Page 26 of Wild Heart

“Show me how much you missed me. Stay here on the dance floor with me.”

Tate grew concerned. I expected nothing less. He might have been trying to play it cool when he first walked up and asked me to dance, but a slow dance was so much different than this, especially for a man like Tate.

“Uh, I’m not sure I?—”

“Please,” I begged, bringing my body even closer as I moved to the music. His hands were on my hips, his eyes locked on mine, and the tension in his body was unmistakable. “I’ll do all the work.”

“Won’t I look like a fool if I just stand here doing nothing while you dance?”

I raised a curious brow, one half of my mouth quirking. “Didn’t you say you were positive I was the best dancer in this ballroom?”

“Yes.”

“Did you mean that?”

“Absolutely.”

My smile grew. “Then trust me and have confidence I know what I’m doing. I’ll make you look not like a fool, but like you’re the luckiest guy in this room.”

There was an edge of uncertainty and worry in his stare, even if there was a hint of desire swirling in his eyes. Tate was totally out of his element here. His body was stiff, his muscles rigid. I continued to move in front of him, sliding my hands down his arms and shifting the placement of his hands on my body. I wanted to focus on the way it felt as his fingers pressed in just a bit deeper, but I was too focused on my task of convincing him, of making him let go of the hold he had on himself.

He wrestled with what to do, but eventually, he asked, “What should I do?”

Why did it feel like he’d given me the world and broken my heart with that one question? That he was willing to go outside of his comfort zone and give me this meant everything. But I couldn’t help wondering why he had been so unwilling all these years. What made today different? I hadn’t shared my plans about where my life was heading after I finished on the tour, so nobody could have leaked that information to him. Did he suspect something?

I could have easily spent the rest of the evening analyzing it, but I quickly decided against it. This was my one chance. I refused to ruin or waste it.

Leaning close, I brought my mouth to his ear and whispered, “Let me lead.”

He twisted his neck slightly, his mouth just inches from mine. It killed me not to take advantage of the proximity and kiss him. As bold as I was, I wouldn’t be the one to make that move.

I wanted it to come from him. I needed Tate to be the one to take the lead on that. And I’d do everything in my power to make him see that he wanted this as much as I did.

Determined to make and leave a lasting impression, I smiled and said, “Keep your hands on my body and move with me.”

His fingertips bit into my flesh, a silent confirmation he’d heard my instructions. With that in hand, I executed the rest of the plan.

I danced.

I danced and danced like I’d never done it before.

I danced like Tate and I were the only two people in the room, like the rest of the world had faded away.

From one song to the next, I didn’t stop. And Tate, for all the nerves and discomfort he might have felt being in this moment, did precisely as I said. He kept his hands on my body, and he moved with me.

It wasn’t perfect at the start, his mind clearly making it difficult for him to loosen up. But by about halfway through the second song, things took a turn. He moved with a bit more ease, and his hands floated along my sides to my hips, and around my waist effortlessly.

When I noticed him getting just a bit more comfortable with where we were and what we were doing several songs later, I took things up a notch. I spun myself around, my ass dangerously close to his groin.

Tate’s hands were on my hips, and whether concerned I’d gotten too far away or primal instinct taking over, I didn’t know, but he tugged me back toward him.

That’s when I knew I’d succeeded. Because not only had he done something to take charge and get what he wanted, but I could also feel his arousal straining against the material separating our bodies. I dropped my head back against his shoulder, twisted my neck to look up at him, and saw the heat and desire burning in his stare.

Kiss me.

My silent plea went unanswered.

I arched my back, pressing my ass firmly against him and making it clear I liked what I felt pushing back against me. Despite the music, I could feel the rumble of his groan in his chest as it vibrated against my back.