Zach-Somebody-or-Other, Greg let her lead him to the dance floor. He wanted to ask, but now that was not going to happen.
The song was an old one. Everything I Do. It had a great melody line, and the lyrics about falling so in love you would do literally anything including die for the one you loved coupled with her now standing there tugged at his heart strings. Those words were undeniable every time he looked at her, and tonight, that was doubly true.
With effort, he pushed all of the rest of it away and took her in his arms. Although he had told himself over and over again not to get taken in by her beauty, he realized with one small glance that was going to be impossible tonight. She smiled at him, and all bets were off. The sad truth was, his heart was toast no matter how this went.
Dipping her backward and away from him, he brought her back up to him, and Greg knew without looking that every eye in the whole place was now on them. She came up, and her smile was dancing in her eyes. They melded to his as he took her hand and set them both to swaying. Three sways, and he took her hand across him and spun her slowly. They’d never really done the moves in slow-motion before, but this song didn’t call for a whirlwind. It was far more like a soft summer’s breeze.
Coming around her, he secured her hand in his other and sent them both into a mesmerizing, slow pretzel that looked more elegant and traditional than the move normally felt. Three easy spins and she came back into this arms as if she belonged nowhere else. The fit was impeccable. And those eyes. Oh, those lovely enthralling eyes. They were almost violet tonight, and so, so trusting, it made him even more protective of her.
Gently, he took her hand for a cuddle spin, which he stopped, sending her in a spin the other direction before she came back into his arms where he dipped her with only his hand holding her neck. It felt so effortless, so right, so real, like they had been made to do this together. His stem to her flower. Showing her off, that was the easy part. Although he heard the ripples of fascination around them, he dismissed them completely and focused solely on her. If this was the last perfect moment he would have with her, he was going to savor it for every last heartbeat he was given in it.
Each time she came around and back to him, her eyes were only on his, and his held hers as tenderly and protectively as the rest of him moved her body. His arm floated over her head and cradled her as she dropped back into his hold of her. They held like that for two full beats before he drew her up slowly. As the music swelled and the lyrics spoke about fighting for the love of your life, he lifted her easily so her knee was on his thigh, and he turned them both slowly around and around as he returned her radiant smile.
It was like nothing else existed even as he lowered her back to the floor, took her hand in his, and wrapped it behind his neck. The music faded as he draped her across himself, and his eyes locked onto hers as he held her there gently, letting himself get lost in her, and adamantly refusing to go on to the next moment.
Somehow, Taylor’s heart registered the fragile spark that leapt between them for one spine-tingling second before Greg drew her up and stood her to right again. Gasping, she could hardly find the air back as cheers and whoops of appreciation, accompanied by several loud whistles, pierced the air.
“Woo-hoo!” the DJ said, breaking into the spell she’d been ensnared in. “Looks like Taylor Grayson and the Alpha Chi girls brought their A-game tonight! Look out, Kappa Delta, I think you’d better just Shut up and Dance…”
The next song started, and people flooded the dance floor, brushing past them as Taylor started the other direction. The dance had left her swimmy-headed, unsure of what had just happened, and her scrambled senses told her the only safe thing was to head for the punch bowl at the far side of the room. However, she didn’t take Greg’s hand, which would have been helpful to her balance but