Maddox made a sound at the back of his throat, and I looked at him through the mirror. His face hardened, and his eyes grew darker, his pupils dilating.
He grasped my hips and spun me around, taking me by surprise. He pulled me closer, our bodies clashing together. His hand skimmed over my bare thighs, right where the shorts ended, and he slowly lifted my left leg up, hooking my thigh around his hip. Fire licked its way through my veins, and I burned hotter.
Maddox dipped me low, and his warmth seeped through my clothes all the way through to my bones.
“You look a little red, Garcia,” he rasped. “Am I too hot for you?”
He pulled me back up, and my heart thudded in my chest. I turned around and rolled my eyes, trying to look indifferent to his stupid remarks and his close proximity.
Maddox chuckled low, his chest vibrating with the sound, and I felt the vibration against my back. “You’re rolling your eyes at me, I know. I can see your reflection in the mirror, Lila.”
My eyes narrowed on him, and I swiveled around again, swatting his chest. “Concentrate on the dance, Maddox.”
His arm snaked around my waist, and he pulled me hard into his body. I stumbled into his chest. “I have you,” he muttered softly, and his arm tightened around my waist.
Maddox fished out the white blindfold from his pocket, and he covered my eyes, stealing away my ability to see. I was supposed to be blindfolded for half of this dance, making it trickier. It was all about trusting your dance partner.
It forced me to feel every one of his moves, his steps, our matching rhythm, our shuddering breaths and the heat coming off him. My body was even more hyperaware of Maddox’s closeness to me.
His warmth left me for a brief moment and our song, the song we were supposed to be dancing to, filled the tiny dance studio.
“Time of my Life.”
There was no way Maddox and I could compete with the original dance and actors from the movie Dirty Dancing; they were legends, but it was my favorite movie and song and it was perfect for this dance.
Blindfolded, I waited for Maddox to return to me.
I could feel him somewhere around the room, watching me. The heat of his gaze had my stomach clenching.
The longer he took, the more nervous I became. Tick, tick, tick.
His body brushed against my back, and I sucked in a breath. I squeezed my eyes shut behind my blindfold and reminded myself to breathe. His hand drifted down, his fingers whispering over my body. My ribs, my stomach, my hips. Maddox touched me like I was a made of glass, fragile to his exploration.
Maddox pulled me into him, and he started to move. I followed his steps through our mixed tango and contemporary dance.
He gripped my hips and twirled me left and right before I fell back into his arms. My heart raced faster, and his breathing was ragged. I imagined his hard face and eyes that were so blue I drown in them. Beautiful.
Mine.
Oh, I wished.
I embraced the music and swayed with the flow, matching Maddox’s rhythm and letting him lead me through blindly. I was at his mercy.
After spinning me around and with my heart in my throat, Maddox pulled me back into his body. With one hand on my waist, he grabbed my thigh and slowly brought my leg up to his hip. I hooked my ankle around his thigh, right under his ass. I was breathing hard now, and I wished I could see his face.
His breath brushed my nose. “Is this right? That’s the correct move?” Maddox asked, his voice deep and gruff.
I nodded, mutely. Then, he slowly dipped me low. I released myself into his arms and let him move me. With me bent backward, his body molded over mine. He pressed his face against the crook of my neck. It was just part of the dance, I told myself.
Maddox inhaled.
I exhaled.
He brought me back up, and my leg fell from around his hip. He spun me around to the right and then one quick twirl to the left before Maddox brought me closer to him again. Our movements were synchronized.
I lifted my arms up, and his hands slid down my waist, just below my ribs. I swayed and moved my hips to the music. His fingers tightened on my waist before he lifted me up. My feet left the floor, and I wrapped my legs around his hips before he bent me backward again.
When we were finally standing straight up, I hugged him close, burying my face in his neck. I felt slightly dizzy, my heart beating too fast. But so was his.
Body against body. Chest to chest. I felt his heart beating to the same maddening rhythm as mine. Maddox twirled both of us around once.
My stomach tightened as I slid down his body, and my feet touched the ground once again. His fingers grazed my flushed cheek, and I wondered if he could feel how hot I was. Maddox removed the blindfold as he was told to do during our dance practices.
I blinked, and our eyes locked together.
His face shone with sweat, and my hair was sticking to my sweaty forehead and cheeks. His eyes narrowed on me, hungry and searching. Blazing with something – I didn’t understand, I couldn’t explain.
The expression on his face… I wished I knew what it was.
Maddox took a step back… then another and another, walking backward from me. The song was coming to an end; this was our final move.
Once there was enough distance between us, he crooked his finger at me, beckoning for me to come to him.
I did.
I walked, and then I took off running, one final lift, the same climatic lift as the one in the movie.
Once I was close enough to Maddox, I jumped. His hands gripped my hips, and he lifted me up and over his head. Strong and firm, he kept me steady.
Oh God.
Every muscle in my body tightened. I released a shaky breath as I slowly slid down the length of his body, feeling every hard inch of him. My palms pressed over his chest, sliding down his ribs and abs.
“I got you,” he rumbled.
Do you?
Once I was touching the ground again, I curled my arms behind his neck, and our foreheads pressed together. His lips brushed against the tip of my nose, and my eyes fluttered close.
I can’t breathe.
I swayed, dizzied by the mere proximity of Maddox. My heart hammered in my chest. He exhaled, and his minty breath was on my lips.
Don’t kiss me.
Kiss me.
No, don’t ruin this.
A loud clap against the silence of the room had me flinching away. My eyes flew open, and Maddox’s darkened as he pulled away.
I swiveled around and faced Bea. When did she get here?
“Lila!” she squealed, clapping her hands. “That was amazing… explosive! Oh my god!”
Bea walked further into the room, looking quite pleased. If there was any tension in the air, she ignored it.
She fanned herself. “The chemistry… Sweet Jesus, have mercy on us. Just wow! No one would believe you two are just friends. That was… yeah, wow.” Bea pointed at Maddox and I. “This is exactly what I was looking for. You need chemistry with your dance partners. You need the audience to feel your dance even though they aren’t dancing.”
Her smile widened. “Oh, I’m so excited. Thank you, Maddox. For doing this on such short notice.”
“Lila asked,” he grumbled, running his fingers through his hair. “I couldn’t say no.”
Bea turned to me. “Are you guys hungry? We can grab lunch.”
Maddox took a step back, pulling further away from me. He grabbed his duffel bag, his jaw clenching and his body tensing. “No. You go ahead. I’m leaving.”