Page 27 of Dancing on Air

He thought about it then shrugged and pulled off his coat and shoes.

For the next hour, he showed Cora what he had in his head. Several times she joined him in the moves she had already been practicing.

When they were done, he was slightly winded and hungry, both for food and, oddly enough, the taste of her lips.

“How long has it been since you’ve danced?” she asked.

“I dance at least three times a week. This is the first time I’ve done it with a partner in years,” he admitted.

“And?” she asked. “How did it feel?”

“It helped having such a wonderful partner,” he said. “Food?” he asked. “We can order Chinese. There’s a place that delivers quickly.”

“Sure,” she said. She continued going through some moves while he called in his standard order, adding what Cora wanted as well.

While they waited for the food, they ran through a couple more scenes. This time, she made suggestions and, for the hell of it, he complied.

Some he liked, others he didn’t. He was slightly surprised that when he voiced his dislike of her suggestions, she didn’t get upset. Instead, she easily moved on to the next move.

After the food arrived, they moved back into the apartment and sat at the table while they talked music.

He had his own ideas about what type of music should go with each scene. She pulled out her phone and ran through a few of her favorite songs, which surprised him even more about her. Their taste in music was so similar.

By the time all the food was gone, he realized that he hadn’t laughed this hard since before he’d joined the military. That made him somber for some reason.

“What just changed?” she asked, breaking into his dark thoughts.

“Hm?” He shook his head clear. “Sorry.”

“No, don’t be. It’s just… I don’t know if you’ve heard a lot about me.” She bit her bottom lip. “My mother… well, she’s bipolar and recently diagnosed as schizophrenic.”

He frowned. “I’m not…” he started but stopped when she held up her hand.

“No, of course not. I wasn’t even hinting at it. My point, however, which I obviously blundered, is that I can spot a mood change when I see one.” She reached out and touched his arm. “I’m sorry if something I said caused it.”

He relaxed and touched her hand. “It wasn’t you.”

“I enjoyed this,” she said after a moment. Then she glanced around. “I didn’t realize it had gotten dark.” She motioned to the windows. “Wow, the view is even better now.”

She stood up and walked over to the windows.

He stood beside her and looked out at the lights across the river.

“My great-aunt used to have thick curtains hanging over these windows. They were the first things I got rid of.” He ran his eyes over the lights of the city beyond. “Sometimes I just sit in here and watch the world go by.”

She turned to him, then shocked him by lifting up on her toes and placing a soft kiss on his lips.

“What was that for?” he asked, feeling shocked to his core at the simple light touch.

“For today.” She smiled. “For letting me in. Not many people do so easily.”

“Who said it was easy?” he joked, and she smiled.

His hands were now on her hips, holding her in place. How had he let this happen? Sure, he’d wanted it. Wanted her. But he knew there was a line he shouldn’t cross. Sleeping with one of the dancers he would be working with was most assuredly past that line.

“Cora,” he said, sobering again.

“No, don’t.” She touched his cheek. “Don’t put too much behind the kiss. It was meant to be friendly.” She stepped back.