Page 59 of In Step

And that was going to be a problem.

For both of us.

* * *

Judah was back on-form and the kid’s dance class was a blast. It was time to start teaching them the “Top Hat, White Tie and Tails” song, incorporating the props we’d gathered from Jam.

Judah worked with Hannah, who picked up her section fast—a simplified version of a tap dance using her canes on the floor. I rehearsed with Corrinne, who sat in her chair wearing a jerry-rigged top hat that she tipped on and off with one hand while swinging a cane in a sequence of wide arcs alternating with taps on the floor.

We left those two rehearsing while I taught Joseph the words of the song itself and how to dip and manoeuvre the old-fashioned stand-up microphone from his chair. His voice wasn’t the best of the group, but he was a natural in the spotlight, so we opted to have him front and centre and lip sync, much to his relief.

The other four, Rory, Violet, Candy, and Mike provided a kind of chorus line to Hannah and Corrinne, and although Judah started them off, it needed both of us to coordinate once I could leave Joseph to memorise the song. The varying abilities and the aids required by all the kids needed careful choreography to ensure they danced safely and no one was injured with a wheel over a foot or a cane to the back of the head.

We had a few close calls and all sorts of hilarity, the kids lampooning with each other in between some serious work. At one point, all four kids went in completely opposite directions when they were supposed to be in tight formation, and that was it. Judah and I collapsed on the floor laughing, along with the kids, and that was exactly how the parents found us when they came to collect their precious offspring. I couldn’t remember having more fun in a dance class.

The class finished at five, followed by dinner and a quick dance lesson with Leroy and Fox, after which I excused myself, to Leroy’s raised brows, and quietly slipped—read ran—upstairs to Kane’s bedsit. He met me at the door wearing nothing but a cocky smile and perky nipples, and it took me a second to catch my breath.

“Am I at the right place?” I peered around his shoulder. “Because I’m sure the man who lives here would never be so shameless. You might know him. His name’s Kane. He’s the quiet, retiring type.”

“Never heard of him. But you have excellent timing.” He tugged me inside, stripped me bare in thirty seconds flat, then yanked me into a steaming bathroom and set about blowing my mind, along with my cock in the shower, his naked bum hanging out the opening of the tiny stall. I returned the favour by facing him to the wall and rimming him while jacking him off until we both puddled on the floor in a wet and tangled mess of arms and legs.

We caught up on our day while we towelled off and donned some sweats. Kane dimmed the lights and lit some candles. I pushed the couch and chairs aside, and we had a forty-five-minute dance lesson to Julio Iglesias’sTangoalbum.

“Fuck, that’s one sexy voice.” Kane breathed the words into my ear as we danced. “I have no idea what he’s singing, but,oh my god, that accent. Tell me you can speak Spanish.”

I laughed. “Sadly, no.”

“I guess you can’t have everything.” He hummed and nuzzled into my neck, setting my cock jumping to attention without permission, like always seemed to happen whenever I was around him. “But you do have other... attributes.” He brushed his groin over mine and nibbled the soft lobe of my ear.

I groaned and turned to find his lips for a quick kiss. “Such a bad, bad student. You’re supposed to be paying attention.”

“Oh, I am.” He licked my ear. “You’ve no idea how much attention I’m paying.” Our cocks grazed again and my footwork might have stuttered.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” He turned his head toward me, setting his forehead to mine, his nose at my cheek—a head position that worked well for similar heights—and I drowned a little more in his magic. “I do hope I’m not distracting you.”

“You’re such a brat.” I pulled him tight and made a sharp turn, forcing him to focus and hang on. He’d barely caught his balance when I did it again.

He laughed and the sound filled the dimly lit room with a joy I could get lost in. Showered and shirtless, with his long blond hair smelling of vanilla, those deep-blue eyes so close I felt the flutter of his lashes on my temple, the smooth tanned skin of his back, hot under my hand, and what had become my favourite barely-there sweats hanging low on his hips, I was falling so fast I was gonna need a parachute.

And as the music faded at the end of the song, I stripped us both and pulled him into bed, wrapping my hand around our cocks and kissing him like I was drugged on his taste while I brought us both to a shuddering climax. Afterward, we lay naked in each other’s arms and whisper-talked about everything and nothing until it was after midnight and time for me to return to my own room.

Staying that first night had been a mistake. There was no point pre-empting Kane’s discussion with Leroy by being caught out of my bed in the morning, especially since we weren’t entirely sure of Leroy’s reaction. I just hoped no one was a dick and that the whole thing didn’t blow up in Kane’s face.

I crawled out of bed and dressed with Kane’s help, which meant it took three times as long due to the amount of groping and kissing involved. Then I sneaked back into the homestead, silently cursing when I saw the note on my bed reminding me about dinner at Judah and Morgan’s the next night.

Shit.

* * *

Friday, I didn’t see Kane at all. Judah and I rehearsed in the morning and then took a break before working with the kids in the after-school class. We rehearsed the “Top Hat” number a few times and then made a start on a second instrumental piece I’d choreographed around the theme of the four seasons. I’d done some prep for it while I’d been in Wellington, but having learned about the strengths and individual challenges each kid faced, I was reworking a few parts.

The kids were also preparing a short piece to present as either a solo or a pair performance. Judah wanted them to come up with the idea on their own and then use us to work through the actual logistics rather than us doing it all for them. They were nervous but enthusiastic. With not long to go till the recital, things were starting to take shape, and although I’d done this for twenty years, I felt surprisingly excited.

When class was done, I rushed back to the homestead, showered, grabbed something to snack on, and then legged it back down to the studio for the tango rehearsal. I was thrilled to see May and Linc were parked outside, having decided to give it a go, and there was a much easier vibe between Cora and her sons. Everyone was making an effort, and a little bit of dancing could only help.

I set Julio Iglesias on repeat, my foolish brain immediately tracking to Kane as I fought back a ridiculous grin and an unwelcome stir in my loose sweats. I shook it aside and focused on getting everyone on the floor so I could see what I was working with.

Morgan was lighter on his feet than I expected, and under Judah’s tutelage, they made a handsome couple.

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