AllFreeNovel
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I cross my arms in defense. “Do not.”
“It’s okay. You’re a single woman who admitted she doesn’t sleep around. How else are you supposed to get yourself off?”
“None of your business.” I finish my drink.
His eyes sparkle as he watches me in my discomfort. He leans forward again, this time with a more sincere yet amused grin.
“It’s natural to seek pleasure,” he says.
“Not everyone sleeps around to get their rocks off.”
The amusement dissipates from his face as he lifts his finger and curls it in my direction. With defiance, I meet him halfway across the table. With our faces much closer, he stares at me with molten sexuality and a deep brooding. My lips pout as I look at that intense glare.
“Make no mistake,” he says, his tone commanding, “I do not, have not, and will not sleep around.”
My brows curve as I look down at the table and assess his words. When I look up, it’s with a slight tilt of my head and narrowed eyes.
“When’s the last time you were with a woman, Luke?”
“Now, who’s asking things that are none of their business?” he teases lightly.
“Respond to the question.”
His face straightens. “You already know the answer.”
The club is loud with speakers blaring, patrons chatting, glasses clanging, and feet stomping. The volume is amplified, yet not as deafening as the intense silence of our stares. Luke and I locked on to one another and asking all the questions we’re too afraid of asking and knowing all the answers neither of us is brave enough to accept.
He breaks the silence. “I think it’s time we have that dance.”
“I’m not wearing the right shoes.”
“Then, take them off.”
He gets up and takes my hand, slipping me off my stool, and guides me to the center of the dance floor. People are around us, dancing to a Taylor Swift cover.
We move to the music, our feet in sync as the beat shakes the floor and vibrates through my feet. My shoes slide to the side and back in a typical mom dance as I snap my fingers. It feels silly, dancing as we are. I fight eye contact, catching quick glimpses as I move my head from side to side, taking in the room, the people around us, and even the wax on the floor.
We circle each other. I make the mistake of holding his gaze a touch too long, and our eyes lock. As the song progresses, he lifts his arms and dances carefree, like he does this often. Luke is a good dancer, strong hips circling, biceps curling as he makes a fist and moves his feet to the tempo. His smile is addictive, as are his sparkling eyes, shining as he realizes I’m far more timid of a dancer than he is. I recognize that look of mischief and take a step back.
Luke places his hand on an imaginary handlebar and starts moving forward, and with his other hand, he imaginarily picks cans off a shelf. I widen my eyes and look around, hoping no one else is watching him do the shopping cart dance. A few people laugh, give the thumbs-up, and mimic him with their own version.
He looks at me and waves me closer.
I wave my hands, as if to say,Absolutely not.
With a laugh, he goes back to regular dancing. Just as I’m getting more comfortable dancing with him again, he stops, drops to the ground, and does the worm. Yes, the larger-than-life man drops to the floor and does push-ups into a squirmy backward motion through the crowd that parts like the Red Sea for him.
As everyone has now moved, a dance circle of sorts has appeared. Luke hops up, and a girl moves into the circle, doing a sexy little dance with him. He takes her hand, gives her a quick twirl, and then moves himself out of the circle to stand next to me. He hip-checks me, and I laugh despite myself.
The lawn mower, then the sprinkler, and lots of twerking have passed before a guy comes over to me and pulls me into the middle of the dance floor. I turn to Luke for help, but he just laughs and shakes his head, feeding me to the fiery pits of hell that is a dance floor circle.
Despite my protests, I’m out here in my ballet flats and staring at the crowd, who is cheering me on. My cheeks redden with embarrassment as I panic, not knowing what to do. I shimmy my shoulders and then do a walk in a circle with my hands over my head because that seems like the thing to do. No one seems to be impressed by my move, so I walk back to my spot, but the crowd pushes me back, clearly wanting something more.
I place my hand on my forehead and look at Luke. He’s smiling and nudging me on with his eyes to try again.
With a huge, puffed-out breath, my right foot up on my toes and my left leg flat, I push off the floor. My shoes glide across the dance floor as I moonwalk around the circle. The crowd cheers, and I even find myself laughing in response, dancing and gliding, dipping my head forward and holding an imaginary hat in a Michael Jackson pose. Then, I do a fast spin that has everyone cheering in response.
My face is flushed, and my cheeks hurt from smiling. When Luke grips my shoulders and pulls me into him, I feel lighter than air.
