Page 47 of Take the Lead
Goosebumps rose on her arms. Oh, that deep, grumbling voice did lovely things to her. “Do you?”
“I’m looking at you right now.”
“You’re glaring at me from the corner of your eye. There’s a difference.”
Stone let out an exasperated sigh and leaned back on his elbows. “Gina.”
Just that. Just her name. She’d always thought her name was soft—the smooth “g,” the dominance of the vowels—but she loved the sound of it in his gruff tone.
“Do I make you nervous?” she asked.
This time, he shot her a dark glare from under his brows, and the answer was in full view:Yes.
“Stone, there’s no way we’re going to be able to give this dance the emotion it deserves if you won’t look at me.”
He sighed and rolled his eyes toward the ceiling.
She tugged on his arm to make him sit up. “Face me. We’re going to do something from my yoga teacher training.”
“You’re a yoga teacher?” He raised an eyebrow, but let her move him.
“Being a professional dancer didn’t always pay the bills.” She turned them so they faced each other, and took his hands in hers. “This is called eye-gazing.”
“What is it?” He sounded curious. At least he was looking at her now.
“Just what it sounds like. We look into each other’s eyes.” She fixed her gaze on his, holding herself still.
“Like a staring contest?”
She snickered. “No. Well, kind of? You’re allowed to blink.”
“So, we just stare into each other’s eyes…” Some of his own brand of quiet humor was back in his tone.
“Yes.”
“And then?”
“Just do it, Stone.”
As Gina stared into his eyes, she fought the urge to swallow hard. It would be all too easy to lose herself in their blue depths.
Or so she thought. Three seconds in, she felt the first twitch in her right cheek. Half a second later, the other side twitched.
“Are you supposed to be laughing?” He spoke out of the corner of his mouth, making her dissolve into giggles.
“No. Stop it.”
“I’m just doing what you said.” He schooled his features into solemnity, but then a grin broke across his face and he ducked his head. “This is silly.”
“No, it isn’t. Keep gazing.”
He brought his attention back to her. This time, she made it about five seconds before her lips quirked, and she saw an answering twitch in his. She pulled herself together, then saw his jaw trembling. She bit her lip before she could smile.
The longer they gazed into each other’s eyes, though, the easier it became. Her gaze wavered slightly, from his left eye to his right, to softly losing focus while staring at the bridge of his nose so she could keep both eyes in sight.
As she gazed, she noticed new things about his face—he had slight creases at the corners of his eyes, his lashes were thick andbrown, and he had a good, strong nose. He had to know how handsome he was. Surely they owned a mirror in the Alaskan bush? The swirls in his eyes evoked calming mental imagery of clear water and wispy clouds scudding across a rich sky. Yet in their center, belying the tranquility, lay a barely leashed intensity like the scorching blue heart of a flame.
What was he thinking? What was he seeing in her face?
