Page 104 of I Don't Need Your Protection

“Fine. I don’t dance well.”

“Who cares? It’s just the two of us in here.” I gently shakehis hand. “Come on, just listen to the beat and move your body. You’re so good at being a ninja and you manage to do your homework in like five minutes. You want to tell me you can’t dance?”

“Yes,” he says in a serious tone.

I laugh. “Prove me wrong.”

For a second, I think he might back down from the challenge. He would have for sure done that a few weeks ago. But he gets a determined look on his face and slowly shakes his body. He takes it another step further and then another. And then he starts getting really into it.

“Yes!” I say as I grab his hands again and dance with him.

Before my eyes, I witness my bodyguard, who didn’t have the word “fun” in his vocabulary, let loose and have fun. Maybe the most he’s had in a while? Maybe since he and I went bowling. But he’s allowing himself to have more fun now than he had at bowling. If I didn’t know him, I would say this guy is having the time of his life.

“See?” I say with another laugh as he tries to mimic some of my harder dance moves. “You’re much better at this than you thought.”

“Idoexcel at everything,” he points out.

“What an ego,” I joke as I playfully slap his shoulder.

“You like my ego.”

“I so do not.”

He winks. “Bet you do.”

My dancing comes to a halt as butterflies flap around in my stomach. Okay, that wink? Pretty sexy. I never thought I wouldever see that on Caleb’s face, but oh my gosh.

“Getting tired?” he teases.

I shake my head and start dancing again. “In your dreams.”

“It’s cute how competitive you are.”

“Well, Iamcute,” I say.

He looks deeply into my eyes and murmurs, “You definitely are.”

I once again stop dancing, my cheeks heating up. But I quickly pick it up again when I see just how happy Caleb is. I don’t think he himself realizes what an amazing time he’s having with me right now.

The music suddenly switches to a slow song. I frown at the speaker. “What’s that song doing there? I specifically chose only fast-beat songs. Well, unless you want to share a slow dance with me, I need to get rid of that song.”

I head toward my phone, but Caleb closes his hand around my wrist. I twist back to look at him with a raised eyebrow.

He hesitates for a second before saying in a low and uncertain voice, “Can we try the slow dance?”

I just stare at him. Did he just say…he wants to slow dance with me? A rush of heat engulfs every part of me, and my legs feel like they might buckle from underneath me.

He steps back, holding up his hands. “Never mind.”

“No!” I yell. Then I laugh nervously and push some hair away from my sweaty forehead. “I m-mean, we can slow dance. If I’m going to help you turn into a dance guru, you’ll need to learn to slow dance.”

He nods slowly, eyes still unsure.

“Right. So.” I clear my throat and step closer to him. “You put your hands on my waist.”

His eyes drop to my waist and then he takes a small step closer to me. He stretches his hands and tentatively places them on my waist, but he’s way too far.

“Um, I think you need to move closer than that,” I say, my voice quaking.