Page 41 of Take the Lead
I ’m surprised to see Merle and Emilia chatting and laughing together when we walk into the reception room, like yesterday never happened.
There’s not a hint of tension between them.
I guess that means Merle has managed to convince her nothing was going on between him and me, which is a relief, but it makes me feel sorry for Emilia.
I have no doubt she’s heading for heartache.
They seem equally surprised to see Aleksis and me holding hands and looking completely at ease with each other.
Merle’s eyes travel unsubtly from our smiling faces to our interlocked fingers and he looks at me with a frown.
Then I get caught up in a round of hellos with Beth, Tammy and the rest of our gang and manage to forget about it.
By now our rueda is looking good. Throughout the evening, Sarah pulls each couple to the side in turn for a quick chat about it. She’ll be creating an edit of our conversations to be played on Saturday’s show.
I’m rarely with Merle for longer than a few seconds at a time while we’re rehearsing, but there is one awkward moment when we’re standing together while Ros tells us about a new move she wants to add to give our rueda more flair.
‘So you’re still choosing Aleksis?’ he says quietly.
‘Shh, Merle,’ I hiss. ‘I’m listening to Ros. But yes, I’m very much with Aleksis.’
‘And there’s nothing I can do to change your mind?’ he asks.
‘Nothing,’ I tell him, really believing it this time.
‘Merle, do you want to come and do the demo with me?’ Ros asks pointedly.
He gives me one last probing look before he joins her in the middle of the circle.
‘Right, for this move, men, I want you to dip back and touch the floor with your right hand then come back up to standing,’ she instructs.
‘When we turn here …’ she takes Merle’s hands and walks him through the steps, ‘this is where you use the momentum to propel away from your partner. It looks hard, but it’s not as long as you keep the tension in your arms. Everyone got that? ’
‘Got it,’ we chant as she returns Merle to my side.
‘Good. Right, we’re into the last hour. Let’s get this absolutely perfect,’ she demands and we’re off again. I can’t help noticing Merle seems to be looking in her direction more than mine for the rest of the session.
‘I’m pooped,’ Beth confesses when it’s finally home time. ‘I don’t know how you lot are managing with all your other training as well.’
‘Let’s just say early nights are the new going out,’ Tammy sighs.
‘Oh, I was just about to suggest going out for a burger instead of heading home for food,’ Aleksis says to me, laughing. ‘What do you reckon? It’ll be quicker than me cooking.’
I’d been looking forward to an intimate dinner with just the two of us, but my mouth salivates at the thought of a plate of greasy carbs. ‘As long as there are chips – lots of chips – I don’t mind.’
He takes me to a tiny family-run café near his flat, which only has five tables. As I take in the mismatched chairs, terracotta walls and dim lighting, the owner greets Aleksis like a long-lost son.
‘Don’t worry, the food’s better than the decor,’ he tells me with a wink. ‘Grab yourselves a table and I’ll bring over some menus.’
‘It really is,’ Aleksis says. ‘You won’t find a better burger relish anywhere in London. I’ve been trying to get him to give up the recipe, but he won’t tell.’
‘Do you come here quite often?’
‘At least once a month. He keeps threatening to do the place up, but I selfishly don’t want him to. I don’t want it to get too popular.’
He’s right about the relish. It’s tangy and sweet and a perfect complement to our juicy, tender burgers.
I wolf mine down in minutes, only wondering afterwards if I’m going to look bloated when I get undressed later – if Aleksis is indeed going to see me naked later.
It’s been a full-on day and we’ve hardly kissed since this morning, so even though we’re going home as a real couple for the first time, I don’t know what to expect from the rest of the evening. It’s uncharted territory.
Now that I’ve started thinking about it, though, I can’t help picturing him in his boxers; my hands against his warm, smooth skin; his mouth on mine; his arms wrapped round me …
and I think he must be having similar thoughts because he pushes his leg against mine under the table and shoots me a grin.
‘Shall we pay up and get out of here?’ he asks and I quickly agree.
His hand brushes against mine as we amble back to the flat, and I smile to myself as I weave my fingers between his.
When I look up at him, he’s smiling too.
Then he shakes his hand free, throws his arm round my shoulder and pulls me in close, so our bodies are pressed up against each other.
When I look up again, both our smiles have grown wider.
It’s all I can do not to break into a jog.
He leans in to kiss me when we reach the doorstep and I fight the urge to whoop. Unlike this morning, there’s no tentativeness. His lips are soft and his tongue is curious. It’s everything I want it to be.
When I grip him tighter, he responds with an increased sense of urgency. He nibbles my bottom lip and lets his hands slide lower down my back. It’s no longer the cool breeze ruffling my hair that’s making me shiver.
He breaks away to unlock the door, then we pick up where we left off as soon as we’re in the hallway, kissing, touching, testing out our new dynamic. We stay like that for a long time, savouring the moment it seems we’ve both been waiting for all day.
When I reach up to push his jacket off his shoulders, he shakes it off his arms and leaves it on the floor where it’s fallen.
Then he leads me into the kitchen and lifts me up onto the work surface, so we can carry on kissing without me needing to stand on tiptoes.
The lift is effortless, drawing my eyes to the defined muscles in his arms. I can’t believe I didn’t notice them from the beginning.
I run my hands over his biceps and down his chest, eventually finding my way up under his T-shirt.
He steps back and yanks it off, then tugs mine free from my waistband.
I lift my arms so he can pull it up over my head.
When we kiss again, I can feel the heat radiating from his body as he cups my face in his hands then drops them down to my boobs.
My legs are wrapped loosely around him and he pushes himself gently against me, the smallest gesture, but filled with such promise.
I reach behind me to release the catch on my bra and slide it from under his fingers so they’re directly on my skin. His touch is firm, making me sigh into his mouth. His lips only leave mine so he can dip his head to run his tongue over my nipples, his breath tantalisingly hot on my skin.
Eventually he lifts me off the worktop and carries me through to the bedroom, my legs tighter round his waist now, our breathing heavy.
He sets me down on the mattress and lowers himself over me, supporting his weight on his elbows, his eyes finding mine.
Our bodies grind softly against each other as our mouths meet again.
When I roll on top of him and wiggle forward till my breasts are hovering above his face, he groans with pleasure as he stretches his neck up to suck first one nipple then the other.
Then I slide back down to kissing level and our hands creep lower, his fingers trailing across the front of my leggings as I push mine inside his waistband.
I can see he’s already straining against his trousers.
I roll my leggings down and kick them off, then guide his hand back between my legs, loving the feel of his fingers through the lace of my knickers. It doesn’t take long for them to find their way inside.
What follows is so different from my recent experiences.
Less rushed, less frantic, less noisy – but no less passionate.
Aleksis is slow and deliberate with his hands and his tongue, turning me on so much that when he finally enters me I think I’m going to come on the spot.
But I stay on the brink while he slides in and out in a steady rhythm.
When his thrusts start gathering momentum, I feel the exact moment when I pass the point of no return. But even when I lose myself to him in a trembling, gasping flurry, he doesn’t stop, stretching my orgasm out until he finally lets himself go. His jaw muscles clench as he shudders above me.
He lies with his arms around me afterwards, his whole body pressed against mine, and I feel so close to him, emotionally as well as physically.
It makes me wonder why I ever got so hooked on Merle – it was exciting, but he never made me feel safe and cared for like this.
Looking back now, I realise there was no warmth, no affection.
But this is different. It feels like something.
And I know I’ll never be tempted by Merle ever again.