Chances (Mystic Nights #1)(17)

His circles got wider and longer, causing goose flesh to rise on her arms. She found her tongue. She’d been searching her defenses. Something to say to combat the spell he easily put her under whenever he was near. “And dancing is a perfectly fine profession for men. It is a healthy outlet compared to some of the brutal sports some men become involved in.”

Jonathan chose to remain silent. He didn’t want to argue with her. Not now. Not today. She was so incredibly beautiful and didn’t seem to realize the effect she had on him. On men. Seeing Peter leaving and then running into her had done something to him. Yes, he had been jealous. He didn’t like the feeling that surged in his blood. In that moment, he knew he wanted to stake his claim on her. But he also sensed her reticence and didn’t want to push her too hard. He also wanted to be honest.

“I didn’t like seeing you at the restaurant knowing you had just been with Peter.”

She narrowed her eyes and gazed at the man she was finding difficult not to think about every waking moment of the day. His tone hadn’t been angry. She only heard honesty there.

“It wasn’t a date. It was a business meeting.” She hoped he would understand. Her studio was very important to her.

He nodded, but she saw the flicker of doubt in his eyes before he masked it. “Will Peter be voting for you or against you?” His words held a note of innuendo, and she didn’t like it. But she didn’t want to pick a fight with him over it either.

She sighed before pulling out of his reach. These alpha men could be so exhausting. She decided to lay all her cards on the table. “I hope you aren’t insinuating that I put out to get what I want. I want to be honest with you. I’m not working here much longer, Jonathan. This has been my goal all along. If I say it was a business meeting, I expect to be trusted. Do you think I’m sleeping with you to get ahead here? I’m not. In case you were wondering that too.” She pulled her chin up higher struggling to keep the emotion out of her voice. Aliya just realized how much she cared what this man thought of her. She watched the play of emotions cross his face. First confusion, then concern.

A noise behind her distracted him, but not before she saw the flash of anger quickly pass in his eyes.

“Get out,” he snapped at the cleaning crew that had emerged on stage. They quickly complied, following his orders instantaneously. She jumped a step back, dismayed at his sudden flare in temper.

Jonathan’s hand reached out to steady Aliya, but she pulled back even more out of his reach. She must have misconstrued his anger. It wasn’t directed at her. Only the interruption. “It’s not you, darling.” But she wasn’t looking at him any longer.

She watched as the two members of the stage crew evacuated the stage. When she turned, Jonathan was sitting down in the front row of the theatre. His hands were up in supplication, and her breath froze in her chest. The look she saw in his eyes told her the man was just as lost and confused as she was.

“I’m sorry. Really. This is new to me. I feel like a fish out of water here. I’ve never cared about what a woman did after I was with her because frankly I’ve never wanted to continue the relationship before.” His frankness chipped away at the ice around her heart. It had been melting away for two weeks. And now this. The thaw was allowing chunks to drop off.

Jonathan sat there, watching her watching him. She opened her mouth, and then closed it, like she didn’t know what to say. It seemed they were both sailing new waters here. Vulnerable.

“Dance for me, Aliya. Prove that this is for us. That it is just me you want.” It was a stark plea.

His words took her breath away. She was shocked. It was not at all what she was expecting. “Please.” His last word was said softly. His eyes begged. Aliya did not know what possessed her to do it, but she did. She began to sway in front of him showing him with her body how she felt about him, finding a rhythm that bespoke how much she cared, but didn’t have the strength of mind to say yet. Her scars were deep, and he knew nothing of them. So she communicated to him with her body how much she wanted him in her life. She didn’t feel degraded as she thought she would as his eyes devoured her like a man starving.

His hand stroked one hip when she got close. The flare of his nostrils and the intake of his breath as she rocked her hips in front of him made her feel powerful instead. She knew the effect this man had on her, and it gave her hope to see the effect she was having on him. Hope. She hadn’t had hope for love in quite some time. But, her instincts were right. This man was for her. Her match, in and out of the bedroom.

Her body took over. And Jonathan watched her, his brown eyes bursting into flame for her. She got closer and he reached for her, and soon she found herself no longer dancing on her feet. She was straddling him on the seat. And then he was kissing her, one hand fisted in her hair. They were both panting heavily when it broke.

“I want you like I have never wanted another woman, Aliya.” He made his raw confession while staring deeply into her eyes only an inch away. “And I think the words need to be said. You want me. Just as much as I want you. This isn’t just sex between us anymore. You are my woman. My only woman. I’m staking my claim. You are mine. I am yours. Let the chips fall where they may, but we owe whatever this is between us a real chance.” His eyes pleaded with her to understand how much this meant to him. And at the spark of understanding in her eyes, he knew she now recognized what this was between them. At her brief nod, he took her lips again in a crushing kiss. One that claimed her and curled her toes.