Page 69 of Back for Seconds

I tossed my head lightly, running my tongue along my bottom lip. “Hmmm, I don’t know.”

He tracked the movement like a hungry wolf. “Come on.” He’d pushed up his shirt sleeves, the length his forearms flexing as he leaned forward, leaned closer to me. We were almost eye to eye now. “I told you to practice.”

“If you want me, come and get me.”

That was all he needed to hear.

Joey reached for my hand and pulled me toward the center of the room.

His one hand snaked around the small of my back while the other tangled with my fingers, clasping my palm flush against his. The sensation of his fingers flexing against my lower back immediately brought back memories of the previous night. I tried to still my breathing.

He lowered his mouth to my ear. “Follow me, ok? It’s easy.”

I nodded. Joey began to move with the music, stepping easily to match the percussion, fingers flexing against my spine, guiding the direction of my hips. When he swung low, I moved with him. When he pulled backward, I followed. For the first beats, he moved at half speed, counting softly against my ear, his temple pressed close to mine, our eyes locked on our feet.

“One, two, three, four…one, two…”

“I think I got it,” I breathed, keeping my eyes glued on our rhythmic steps. My hand felt small and warm in his. I didn’t know really what I was doing; I just knew if I matched his speed, let his hands guide me, I could lose myself in the music.

“Ok, baby,” he said, a gravelly rumble in his chest. Then he tightened his hold on me and tucked our clenched hands against his chest. All at once, our bodies were zipped together, the smell of his cologne filling my nose, the heat of skin against mine. I lifted my eyes to the curve of his neck, watching the chorded muscles and quick flutter of his pulse underneath his skin. I knew if I turned my head a millimeter, our mouths would meet in a soft, gentle way—a rum-soaked kiss.

Joey picked up the speed of our steps, pressing us forward and backward, moving us at a quicker pace, hips chasing each other—never quite meeting. Heat built between us as our denim-clad thighs brushed over and over, the pressure of his broad hand against my back coaxing me into keeping up, matching his rhythm. A silent conversation. I could almost hear Joey saying come on, baby.

The music swelled and he slid his hand around to the front of my belly, fingertips pressing into me gently, creating space. He lifted his eyebrows, caught my gaze—a look that said: follow me. And so I did. We stepped back in unison, then forward. For a moment our hips almost met. Almost.

Then he spun me, brought me back, flush against him, hips kissing—a delicious, heady graze that sent a ripple of firecrackers through my core, desire threatening to tear me in half. When our hips met again, without thinking, I brought my lips gently to his neck, dusting them over his sweat-slick skin.

Joey’s chest hitched. His fingers spread and flexed against my back, urging me closer to him.

I didn’t dare look around, even though I knew everyone was dancing. Mimi had been dancing with Louis. But was anyone dancing like this?

My nipples had stiffened underneath my sweater, pressing almost painfully into the lace of my bra. Between my thighs, I ached deeply.

“Watch me,” he whispered. Joey shifted his weight back and forth between his feet without taking a step; I mimicked the step. He took both my hands in his, adding the swoop of our arms to the swing of our hips. This step drew me closer and closer until we were nearly chest to chest. He placed my hands over his chest then looped his arms around me.

“You’re a natural.”

My lips twitched into a small smile. “I can keep up.”

Joey ducked his lips to my ear again. “Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?”

“No, actually,” I whispered back. “You haven’t.”

A chuckle rumbled through him. “You look incredible, June.” His finger pulsed around my hips. “Sexy and…smart.”

I pursed my lips. “Smart?”

He laughed again, before guiding me into another gentle spin. Then he slipped his arm around my waist and pulled me close. “Smart. Like you’re going to tell me exactly what to do, how to do it.”

“Do you like that?” I asked, pressing in closer to him. “When someone tells you what to do?”

He made a noise in the back of his throat. “I like everything you do, June.”

I slid my arms up around his neck until my lips were nearly flush with his ear. “Prove it.”

His hands flexed around me, sending a shot of pleasure tumbling down my spine.

“What would you do if I asked you to stay the night?”