Page 65 of Santa's Wish
"We bring the crowd, sweetness," I said when he rested his head on my shoulder. Our feet flew beneath us while our upper bodies stayed still.
"You bring the crowd," he said. "Nobody's here to see me."
"I'm here to see you," I whispered, barely more than the scuffle of our shoes on the floor. His blush was even prettier now that he was a vampire. I opened my mouth to say the words I'd avoided until now, but the beat changed and Boz took my arm, coming to my side for a rousing Irish jig.
The set blurred into a few more popular dances Boz knew. He'd shared his freestyle routines with me over the months at Irena's, and we dazzled the crowd. Even Mr. Caynik clapped and tapped his toes to the beat along with the rest.
"That was fun," Boz admitted when I finally pulled him off the dance floor. He fished a five-dollarbill out of his waistband. "Were they supposed to tip?"
Mr. Caynik followed us to Colette's table. He laughed at Boz's naïve joke. "Where did you advertise?" he asked me.
"Nowhere." I shrugged. "I wanted to see if people liked the show first."
"They certainly did." My boss pulled a chair over to sit between Colette and me.
"We always have a bigger crowd on the first Friday of the month," I reminded him. "They're here for Jewel, not me."
His smirk showed a little fang.
"That group of girls," Colette pointed to the table behind us, "said they'd be back tomorrow with some friends."
Word of mouth was better than any flyer I could put up. Mr. Caynik seemed to think so, too. "Several people were filming. I let them go for a few seconds before telling them no recording allowed."
"You'll be all over the internet tomorrow." Mel beamed. "We might have to take some dance lessons before then."
"Dance lessons?" I saw dollar signs in my boss's eyes.
"I already have a job," Boz whined.
"Which do you prefer?" Colette asked. "Working for the empress or dancing with Santa?"
"I like both for different reasons." He grabbed my knee under the table as a peace offering. "I've never been a good teacher, though. Santa would be better."
Mel's eyes sparkled as she pulled me back onto the dance floor while Mr. Caynik and Colette discussed how much I should charge for half-hour dance lessons.
By the end of a half-hour, Mel could follow as well as she could lead, and Colette declared it a hundred dollars well spent. It wasn't my usual fee, but considering I'd enjoyed myself more than I would have with my clothes off, it was worth it.
The priceless heat in Boz's gaze when I returned to the table made me wish we were home already.
When I finally got Boz home, weplayed a game to see who could shed clothes faster. I won. Boz was too careful with his pants. I knew their limits, having made them. I might have stretched a seam in my haste, but I would fix it later.
Finally, we were both blissfully naked in my bed. Boz straddled me and pinned my arms above my head, reversing our usual position. I could have broken free from his hold, but his soft gaze held me captive.
"I didn't ask you to give up the VIP lounge." His voice was barely a whisper in the quiet room.
I grinned. "Caynik did." I gave him the highlights of our conversation and embellished a little. "He said I should quit."
Boz leaned closer and brushed his lips across mine. "I don't want to change who you are just because we're together."
"You didn't change who I am." I broke his hold to cup his face and pull him in for a kiss. "You, us," I kissed him again. "This changed what I want to be. I was bored before. Irena would even say depressed."
"Mm-hmm," he mumbled as he leaned in to press his lips to mine again.
"I want to be better for you. I love you, Boz."
He blinked and his gaze sharpened. "Me? But?—"
"If you say you're no one, I will take you to Rome to prove how important you are."
