He didn’t move back, so she whispered in his ear. What she really wanted to do was turn and press her mouth against his neck and let her fingers travel down the front of his shirt, releasing each button so her hand could glide across his strong chest.
“No. I have to get used to the place first before I jump in. You can ask someone else to dance if you like.” The instructional salsa videos she’d studied on YouTube were a poor preparation for what she was seeing.
“I want to dance with you,” he said. He pulled back and looked into her eyes.
Julia was caught, hypnotized by his dark gaze. He held out his hand to her. She covered his palm with hers, and there was an immediate fluttering in the pit of her stomach. Before following him, she tossed back the rest of her wine. No point in letting it go to waste. Besides, she needed a little liquid courage. Then, with her hand clasped firmly in Freddie’s, she followed him through the thicket of bodies into the middle of the dance floor.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Out in the middle of the club, Julia became intimidated by the fluid movements of the dancers around her. The men moved their partners around without effort, dipping and twirling them with the expertise grown from years of practice.
“I don’t know if I can do this,” Julia whispered to Freddie. She stood stiffly in the center of the dancers. “I don’t want to embarrass you. Everybody will be looking at us.”
“No one will be looking at us. They’re too busy dancing.” His teeth flashed an encouraging smile. He rested his hand lightly on her waist and lifted her other hand in his. “Relax, and let the music guide you. Listen to the beat.”
Good heavens, could he get any sexier, moving his hips slowly from side to side as he tried to encourage her to relax her rigid stance and get into the music.
Julia closed her eyes against the painful memories of some of the last words her ex had said to her. You’re not any fun, Julia. I need someone who’s fun and exciting. He said those words right after he’d told her about his pregnant girlfriend. After she’d spent eight years of her life with him.
“What’s wrong?”
She stifled a laugh. What’s wrong was that she was standing in the middle of a Latin club with an attractive man trying to be something she wasn’t. She was Julia Newman, venture capitalist, future youngest female partner in the firm. She was not Julia Newman, salsa dancer.
“I can’t,” she whispered painfully, trying to pull away. She didn’t want to humiliate herself. She should have never come. This was unfamiliar territory. There were no numbers to analyze and no reports to review.
He didn’t release her. Instead, his arm curved around her waist like a heavy belt, and his dark brows lowered over his eyes in concern. “It’s not that hard. I promise. I’ll guide you all the way.”
His gaze softened on her, and it encouraged her to make a tentative movement. He tried to guide her backward, but she practically tripped over her feet and stiffened against him.
“You have to let me lead. The man is in control in salsa.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her and she rewarded him with a wan smile. Looking down into her eyes, he said, “Move your left foot forward . . . one, two, three . . . step back . . . right leg backward . . . one, two, three . . .” He repeated the instructions several times. “That’s it.”
They moved slowly at first. Then, as she grew accustomed to the rhythm of the movement and the pressure of his hand indicating when she should move backward and forward, the speed of their movements accelerated to match those around them. Backward, forward, backward, forward. It wasn’t as hard as she had originally thought.
“Keep your hips moving,” Freddie coached. “Yes . . . just like that.”
He warned her he would try a spin move, and she didn’t get it at first, getting off beat on the turn. When they tried again, she mastered the spin, and she looked up at him, grinning widely.
“I got it!” She laughed.
He just stared at her. He didn’t smile back. She noted the hardening of his jaw and felt the split second tightening of his fingers around her own. Unexpectedly, he lowered his head until their mouths almost touched. Her breath caught in her throat.
“Perfect,” he muttered, before claiming her lips.
Although taken by surprise, Julia didn’t hold back. His mouth moved across hers with a longing and passion that found an instant match echoed inside her own needy body. She did what she’d wanted to do since he picked her up. She plunged her fingers into the black curls and buried them until they were no longer visible.
The music switched to a sultry, heady reggaeton beat. He hauled her tighter against his muscular frame.
Freddie broke the kiss, but only so he could trail hot kisses along her jaw to the sensitive point beneath her ear. Julia clutched his broad shoulders, then glided her hands along his arms. She reveled in the powerful muscles beneath her hands. In return, his hands ran restlessly up and down her back as he fought what she was also fighting—the base instinct to disrobe and satisfy an unbearably pulsing ache.
“Perfecta,” he whispered in her ear.
Julia didn’t care they were in the middle of a crowded dance floor. She didn’t care if anyone saw them or thought their behavior was indecent. Wrapped in his arms, none of it mattered. Freddie made her feel like a goddess, and she was slowly getting drunk from the power of it.
