music segued into a salsa. He stepped away and reluctantly let go of her hand.
Emma’s eyes sparkled. Perspiration gleamed on the upper curve of her breast. She captured his hand again. “Let’s not stop yet. One more?”
This was the old Emma, the woman he’d fallen in love with. He shouldn’t. It would be a mistake—for both of them. But he couldn’t resist either the invitation in her eyes or the moment of fun. What was the harm? One more dance then they would move on, Emma to begin searching for her next husband, him to find comfort for the night. With a grin he tucked her into the crook of his arm.
Of course he should have known it wouldn’t end with one dance. After the salsa came a lambada, hot and fast and sexy. Then a tango had them moving across the floor, arms outstretched, cheeks pressed together. Darcy gave up any pretence of looking for other partners. No way was he giving Emma up to some geek with two left feet. They belonged together—at least on the dance floor. At least for this one night.
And to think he’d almost refused to join the Latin dance class Emma had dragged him to at the community center the first year they were married. This wasn’t something he’d ever thought he’d be interested in, but after three lessons he’d been hooked. After that they’d frequented the Latin clubs in the city, once even entering a contest and placing second.
The music segued into a rumba—the dance of love, and his and Emma’s favorite. Their hips moved sinuously, thrusting and retreating in a mock display of the sexual act. Damp tendrils of curling red hair framed Emma’s face. Her cheeks were flushed and a fine sheen of perspiration gave her face, chest and arms a glow. Hot. So hot. She pressed her butt against his groin and rotated her hips. It was a move they’d done countless times before. He was getting hard. He hoped she couldn’t feel him. This was only a dance, not a prelude to something more.
But the dance was bigger than both of them. He forgot himself, totally focused on Emma in his arms. The room became a blur. There was only the sexy beat of the music and the two of them moving in sync. When Emma spun to face him, blue eyes locked on his, her lips slightly parted, he knew she was aroused, too. Seeing her nipples stand out against the silky fabric of her dress, his blood heated to fever pitch.
The dance ended. Breathing hard, Darcy held on to Emma’s hand and hip, waiting for the next. She waited, too, trembling slightly. The bandleader spoke into the mike. They were taking a break. Back in twenty. People began to leave the dance floor, heading for the bar and the tables ringing the ballroom. Others streamed through the open doors onto the deck.
Emma gently disengaged from their dancer’s embrace. “I could use a glass of water.”
Darcy needed a cold shower. Hell, Niagara Falls might not be enough to put out the fire in his blood. He needed to put distance, physical and emotional, between himself and his ex-wife. This was the perfect opportunity to thank her for the dances and let her go gracefully.
Instead, he said, “Let’s go outside.”
CHAPTER TWO
EMMA HESITATED. She’d known the dance would be erotic. What she hadn’t expected was the emotional upwelling. This was the first time they’d danced together since Holly’s death, the first time they’d done anything that didn’t involve grief and guilt. She’d been transported back in time to before, when she and Darcy had been deeply in love, innocently happy. How she missed, and longed for, those days.
Darcy’s black hair was slicked to his temples and his cheekbones slashed with red. His dark brown eyes were burning her up. It didn’t take much effort to picture him naked, in bed, broad bare shoulders, muscled chest and sheets twisted around his lean hips.
Her heart was still beating fast, not only because of the athletic dancing. Being in Darcy’s arms again, feeling him pressing against her brought back all the best parts of their marriage. In bed and on the dance floor they were hot and passionate. If they could have done nothing but rumba and make love they might still be together.
Tracey was at the bar with a couple of men, motioning her over. Emma should make an excuse to Darcy—bathroom, drink, anything to get away from him before she