Page 42 of An Inconvenient Marriage
He’d made it out of the black hole I was still firmly stuck in.
But this wasn’t the time nor the place to think about any of this.
With a subtle shake of my head, I forced my thoughts back to the present just in time to hear my brother talk about a collaboration with one of the most successful boy bands in recent history. I couldn’t stop the swell of pride blooming inside my chest.
“That’s amazing,” Natalie cooed beside me. “I can’t wait to hear the song.”
Javier grinned. “It’s being recorded in the States, I’m sure they won’t mind if you sit in on one of the studio sessions.”
Natalie perked up, and I couldn’t stop the tendrils of jealousy from slithering down my spine. Nor could I keep the murderous thoughts aimed at my brother from forming inside my head.
What the hell was this woman doing to me?
I was so lost inside my mind, I didn’t hear what her response was. Maybe that was a good thing, because whatever she said had my brother smiling as if he’d just won five Grammys.
Porque si dices otra palabra, te mataré yo.
“You know, Zacharias.” Unaware of my murderous thoughts, Javier turned his attention to me. “You never told me how you and the beautiful Natalie crossed paths.”
I cocked my head and pulled my brows together in mock disbelief. “I didn’t?”
“No, I did not know you were seeing someone.”
Natalie tensed up again, and I tugged her closer.
“Lo siento, hermano,” I apologized. “Natalie came into my life so suddenly, I wasn’t prepared for it. And then I didn’t want to share her with anyone.” I made a show of staring at her, only to find those blue eyes already studying me. “I’m sure now that you’ve met her, you can understand why.” I dragged my gaze away from her, turning my attention to Javier again. “It was supposed to be a business meeting with her father, but I found myself more interested in her.”
“Hmm.”
Javier’s eyes narrowed like he wanted to say more, but then his attention shifted to Natalie and stayed there. It irritated me so damn much, I had to see her, too. Much to my surprise, she wasn’t staring at my brother like I’d thought. Her eyes were glued on the dance floor.
I followed her gaze and saw that a professional dance couple had taken to the floor to entertain the crowd with a sensual salsa. It was beautiful to watch, and Natalie was clearly transfixed. Eyes lit up, fingers tapping against the table, she stared at the two people in the center of the dance floor.
Not that I blamed her, dancing was the one language everyone could understand. You could convey things with a twist of your hips or press of your palm you might not have been able to say out loud.
Dancing was an art, an expression of feeling. It was also a very public form of foreplay.
Did Natalie like to dance?
I was about to ask her when my brother beat me to it. Sliding to our side of the booth, he leaned in close, too close for my liking, and spoke above the beat.
“Want to dance?”
“Oh no.” She shook her head immediately, her blonde curls vigorously brushing over her shoulders. “It looks so fun, but I’m afraid I have two left feet.”
Javier’s charming smile was back. I wanted to smack it off his face.
“Nonsense,bella chica. No one has two left feet, you just need the right dance partner. Come, I’ll show you.”
I pushed tomyfeet and grabbed Natalie’s hand. Leveling Javier with a stare, I ground out, “If anyone is going to salsa withmywife, it’s going to be me.”
Not giving her a chance to protest, I marched to a secluded corner on the dance floor. When I turned around, she was watching me with those big eyes again.
“I don’t know how to”—she studied the dancing couples around us and swallowed hard—“do that.”
Placing my hand on her hip, I gripped her chin between my fingers and guided her gaze back to mine. “It’s easy. You just have to feel the beat.” I leaned in closer. “Let it move you.”
Before I had time to come to my senses and realize what a damn terrible idea this was, I dropped my other hand to her hip and slowly rotated her body to the rhythm.
