Tempted by a Dangerous Man by Cleo Peitsche Page A

thing I was up to,” he said.
    I shook my head. “It’s surreal, you know. This. Us.”
    “For me, too. Because it’s normal.”
    “Don’t ask me how, but that makes sense.”
    He raised his eyebrows, nodded.
    After dinner—which Corbin insisted on paying for—he led me through another door. There was a covered walkway with a red carpet that led outside. With Corbin’s arm around me, I barely felt the cold. Then we went up four steps.
    A man quickly opened the door for us.
    Corbin offered me his arm as we passed into the building. Everything was sparkling chandeliers and plush carpet, and I saw two other couples, the men dashing, the women smothered in diamonds.  
    The wine I’d had with dinner had left me a little tipsy, making everything even sweeter. I sighed, feeling like the star of a black-and-white movie.  
    I heard music, an orchestra. We went around a pillar and were at the opening of a grand ballroom.  
    There were tables and waiters with small trays, but no one was sitting or drinking. Instead, graceful couples swept around the dance floor, moving in time with the music. It was incredible how no matter whether they were turning or dipping, or which direction they moved, their movements seemed synchronized.  
    “I can’t,” I gasped as Corbin started forward.
    He turned. “But I’ll be with you.”
    I licked my lips and looked at the gliding couples. “I’m not a dancer.”
    “You just have to follow,” he said. He leaned closer. “It’s my job to make you look good. Trust me.”
    There it was. Trust. It kept coming up between us. And while I doubted he would give up on me if I refused to dance with him, it certainly wouldn’t help my case.
    And anyway, he was already leading me to the edge of the dance floor. He faced me, and I placed my hands in his. “I don’t even know what music this is,” I said.
    “Foxtrot.”
    “But I don’t remember. It’ll be like learning all over again.” I felt my face heating with embarrassment. Being out of my depth didn’t bother me. Corbin knew I wasn’t a high-society girl, and I didn’t think he expected to turn me into one. If he did, he was going to have a very big surprise.
    Looking like a fool wasn’t the problem. Colliding with one of the statuesque women and sending her crashing to the floor…
    “You know the basic rhythm.”
    “Not sure—”  
    “You do.” He dropped his voice. “Baby, you do. Keep your body loose and I’ll do the rest.” He waited a beat, then pulled me into the crowd. “Breathe,” he said.  
    “If I pass out, I’ll be a lot less resistant,” I said as Corbin danced me backward.
    “I like you resistant.” He was looking straight ahead, so I couldn’t see his expression, not when I was so close to him.  
    “You’d like me better if I were obedient.”
    “No way.” He danced us in a circle, changed direction as another couple plowed obliviously through. Now that I was on the floor, I realized that I wasn’t the only beginner. And while Corbin and I were dressed to the nines, many of the other dancers were wearing vintage clothing. Rhinestones, not diamonds.
    It wasn’t the snooty ballroom I’d first thought.  
    The music slowed and stopped, then the small orchestra started anew. “What’s this?” I asked.
    “Waltz. Pretend that you’re wearing oversized pajamas, and we’ll be fine.” He grinned down at me, and I stared up into his eyes. I decided that this was the most perfect moment of my life.  
    And I couldn’t concentrate on the steps. But it didn’t matter. Because Corbin held me in his arms. Just like he’d promised.

    ~~~

    By the time the orchestra had begun to bow for the applauding dancers, I was floating on a cloud of bliss. Dancing had never been my thing, but watching Corbin do something so well was worth every bumbling, clumsy step.  
    How he managed to stay out of the way of my ill-timed kicks and hesitant steps, I had no idea. But he did. And he made it look easy.