“I haven’t slow danced in a long time,” she said.
“Me neither.” I inhaled when her hand slid from my shoulder up toward my neck.
“I’ll apologize in advance if I step on your toes.”
“Apology accepted.” When I turned us in a slow circle, tightening our hands on my chest, she breathed out a laugh. “As long as you don’t break any bones.”
“I wish I could promise that, but I’m really not good in these heels.” She went quiet. “The last person who took me to events like this … he didn’t like to dance.”
What a dick. My jaw clenched. “Why not?”
The couple next to us pushed into our space, the wife giving Adaline an apologetic smile when they bumped shoulders. Once we settled back into our gentle swaying rhythm, Adaline didn’t answer, and I didn’t press. Because the truth was that I didn’t want him intruding on this moment.
I’d never danced with her before. Never had the chance. And for all the ways I’d been unable to stop thinking about her in the past six weeks, it was all the things I knew about Adaline that kept turning over and over in my head.
Tonight, I got to learn something new.
I wanted to make a million discoveries about Adaline—a list of everything I hadn’t known before—and that’s how I knew she was different than any of the women I’d come across. No one caused the slightest flicker of interest until now.
I knew what she felt like in my arms. I didn’t before. I could file it away with all the other things I was learning too, like the fact that she had no problem being pressed against me as we swayed to the music. Adding that to my list had my hands sliding her closer, my arms tightening as I inhaled a light citrusy scent from the top of her head.
“Do you make a habit of sniffing strangers’ hair?” she asked, a teasing note in her voice.
I let out a quiet laugh. “No.”
She cleared her throat delicately. “Then I guess I should feel honored.”
I smiled but didn’t say anything else. The fact that she hadn’t recognized me—my voice—was already stretched past the point of believability, at least in my head. But then again, if I thought she was across the country, if I hadn’t known to be looking for her, would I have recognized Adaline behind her fancy clothes and dark mask? Probably not.
“My hair does smell good,” she continued. “So I can’t blame you. I just … never thought I’d be dancing with a man who’d find such appreciation in it when I don’t even know his name.”
It was a leading statement, and she let out a small huff when I didn’t take the bait and give her any information.
I hummed, fighting the smile that threatened. “I sense disapproval.”
“Not disapproval, exactly.”
We turned again, and her foot bumped mine when we settled back into place. I managed to smother my smile.
“What would you call it then?”
“Well, my options are limited right now when it comes to figuring you out.” She pulled her head back to study me, and the way her eyes searched mine had my heart hammering. “I really only have a few conclusions I can reach.”
“Do you?” I murmured, my eyes locking onto her deep red mouth.
Adaline swallowed, her lips falling open gently. Eventually, she nodded.
“One?” I prompted.
Her chest rose and fell on a deep breath, her gaze breaking away from mine.
When I was in college, when she worked for my sister Molly, Adaline was the one who always eyed me across the room. It took me a while to notice back then. She was the one who gravitated to wherever I was standing.