16. Chapter 16 #2
Both girls squealed and got to their feet.
At least once a week Sienna would dance with the girls before dinner.
She clicked on her phone, and music filled the space from the wireless speakers in the room.
Sienna put her arms in the air and swiveled her hips as the girls danced with abandon.
Bella alternated between jumping up and down like a spring with her arms in the air to dropping her little butt like she was doing squats.
Lily twisted like a top. Sienna closed her eyes and let the music roll over her.
She loved doing this with the girls, and it was a stress reliever too.
And she definitely needed to relieve some stress.
When she opened her eyes, Lily and Bella had stopped dancing and were watching her.
No. They were looking behind her. Her heart sped up as she turned.
John stood in the doorway. His gaze tracked her from head to toe, but what surprised her more than anything was the expression on his face.
An actual smirk. She didn’t think the grump even knew what a smirk was. And it looked way too good on him.
“Don’t let me interrupt,” the cocky male said.
“You’re not. Would you like to join us? What do you think, girls? Should Unka Gumpy dance with us?”
“Yes!” Lily yelled while Bella giggled.
John lifted his hands in front of him to hold them off, but he didn’t lose the grin. “I don’t dance.”
She wasn’t shocked. “Never?”
“Not for a long, long time.”
Her inner voice whispered an idea to her, and she did some smirking of her own. “Is it a generational thing?” She picked up her phone and selected a song. A waltz from Tchaikovsky played.
His smirk changed to a full grin, which had her stomach swooping like she was on a roller coaster. And then after a drawn-out did-I-push-too-far moment…he held out his hand to her. His blue-gray eyes sparked, and his dark eyebrow rose in challenge.
Her inner voice screamed, Do it! Do it!
She stepped closer and rested her hand in his.
Let it be said that Sienna Simonson would always take the dare.
He wrapped his hand around hers and something clicked.
He pulled her closer and used his other hand to guide her free hand to his shoulder, and then he rested his hand on the small of her back.
Up went his eyebrow again. “Do you want to lead, or shall I?”
She couldn’t keep the smile from her face. “You can lead. This time.”
He let out a low chuff, almost a chuckle, and her heart sped up at the sound.
And then they started to move and her heart soared.
Who would have thought that John Baker could dance?
Really dance. So many questions threatened to break free, but she pushed the noise in her head away so that she could savor the moment.
She was so close to him, she could see the crinkles next to his eyes while he smiled.
She wished those lines had been made from years of joy instead of years of pain.
But she wouldn’t be sharing that. She was afraid if she said anything, the bubble would burst and he would step away from her and back to protecting himself.
He spun her quickly, and her breath caught at the motion and the tightening of his arms.
The music swelled and so did her heart. A few more magical turns and then she saw when reality started creeping back into his expression and he slowed to a stop when the song ended.
The girls clapped and Sienna smiled at him. “Thank you for the dance.”
He backed away, releasing her, and she caught sight of the hand that he’d pressed lightly to her lower back. A flash of color on his wrist caught her attention.
Before she could comment, Lily rushed over to them, gasping. “That was so pretty.” Then Lily beamed. “You’re wearing the bracelet!”
He blinked at the little girl. Sienna knew how powerful Lily’s smile was. It could break through the hardest of hearts. “Thank you for making it for me.”
The wattage of her smile increased. “You’re my friend.”
And for Lily it was as simple as that. Bella toddled over and held up her hands to Sienna, who scooped her up and snuggled her to hide the moisture in her eyes.
This curmudgeon of a male had worn a little girl’s friendship bracelet because he was going to see her. The wall surrounding Sienna’s heart cracked.
“Will you teach me to dance like that?” Lily asked John.
His eyes widened before looking at Sienna as if asking permission. She nodded to him as emotion clogged her throat.
He cleared his throat, making her wonder if he was feeling the same before he reached for Lily’s hands. “Why don’t you stand on the top of my feet?”
Sienna picked a slower waltz. John carefully danced with Lily holding on tight while Sienna spun a giggling Bella around the room.
After this moment? Her walls crumbled and she couldn’t keep him away from her heart any longer.
He wasn’t the only one who kept his emotions tightly controlled. Who worried about the future and if she would ever find someone to spend her life with. There was a reason why she had built the walls around her heart to begin with.
Was she setting herself up for failure? Or in the very least a one-sided attraction that would crush her in the end? Very likely considering he was leaving as soon as he could.
Besides, she didn’t have time for romance. Her clan and family were her priority. Stop the curse, save their dragons, heartbreak be damned.