In the Zone (Portland Storm 5) by Catherine Gayle Read Free Book Online Page A

exaggerating about that. The whole time we’d spent together, he’d kept asking me what I liked, what I wanted, how something he did felt—and I’d answered him and then some. I couldn’t remember a time I’d been more vocal in bed.
    I made the mistake of looking up into his eyes. Then I feared I’d never be able to look away again.
    “What are you doing in Portland?” he asked me again.
    “Teaching dance,” I hedged.
    “Why here?”
    “Because it’s not Providence. Because they wanted me.”
    “I wanted you, too. You left without a word.”
    “That was the plan going in. One night. Just sex.”
    “Amazing sex.”
    “But just sex.”
    “Have you been with anyone since?”
    I felt myself tensing in his arms. “That’s none of your business.”
    “No, you’re right. It’s not.” He dropped his hand down again, lower this time. He settled it over one of my many bulges, and I had to fight not to flinch away from him. “So you live here now?”
    “Yes.”
    “What a coincidence. So do I.”
    “Not in Canada…”
    “I was playing by your rules, Brie. Half-truths. I head home to Nova Scotia in the off-season, but I play here. I live here.”
    His hand fell farther, until it was on my waist and he was drawing me into him. I had to put an end to that. I dropped my frame and took a step back.
    “All right, that’s enough of the basic box. Let’s add an under-arm turn. Who remembers how to dance that figure?”
    Cole and Alexis volunteered to be my example couple again, and I led them through it while explaining both parts several times so everyone else could have their memory refreshed or catch up if it was all new to them.
    “Is everyone ready to give it a try?” I asked once I was relatively certain they should have had time to commit the steps to memory.
    “I’m ready to have you back in my arms,” Keith murmured as he moved in closer to me, which only left me flustered.
    “Gentlemen,” I said, eyeing Keith warily, “take your partners in closed hold and I’ll count us in.” I waited for him to get situated with a proper frame. Once he did, I put one hand in his, the other on his deltoid. He tried to drop his hand lower than it belonged, so I resituated it and scowled my displeasure. “One, two, three, one, ready, go.”
    He pulled me in closer than was appropriate and neglected to release my hand so I could do the turn underneath his arm. This was going downhill—fast. I couldn’t allow it to continue.
    I separated myself from him and left him standing where he was, crossing over to where Cole and Alexis were dancing. “I’m sorry, Alexis, but can I ask you to please partner with Keith? He’s getting the hang of it now, and I think you’d do well with him with your height.” Not to mention that it would keep him from touching me inappropriately during the class, and I could demonstrate the various moves with Cole. He was one of my better students in this session, and he picked up on things quickly. And he didn’t try to touch me in ways that he shouldn’t touch me.
    Alexis scurried across to join Keith, who gave me a look I couldn’t interpret. I chose to ignore him as well as I could, allowing Cole to take me into a hold.
    “Do I need to apologize for bringing him?” Cole asked me as we moved through the steps. “I don’t have a clue what’s gotten into him. If I’d had any idea…”
    “No.” I shook my head as if I needed to emphasize my answer, which only made it seem as though I was trying too hard to convince myself of it. I smiled for Cole’s sake. “Don’t worry about it. I can handle Keith Burns.”
    Only I wasn’t positive that I could.
     
     
     
    B Y THE TIME the class was over, I wasn’t sure what to make of Keith. He had a natural skill as a dancer, and I wasn’t entirely convinced that his skill came about from his athletic background. I mean, Cole was an athlete, too, but he hadn’t started out with the sort of ability that Keith had shown today.