Page 51 of Someone to Tempt
"Have a little faith in both of us. Charlotte sent us here for a reason. We can learn the moves and the counts in her classroom, but until you start trusting me and yourself, it won't change. If we concentrate on having a good time, then?—"
"You won't have to ask Jodi out again, and she goes back to undermining me. Then who knows what happens to my chances of being elected."
He releases a noise that sounds suspiciously like a growl. "Or maybe you stop trying to backdoor your way into being elected and believe you're the best candidate for the job."
"Iwantto believe,” I answer honestly.
"Start acting like it."
"Fine." I grab his hand and basically push him out of the booth then onto the dance floor. "For the record, I can already feel people looking at us."
"Of course they're looking. We're the hottest couple in the place."
As tense as I am, that tossed-off bit of cockiness elicits a real laugh. "Do you ever take anything seriously?"
"You have no idea."
19
IRIS
Jake pulls me close,and instead of our practiced steps, he simply holds me. His breath fans over my neck, sending shivers cascading down my spine.
"I know you have better moves than this." My voice is shaky. "You don't need to pretend for my benefit."
"No pretending." His lips graze my earlobe. "Not tonight. We don't have to prove anything to anyone right now. It's just you and me, Dixon."
His hand is warm on my back, and he draws the other one up my body, stopping just below the swell of my breast. My breathing is unsteady once again, but it has nothing to do with nerves, and everything to do with need and the heat pooling between my legs.
Jake takes my hand and curls it toward him, pressing his lips to each of my knuckles. From the outside, I'm sure what we're doing here looks innocent enough. It's not overtly sexual or suggestive, but I feel like my body is changing as we sway to the music. It's like someone is pouring warm honey over me, and all I can think about is Jake Byrne licking it off every inch of my body.
When he moves, I move with him, and for once I'm not worried about the steps, count, or whether I'm treading on his toes. For the first time in forever, my brain quiets. I'm not overthinking, just responding to his energy from someplace deep inside. He twirls me away from him, and I keep my eyes closed because I know he'll pull me back and keep me safe. At least for now.
I'm not kidding myself into thinking I look like I know what I'm doing, I just don't care. This is the joy and reckless abandon I remember from when I danced as a kid. It's what it still does for me in the privacy of my own home.
Dancing alone allows me to be me, without worrying what other people think.
Jake touches me low on my back, pressing his hips into me so I can feel how hard he is behind the zipper of his dark jeans. And I'm not thinking of anyone else but the two of us.
I'm having fun.
The song comes to an end, and I blink open my eyes, glancing around as my mind revs up again. Only, nobody's staring at me. It hits me suddenly—people are too wrapped up in their own lives to scrutinize mine the way I've always feared. How much of my life have I spent performing for an audience that doesn't actually exist?
Even though I don't have proof, and it truly shouldn't matter, I understand he was likely right about my mom. The humiliation of the recital wasn't going to be mine. But she let me take the fall. She ruined the thing she knew I loved the most because she couldn't stop being who she was. The weight of imagined scrutiny begins to lighten as I accept that maybe I've been the harshest judge of myself all along.
"Stay with me," he says, squeezing my hand.
The next song that comes on is faster-paced. It's the perfect tempo for the salsa we're supposed to be performing at the Fun Fest Showcase. And suddenly, I am Rose on the Titanic. And the man smiling and laughing as he twirls me is my version of Jack—only a whole lot sexier than Leo, even in hisTitanicheyday.
In fact, Jake is sexier than anybody I've ever seen. I want him more than is smart for either of us, especially when I promised Jodi I’d stay away.Need crackles between us, and I’m tired of pretending I don’t feel it.
I'm a woman of my word, but this is an assignment from our dance instructor.
I push my promise to Jodi to the back of my mind, tucking it away in that mental drawer where I store all the uncomfortable truths I don't want to face. Tonight isn't about politics or my complicated past. I've spent so long being responsible, maybe I deserve one night to just feel good without worrying about consequences. I'm still not sure how this is going to make a difference in my ability to follow the steps during the showcase. But it's done miraculous things for my heart.It’s about finally choosing something—someone—that feels like joy.
We dance to a few more songs, the music smoothing out all the sharp edges between us.
As we leave the club, one of the couples we met invites us for a late-night—or early morning, as the case may be—meal at a nearby twenty-four-hour diner.
