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For a moment, I’m lost in him. I almost forget what we’re doing here. All I want to do is touch him, taste him. But Hunter pulls away.
“Okay. Let’s go before we’re thrown out for public indecency.” He takes my hand in his, discreetly adjusts himself, then leads me toward a staircase.
I follow because I do want to see the ballet. That’s the whole point of coming here tonight.
At the top of the staircase, an usher checks the tickets on Hunter’s phone and hands us programs. She motions us down a hallway. Hunter takes my hand, leading me to a curtained room that once I step into, I see it’s a balcony box overlooking the theater below. It has privacy curtains on the side that can be pulled so we can enjoy the performance without anyone seeing us. I know this because Hunter steps in front of me to pull them.
Then, he turns to me and places a gentle kiss against my mouth before retreating.
“Fuck. It’s going to be a long two hours.”
I know what he means. My body is currently pleading with my brain to ditch the performance and go back to his place, but I really want to see the ballet. So, I do my best to ignore my damp panties, choose one of the seats and start looking through the program the usher gave me.
“How many times have you been here?” I ask.
“A dozen or so, but it’s been years.” His arm stretches out behind my shoulders. “Why the interest in ballet? Did you dance?”
“No.” I laugh. “I have zero coordination. Propelling my body forward in a straight line is the extent of my athletic abilities. That’s why I run. But ballet has always been fascinating to me. The dancers are so impressive. They make it look effortless when I know it must take a ton of work. Their athleticism is awe-inspiring.”
“Hannah’s friend, Colette, is one of the troupe dancers,” he notes as I thumb through the dancer profiles. “I’d introduce you after, but then it’d get back to Hannah, and she’d ask me a million questions.”
“I get it.” I tuck the program into the slot in front of me and reach for the bottle of water in the cup holder. “This is perfect. Thank you.” I lean over to press a kiss to Hunter’s cheek. When I start to pull back, he catches me by the back of the neck to keep me close. The possessive hold he has on my neck has me expecting a burning kiss, but his lips move lightly over mine before he retreats.
“You’re welcome.” His voice is full of sincerity, his fingers give my neck a light squeeze before he releases me.
The theater lights dim and a moment later, the curtain lifts.
I let myself cuddle into Hunter’s shoulder as I watch the performance. Hunter points out Colette, Hannah’s friend, and I find it surreal that he knows someone in one of the most prestigious ballet companies in the world. I’m in awe of the dancers; they’re even more graceful than I thought they’d be. By the end of the first act, I’m nearly in tears.
When the curtain lowers, I turn to find Hunter looking at me thoughtfully.
“They’re amazing. Colette is the most graceful dancer I’ve ever seen.”
His eyes rake over me. “I’m glad you’re having a good time.”
“Are you having fun?” I ask.
“Staring at you in that dress?” His lips curve into a wicked grin. “Absolutely.”
I let out a huff. “You’re not even watching the performance?”
The corner of his mouth pulls up. It’s that sweet, sexy grin of his that makes the temperature of my body ratchet up a million degrees.
“The ballet is not really my thing, but I’m happy to be here with you.” His fingers wrap around my shoulder to pull me closer.
I smile at that. My belly flutters with excitement at the thought that while he doesn’t prefer to spend his evening at the ballet, Hunter still made an effort to bring me.
“What is your thing? If you weren’t here tonight, where would you be?”
“Working.” He shrugs. “Dinner with one of our contractors or a prospective client.”
“Then what do you do for fun?” I ask.
He tilts his head down, considering my question. “Like a hobby?”
“Yeah.”
“I run. You already know that. And when I have the time, I like to row on the Hudson.”
