Page 47 of Perfectly Naïve
Wilder shrugs. “It sounds cool.”
“We’ll give you a foxtrotanda waltz if you win,” I counter.
He smirks. “Your faith in me is ill-placed.”
“Remember,” I tell him, tapping my temple, “probability and strategy.”
Nodding, he finishes dealing. “Prepare to be annihilated."
“Motherfucker.” Wilder glares at Hayes. “This isn’t natural. You can’t be better at everything.”
“I can’t draw for shit,” Hayes counters.
“So I get one thing?” Wilder releases a dramatic sigh and glances toward the ceiling. “God, why do you hate me?”
“Maybe it’s the hairdo,” Liam offers, smirking at Sawyer, who tries not to laugh out loud.
“Hey, I like his hair!”
Wilder winks at me, and Liam holds up his hands in surrender. Sawyer packs the cards away while Hayes revels inbeing the best card player of the night. A big, gruff alpha loving Uno this much is cute.
“I still want to see a foxtrot,” Wilder says, cueing up some techno.
“This isn’t ballroom dance music,” I say, laughing and shaking my head. “We learned to count our steps, not shake our ass.”
“I could probably teach you a thing or two about ass shaking.”
“I don’t think my hips move that way.”
He smirks. “Oh, trust me, they will.”
Liam clears his throat. “Play ‘Fly Me to the Moon.’” Turning to me, he extends a hand. “May I lead you?”
Heat walks up my neck, but I place my palm against his, grinning up at him. “You may.”
He tugs me up, doing a fancy move that spins me out and then right back into his arms.
“Oh shit,” Wilder says with a laugh.
“Shh,” Liam tosses over his shoulder. “You’re ruining the moment.” His gaze settles back on my face, arms holding me as confidently and surely as they did all those years ago. As the song starts to play, he nods. “Ready?”
I breathe in. “Lead the way.”
The dance comes back easily, my recall still as sharp as it was after a year of lessons. We’d danced so much, I’m pretty sure the two of us could do this blindfolded. Frank Sinatra’s smooth voice floats around us as Liam takes me around the kitchen. The pack watches us dance with rapt attention. They’re not laughing at us or criticizing our abilities. They’re simply enjoying the show.
When the song changes to another ballroom classic, Liam swiftly switches the steps. There’s a moment of uncertainty, but then I catch it. One, two, three. One, two, three, and I fallinto the moment, my cheeks aching from how hard I’m smiling up at Liam.
His eyes are warm, roving over my features before quickly checking to make sure we won’t dance into the counter or fridge. He was always so attentive on the dance floor. Knowing he’s still that same gentle-hearted beta warms me from head to toe. We close out the dance with a silly little spin that sends me into a fit of giggles. Liam wraps his arms around me and his lips catch mine.
My laughter turns into a soft sigh, and I kiss him back, only breaking away when I hear a throat clearing.
Right. The pack.
We turn to find them staring at us. Wilder and Hayes share a look that says so much without either of them speaking.
“What?” I ask, worried this is the moment they’ll make fun of us.
Wilder stands up, pushing his phone toward his brother. “Play a song. Liam, teach me how to do that.”
