantly surprised at the number who’d signed up. The idea of a community dance after the kids’ recital had been a big hit, and not just with the parents. May and Linc and Jon and Connie proved to be successful if somewhat overly enthusiastic promoters, and I was pretty sure there’d been a fair bit of arm twisting involved in some of the turn ups.

Henry, the die-hard bachelor pharmacist, had raised a few eyebrows by turning up with a woman no one knew. A nervous Patrick had arrived with a shy,muchyounger, cute-as-shit guy by the name of Kelly who had a headful of dark curls and an irrepressible smile. Kelly followed Patrick around with something close to adoration in his eyes, and Fox had been seen handing over another twenty dollars to a smug Leroy. Even ‘I can’t dance’ Terry had come along to support Hannah, going so far as agreeing to dance with Jam, since neither had a partner.

And everyone, including two teenage couples dragged along by parents, seemed to enjoy learning and relearning some of the older dance styles. There’d been a lot of hilarity, and Martha’s scrumptious chocolate brownie and her triple-decker coconut-pineapple cakes for supper had gone a long way to soothe any lingering nerves or embarrassment. Not to mention there’d been almost as much gossip covered in the two hours as any dancing.

We refreshed everyone on the basics of a couple of old school dances and then spent a little bit of time on the tango, which seemed to generate a lot of interest. After that, Judah and I gave an exhibition of swing, to rapturous applause, including Kane’s, which I tucked away for our next private lesson. And to finish, we walked everyone through a few useful generic moves for free dancing, including a little hip-hop panache, something to make them look good on any dancefloor without having to know very much, which had probably been the most successful part of the night with the younger lot, no surprise there.

“So that’s it,” I finished up. “See you all next week. And don’t forget to spread the word.” There was a round of applause and people began heading out, with Judah and me thanking each couple as they left. And when we finally shut the door on the last pair, Judah and I looked at each other, groaned, and collapsed onto the nearest bench.

“Holy crap, I’m exhausted.” He grabbed a towel and ran it over his face. “That was way harder than working with the kids.”

“Right?” I chuckled, kneading my cramping thighs. “You did a great job with them.”

“You both did.” Kane fell into the seat next to me and pressed his lips to my cheek, something I was still getting used to. For a guy who’d been closeted his entire life, he was pretty damn free with his affections in public. His first week out had been full of tentative gestures, wary looks, and nervous kisses, but once he realised Judah and Leroy reallywereokay about it, it was like living with an octopus. And I loved it.

He elbowed me. “You have to teach me swing.”

Judah huffed. “Teacher’s pet.”

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