14. Chase
Chase
# Never underestimate a man brave enough to wear Cuban heels
I t’s another day and another pair of heels. These are leopard print and they make her legs look even more incredible than usual. When I think she’s not looking, I allow my eyes to rake over her entire body, but when they travel back up to her face, she’s watching me with an amused look on hers.
“See something you like?” she asks.
I see every-fucking-thing that I like. “The shoes, Addie,” is all I do say though.
“They’re gorgeous, right?” She pops one leg up.
“They’re fucking killing me,” I mumble, quiet enough that she doesn’t hear and when she asks what I said, I simply open the door and remind her we have dance rehearsals to get to.
Samuel Brown, our dance instructor, is a former Broadway star and winner of the Vermont Starlight Award for Best Choreography by a Newcomer as he has advised us all at least five times in the past hour.
The steps for this particular number—which Brax and Eva would like their parents, the groomsmen and their partners, along with Addie and me, to perform after their first dance—aren’t particularly difficult.
However, both Brax and his dad appear to be getting it very wrong, at least according to the hellish screams coming from Samuel every five minutes.
He’s particularly focused on Brax, who in his loud opinion, “has the rhythm of a one-legged goat herder . ” I mean I didn’t know that goat herders were particularly well-known for their lack of rhythm, but I don’t keep up to date with all things dance related, so.
The dance is another idea of Eva’s mom’s.
Apparently, it will make us all feel involved as well as encouraging everyone else to get their asses on the dance floor.
All I care about right now though, is that I’m staring into the eyes of the most beautiful woman in the world, and for the next few hours at least, I will have an entirely legitimate excuse to have my hands on her.
“Right, now we go again!” Samuel announces, clapping his hands.
And a few seconds later the opening beats of “September” start playing—a song Eva’s mom chose.
I slide my hand to the small of Addie’s back and take her left hand in my right one.
I tug her a little closer, not close enough that she’ll feel exactly how much I enjoy dancing with her, but close enough that her breath stutters a little.
Then we grin at each other as Samuel loudly shouts out the steps.
“He’s so intense,” she whispers.
“I think he might have a fit if Brax or your dad mess up the steps again.”
She snickers.
“Focus!” Samuel barks, clapping again. “Dancing is not supposed to be fun!”
Addie pulls a confused face and mouths, “Seriously?”
I make a shushing gesture with my lips before she gets us into more trouble, and the eye roll she gives me in return does something to me.
Something that makes me want to bring her bratty side out to play.
I glance around the room and confirm everyone is too focused on their steps to notice what we’re doing.
And I know I might be opening myself up to a swift kick in the balls here, but I do it anyway, I swat Addie’s ass.
A gentle tap, but enough for her eyes to blow wide and her mouth to drop open. She doesn’t miss a single step though.
“Did you just?” she mouths.
“I warned you not to roll your eyes at me,” I mouth back.
She presses her lips together, trying to look indignant, but her pupils are so dark it’s hard to see the sparkling hazel of her eyes.
Her lips twitch now, like she wants to smile, but daren’t.
The skin at the base of her neck turns a light shade of pink, the faint blush disappearing beneath the collar of her sweater—a place where I’d very much like to explore right now.
I’d love nothing more than to see just how far that blush goes.
She tries to stomp on my standing foot with her heel, but I dodge her, and then maneuver her into a twirl, a move that was not sanctioned by Samuel and which therefore draws me a thorough scolding. I think this is the first time in my life I’ve been given a dressing down by a man in Cuban heels.
When Samuel is done berating me, Addie and I resume our scripted dance and she’s practically vibrating from suppressing her laughter, and we resume our silent argument.
“That was your fault.”
She tilts her chin, a smirk on her pretty face. “It was no less than you deserved.”
I growl, yanking her body even closer to mine, and then I dip my head enough so that I can press my mouth close enough to her ear and speak without Samuel or anyone else hearing. “You, my naughty Firefly, deserve an actual spanking for that.”
Her breath catches in her throat and I feel the shiver run through her body. She likes the sound of that, even if she’s not going to admit it to me.
“And done!” Samuel announces. “Let us take a short break and then we will practice again.”
Addie steps back, her eyes full of fire as they burn into mine. I’m probably going to hell for all of the things I’m currently thinking about doing to her right here in this dance studio, but that doesn’t stop me from thinking them.