Rescue Me(19)
"My older sister," he said with a smirk. "She was obsessed with it when we were teenagers and couldn't find anyone to take classes with her. Like the good brother I am, I agreed to be her partner."
Meredith melted a little more. "Looks like I'm not the only one who does things to please the family."
He looked at her curiously and she realized she'd said too much. He didn't want to hear all about what she'd sacrificed for Brandon. "Let's get started."
"It's been quite a while," he warned. I may need a refresher."
"Okay, come here." He closed the distance between them and Meredith sucked in a sharp breath to steady her nerves. Nerves, or excitement? Whenever she was this close to him, it seemed that her body was a raging conflict of emotions.
She placed one of his hands on her waist and took the other in hers, talking him through the basic steps and trying to maintain as much distance between them as possible. He kept up with no problem.
"I think you've still got it."
He grinned mischievously. "Oh yeah, I've got it."
She couldn't suppress her responding smile. Maybe it would be fun after all. If she could just let go of her inhibitions. She'd been doing a lot of that since she'd arrived. She was suddenly overcome with a wicked desire to see how far she could push him. He'd been so aloof since their last day on the boat. After he'd revealed they hadn't slept together.
She didn't know what motivated it, but she wanted to see if she could get him to open up again. To bring back that impish guy she'd had so much fun with the first night. The fact that he'd kept his distance only fueled the desire. She knew it was dangerous to flirt with him. Playing with fire. But the old Meredith, the one who liked to have fun and take chances, seemed to be making more of an appearance every day.
Tilting her head back so she could look up at him with heavy-lidded eyes, she pressed herself closer to him. "You know, if this is going to be enjoyable for the students, we have to put on a good show. Make the dance come alive for them. They need to see the sensuality of the dance."
His eyes grew darker and his jaw twitched. Yes, there was still something there between them. He hadn't just shut it off like she'd thought, or if he had, it was barely concealed beneath the surface.
"Wrap your arm around me tighter," she commanded.
He pulled her against him and she felt like putty with his strong arm around her and his chiseled abs flush against hers.
"Is that good?" he asked huskily.
"Just like that," she replied, allowing herself a sultry smile. "Okay, now you take the lead and show me what you've got."
Cole took over, moving expertly to the music and spinning her out and around until she felt giddy, then pulling her back tightly to his chest.
As the conventions of the dance dictated, she wrapped one leg up around his hip and he gripped her thigh.
Oh.
She arched her back, extending and lowering her torso until she was nearly upside down, her hips fused with his as he kept a firm hold on her.
Her head nearly exploded at the raw sexuality she was feeling. She had danced this particular dance a hundred times before, but never with a man that made her want to strip her clothes off and see if he knew how to move in the bedroom as well. Cole had a confidence about him that screamed out it would be everything she hoped and more.
Her breath becoming ragged, Meredith raised herself slowly back up until every inch of their bodies was pressed together. He stared down into her eyes as they competed the dance, not loosening his hold for a second, even as the music came to an end.
They remained entangled in each other's arms for what felt like ages, until Meredith at last came to her senses and unwound herself from him. He dropped his hand from the death grip he had on her hip and she backed up.
She hadn't expected anything like that. Moving away from him as quickly as possible, she returned to the sound system and scrolled through her music until she found the song they would be using for class. She took longer than necessary, needing a minute to regain her composure.
"Good," she said, her voice sounding high to her own ears. The rush of blood coursing through her head drowned out any other sounds. "Let's go again. I'll start over here, and meet you in the middle of the dance floor."
She gathered her courage. She hadn't expected such a response from him. Her smart idea to push his buttons had backfired and he was staring at her with such intensity that it practically bored holes through her body. Forcing a smile, she waited for the music to start up then spun and sashayed her way toward him, letting her body feel the music.
When he reached out his hand and she grabbed it, he yanked her hard against his chest and she became lost in the heady combination of the music, the dance and his delectable body moving perfectly in sync with hers. She knew intellectually that dancing was sensual. Sexual even, but she'd never experienced anything like this.
He pinned her with his eyes as they danced and she couldn't tell if they were in character, telling the story of the dance, or if the desire that had been simmering between them since the moment they first locked eyes was creating the slow burn in her core.
She arched her neck and his lips were a mere breath away from the sensitive flesh there as they teased and taunted one another with the moves.
The song came to an end, and Meredith and Cole were face to face, not an inch of space between any part of their bodies, her leg around him as before. She became aware of her heavy breathing but didn't want to break contact this time.