Page 85 of Dead Set on You
“You’re a terrible listener, E.” The whisper is warm against my skin, sending a jolt down my spine.
I turn sharply, my pulse skyrocketing. Rafael is right beside me, close enough that I can almost feel his breath ghosting across my cheek, the heat of his body seeping into mine. A trick of the mind. Because I can’t feelhim. Not in any way that matters.
And yet … I imagine I could—the way his palm would settle at my lower back. The way his fingers might graze my arm. The way his body would line up along mine. The way our bodies might fall into rhythm, step for step. I know it’s impossible—
“Evie?”
I blink the terrible fantasy away. Like I said, I left my better judgment elsewhere.
“Rafael?” I fold my arms, needing protection. “I’m not doing this,” I add.
He quirks a brow.
I take a tentative step backward. He follows.
The music turns up, the beat thrumming along to my erratic pulse. Around us, couples start moving to Alma’s instruction. “Slow, slow, quick quick slow.” Some listen; some dance to their own beat and rhythm, holding on to their partners.
“I’m not dancing,” I repeat, eyeing the dancers.
“You are,” he says.
I catch myself swaying and stop. Meet his gaze. Frown. “You’re breaking the conditions by talking to me.”
Rafael leans in slightly, a ridiculously thin sliver of space between us. “Coward.”
I grind my teeth, willing myself to resist the bait, to ignore the buildup of pressure that’s making it hard to do things like breathe and make sound decisions. I should refuse. But his gaze is a dare—and whatever hold I typically had in myhumanform has … disappeared.
“Fine,” I breathe, closing the space between us.
Rafael’s lips pull apart into a smug grin as his left arm moves up and his other curves around my hip, close enoughhe’s almost touching me. Almost. And somehow, thealmostis worse.
“Ready?” he asks.
I nod, because I think speaking would betray my new yet undiagnosed heart condition.
Following his lead, I move with him. Three steps backward, one to the left—and repeat. The steps are simple. Nothing else is.
With only a sliver of space separating us, I can feel the heat of him everywhere, his hand on my back, along the length of my body, in places he doesn’t need to touch. It’s hard to not think about the way he might feel. Warm and solid.
Rafael smiles at the couples around us without missing a beat or a step, effortless in his ability to be with themandme.
“I didn’t know you could dance,” I say as we spin and transition into the basic steps of the tango, needing to distract myself from my fantasies.
“You didn’t ask.” Rafael’s intent gaze turns to me. I become waffle batter beneath his dark gaze.
“Any other secret talents?” We turn, dancing toward a corner, his back to the room. His eyes trace the lines of my face, which only succeeds in making me feel like I’ve been smushed inside a life-size waffle maker.
“I know the words to most Disney songs. I flunked tenth-grade chemistry.” Rafael moves like he idolized Patrick Swayze growing up while I’m torn between counting steps and the beauty marks along the length of his neck. “And I can talk to spirits,” he adds.
I roll my eyes. “Sweet-talking others isn’t making the list?”
“You saidsecrettalents.” He winks. My heart staccatos, matching the thumping beat of the song.
“Bravo, Rafael! You are a natural, even on your own!” Alma appears beside Rafael, clapping loudly.
I jump away as she replaces me, her hands curving around his shoulders. His arm wraps around her waist, pulling her close, making me feel a pang of an emotion I refuse to acknowledge. Rafael’s gaze connects with mine, his lips move, but Alma whips him away before I can decipher whatever he’s mouthing. They move to the other side of the room as she projects her voice. “Now, for the next part of the dance, we are going to focus on spinning our partners.”
I stare in awe as Rafael turns, then dips her in one smooth movement. Martha clutches her pearls. Alma smiles with pride. The audience oohs and aahs and claps. I join them, smiling from my corner of the dance floor. There’s clearly more in his charmsenal than even I know about.
