Page 49 of Sunny Skies and Summer Kisses

‘Are you saying you’d actually be willing to give me a dance lesson?’ He gave a lopsided grin.

‘Why not?’ She grinned back.Why not? Are you bonkers? There’s a million reasons why not!

‘Hmm.’ He rubbed his hand over his chin. ‘Tell you what, I’m actually quite liking that idea. Though I think it’s only fair to warn you, I’ve two left feet.’ His smile widened, making his eyes crinkle at the corners in that appealing way that made her heart skip a beat.

‘Oh, I’m sure you’re not that bad.’

‘Oh, I’m pretty sure I am, as your fraught nerves and bruised toes will testify when we’re done.’ He followed as she made her way to the studio she’d prepared for her lesson with Caro.

‘I don’t suppose you’ve any idea what style of dance you’d like to learn?’

‘What do you teach? I’m open to suggestions.’ He rested his hands on hips, amusement dancing in his eyes which Anoushka found a little disconcerting.

‘Ballet, street dance, hip-hop.’ She struggled to keep her face straight.

He gave a hearty laugh. ‘Can’t really see myself as a ballet man – I’m told these old legs of mine look terrifying in tights – don’t ask; something to do with a stag night in Temple Bar. I’m told people are still having nightmares about it.’

‘Okay.’ Anoushka couldn’t help but giggle. ‘Maybe you fancy going a bit more old school. How about ballroom, or maybe a jive? That’s fun.’

He hooked his thumbs into the pockets of his jeans. ‘Tell you what,’ he said, looking suddenly enlightened. ‘I’ve always fancied learning a bit of salsa; I love the music. Don’t suppose you could teach me a few Latin moves?’

‘No problem.’ She beamed at him, tucking her loose hair behind her ears. ‘I love salsa; it’s one of my favourite dances.’

Anoushka selected a suitable piece of music then slipped on a pair of heeled, dance shoes, the up-tempo beat of the music filling the room, giving her the urge to dance.

‘Fabulous!’ Happiness lit up Gabe’s face as he tapped his foot to the rhythm.

After a few minutes’ warm up she said, ‘Right then, let’s get started. I’m going to show you the forward and backwards basics.’

‘Okay. I’m liking the sound of basics. Think I can manage that.’

They stood side-by-side in front of the mirrors, the salsa beat pounding through them. Gabe listened intently as she ran him through the basic steps, calling out instructions as he copied her moves. ‘Left foot forward, right foot back, one, two, three, don’t step on four, five, six, seven. And repeat. Let’s go! Left foot forward, right back, one, two, three, don’t stop on four.’ He found it difficult to follow at first, tripping over his own feet several times, but didn’t seem to mind and had roared with laughter at his clumsy attempts.

‘I did warn you I have the coordination of a herd of charging elephants after a night on the sauce,’ he said, attempting the steps again, counting quietly to himself.

‘You’re doing really well; it can be tricky to get the steps right but once they click, you’ll be fine; it’ll come naturally. Come on, let’s try again. Then we can speed them up a bit.’

‘Speed them up? Hells bells! Has anyone ever told you you’re a slave driver?’ he asked, grinning.

‘Many times, but no one’s ever grumbled when they’ve passed their dance exams with flying colours.’

‘I’ll be doing an exam?’

His worried expression made her laugh. ‘Not unless you want to; this is just for fun.’

‘Well, it’s definitely fun.’

‘There, you’ve cracked it! I told you you would,’ she said, jumping up and down, clapping her hands when he’d finally managed to get the knack of the steps.

‘Woohoo! I did it!’ he said, punching the air. ‘Jaysus, I never thought I’d get there.’ He looked as thrilled as a child on Christmas morning.

Anoushka couldn’t help but think how good it felt to be around him.

A flash of something in the corner of her eye drew her attention to the window. She glanced across, but as usual there was no one to be seen. An image of Damon forced its way into her mind. Unnerved, her pulse started to race and goosebumps prickled over her skin.

‘You okay?’ Gabe asked, concern in his eyes.

‘Fine.’ She hoped she sounded more convincing to him than she did to herself.

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