Snow Angel (The Hope Falls Chronicles) (26 page)

“What about dance makes you feel sexy?” Amy asked as a follow-up question.

Lily wasn’t sure she could explain it in words, but since Amy was obviously taking this very seriously,

she thought she ought to try. “I think that it’s the fact that I lose myself in the music. Completely. Totally. I feel strong and in control. Like I’m in my own world. I don’t really know how else to describe it.”

Amy nodded, still furiously taking notes. “What about you, Sam?” she asked as she pulled another

notebook from her bag.

“Wait. We all get our own notebooks?” Nikki asked.

“Of course,” Amy said like that should have been be obvious.

“What color is mine?” Nikki asked, scooting forward on the couch to see the options.

“Blue.” Amy held up a navy blue notebook.

“Oh,” Nikki sighed in disappointment, “I like the purple.”

“The purple is Lauren’s,” Amy replied almost apologetically.

“Nikki can have the purple.” Lauren barely looked up from her phone as she typed away.

Amy moved the order of the notebooks to accommodate her sister’s request and looked back up at Sam

expectantly.

“Well, I guess mine is kind of a combination between Karina’s and Lily’s. I really never thought that I

was sexy or that I felt sexy before I met Luke, and he definitely does make me
feel
sexy. But after I had identified what that felt like for me, I realized that I did actually feel sexy all the time. I felt sexy pushing

myself to the limit on a really good run or when I’m going down the slopes and just owning it.” Sam’s face lit up as she talked about her snowboarding.

Lily had seen her on the Olympics when she’d won the silver and had been in awe of the way she had

moved down the mountain so gracefully, like she was one with it.

“So, to clarify, you did feel sexy before Luke, you just didn’t recognize it?” Amy asked.

“Yeah, I guess being around all the snow bunnies and just what I saw in ads and on TV I thought it was

this ‘oh-la-la, look at me’ type of a thing. But after being with Luke, I realized for me it’s when I really just feel the most…me. At my best and the most confident.”

The question moved on to Lauren, Nikki, and Amanda. All three girls gave different variations of

basically the same thing—that although a man that you love can definitely bring out your inner sexy, it’s

really inside of yourself all the time.

Lily thought about that and realized that that was definitely true with her and Eric. All of Lily’s life,

she’d received attention for her curves. Some of it she hadn’t minded, and most of it she ignored. But with Eric, she felt like he really
saw
her—not just her curves but her soul.

“That would be awesome!” Amanda exclaimed, clapping her hands.

Lily looked up and saw that all of the eyes in the room were looking at her. “What?” she asked

hesitatingly, not sure of what she missed.

“Would you consider teaching a class?” Amy asked.

“What kind of class?” Lily was hoping she wasn’t asking her to teach a class on being sexy, because Lily

was
far
from an expert where that was concerned.

“A Burlesque class,” Amy said.

“Oh!” Lily was so relieved. “Of course. Yes, I would
love
to. I actually used to teach Burlesque several times a week in Sacramento.”

Teaching Burlesque was easy. Teaching sexy...not so much.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Two, three, four,
Lily counted in her mind as she moved behind the chair and dipped down to the side, knees together. Hold.
Six, seven, eight
. Using the chair for balance, she slowly rolled up chest first, back arched, and stepped out. Right, left.
Six, seven, eight
. Legs straight.
Two, three, four
. Booty shake.
Six,
seven, eight
.

The routine wasn’t where she wanted it to be, but it was getting there. She’d had over a week to work

on it, but between the choreography for Karina’s tour, Seniors Salsa, and her and Eric ‘not dating,’ she

simply hadn’t had any time to devote to it. She looked at her watch. In exactly ten hours, she’d be up in

front of a group of women leading this dance. She needed more practice.

Turning the music down, she picked her gloves and boa up of the floor as she made mental notes of

what to modify in the dance. She had to remember that these were beginners she was teaching. But since

Amy had been the one to request the class—and she had a very specific purpose in mind—Lily did want to

make sure that there was plenty of
sexy
in there. She could always use one of her old routines, but Lily wanted this to be special, and none of her old routines had the magic balance she was looking for of crazy, sexy, and beginner.