He lowered his big hands to her hips, and the heated pressure penetrated the material of her skirt and spread warmth along her pelvis. Emboldened, she swayed her hips from side to side in time to the beat of the music. He lifted his head as he felt the difference in her.
“Close your eyes,” he whispered. “Let yourself go, Julia.”
She did. The music flowed over her. She became one with it, letting it course through her veins and lift her spirits. She allowed him to guide her in a turn that ended in her back pressed against his front.
Julia lifted her arms toward the ceiling, and his hands made a slow progression up her side to rest high on her waist. His harsh breath fanned her neck. They were practically making love on the dance floor, and she wasn’t the least bit ashamed. She reached back and trailed her hand along his firm jaw, and she felt, rather than heard, the groan that rippled through his taut body.
****
Lento. Lento. Freddie knew Julia couldn’t understand the lyrics of the song, but her relaxed body followed the instructions to a tee. Slow. Slow.
He couldn’t count the number of times he’d shared a dance with an attractive woman. While there were times when the right woman could turn him on, he’d never experienced the type of ravenous need consuming his body the way it was with Julia. He bunched his fist into the loose-fitting skirt, fighting the urge to haul it up to her hips so he could run his hands along the length of her inner thigh. He buried his face in her fragrant hair.
“Dámelo, dámelo,” the woman wailed in the chorus. “Lento. Lento.” Give it to me, give it to me. Slow. Slow.
His body shook with the internal struggle to tamp down the need Julia had awakened by rubbing her sexy little body against him. Heaven help him, if she wasn’t careful, she would find herself hemmed up in a dark corner of the club, getting it from him—lento.
****
They danced to a few more songs, and then Freddie led her back over to the bar. She could barely walk. This time she requested a bottle of water. She needed something to quench her thirst. Dancing was like exercising, but her thirst was actually the result of her deep-seated arousal.
He sat on one of the stools and pulled her close between his muscular thighs.
“I should come dancing more often,” Julia said. She rested a hand on one of his broad shoulders, feeling the heat emanating from him.
The hand around her waist tightened and brought her closer.
“You should,” he agreed. His hooded gaze caressed her face and made her feel deliciously feminine. He rubbed his hand up and down her back, and she felt the heat of every stroke as if he’d touched her bare skin. “
You’re very good.”
She blushed, leaning into him. “I had a good teacher.”
The movement of his hand stilled in the middle of her back. His gaze traveled over her face. The pulsing sound of the music receded into the background. “You look happy. Your eyes are shining.”
“Because of you,” Julia whispered. “I’m having fun and enjoying myself.”
With Freddie, she discovered a new side of her personality. Perhaps it had always been there, hidden away behind a protective shield. No one would believe the seductive way she’d danced and teased him on the floor. Even now they were practically joined together, impervious to the activity around them, as if they were the only ones in the room.
He slipped his hand up to the nape of her neck under her hair and kissed her. The soft pressure of his lips heightened her aroused state. “You’re coming home with me tonight.”
She had no idea if it was a question or a statement. She felt a moment’s hesitation. But even if her brain wasn’t sure, her arms, legs, fingers, and toes were ready for what was to come.
He pressed his mouth to the hollow at the base of her neck where her rapidly beating pulse was a silent signal of her concession.
****
They left the club shortly thereafter, hand in hand, and were soon on their way to his house. On the way there, Freddie pulled into a gas station.
“Do you need anything?” he asked. She didn’t have a purse with her, so he knew she didn’t have any money.
“I would like to get a ginger ale,” she replied.
She needed to settle her nervous stomach. It wasn’t as if she was a virgin, but she couldn’t squash the persistent anxiety she felt. It had been so long. She wanted everything to be perfect, and in truth, she was out of practice. She’d been out of practice for over two years, although she didn’t want to count the one encounter she’d had after her break up. She was still mortified she’d thrown up right afterward, embarrassing herself and the other person. She had not been ready for that type of intimacy. She had simply used the man as a bolster for her damaged ego.
Freddie pulled open a compartment built into the dashboard and handed her some cash.
She smiled at him. Fun, sexy, a gentleman, and sweet. What more could a woman ask for? “I’ll be right back,” she said.
Inside the convenience store, Julia moved to the back to the refrigerator section. She browsed the contents. “Ginger ale,” she muttered to herself, scanning the shelves.
“Julia?”
She reacted like an electrocuted cat. The hairs on the back of her neck came to fearful attention at the sound of her name. Her heart rate accelerated to breakneck speed in her chest. In the reflection of the door of the refrigerator, she recognized the tall image reflected over her shoulder.
