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"What are we doing?"
I help her stand. She's staring at me with a small smile. Without her high heels on, I almost tower over her looking down into her eyes. "You know what I just remembered?"
"What?"
"We never slow danced at the PR party."
"Oh."
"Ready?"
She laughs in disbelief. "What, right now? I don't even know how to dance. Really, I've got two left feet."
"Come here." I place my hands on the small of her back and lean my chin atop her head. With liquid grace and restrained strength, I pull her into a dance, both of us moving sensuously and slowly to the beat of our hearts and the music inside our heads. I should feel stupid. I mean, here I am, in her living room, slow dancing to no music at all. I should feel like the world's cheesiest idiot.
But I feel happy. Happy and content.
Dipping my head, I whisper against Noelle's neck. "Let me stay with you tonight."
"Maverick, I don’t think that’s a good idea."
"You're like a drug to me, Noelle.”
She gazes at me, shocked.
"And you're so beautiful."
She inhales sharply. "Maverick—"
"I'm not trying to be flirty, Noelle. I really mean it. Please believe me."
"I do."
"Good, 'cause you should."
She pauses and bites her lip. "Remember when we were stuffing our faces with ice cream that night? What I said about once loving someone?"
"Yeah."
"You were right, Maverick. I was talking about you."
I smile tenderly at her. "I knew that. You're not exactly subtle."
She chuckles and strokes my neck. "You make me happy, in a way. And safe. You're kind and sweet and basically everything I've always wanted in a Prince Charming."
"I didn't rescue you from a tower, though. Or from a wicked witch."
"Well, you kind of did. A number of times."
I wrap my arms around her and draw her close to me. I whisper into her hair, "And I'm glad I did." I take a deep breath and say what I’ve been wanting to say for so long now.
"I love you," she whispers.
I go silent, staring at her.
Her body has stopped moving against mine.
I swallow. She has no idea what her words are doing to me. My heart stops and jump starts and starts racing, all in the millisecond after I hear those words.
