She quickly lets me go. “It was terrifying, for your information. I never want to do that again. And you can’t make me.” She tries lifting her leg over the bike but gets caught and stumbles to the ground instead. She lets out a little shriek.
“Woah. Careful.” I slip off the bike with ease and help her up. “Are you hurt?”
She glances down at her body. “No. Just my pride.”
I chuckle. “You’ll be fine. I’ll let you in on a little secret. Every single one of my guys has fallen off their bikes at least once. It’s a right of initiation at this point.”
The smallest of smiles grazes her face. “I’ll remember that.”
“Is that a smile I see?”
She frowns. “No.”
“You can admit it. You don’t always hate me.”
She’s already walking to the venue. “Let’s get this party over with.” I laugh as I follow her inside.
Our guests cheer us as we step into the ballroom. While Adelina blushes and turns her head away, I soak up the cheers, feeling like a god.
“Shall we dance?” I ask.
“Now?”
“When else are we going to have our first dance? And besides, you love to dance. This should be a cakewalk for you.” I take her hand and pull her onto the ballroom floor. More cheers erupt.
Adelina places her hands gingerly on my shoulders. I place mine on her waist. Then we begin to sway in an awkward attempt at a first dance.
“This is the best you can do?” I ask.
She huffs. “I just assumed you had no dancing bone in your body. I was trying to keep it easy for you.”
“I have some moves.” I make a suggestive face.
“Ugh. You’re gross.”
“It’s not like I haven’t heard that from you before.”
There it is again. The smallest of smiles on her face. I don’t point it out this time. Instead, I just look at her, taking in her beauty.
“Well, if you can dance, then show me what you can do,” she eventually says.
“Challenge accepted.” I grip her hands, spin her out, and draw her back into my arms. She lets out a gasp. “Impressed yet?”
“Not even close.”
“Then how about this.” I dip her and bring my lips close to her ear. “Now, are you impressed?”
“You’re going to have to do more than that.”
“Ok, then.” I kiss her hard. Adelina gasps into my mouth, but she doesn’t pull away. I let my lips soften as I kiss her deeper. When I pull back, her eyes are closed, and her lips are parted. She looks at ease. “How was that?”
Her eyes snap open, and she stands upright. “Unexpected. And inappropriate.” Her voice is breathless.
“How is it inappropriate? We’re married. There’s nothing wrong with me kissing you.”
“We’re here to dance, not kiss. Besides, you still need to impress me with your dance skills.”
“All right.” I pull her back into my arms and guide her into a waltz. Each step we take is graceful and smooth. We move together as one.