A Fool's Gold Christmas (Fool's Gold #9.5)(38)
Rafe grumbled something under his breath and stalked away. Dante sat at his desk, suddenly less sure he’d made himself clear to Evie. He checked his watch. She would be arriving for work in less than an hour. He would talk to her before her classes began and make sure they had the same expectations. He’d meant what he said—he liked her. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her.
* * *
EVIE ARRIVED AT THE dance studio forty-five minutes before her classes started. The first thing she did was crank up the heat. The old building was drafty and cold in winter. If it were up to her, she would relocate the dance studio to a newer place, with a bigger dance floor and maybe a second practice room. As it was, she waited until she heard the telltale whoosh of the furnace starting, then hung her coat on the rack and went over the classes for that day.
They were getting close to the panic period for the production. In less than two weeks, they would start practicing on stage so everyone could perform in the actual location. The stage was considerably wider than their studio, so that would take some getting used to. There was also the seemingly endless rows of chairs. The thought of an audience could be daunting to even a seasoned professional.
She crossed to the stereo system and connected her phone to speakers, then scrolled through her list of music and found a favorite song. She’d just walked over to the barre when Dante walked in.
She smiled as she glanced from the living, breathing, tempting man to his many reflections in the mirror. Both were appealing although she had to admit she preferred the one she could put her hands on.
“Hi,” she said, crossing to him.
“Hi, yourself.” He rested his hands on her waist and lightly kissed her. “You going to do some fancy dance moves?”
“I haven’t warmed up.”
“Can I help with that?”
She laughed. “No. I have students arriving in about thirty minutes.”
“Bummer.” He drew in a breath. “I had a talk with your brother earlier today.”
As the two men worked together, that was hardly news. Except he wasn’t sharing a part of a day—instead he was passing on information.
She pressed her fingertips against his chest and winced. “I’m sorry. For what it’s worth, I had a talk with my mother.”
Dante grimaced. “About the pet adoption?”
“Not exactly. She told me to make sure we were using condoms so I wouldn’t catch a disease.”
“She didn’t.”
Evie stared into his eyes. “Do I look like I’m lying?”
“Sorry.”
“Me, too. About my brother. Not about the other night.”
“Me, either.” But he didn’t sound completely sure.
She carefully lowered her arms to her sides and took a small step back, pulling away from his light touch. “Dante, this isn’t the 1800s. One great night doesn’t mean we’re engaged.”
“I know, I just want to make sure we’re on the same page.”
She could translate easily enough. He wanted to make sure she remembered their time together was meant to be fun. Not a relationship.
She’d been very clear on what they were doing when they’d started hanging out together. So she couldn’t complain about being misled. If she’d started to look forward to seeing Dante more than she should, it was her own business, right? If she was hoping for more than a good time, that was her problem.
She continued to watch Dante’s face. “You and I are friends. We like each other and are enjoying spending time together. We’re both a little freaked out about the town’s obsession with being cheerful and embracing every nuance of all things Christmas. Holidays are stressful and we’re getting each other through. The other night we discovered that you earned your reputation with women the hard way and I appreciate that. There are no expectations between us. Does that sum it up?”
She spoke lightly, doing her best to sound as blasé and experienced as any other woman he’d been with. The slight jab of pain in the vicinity of her heart didn’t have anything to do with him.
“Perfectly.” His blue eyes crinkled with amusement. “I’m glad you enjoyed the other night. I did, too.”
“See? We’re good. Now you ignore my brother and I’ll ignore my mother and all will be well.”
“Promise,” he told her. He gave her a quick kiss. “We’ll both be working late tonight. How about lunch tomorrow?”
“I have to help Annabelle with the book drive.”
“There’s a book drive? Why? Because the town needed one more philanthropic event?”
“I know. But Annabelle called and asked and I couldn’t figure out how to say no. Apparently every child in Fool’s Gold gets a book for Christmas. They have to be wrapped, so I’m going up to Ronan’s Lodge. We’re meeting in the Mountain ballroom.” She held up both hands. “I didn’t have the heart to tell her I’m not very good at wrapping presents.”
“We could practice tonight,” he suggested. “Wrapping and unwrapping.”
A tempting offer, she thought. But one she wasn’t sure her heart could risk her accepting. Before she could decide, she heard footsteps on the stairs. Light footsteps from one of her beginning classes. Dante took a step back.