Page 80 of A Labor of Hate
“This dance” —I cleared my throat in a desperate attempt to sound less breathless— “has a closer hold than the American tango.”
Much,muchcloser.
I closed the minimal distance between us until I could reach my left arm around his shoulder as best as my short stature would allow and rest my hand across his back.He sucked in a sharp breath the second our chests touched.It wasn’t as intimate as it would’ve been without a silicone bump separating us, but it felt infinitely closer regardless.Faces-a-few-inches-apart close.
A muscle in his jaw flexed, and his eyes darkened.Without needing any prompting, he reached his right hand around me to caress the curve of my spine.
“Perfect,” I breathed, then blinked hard.“Uh, perfect hand placement, I mean.That’s where you’re supposed to put it.Good job.”
The corner of his mouth inched upward.We extended our other arms until my right hand met his.
“Is this okay?”I whispered, searching his features for any sign of discomfort.
Sure, a supposedly married couple shouldn’t have any issue being up close and personal like this, but I didn’t want him to endure something he didn’t want to.Not when it would be just as easy to stop or put distance between us and claim it was for the sake of the class.
“More than okay,” he murmured huskily, his eyes dipping to my lips.
Heat curled in my belly until it flooded my veins.That alternate timeline felt achingly within reach.
With great effort, I returned to teaching.After the hold came the crash course on footwork and counting.And, two minutes before the end of class, the demo while those who wanted to try it danced along.
Colt and I danced together with surprising ease.Hard muscle against soft curves.Push and pull.Lead and follow.Order and disorder, all coexisting in harmony.Depending on each other to be exactly what they were or everything would fall apart.
“You’re very graceful,” I said quietly, a mischievous smirk pulling at my lips.“For a cyborg, that is.”
He chuckled and treated me to a smile.His delicious aroma filled my lungs, overpowering the tang of sweat that always seemed to linger in the rooms at the rec center.“You’re pretty graceful, too.For a thunderstorm.”
I smiled, resisting the temptation to count the freckles by his eyes.To think about how the freckles on his lips would taste.This close, it would be easy to find out.So,soeasy.
It was only a second or two, the time stolen for us amidst the instructions I had to give to everyone.But it was more than we’d had all week, and just enough to keep me from giving up all hope for us.
Until his expression sobered as I finished the last of the counts aloud.As we reluctantly pulled away from each other, his brow furrowed.“We need to talk, Lex.”
A hole formed in my gut.A black hole that sucked all the light and warmth from the last hour into it.I fought to keep my expression neutral even as my insides collapsed on themselves.Nothing good ever came after those words, and it wouldn’t take a crystal ball to figure out what he wanted to talk about.
“Yeah.We do,” I said flatly.
I pasted a smile on my face and bid goodbye to everyone, reminding them of online resources they could use to practice until we’d meet again.Ignoring Colt and the way my body zeroed in on him through the chaos, I sought out Charles and Vivienne, who lingered near the exit.Three of their bodyguards hovered behind them, eying the people filing through the door.
Vivienne looked between Colt and me, a divot creasing her brow and a slight frown on her mouth before she replaced it with a bright smile.She leaned into Charles and wrapped her arm around him.“What a great class, Lex!You’re a natural at this.I knowIcan’t wait to practice that Argentine tango at home.”
She directed her smile to her husband, who returned it with such blatant desire in his eyes that I felt like an intruder on a private moment.
“Me neither,mon amor,” he murmured, cupping her jaw.“I can only think of one dance I’d enjoy more.”
“Nobody said we couldn’t do both,” Vivienne replied, her smile coy and her eyes sultry.
This officially just got awkward.They hadn’t technically mentioned thehorizontal mambo, but it didn’t take a psychic to pick up on the vibes between them.
“I’ll leave you to that,” I cut in, sounding every bit as awkward as I felt.To make matters worse, I made finger guns at them.Because that was apparently what my brain decided the situation needed, as if it wasn’t already uncomfortable enough.
Hopefully they were so wrapped up in each other’s gaze they didn’t notice.
I shoved my hands into my hair before they could misbehave more, using the opportunity to redo my frizzy ponytail.“Thanks for coming!It was a nice surprise.”
I didn’t bother asking how they’d managed to get into a class that had been “registration only.”This rec center let the instructors police who came to their classes, and I wasn’t about to turn my targets away.
“Thank you for letting us butt in!”Vivienne spared me a glance before returning her attention to Charles.“I think we should make this a new hobby for us.”
