Summer Solstice

Dance With Me

{{My heart started racing. I was his prisoner, and he didn't look like he was moving anytime soon.}}

I cleared my throat. "Did you not want to dance?" It only took half a second for Konai to leap out of the car, and he twisted around, pulling the drivers seat forward so I could escape. I leaned forward, my hair falling over my shoulders, I saw Konai's hand extended, and wondered idly if slapping it away would cause a fight. I took his hand, surprised by the immense warmth of it. I tugged myself out of the backseat, but there wasn't enough room to lean out of the way, and I came up against Konai's steal chest.

We were face to face, I could smell the sweetness of his breath as he exhaled. It almost sounded like a sigh. I looked up into soft brown eyes. I was so sure I would see some form of anger there, but it was nothing at all what I expected. He was staring down at me, his face flushed, probably from the cold. His eyes were probing, like there was some question there that he was sure I would have the answer to. I know I must have started blushing too, because his lips turned up slightly at the corners. I wasn't used to seeing him smile, and I definitely wasn't used to being stared at like this, especially by him. He didn't look angry at all.

He looked....hungry.

A strange sensation twisted in the pit of my stomach. "What are you two waiting for?!" Kaida's hand came out of nowhere and snatched me away from Konai's stare. Had it been my imagination, or had Konai not wanted to release my hand? I gazed forward at the crowd of people on the floor. There were little tables and benches on the outer edges, also overflowing with people.

I could not do this. I could not possibly dance in front of all these people. We found an empty table to sit at, the torches around the dance floor making a comfortable heat. The simple number of people here was going to keep the dance floor warm anyways. I smiled. I turned to shrug out of my coat, Joe helping me and then Kaida, who was too busy staring off into space. I turned to look in the same direction. My skirt swirled around my hips as I turned, then I saw him.

Konai, standing stock still, was leaning over the railing, staring at us. No. He was staring at ME.

His gaze moving over my face, then to the rest of me. I felt my face flood with color. His fingers were gripping the railing so tightly they were turning white. He swung himself under the railing and headed towards us. His long powerful strides left little to my imagination, he was coming in for the kill, I could see the fierce pull of his eyes on me. I started gasping for air.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Joe tugging Kaida onto the dance floor. Sure, leave me alone with the barbarian. I watched them twirl away.

Hmm, Kaida had been taking classes. I smiled briefly, hoping that she would have a wonderful evening. Then I felt him, the warmth of his body standing less than a foot away from me.

I turned and looked up, his hand was outstretched again. "Dance with me?" He sounded unsure, like maybe it wasn't a good idea, but his voice was soft, kind of like a purr. I couldn't speak, the look on his face was muddling my thoughts.

There was a penetrating light in his eyes that I had never noticed before. It was pulling me in again. What was wrong with me? Since words were too hard to manage, I reached for his hand. His answering smile was devastating. My heart skipped momentarily, the pure joy covering his features was infectious, and I smiled back. He paused, blinked, then smiled again. His face lit up, utterly pleased when my fingers touched his. "Ok." He said softly, and started slowly pulling me to the dance floor.

I couldn't seem to grasp what was happening. I knew where I was, what I was doing. But with Konai? He stopped in the center of the crowded floor and turned to face me.

Slow music was playing, the band singing low and sweet. Konai stepped forward, closing the short distance between us. He curled his arm around me, his hand finding the small of my back, and cradled my hand in the other. We started moving slowly, with not much room to move. I was very aware of the heat pooling out of his hand, covering my back in a heat that was much too pleasant. I was staring at the buttons on his shirt, trying to remember why I didn't want to be here. Because right now, with his arm around me, I couldn't think of a nicer place to be.

The music changed a few times, slow, quick, slow. The rhythm of the music was almost mesmerizing. I caught a glimpse of Kaida as we turned, and her mouth was hanging open. My eyebrows pulled together and I started thinking. Was he just being nice to placate Kaida, or was he actually enjoying my company? I didn't think he would dance with me just to save himself a paint job. I sighed.

"Is...is there something wrong?" Oops. I looked up into his face, only inches away. It was hard to answer, his eyes boring into mine. Stupid high heels, I was almost the same height as him, and his breath blowing gently on my face was making it hard to form a coherent thought.

"Uh, no?" What had his question been? "I'm fine, I guess I'm just a little..... surprised." He twisted suddenly, spinning me out gracefully and then catching me up in his arms. "Is my dancing that impressive?" His lips turned up slightly once more. He now had both arms around me, pulling me closer. I laughed nervously. How many songs had they played? How long had I been in his arms? It was strange, I couldn't seem to think clearly tonight. The heat of his body was intense, it was much too comfortable being this close to him. It was also strange, dancing like this, with him.