on my toes,” he mumbled, his breath against the tip of my earlobe.
I quickly apologized and went back into the position I was supposed to be in.
Our eyes locked, and I moved my hips against his. He followed my movement, and his grip tightened on my waist, his fingers almost digging into my flesh, and it didn’t seem like he noticed.
Our height difference had the curve of my ass right at his groin, and my eyes fluttered close, my cheeks flushing in embarrassment and… something else.
Maddox made a sound at the back of his throat, and I looked at him through the mirror. His face hardened, and his eyes grew darker, his pupils dilating.
He grasped my hips and spun me around, taking me by surprise. He pulled me closer, our bodies clashing together. His hand skimmed over my bare thighs, right where the shorts ended, and he slowly lifted my left leg up, hooking my thigh around his hip. Fire licked its way through my veins, and I burned hotter.
Maddox dipped me low, and his warmth seeped through my clothes all the way through to my bones.
“You look a little red, Garcia,” he rasped. “Am I too hot for you?”
He pulled me back up, and my heart thudded in my chest. I turned around and rolled my eyes, trying to look indifferent to his stupid remarks and his close proximity.
Maddox chuckled low, his chest vibrating with the sound, and I felt the vibration against my back. “You’re rolling your eyes at me, I know. I can see your reflection in the mirror, Lila.”
My eyes narrowed on him, and I swiveled around again, swatting his chest. “Concentrate on the dance, Maddox.”
His arm snaked around my waist, and he pulled me hard into his body. I stumbled into his chest. “I have you,” he muttered softly, and his arm tightened around my waist.
Maddox fished out the white blindfold from his pocket, and he covered my eyes, stealing away my ability to see. I was supposed to be blindfolded for half of this dance, making it trickier. It was all about trusting your dance partner.
It forced me to feel every one of his moves, his steps, our matching rhythm, our shuddering breaths and the heat coming off him. My body was even more hyperaware of Maddox’s closeness to me.
His warmth left me for a brief moment and our song, the song we were supposed to be dancing to, filled the tiny dance studio.
“Time of my Life.”
There was no way Maddox and I could compete with the original dance and actors from the movie Dirty Dancing; they were legends, but it was my favorite movie and song and it was perfect for this dance.
Blindfolded, I waited for Maddox to return to me.
I could feel him somewhere around the room, watching me. The heat of his gaze had my stomach clenching.
The longer he took, the more nervous I became. Tick, tick, tick.
His body brushed against my back, and I sucked in a breath. I squeezed my eyes shut behind my blindfold and reminded myself to breathe. His hand drifted down, his fingers whispering over my body. My ribs, my stomach, my hips. Maddox touched me like I was a made of glass, fragile to his exploration.
Maddox pulled me into him, and he started to move. I followed his steps through our mixed tango and contemporary dance.
He gripped my hips and twirled me left and right before I fell back into his arms. My heart raced faster, and his breathing was ragged. I imagined his hard face and eyes that were so blue I drown in them. Beautiful.
Mine.
Oh, I wished.
I embraced the music and swayed with the flow, matching Maddox’s rhythm and letting him lead me through blindly. I was at his mercy.
After spinning me around and with my heart in my throat, Maddox pulled me back into his body. With one hand on my waist, he grabbed my thigh and slowly brought my leg up to his hip. I hooked my ankle around his thigh, right under his ass. I was breathing hard now, and I wished I could see his face.
His breath brushed my nose. “Is this right? That’s the correct move?” Maddox asked, his voice deep and gruff.
I nodded, mutely. Then, he slowly dipped me low. I released myself into his arms and let him move me. With me bent backward, his body molded over mine. He pressed his face against the crook of my neck. It was just part of the dance,