Excerpt
He spun her out and under his arm, then clasped her around the back and pressed her close again. “You have been practicing.” She gazed up at him through heavy lidded eyes while a slight smile played across her lips.
“Just trying to make you look good, Ms. Walker.” Not that she needed any help in that area. There was something about her that drew a man’s attention. Beyond her good looks, she had a spark, a sizzle, some crackling force that surrounded her and demanded to be noticed.
“You’re doing a fine job of that.” She nodded to herself and leaned her head against his chest.
He liked the way it felt, the heat from her cheek pressing against his heart. Hell, he liked the way all of her felt, nestled into his arms.
“About earlier...can I ask you a question?” His chin rested on her hair, and he let himself breathe her in. The scent of sunshine and peach cobbler layered over something else. Something that was just Charlie. “Sure.” “Are you seeing anyone?”
A wrinkle appeared between her brows. “You’re asking because of what Darby said, aren’t you?”
He shifted to the left, spinning them out of the way of a couple in full square-dance gear who spiraled around the small dance floor. “Just curious. If you don’t want to talk about it, we don’t have to.”
“Good.” She nodded. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Fine. For now. He wasn’t lying—he was curious. Why wouldn’t a woman like Charlie be involved with someone? She was smart and sassy as hell, had a great sense of humor and curves that wouldn’t quit.
She wrapped her arms tighter around him, making him lose track of the simple steps he’d been counting in his head.
He tried to recover but ended up stepping on her foot instead. “Sorry. I guess I’m still learning.”
“Have you always been such a slow learner?” she teased.
He’d play along. “You sure it doesn’t have something to do with the talent of my teacher?”
Charlie’s eyes sparkled, then narrowed. “What are you trying to imply? I’ll have you know your teacher is a two-time two-stepping Texas teen champ.”
Beck chuckled. “I bet you can’t say that ten times fast.”
“Two-time two-stepping Texas teen champ. Two-time two-stepping Texas—”
He laughed and covered her mouth with his hand. Her lips moved against his palm, soft and fluttery like a butterfly’s kiss. He leaned close to her ear, nestling his nose in her hair. “I was just joking.”
She nipped at his palm, sending a charge rocketing through him. “Don’t make bets you don’t intend to pay.”
A dangerous burn flared low in his gut. “Hey, watch it there, champ.”
“Or what?” Rolling her eyes, Charlie added a little extra twist in her step.
He exhaled his next words, trying to squelch the fire she’d sparked inside. “Or else.”
She spun out and around, then resettled herself against his chest. “I’m shaking in my boots. Or else? That’s all you’ve got? I’m utterly terrified.”
“Are you mocking me?” Damn if she didn’t get under his skin. The sass, the smiles, the way her cute Texas twang taunted and teased him.
“What if I am?” She drew her head back and met his gaze, her mouth curved up in a grin. Their feet stopped moving, and they stood frozen, in the middle of the dance floor, the other couples swirling around them. Her arms went around his neck, and he tightened the circle of his arms around her waist. Their hips snapped together, drawn with a magnetic force. His skin crawled with anticipation, every nerve ending crackling, waiting. His eyes searched hers for encouragement. Yes? No? Did she want him to kiss her? Would it be another mistake?
“A part of me wants to kiss you right now, Charlie.”
Her fingers toyed with the hair at the nape of his neck. “Just a part of you?”
“A big part,” he admitted.
“I’m not familiar with all of your parts yet, Manhattan. What kind of part are we talking about here?” She glanced up at him through lowered lashes.
He knew he was about to cross a line. Ironically enough, it was a line he’d put into play. The line that was supposed to keep things on a professional level. He lowered his head, his mouth inches from hers. “Do you want me to?”
She drew in a sharp breath. “What do you think?”
He was close enough to feel the slow exhale on his chin. “I don’t know what to think when I’m around you. You rattle my brain, make my head hurt.”
“Then don’t.”
“You’re right.” He pulled back. “We shouldn’t.”
The confusion in her eyes didn’t match the way her hands gripped him tighter. “I didn’t mean don’t kiss me. I meant don’t think about it so hard.” Then she tilted her head up and met his lips with hers.
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