Surge - Maya Nicole Page 0,17

kissing the back of it. Heat spread across my cheeks. "It's my pleasure."

What I really wanted to say was, "Cut the crap, you sadistic asshole," but instead, I said, "The pleasure is all mine."

Bernardo had his hands clasped at his chest and mouthed oh my god to me. He'd have kicked him to the curb if he knew what had been going on. Instead, he did Cha-Cha lock steps all the way to the stereo and plugged in his phone.

I cringed at the thought of my feet being assaulted. Morgan was a swimmer and had never shown any inkling that he could dance or had any rhythm. During junior year, he had stood on the lunch table and tried to twerk and sent everyone into a fit of laughter before the school resource officer told him to get down.

"Can you even dance?" I've Got the World on a String by Michael Bubl茅 came over the speakers and I made no move to offer my hand to him. "This is ridiculous. Do you even know what dance this is?"

"I watched some videos and then had my first lesson yesterday." He stepped forward and his hand slipped under my arm and splayed across my shoulder blade. He put his lips next to my ear and a tingle went down my spine. "Foxtrot."

At least he knew where to put his hand.

"Great." I shut my eyes and breathed in deeply before giving him my right hand to hold in dance position. "Let's just get this over with so I can dance with a real dancer."

He pulled me flush against his body into closed hold, keeping his mouth against my ear. "You aren't a Back-Lead Betty, are you? I like to be in charge." He meant more than just in dance.

"Only when the lead doesn't know what he's doing." I took a step backward, pulling him with me.

We moved in time to the music and he took over. He knew how to dance as if he'd been dancing since he was out of diapers. His lead was strong, and I relaxed as we flew around the dance floor.

The music cut off and Bernardo clapped. "Oh my Gucci! That was like butter. I can't wait to see Latin." He put his fist against his mouth and bit it. "And my boyvaries are already tingling at the thought of tango with you two."

Morgan being in my safe haven still made me feel queasy, but he could move. When dancing, that was the only thing on my mind.

The hour flew by, and when the lesson was done, Bernardo took us into one of the offices to chat. I was impressed with Morgan and his ability on the dance floor, but I didn't know what his angle was.

"From my vantage point, this is a match made in dance heaven." Bernardo pulled out a binder that had pricing in it. "The next competition for your age group and ability level is in three months in Hawaii. The question is, how much time do you want to devote?"

"I'm willing to devote whatever it takes." Morgan was relaxed in the chair next to me and took my hand.

I couldn't pull away, not when we had just been dancing so intimately together. I looked down at his hand clasping mine and sighed.

"How much is it going to cost?" I didn't usually bat an eye at how much dancing and events cost, but I was wondering how I was going to buy food for the next week without asking Ivy.

Maybe I could sell some of my clothes or the ones my mom had left in her closet. The knife would probably fetch a nice amount at a pawn shop.

"The trip to Hawaii with hotel, flight, and all of your entrance fees will be around three thousand each." He pulled a calculator out of a drawer. "And with you two being a new partnership, I would recommend three lessons a week. That will be about twenty-five hundred a piece."

My eyes widened and I pulled my hand from Morgan's. I stood and backed toward the door. "I forgot I have somewhere to be. I'll call you later."

I rushed out and to the bathroom to grab my belongings. This was the reality check I needed. I was going to go straight to the police station and file a missing person's report.

I managed to make it into the parking lot when a hand took me by the elbow and spun me around. On instinct, I swung my hand