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“Would you like to dance?” he asks.
“Yes.” I’m up from my chair in a split second, putting my hand in his. I’ll do anything to get away, and if that means making a tit of myself on the dance floor, I’m there. I drag Luke through the small crowd until we’re in the center of the floor, and when I turn to face him, I find his face looking stunned. “Sorry.” I shrug one shoulder.
“Given how keen you are to get to the dance floor, I’m guessing you must be an amazing dancer.”
“Oh no.” I laugh, stepping back. “Quite the opposite, in fact. I’m terrible.” Crap, this was a bad idea.
Luke steps forward and opens his arms. “Well, I’m not bad, so it won’t be a complete train crash.”
I scoff. “You’ve not danced with me yet.” My ears prick up when I hear the next track kick in, and I look around when it sets off a whirl of excitement with the residents, including Bert, who tap-dances his way onto the dance floor. I laugh out loud. “I assume your grandad likes this song.”
Luke’s eyes burst with joy. “Who doesn’t like Mack the Knife?” he asks, seizing me and yanking me into his chest. “Oh, darling, get ready to bust some moves.”
“Woah,” I cry as I’m flung back and spun in a messy pirouette before being hauled back into him. Our fronts bump, the force of the collision taking my breath away. His arm creeps around my back and pushes my waist into him some more, and his spare hand holding mine crushes gently. “I can’t dance,” I whisper, the track filling the room, drowning out my words, but he doesn’t miss them.
Bringing his face down to mine, he puts his lips at my ear. “With me, you can do anything.”
I close my eyes, feeling him break away, and when I open them again, he’s smiling, the scale of it dazzling. That infectious beam is mirrored with my own as he secures his hold and starts moving us around the floor expertly, my steps following his naturally. “Not bad,” I say, more than pleasantly surprised.
“I’ve learned from the best.” Luke nods over my shoulder, and I glance back, spotting Bert holding court with the ladies, taking each of them in turn and giving them a spin here and a twirl there. “He’ll put his hip out if he isn’t careful.”
I throw my head back on a laugh, my hair fanning the air as Luke flings and spins us around the dance floor, singing along with gusto to Bobby Darin. His smile is constant, keeping mine in place too, and his energy unstoppable. He weaves us in and out of our fellow dancing companions, all the while keeping me as close as possible. I’m not contributing, just following his lead, my attention rooted to his face. I’m in a world of my own, lost and happy. All I can hear is the music, all I can see is Luke, and all I can feel is contentment. Pure and complete contentment.
“You ready for the grand finale?” Luke asks, working us into the middle of the floor.
“I’m ready,” I confirm, smiling like crazy.
“Sure?”
“Positive.” I nod my affirmation and brace myself, flexing my hand on his shoulder as the orchestra reaches a crescendo toward the end of the song.
“Here we go.” Luke pushes me away and grabs my hand, manipulating my body into a spin that I have no control over. Not that it matters. Luke knows what he’s doing. I hardly get a hold of my bearings before I’m being spun again, this time into his body and back out.
“Luke,” I cry through my laughter. “I’m getting dizzy.”
“Me too,” he declares, increasing my laughter tenfold. I’m utterly useless as I’m flipped, twisted, and pulled back and forth. I yelp as I hit his chest, and then I’m reclined back across his arm. My static position gives me a few seconds to focus on his face, which is a picture of pure delight. “You’re worse than I anticipated,” he says around his epic smile.
“I did warn you.”
Laughing, he hauls me up to standing before grabbing me under the arms and literally throwing me into the air.
I’m a total slave to his strength, my body going exactly where he puts it, and I’m caught with ease, though he doesn’t lower me to the ground, leaving my chin resting on top of his head. Until he eases up his hold slightly, making me slide down his body.
“What a finale,” he murmurs, withdrawing and placing me on my feet. And he bows, over the top and on a dashing smile. “An honor, madam.”
“Thank you, kind sir.”
We both laugh as we make our way off the floor, me tucked neatly under Luke’s arm. “Are you having a nice time?” he asks.
