Page 25 of Three Pucks and a Baby

“Let me guess: if he has rhythm on the dance floor, he will in the bedroom?”

She nodded. “But it’s not just about rhythm.” Tapping my chest above my heart, she said, “You are a giving, gentle dance partner. You keep checking in with me to see if I want to continue dancing or go back and sit down. You don’t manhandle me or try to cop a feel. The way you handle me in your arms is reverent.”

“My mother taught me how to dance,” I blurted.

Oh, Jesus, I’d just cracked that closet a little for her. If we spent any more time on the dance floor, I was truly going to embarrass myself.

Of course, my brief flash of vulnerability lit Vivian’s face up. “She did?”

With a nod, I replied, “Since we had a dance floor at our restaurant, she insisted we learn how. A lot of times on Friday or Saturday evenings, she would make us go dance with lonely old ladies.”

Fucking hell. Why couldn’t I have just given her a simple yes or no answer? Vivian was wasting her skills as a universitylibrarian and should’ve been working on interrogating criminals. Just one look into her emerald eyes, and they would be spilling their guts.

The smile that curved on her lips caused my heart to do an uncharacteristic flutter. “Grayson, you are a stand-up guy.”

It wasn’t the first time I’d been called that, but coming from Vivian, it meant a hell of a lot. “Thanks, Viv.”

“Yep, you’re a stand-up guy who I know from dancing that you’ll show me patience, along with pleasure, in bed.”

“Damn straight,” I mused.

As the song came to an end, we clapped for Bennett. “Ready to take a little break?”

Vivian nodded. “Yes, I’m parched.”

She gripped my hand tight as I led her back to the table. Once again, I sandwiched her between us. To enable the three of us to talk, Vivian leaned back against the cushions of the booth while Theo and I sat forward.

“Did you enjoy your dance?” Theo asked nonchalantly.

“I did.” After taking a long gulp of her drink, Vivian turned to Theo. “I’d ask you to dance, but I hear you like to reply with sexist comments.”

Theo’s brows creased. “Excuse me?”

Lowering her voice to mimic Theo’s, she said, “You can dance on my dick.”

While Theo shot me a look, I groaned. “Did you have to bring that up, Viv?”

She gave me a sickeningly sweet smile. “I did.”

Before I could say anything, she turned her wrath back to Theo. “If you expect me to do any type of dancing on your aforementioned dick, you’ll make sure not only to treat me with respect but any other woman you come in contact with.”

“You just had to run your mouth, didn’t you?” Theo grumbled.

I held my hands up in defense. “What was I supposed to say when she asked?”

Theo rolled his eyes. “Maybe I just said no.”

“You know I suck at keeping secrets.”

“Apparently,” he replied drily before turning to Vivian. “You have my apologies.”

With a nod of her head, Vivian replied, “Good.”

Theo’s lips quirked at her. Just like me, I knew he was completely floored by Vivian.

To change the subject, I said, “So, we’ve had dinneranddancing. I would consider this more like two dates than one.”

Vivian grinned. “I see where you’re going with this.”

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