Bella rotated right on schedule, facing me again after four beats. If I wasn’t mistaken, she looked rather pleased with herself.
“See? You can stop acting like this is torture. I’ve kept you away from your family for at least three minutes.” I returned my hand to Bella’s sleek waist, trying not to notice how good it felt to hold her there.
“Good point,” she murmured.
The dance floor was more crowded than it had been a few minutes ago. And I could tell when Bella relaxed, because she smiled at me the next time I turned her.
This was worth a weird-ass night with her family. Because I’d finally made Bella smile.
Unfortunately, all good merengues come to an end. And even though the crowd applauded more enthusiastically for my dance than for any other, the band segued into a slow song. I heard the opening strains of Louis Armstrong’s “A Kiss to Build a Dream On.”
“Okay,” Bella said, stepping back. “I danced. Can I have more wine now?”
“Almost,” I said, stepping close again, putting my hand on the small of her back. “One more. Because it just doesn’t make sense for your fake boyfriend to skip the slow dance.”
“This is your game, not mine.” But Bella put her hand on my shoulder anyway, and let me lead her slowly around the floor.
I was born in the wrong decade, I swear it. Because dancing to live music with a beautiful girl was absolutely my idea of a good time. “Turn, belleza,” I said, lifting my hand to gently spin her.
When she came back around to face me, she had a startled look on her face.
“It just means beautiful,” I said. “A good fake boyfriend would use that word.”
“I get that,” she said, putting her head on my shoulder. “It’s just that the first time you called me that, I was riding your dick.”
“What?” I sputtered.
Her mouth was just beside my ear, so she whispered. “You heard me. All those things you whispered to me in Spanish when we were naked. That was hot as fuck.”
Annnd now I was hard. Do not think about that night, I ordered myself. But my body heated anyway.
“Damn, that was fun,” Bella sighed, her hand on my chest. “It’s really too bad I’ve given up men.”
All the awkwardness of the moment bubbled up then, and I laughed. “Maybe you should have brought a fake girlfriend as your date. That would shake up the family.”
Bella giggled, and her hair tickled my chin. “You’re a freaking genius. Next time I’m doing that.”
Does it make me an idiot that I hated to hear her agree with me? I was really enjoying my role tonight. Maybe too much. I held her a little closer as we danced. The band had no vocalist, but I could hear Louis Armstrong’s voice in my head. Give me… a kiss to build a dream on. “I’ve always loved this song,” I confessed.
“Wait, really?” Bella stood up taller so she could look me in the eye. “Have you listened to the lyrics? The guy gets a single kiss, and he basically says that it’s enough — he’s just going to fantasize about it for the rest of his life. I mean… what a rip.”
I bit back a smile. “It’s romantic.”
“It’s unsatisfying,” she countered. “Here, I’ll show you.” Before I knew what was happening, Bella came closer. Her silky thumb stroked once across my cheekbone. Then she stood up on her toes and kissed me.
The first press of her sweet lips against mine stopped my breathing. Though you couldn’t have paid me to resist her. Sheer instinct made me lean into that kiss with my entire being.
Bella’s mouth melted onto mine, and a needy little sound issued from the back of her throat. Heaven. I deepened the kiss, and our tongues touched once. She tasted of red wine and desire. An electric pulse traveled the length of my body. Unbidden, my hands pulled her closer, my fingers in her hair…
The sound of applause brought me back to earth with a thunk. The song had ended, and the band segued into some kind of swing tune. Bella and I broke apart on a gasp. For a second we just stared at each other. “See?” she said eventually.
But I didn’t have the faintest recollection of the point she’d been trying to make. “What?”
Amusement tickled her features. “Never mind. I hear my wine glass calling me.” She tugged on my hand.
I got a hold of myself as we walked toward the table. There was nobody on the planet like Bella. And no matter how fucked up things were, she was never boring. Smiling to myself, I gave her a single kiss on the temple as we walked. “Thanks for the dance.”