She turned to face him. Her eyes traveled slowly up the Italian suit, past the buttoned white shirt and silk tie, and slowly past the prominent Adam’s apple, to the face of the man she once thought she would spend the rest of her life with. Three years ago all that had changed. Her undying devotion had mutated into a burning desire to never see him again.
“Hello, Julia.”
She was speechless.
It was him.
CHAPTER NINE
Julia took a good look at the man who’d shattered her heart into a thousand pieces, denying her the dreams she’d thought he shared of having a family and growing old together. She forced her breathing to slow to a calm pace, because initially she’d felt as if she was about to hyperventilate.
He stood there, immaculate and inviting like a tall glass of chocolate milk. He smiled down at her with teeth whitened so much they sparkled. How could she have ever thought his smarmy grin was attractive?
A quick glance behind him made her realize the young woman—no, girl—in the little black dress was with him. She hovered close enough to be within listening distance.
“You look different,” he said, studying her face. “I’m not sure what it is.”
“I’m happy.” Julia supplied the information with a toss of her head.
He laughed. The rich baritone of his voice didn’t have the effect it used to. “You’ve gotten a bit cocky, too. I like it.”
He didn’t hide his interest. He let his eyes wander down the length of her body, stopping for a moment at the neckline of her top, not even bothering to hide his blatant approval of the figure flattering outfit.
Julia tried not to squirm, instead standing up straight. How dare he, after all this time, with his new plaything standing right behind him within earshot?
He leaned against a shelving unit and shoved one hand into the pocket of his trousers. He looked the epitome of relaxed and confident. His confidence had been one of the things she’d admired about him at first. He acted as if he ruled the world and everyone should just fall in line with his plans.
What she admired about him had also been the problem. She’d fallen in line with his plans. There had always been some reason why they had to postpone starting their future together. First he had to get his MBA. Then he strived for a promotion. Once he got the promotion, he became busy settling into his new post as director, working hard to impress the higher-ups. It was always something. She had been patient and understanding and had wanted him to achieve all the success he deserved, because she had loved him.
In loving him and devoting her time to supporting him and his endeavors, she’d lost a part of herself. She had her own career, but her focus had been making sure he achieved his goals and making sure whenever he was ready to move forward, she was available. Eight years she had spent with him, slowly curling into herself.
Deep down she’d known the relationship wasn’t going anywhere, but she’d been afraid to move on, and who would be crazy enough to walk away from such a catch? She’d already invested so much time. So instead of giving him an ultimatum or walking away, she had invested more time. In the end, their relationship ended because she was no longer fun. Because somehow his nineteen-year-old lover satisfied something in him she couldn’t.
“I heard through the grapevine you’re on your way to making partner,” he said.
“That’s right.” Julia tilted up her chin.
“Good for you. You’re breaking through the glass ceiling and shaking up the good ole boy network. You always did have an amazing drive.” He paused dramatically, and she knew his next words would cut her down somehow. “Too bad you didn’t put as much effort into our relationship, or we would still be together.”
Jerk. “You have that backwards. You’re the one who wasn’t giving one hundred percent to our relationship. By the way, how’s the kid?” She paused for dramatic effect, too. The sideways smile slipped from his face. “She should be, what—twenty-one, twenty-two now?”
Take that, Julia thought with grim satisfaction. He straightened to his full height, a tactic to intimidate her and make her feel small.
“She and I are no longer together. She’s doing fine, though. So is my son.”
Julia felt a twinge of pain at the reference to his son. When she’d left him, she hadn’t known the gender of his child. She was certain he hadn’t either at the time, because it had been too early to tell. Now she had that bit of information, the child became real, and the old wound reopened.
He must have sensed the break in her armor because he went in for the kill. “Any kids, Julia? A man, even?”
His arrogant tone indicated his confidence she hadn’t found anyone to replace him. He had never liked the fact she had broken up with him. He’d actually tried to convince her they could work out the “problem” of his girlfriend and their child together. How pathetic had she been that he would even suggest such a thing—to think she would consider staying with him after he’d crushed her hopes and humiliated her in such an effective manner. Or was it simple arrogance that made him think she would remain in a relationship with him?
As if on cue, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Freddie round the corner on his way toward them
. Their eyes locked, and relief flooded her system.
“You find what you were looking for?” he asked, his worried gaze resting on her face, ignoring the man standing nearby. He must have figured out right away something was wrong.
“Are you kidding me, Julia?” He stood there, staring at Freddie with a look of disbelief on his face. “You’ve upgraded your professional life and downgraded your personal one? You’re living la vida loca now?”
Freddie finally acknowledged the stranger by turning to face him. They stood toe to toe, about the same height. “And you are . . .?”
Worth Waiting For Page 7