Page 105 of Flirty Dancing

He shrugged at Mateo. Mateo shrugged back.

The music started. The drunken dancers whistled and hollered.

“Aw, yeah!” Dominik hooted. “Good choice, Betty!”

Archer’s stomach flipped. It was “All I Ask of You” fromThe Phantom of the Opera, an achingly tender love song.

Mateo rolled his eyes, but grinned at Archer. “I’m Raoul?” he asked.

“Guess that makes me Christine.” Archer sighed.

Mateo winked at him, then he began to sing. The first words poured out, liquid longing, impossibly smooth and aching. He was instantly in character, looking at Archer like he was deeply in love with him.

Archer wasn’t sure if he was going to cry, melt, or explode. Or all three. Mateo’s voice was nothing but heat, warming him from the inside out.

Stomach fizzing and heart thrumming, Archer started his part. Christine was a beautiful, soaring soprano, so Archer brought the melody down an octave. He had to improvise on one line that dropped too low but he didn’t think anyone noticed the wobble.

Mateo stepped closer as his next turn began. His eyes didn’t leave Archer’s throughout the next verse.

Then Archer again. He felt a little braver now, tilting his head, letting his eyes close as the emotion swept over him.

Mateo’s voice soared on the next verse. Goose bumps swept over Archer’s skin, tears prickling the back of his eyes. It was impossibly beautiful.Mateowas impossibly beautiful. The song’s intensity grew, Raoul and Christine getting closer and closer to proclaiming their love for one another.

Archer’s part climbed as the song approached its climax, so he went into a mix of his chest and head voice, his melody sliding over Mateo’s when their voices joined. When Raoul and Christine finally sang about love, Archer’s heart was pounding so fast it was starting to affect his breathing, but he just managed to hold the last note.

As the song faded, the room erupted. Everyone went absolutely nuts.

Archer looked at Mateo, blinking back the tears that he hadn’t noticed had formed, while a feeling washed over him that he’d never felt before, like his skin was too tight and too loose at the same time, barely containing him and about to disintegrate right off his body. Mateo was looking back, eyes shining. A fresh wave of goose bumps stippled Archer’s skin. He took a deep breath, willing his heart to slow down. He wanted to cry. And laugh. And throw his arms around Mateo and fucking kiss him.

But Betty jumped on them first, enveloping them both in a hug. “Holy shit!” she howled. “Holyshit, you guys! That was… that was…” She placed a hand over her heart and shook her head. “That was the best birthday present ever. It was like our own private gayPhantom. Thank you so much!”

Archer swallowed, throat dry. “You’re welcome.”

“Seriously, wow. You two—” She looked between them. “You two are special.”

Archer clutched the mic stand, room spinning around him.

“Except I think you’ve ruined the party. No one will want to follow that!” she exclaimed.

But Dominik came to the rescue. “I’ve got this,” he drawled. He plucked the mic from Mateo’s hand. “Excuse me,stud. You’re in my way. Spin that shit,” he told Harley.

“I’m Too Sexy” started playing. Dominik strutted around, striking ridiculous poses.

“That checks out.” Archer scratched, still vibrating from adrenaline and… whatever else it was swirling around inside him. “Drink?” he asked Mateo.

Mateo nodded. “Yes, please.” He followed Archer over to the fridge.

Archer rummaged inside, then handed him a bottle of nonalcoholic beer.

Twisting the cap off, Mateo studied him. “So… you can sing, too.”

Archer scoffed. “Not nearly as well as you.”

Mateo laughed. “I don’t know about that. The way you reworked the soprano melody into your own range… It was flawless.”

“Oh—uh—” Archer stammered.

Mateo leaned against the counter. “Thanks for asking me to sing.”

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