CHAPTER THREE
Skye
“Snickerdoodle!” I pant, my heart racing.
Is it due to the shock of multiple dizzying transitions?
Or is it being held by Luke, his arms cradling me close as if I’m precious?
Each alone is easily the most exciting thing to happen to me in years, so I guess it’s no wonder the two combined make my entire body come alive. “We’re right back where we started.”
The song has reset, the couples’ positions have reset, and we’ve reset, standing face to face once again with Luke’s hands on my waist. He looks so different like this, without his horns or wings.
It makes him appear more approachable, sure, but it also feels…
wrong somehow. This isn’t really him, the Luke I’ve watched from the corner of my eye for months.
“Don’t tell me we’re going to have to Groundhog Day our way out of this,” I moan.
“I don’t know what that means.” Luke’s expression hardens, and I could swear I almost see fire flicker in his eyes, but his hands on my waist remain gentle. “Explain.”
Before I get the chance, Miss Michelle glides over to us, her body moving with the beauty of a dancer, all swaying hips and graceful gestures.
“What in the world are you two doing? Now, Luke, I thought we’d moved past this.
You’re supposed to be doing a waltz, not the awkward foot shuffle of your first high school dance.
” Her beautiful brown face breaks into a smile, and she tosses me a cheery wink as she corrects our hand positions.
“There, that’s better. Now you take the lead and let Skye mirror you. ”
As soon as she steps away, I whisper-hiss, “Oh, my god. She’s even repeating the dialogue from the book. It’s totally like Groundhog Day.”
“I still don’t know what that means,” Luke growls, his golden eyes spearing into mine.
“It’s a movie where this guy gets caught in a time loop.
He repeats the same day over and over. He doesn’t get free until he gets it right,” I whisper.
“I think we have to do the same. We have to complete this lesson successfully like the couple in the book.” I don’t know how I know this, but the words feel true.
This is the couple’s first dance lesson, and they finally manage to do a few rounds of the most basic waltz by the end, even though the main male character doesn’t want to be here any more than Luke does.
“Explain these characters we’re playing.” The dragon’s golden eyes bore into mine.
“My character is an event planner who agrees to help her neighbor throw the annual fireman’s ball if he’ll partner her for their small town’s Valentine’s Day dance competition. He hates dancing, but his fire station really needs the funds.”
“Okay, everyone, let’s keep with the beat,” Miss Michelle says. “One, two, three. One, two, three.”
Luke’s eyebrows slam together, forming a solid line.
His eyes rake across the room, watching the other couples with burning intensity for several moments.
“You can’t be serious. You expect me to dance?
” He spits the last word like it tastes bad.
“I’m one of the premier magical researchers in all the realms. I study and devise new spells. I don’t have time for such frivolity.”
I wince. He’s only stuck in this book because of my magic… and I haven’t even admitted it’s a romance book yet. Although if we finish this scene and break the spell, all the stuff that comes later won’t matter.
Because this book? All the reviews say it’s super spicy with age gap and pleasure Dom kink.
If Luke’s mad now, he’ll be furious about having to kiss me and…
other things. Oh, god, ever since my besties figured out my crush on Luke, there’s been a running series of inside jokes about dragons having two dicks.
My cheeks heat, and my heart starts to race again from imagining it.
“I… I don’t have another idea,” I stammer, “other than finishing this dance lesson successfully.”
His mouth compresses into a hard line. Then he gives a sharp nod. “For the sake of research purposes, we will do as you say. Perhaps I’ll be able to write a treatise about our experiences.”
“Okay, good.” The words tumble out of me in a relieved rush. “We seem to have missed the first part of the lesson, where the instructor showed us the steps, but I bet we could get her to show us again.”
Luke’s scowl dials up to eleven, his eyes flashing.
“What?” I ask.
“I do not like being thought incompetent,” he growls.
Miss Michelle descends upon us. “Luke, Skye, what seems to be the problem?”
“Oh, thank goodness you’re here.” I widen my eyes and gush, “I completely forgot the steps. Could you show them to me again?”
It’s a lie. I’m horrible at lying, but I try to really sell it, anyway.
I got us into this mess, so it’s up to me to try to get us out with as little pain for Luke as possible.
The whole reason I chose to read a contemporary romance book at all is because of the dance competition plot. I’m obsessed with dancing.
“Of course.” Miss Michelle smiles and assumes a dancer’s position, her arms held out as if to embrace an invisible partner. “We’re doing a box step.”
She counts out the one-two-three beat and moves smoothly through the steps for the follow partner. Uh-oh, my lie isn’t getting me what we need, which is Luke’s part.
“Can you lead me through the steps a few times? I’m more of a kinesthetic learner than a visual learner.
” I wince internally at another lie—I’m totally a visual learner—but it’s the only thing I can think of that lets Luke see the lead dancer’s footwork without him needing to admit he doesn’t know it.
Miss Michelle doesn’t seem to notice, but Luke sure does, cocking an eyebrow at me as I step from his arms.
When I take up the waltz position with Miss Michelle, the pressure of her hands tells me we’re about to move, so I glide backward with her first step, and then there’s no more thinking, only dancing.
“Skye! You’re a natural!” She beams at me, then flicks her eyes toward Luke, a look of understanding dawning across her face. “So not knowing the steps isn’t you,” she murmurs as we move across the dance floor. “Fragile male ego?”
Embarrassment heats my cheeks at being caught in a lie. It would be so easy to say yes and laugh it off, but that’s not fair to Luke. “No,” I whisper. “He’s only here because of me, so I want to make it as easy for him as possible.”
