“You being here is help enough.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. All that’s left to do is mop, then I get to take you home with me.”
He goes back to his tasks, but every few seconds, he looks my way and smiles. I’m sure he would be done much faster if I wasn’t here distracting him. Or if he would let me freaking help. At least I’m getting a show out of it. Watching his muscles strain and flex against the tight fabric of his flimsy shirt, and those veins…
A shiver runs through me.
The only thing better than watching would be touching, and I can’t do that until he’s done closing up, and he would be done by now if he wasn’t being a stubborn ass.
“I feel useless,” I moan and lie back to sprawl on the freshly cleaned counter.
My boyfriend chuckles, and a few seconds later, his form blocks out the light, casting me in his shadow.
“You could never be useless.”
He offers me a hand and pulls me back up to sit, positioning himself between my dangling legs. God, he is massive. No one has ever made me feel so tiny. No one has made me feel so safe either. If he wanted to, he could wrap himself around me completely, shielding me away from the world and all of its sensory overload.
“Dance with me.” He doesn’t ask. No, those words are filled with Coach Gage’s commanding edge.
“What?”
“You heard me. You’ve danced with Nathan, all of the girls, and that punk-ass kid. I think it’s time I get a turn.”
“By that logic, I should dance with Morgan too.”
“Kori,” he growls.
“Okay.”
He grabs my hips and hoists me off the countertop, and he doesn’t put me down until he finds an empty spot to his liking.
“You know I’m really bad at this, right? I stepped on Nathan’s foot, like, eight times.”
“Oh, I know. But I’ll let you in on a little secret—so am I.”
He guides my hands to his neck and wraps his own around my waist, pulling me flush against his chest. Then he starts to sway. He was right that he is just as bad at this as I am. For someone who is so graceful on the mat, it’s like his body refuses to listen to his brain once a beat is involved. Our limbs move awkwardly, and every step is off beat, but I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a more perfect moment.
A thick ball lodges itself in my throat, and my eyes prickle. I rest my head against his chest to hide the overwhelming swell ofemotion. It’s too early to feel this way, right? He’s only been in my life for a few months and only been mine for a fraction of that time. I can’t love him yet.
The tight, warm pressure in my chest says otherwise.
He starts to sing along to the music—horribly off-key—but the words of epic loves and happy ever afters break whatever remaining hold I had on my emotions. A tear trickles down my cheek, and I bury my face further into his shirt. Once that dam breaks, my chest heaves with a sob.
And with that, the precious moment shatters. He pulls me from the comforting warmth of his body, and his hands cup both sides of my face. Fear dances across his features as he looks me over with a frantic gaze.
Way to go, Kori. My stupid emotions had to get in the way and ruin everything.
“Hey, baby, what’s wrong? Talk to me.” His voice cracks with the desperate plea.
“I’m just happy,” I tell him, feeling like the biggest idiot who’s ever lived. “You make me happy.”
Those stormy eyes grow glassy, and then his lips are on mine.
One hand slides around the back of my neck in a firm but gentle grip, and he deepens the kiss, plunging his tongue into my mouth. My tongue flicks out to meet his, pulling a groan from deep in his chest. That sound sends a shiver of need through my whole body. I throw my arms around his neck and pull him even closer to me.
“Goddamnit, Kor, you are so goddamned tempting,” he growls as he pulls himself away from me with a pained scowl.
