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Nick Freeman grinned at her, unguarded and unrehearsed. “I’m starting to.”
Hayley was dressed and drying her hair when she heard music coming from the living room. She dropped the towel and hurried quietly down the hallway.
Sure enough, there was Nick Freeman, dancing to David Bowie on the stereo.
He was doing little more than stepping back and forth in rhythm, both hands on the counter in front of him for balance. She didn’t care. Nick was dancing, arms flexing in his T-shirt as he boogied to the right, to grab a glass from a cabinet, then stepped back toward the sink and drummed on the counter. Then he saw her, and gave her the biggest smile she’d ever seen.
“Hey!” He raised his voice over the music. “Want a bagel?”
Hayley was so happy she could have tackled him, but she settled for crossing her arms and leaning against the wall. “Nick Freeman. You’ve been holding out on me.”
To her delight, he got a little shy. “Just trying out some things.”
“Teach me,” she said.
“Teachyou?”
“Sure.” She pushed off the wall and came toward him.
“It’s not like I have a signature move or anything.”
She ducked under his arm and stood between him and the sink, facing away from him, his arms now on either side of her. “One of the best parts of dancing is sharing it with someone.”
Nick’s breathing quickened, and she leaned back against his chest. “What?” she said playfully.
His mouth was next to her ear; she thought about how it would feel if he kissed her neck. “You smell amazing,” he said.
Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. “It’s just your shampoo.”
“Really? I think I smell M&Ms.”
She laughed, smacked his arm. “Come on. Let’s dance.”
He played along, stepping to the right and counting off the steps. “Right … two, left … two.”
“Get your shoulders into it,” she said.
“What?”
“Here.” She took his hand and guided it across her so his arm rested below her breasts, his fingers against her ribs. “You don’t have to move your legs. Just plant your feet and lean from your waist.” She put her hand over his and moved with him. “See? Left … right … left, right …”
His stubble tickled her neck. “I like this.”
“Now we combine the two.” She was flushed, grinning, pressing his arm firmly against her to give him more stability. “Right … two … right-lean-left-lean-left … two … left-lean-right-lean. There ya go! You’re a natural.”
“I have a great teacher.”
She spun neatly to face him. “Ready for the finale?”
His eyes sparkled. “Absolutely.”
She walked him backward toward the oven, his hands on her shoulders, her hands on his hips.
“Okay. Put this hand on the counter behind you.” He did as he was told, and she stood with her back to him again. Then she brought her hand across her body to grasp his and spun out to his left, unfurling their arms until only their fingertips touched and then spinning back into his embrace.
“Ta-da!” she said, and fell against him as they laughed. “Who says you can’t dance with me?”
“Guess I just needed to trust my partner,” he said.