She nods and lets go of me to spin toward Luke. Before he can protest, she’s got him in position and practicing the moves. “Step forward with your left foot. No, your other left foot.”
I bite my lower lip to try to stop my giggle, but it’s no use—it escapes.
Luke’s so busy scowling at me that he flubs another step, which only makes me laugh harder.
Miss Michelle takes him through the steps a few more times, then releases him. “I have to check in with the other couples. Keep practicing.”
Luke takes me in his arms, a look of profound concentration on his face as we try again and again, my toes aching at being stepped on, the pointy tips of my hot pink heels smudged with the marks of his boots.
A low rumbling growl comes from deep in his chest, getting louder the more frustrated he gets. It becomes especially noticeable as soon as the music cuts out.
“Okay, everyone,” Miss Michelle gestures to us all. “Break apart, and let’s go through the steps again.” We form two lines with leads and follows facing each other. She takes each group through the steps to our half of the dance, moving much more slowly than the music allowed us to go.
For all his reluctance to dance, Luke’s innate grace becomes apparent compared to the human men, and I let my body move on autopilot as I sneak peeks of him in the mirror.
“Okay, back to your partners.”
Luke stalks over to me, pulling me into his arms.
“Why don’t you have your wings and tail?” I ask. “Is it the protection spell the shadow fae put on Ferndale Falls?” The glamour keeps non-magical humans from seeing the fae for what they really are, making everything look “normal” in town.
“I doubt said spell extends to here,” he says. “It probably has more to do with the world of the book having no magical creatures. Dragons do not exist here. Therefore, I cannot be a weredragon.”
“Let’s get started.” Miss Michelle calls out a slow one-two-three beat without turning on the music.
Luke shifts forward, his steps still a little hesitant, and I glide backward, trying to mirror his movements as best I can.
I might know the steps, but it’s not like I’ve ever practiced them with another person.
The more we do this, the more I realize dancing around my living room on my own doesn’t count as much as I thought it did.
The instructor slowly speeds up the timing, and without warning, she turns on the music again, perfectly cued to match our steps.
Things remain awkward for several minutes. Then something in Luke eases. We dance across the floor, two bodies moving together, and I get lost in the moment. Dancing with Luke feels just as magical as I’ve always imagined partnered dancing can be: two bodies, moving as one.
My world narrows to Luke. His hand gripping mine, the other cupping my shoulder blade.
The feel of his shoulder muscles rippling under my palm.
The sheer presence of him standing so close, huge and muscular and radiating heat.
We’re not even touching that much, but my entire body lights up with an awareness of his.
It feels as if a sparkler lit inside my chest, fizzy and fun and bright.
The music comes to a halt, and I’m caught mid-sway, not wanting this feeling to end.
“Good job, everyone! That’s it for tonight. I’ll see you next week for the next lesson, in which we’ll add a simple turn to the waltz.”
As the last echoes of Miss Michelle’s voice fade, the entire room starts to spin behind a curtain of golden sparkles, and I cling to Luke as the dizzying transition overwhelms me once more.
When my head stops whirling, we’re back in his library, surrounded by the pink wisteria trees and tables piled with books and scrolls.
“It worked!” I grin up at Luke, the real Luke, horns and all. Pleased excitement skitters through me, followed by relief. I didn’t trap us permanently!
He wrenches away from me. Magic sizzles through the air as his wings spread and he lifts a couple of feet off the floor.
Which makes me realize… “You didn’t have magic while we were inside the book!” Everyone says dragons are super powerful, and he hadn’t tried a single spell.
He scowls as he lowers back to the ground. “It doesn’t matter. We’re in the real world now. Retrieve your book, so you can leave.”
“Did I… did I not get the job?”
“We can discuss the job tomorrow. You’ve done enough for one day.”
I nod and turn away, swallowing down the lump in my throat.
It’s not a total rejection, but it sure feels like one.
Yet I also get why he’s mad. My first ten minutes on the job, and I suck him into a book, take away his magic, change his physical form, and force him to dance with me!
All without permission. I’m a walking HR violation over here!
Fudging fudge, I’m an entire HR cautionary video!
I can see it now—workplaces will have posters plastered all over their break rooms: “Don’t be Skye Summers! ”
If I’m lucky, fae don’t have HR departments. It’s not like I did the spell on purpose. But still—it’s a lot for anyone to accept from a new hire, especially since I haven’t had a chance to prove myself at all.
But I really want this job. Not only for the chance to work in a massive fae library or to be around Luke. With the extra pay, I can start the kids’ reading charity I’ve been dreaming of. I could buy so many new children’s books!
I shrug into my coat and pick up my purse. The rest of the books have settled back onto the tables, but my romance book still hangs overhead, surrounded by sparkles.
“Umm…” I bite my lip and give a little hop. My fingers brush against the book with a sting like touching a live wire. “Oww!” I suck my fingertips into my mouth.
Luke glares at my lips, his nostrils flaring. Then he stomps over and bats at the book. There’s a flash of light and a boom that rocks him back on his heels, his long auburn hair rippling in the wind of the blast.
Instead of being knocked out of the air, the book looks completely unperturbed. If anything, it sparkles harder.
“What does that mean?” I whisper.
Luke frowns, his tail lashing. “I fear it means we did not, in fact, break the spell.”
“So…” My tummy flips.
“So we might be sucked back inside the book at any time.”
Oh, no, no, no! Mortification flushes through me. If Luke hated having to dance with me, what’s he going to do when we get to the first spicy scene?