Page 52 of A Winter Wish

Then he slid his hand up her back, fingers grazing the exposed skin above her dress—and she decided not to think of that. Not right now.

“When I was fourteen,” she said, “I wished for dance lessons. I was going through a phase of thinking I would be a dancer when I grew up—even though I’d never taken ballet as a kid or anything. I was imagining some kind of dancing like Step Up or Save the Last Dance. They’re films,” she added when he looked at her blankly. “I think I thought I’d be cast in a film and play this cool, tormented soul who lived to dance. My school didn’t have dance lessons, and I’d found this academy thing. Mum couldn’t afford the lessons—seriously, way too expensive. But I thought I might get a scholarship. For the space of about two weeks I was weirdly confident I’d get in, before the auditions.”

“I’m guessing you didn’t get in?”

“No—I was about as good at dancing as I was at biology.”

He spun her around, brought her back to him and drew her a little closer than they had been before. He managed to do it so easily, she couldn’t help wondering if he’d ever had dance lessons. “You seem like you can dance OK to me,” he said, and his mouth was close enough that his breath caressed her ear.

Her insides seemed to shimmer at the sound of his voice, but she forced herself to keep it easy. To keep pretending. “That’s because you are weirdly good at this.”

He grinned, then skimmed his hands down her sides. “Would you tell me a wish?” she asked. “What would you wish for—if you were the type to make wishes?”

He let out a low laugh. “I don’t think you want to know what I’d wish for right now, Lexie.”

She bit her lip, felt a flare of satisfaction as his attention zeroed in on it. “What if I do?” What if she wanted to give in to it, stop pretending?

His eyes darkened, and something pulled low in her stomach.

He said nothing, but his right hand skimmed down her spine, the other coming to her hip. Her hands moved to his neck, and she saw his pulse jump at the base of his throat as his gaze dropped to her mouth. They were so close, breathing the same air—close enough that his nose skated down hers as he shifted his head. Her heart was hammering hard enough that she was surprised they couldn’t hear it over the music. They’d slowed out of time now, moving in their own rhythm as her hands traveled over his shoulders, down his muscled back. His fingers at her hip dug in, and the hand on her spine flattened, pressing her against him. They were both breathing heavily now, their lips separated by less than an inch, the air buzzing in the space between them. She moved her hands to his stomach, spread her fingers there, and he shuddered a little, moving his own hands lower behind her. There were people all around them, dancing, but she didn’t care. She couldn’t think outside the two of them, couldn’t do anything but stare at him as she remembered what he’d tasted like last time. As she wondered what it would be like to have more.

Then it started to rain. The heavens literally opened, seemingly without warning, and though it might have been warm in the daytime here, there was a chill in the evening air, and the water was cold, a shock to the system. Like the world was reminding her to cool the hell off and take a goddamn shower.

Chapter Twenty-one

Lexie let out a little scream as the rain hit her head, and most of the people around her did the same. Theo grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the crowd, toward the cover of the nearest tree. Only, other people had had the same idea—leaving nowhere to shelter. They looked at each other through the rain. Theo was grinning, and he looked so bloody cute in that moment that Lexie couldn’t help laughing. Onstage, the band was still playing, employing a definite fuck it attitude—though that was helped by the fact that the stage was sheltered. Some other people were carrying on dancing, and the music grew more vibrant, feet stomping as people laughed and jumped in the rain.

“Think we’re going to have to make a run for it!” Theo shouted, above all the noise around them.

Lexie hesitated. A part of her wanted to get drawn back in, to dance in the rain. But it was getting colder, and she could feel her damp dress clinging to her skin. So she nodded.

When they made it back to the apartment they were both drenched and breathless from the run. Theo got the door open and they stumbled in, Lexie laughing in a way that only made her breathing heavier. Theo looked at her and grinned at her in a way that let her know she looked like a drowned rat. She shrugged out of her jean jacket and hung it up on the coatrack to dry, then reached up to wring out her curls.

They’d rented an Airbnb as it had been cheaper than a hotel: they had found a good deal in the city center, near the Plaza Mayor—though they’d spent some time checking out local hotels where their future clients would stay. Still, the apartment was gorgeous—proper wooden floors all the way through, a bright and airy open-plan living and dining room, which led onto a balcony so you could crack the doors wide open as you had a coffee first thing in the morning. There were houseplants dotted around, with a beautiful big fern right next to the comfy white sofa. The two bedrooms were both a decent size, with a separate bathroom down the corridor, so there had been no competition as to who got which room. The apartment was plenty big enough for both of them and they’d coexisted well enough for the two days they’d been here, only really using it for breakfast and to sleep. But right then, when Theo shut the door behind him, Lexie was suddenly very aware that it was just the two of them here, completely alone.

“Do you want first shower?” Theo asked, stripping off his jacket and revealing a wet T-shirt clinging to his skin.

“Sure. Thanks.”

But neither of them moved, still just inside the doorway.

“I’ll, er, let you know when I’m done,” she said.

“OK.” His eyes were too intense on hers, making her face heat. She made herself take a steadying breath. She might have decided he wasn’t as bad as she first thought and she might be attracted to him, but they still had to work together, and they still wanted different things from the company in the long term. They were still, ultimately, on different sides.

Averting her gaze, she made to move past him, but he grabbed her hand. “Lexie…”

She looked up at him. They stayed like that for a moment—like he was waiting for something. Her pulse picked up speed and although she knew she should feel cold, heat flared through her. She didn’t pull away—but she didn’t move toward him either.

He blew out a long breath, dropped her hand. “Never mind.”

Bad idea, bad idea, bad idea. Then, “Screw it.” She reached up, pulled his head down to hers—and kissed him.

Theo grabbed her waist, pulled her closer and kissed her back in a way that made her breath catch. “Thank fuck for that,” he said, his words murmured against the line of her jaw. He kissed his way down her neck, and Lexie closed her eyes, grabbing his shoulders and holding on. Outside, she heard a rumble of thunder—a warning, one she chose to ignore. Their chests were pressed together, their wet clothes sticking together, and a current of electricity pulsed between them. His hands traveled over her waist to her hips and she ran her hands down the muscles of his back, wishing she could reach farther, trying to tug him even closer.

“You actually want this?” Lexie managed to get out, her voice catching as his teeth lightly scraped against her neck.

“Is that a trick question?”