Page 37 of Love Affair in London (Once Again #12)
W ith his hand on Piper’s knee, Jared leaned close and said softly, “Are you okay?”
There was something in her expression and the restless bouncing of her leg that suggested nerves. Or maybe she just felt out of place among so many people she didn’t know.
He shouldn’t have let his conversation with Carol last through the entire salad course.
That was stupid. But every time he glanced at Piper, she seemed engrossed in a lively exchange with Kyle.
Jared hadn’t wanted to come across as an overzealous date who couldn’t handle his partner talking to another man.
Now, though, he wondered if Kyle had said something to upset her. Although Kyle was a decent guy, and Jared couldn’t imagine him hitting on her or making a crude offhand comment.
When Piper turned to him, her gaze held a flicker of something—an almost wild energy. Yet her voice was steady. “I’m great. The salmon is fabulous. I like the people you work with. I’m good. Don’t worry.”
“I’m sorry I was talking to Carol for so long. I wasn’t ignoring you.”
She let out a soft laugh. “You weren’t ignoring me. Your hand was on my knee.”
He grinned at her wry humor. “I hope Kyle wasn’t boring you with marketing details.”
Her breath brushed his ear as she leaned close, sending a shiver through him. “I hope you weren’t talking Carol’s ear off about engineering details.”
He squeezed her knee. “I try never to bore a woman with engineering details. Unless she’s another engineer. Like Carol. We just had a few things to go over.” But dammit, he shouldn’t have been discussing that stuff here.
“No more shop talk at dinner,” Piper whispered.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” From now on, he would focus every moment on Piper until his flight out tomorrow.
They both enjoyed the meal, and when the remains of their salmon dinner were away, a decadent crème br?lée with a glassy caramel crust appeared in front of them.
As Piper moaned softly, Jared groaned inwardly at the sound, a switch flipping inside him.
He was no longer in work mode; he was in seduction mode.
“My God,” she murmured. “This is so good.”
He remembered her words from last night. Oh my God. That feels so good. Leaning close, he whispered, “It’ll be even better tonight when I get you out of that sexy dress.”
She looked at him from the corner of her eye. “Promises, promises.”
“And you should know, I always keep my promises.”
Breaking the caramel crust with his spoon, he tasted the sweet, creamy custard. “This is good.” Then, with his lips at her ear, he added, “But tasting you is even sweeter.”
She swatted his arm lightly, and Jared looked up to find his boss watching them.
Not that Olivia James wasn’t a beautiful woman—she was—but Piper was exquisite.
Jared had noticed how engaged Kyle had been in their earlier conversation.
Despite being twenty years younger and having a girlfriend, Kyle had clearly fallen under Piper’s spell.
Jared didn’t mind Conrad’s envious gaze.
If their roles were reversed, he’d be envious too.
Around the table, he caught other surreptitious glances from the men.
They were wondering who Piper was, if the two of them were sleeping together, and what she was like in bed.
Jared wasn’t a jealous man, but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy their curiosity.
And he wasn’t leaving Piper’s side for a second until he boarded the shuttle to the airport.
When Kyle excused himself to use the restroom, Jared leaned close once more to murmur in Piper’s ear, “See, no one thinks anything at all about our age difference. They only see how gorgeous you are and how fabulous we are together. You didn’t have to worry at all.”
He felt her stiffen. Maybe he shouldn’t have brought it up. But couldn’t she see how she dazzled all his colleagues?
“Right.” She narrowed her eyes. “That’s why Kyle asked if I had any grandkids.”
Damn Kyle. Sometimes he had the sense of a gnat. “I’m sure he didn’t mean anything by it.”
She drew in a deep breath. Then, finally, she stroked the back of his hand. “You’re right. Everyone has been terribly nice. Kyle was just making polite conversation.”
He kissed her cheek, wanting to kiss so much more.
After a few mercifully brief speeches from the organizers, the band played again. The volume rose, and it was time for dancing.
The first song was a slow ballad, a standard Jared recognized but couldn’t name. Standing, he held out his hand. “Shall we dance?”
Piper placed her hand in his, her eyes warm. “I’d love to.”
He led her to the dance floor where several couples were already swaying, though few executed proper ballroom steps.
Taking Piper in his arms, he murmured, “Just follow my lead.”
She did, perfectly. He hadn’t danced in years, but it came back to him like riding a bike.
“Wow.” She raised her eyebrows. “You’re fantastic. Where did an engineer learn ballroom dancing?”
He whirled her around the floor. “My mother taught ballroom dancing. As much as I tried to fight her on it, she made me learn.”
“She taught you well. Did you take dancing lessons instead of joining the football team?”
He snorted. “Are you kidding? I never told the guys I knew how to dance. They’d have tossed me off the team.”
“But I bet it helped you at your wedding,” she ribbed him.
He let go of her hand briefly to buff his nails on his jacket. “I swept a few of the old ladies off their feet. They all made me dance with them.”
She laughed, and he loved her laugh. Loved her smile. Loved how at ease she was with herself. Whatever had unsettled her earlier was gone. Now, she was the Piper he knew, the Piper he wanted, the Piper he could actually fall in love with.
If he hadn’t already.
The idea of Jared dancing with all the old ladies at his wedding made Piper smile and want to wrap her arms around him. “I made Roger—that was my fiancé—take ballroom dancing classes with me before our wedding.”
The words just seemed to pop out. She didn’t know why she was telling Jared this, but it felt like they were sharing confidences, opening windows into their lives. “My first husband and I took ballroom dancing as well. I always thought of it as our exercise.”
It felt so good to be in his arms, and all those jittery feelings from earlier washed away in the fun. “Do you remember that final scene in True Lies ? When they do the tango?”
It wasn’t until she spoke that she wondered if Jared was even old enough to remember the movie. But he was laughing.
“Best scene ever.” Then he looked down at her. “Do you know how to tango?”
The question sent a buzz through her blood, almost as if he’d asked if she wanted to have sex right there. “Oh yes. I know how to tango.”
There was a hidden message in her words, but Jared seemed to take them at face value. He led her into a tango, even though the music wasn’t quite right for it.
As they moved through the intricate steps, the other couples on the dance floor gradually gave them space.
Then, as if on cue, the band switched to a tango.
She and Jared flew across the dance floor, executing the intimate movements perfectly.
Piper didn’t care that they were the center of attention.
She liked—loved—being in his arms. She loved the seductive dance moves, the way their hands lingered on each other, the way his arm slid around her back as he bent her over.
The music carried them, their feet floating across the floor.
With a final crescendo, Jared bent her backward, holding her tightly so she didn’t fall, her hair nearly brushing the floor. Amid the thunderous applause, Jared pulled her upright, his arms still around her, and she realized they had become the only couple dancing. Everyone was clapping for them.
“I guess my mother’s lessons came in handy,” Jared said, holding her close. “Even my boss is applauding.”
As another tune began, Olivia James hurried across the floor to take Piper’s hands in each of her own. “That was amazing. I’ve never seen the tango done live. I saw it once in a movie.”
Piper laughed. “ True Lies ?”
“Yes!” Olivia clapped her hands in delight. “I love that movie. Where did you learn how to dance like that, my dear?”
Piper smiled. “Lots of lessons.”
Olivia wagged her finger at Jared. “And where did you learn those moves, young man? I’ve never seen anyone your age dance like that.”
Conrad joined them. “You two need to be on one of those shows like Dancing with the Stars .”
They drifted to the edge of the dance floor, and Conrad turned to Piper. “May I have this next dance?”
His wife said to Jared, “I can’t dance like Piper here, but I can manage a waltz.”
While Jared whirled Olivia away, Piper found herself in Conrad’s arms. “You dance very well,” she complimented.
He snorted a laugh. “Nothing like you and Jared. I grew up in the seventies when all we did was jump around on the dance floor.”
“When did you learn ballroom dancing?”
He rolled his eyes. “Olivia made me learn for our wedding.”
“That sounds like a common theme.” The inside joke made her smile.
“We’ve been married thirty years, and I’ve done little since, which is why I’m not very good.”
She tsked at him. “You’re doing great. I’m glad Olivia taught you.”
Then he asked, “Did you really just meet Jared this week?”
The question nonplussed her. Was he getting at something? “ Like I said, he rescued my phone.”
“But you dance so well together, as if you’ve been partners for a long time.”
She felt the implied question there. Had they known each other longer?
“When you have a partner as good as Jared, it’s easy to keep in step with him.
” Maybe it was the fact that she knew him so well in bed now—knew his moves and could anticipate what he’d do next.
Of course, she said none of that to Conrad.
The man’s belly bumped her as he laughed. “I’m sure my wife is grilling him for information on how he learned to dance. He obviously has depths none of us ever knew about.”