Sliding her satin gloves up her arms, she rolled her neck from side to side and tried to tap into her inner sexy. Music always helped, but that was more in a freestyle context. For choreography, she needed to feel

inspired.

Barking sounded from outside mere seconds before there was a loud knock. Laughing to herself, she

thought it was funny that inspiration was literally knocking at her door.

She had a little bounce in her step as she crossed her front room. Even though she knew that Eric would

only be dropping Shadow off on his way to work, she still got a thrill knowing she would see him, even if

it was just for a few minutes.

The second the door opened, she noticed that he was wearing sweats, not his uniform. Also, the normal

sullen expression he wore on his face when he’d had to work a double had been replaced by a wicked

smile full of promise.

Shadow burst in and ran around her legs in a circle, barking at the top of his lungs. Bending down, she

gave him a quick squeeze around his neck and told him there was a treat for him in the kitchen. He gave her one final bark as he ran, tail wagging, to go find his treat, which she knew would keep him occupied for

hours.

Lily had started picking up rawhides and toys for him at the store when she went grocery shopping. Eric

kept telling her she didn’t have to, since Shadow had plenty of toys and bones at his house, but she wanted him to have some things here since this is where he was half of the time.

She straightened and saw Eric’s appraising eyes hungrily rake her up and down. “Nice outfit. Am I

interrupting something?”

Her brow furrowed. As she looked down, she realized she’d forgotten she was wearing her Burlesque

attire, complete with heels, booty shorts, a bustier, a boa, a garter, and gloves. She blushed a little. No guy

had ever seen her dressed like this. She’d only taught the class to women, and she’d always waited to change until she arrived at the facility at which she was teaching. Then she’d change before leaving.

“I thought you had to work tonight. I was practicing for a class I’m teaching tomorrow.” She decided to

leave out the part about it being at his little sister’s request.

His eyes shot up to hers. “I’m off, and a class in what? Stripping?”

“No, Burlesque. But they do have pole classes, and I’ve thought about getting certified,” she said,

crossing her arms and waiting to see if he would say anything about it. She hated when guys that she was

dating—or in this case, ‘not dating’—got jealous and possessive. Eric was definitely dominant and alpha—

which she really enjoyed—but she hoped that was all.

“If you do decide to get certified, can I watch?” he asked, closing the distance between them and

lowering his lips to hers, claiming her mouth.

His question had given her an idea, and before this kiss turned into more, which she knew would

happen, she leaned her head back away from him and stepped out of his arms. Giving him her sweetest

smile, she asked, “Want to help me?”

“What? Get certified?” He looked a bit confused.

“No. Help me with my Burlesque choreography.”

“I’m not that great of a dancer… Plus, I think I would look terrible in a boa,” he joked as he once again

reached out to pull her against him.

She playfully moved just out of his reach as she said, “I think you’d look great in a boa, but I was

actually asking if you would be my audience.”

He froze and his eyes darted up to hers. “You’re going to dance?”

“Yep.”

“And I get to watch?”

“Yep.”

“And you’ll be wearing that?”

“Yes and no. I take a lot of it off,” she teased as she looked up at him coyly.

“Oh, hell yeah. Just call me Mr. Audience,” he agreed readily.

She chuckled as she went and picked up her folding chair, patting the seat as she set it down. “Okay,

Mr. Audience. Take a seat.”

He immediately did as she instructed. As she walked over to turn the music on, she felt a little rush of

adrenaline. She’d never danced for a man before. Sure, she’d danced with a man, but dancing
for
him was a totally different ballgame. She liked the feeling of power it gave her.

After she pressed play, the smooth sounds of the song “Fever” began floating through the air.

“Does this mean I get to call you my private dancer?” Eric asked as he leaned back in the chair, waiting

for the show.

“Sure,” Lily nodded as she moved in front the wall he was facing, which she was now going to think of

as her stage.

She turned so her back was to him and placed her hands flat on the wall. Glancing over her shoulder,

she saw that his eyes were lit up with anticipation. First, she stepped her right and then left foot on the one and two before snapping her legs straight. Slowly, to the beat of the music, she started swaying her hips

from right to left. Then, as the music slowed, she rolled them back, arching her lower back and putting her derriere on full display.

Next, she crossed her right foot over her left and pivoted, turning on the balls of her feet. When she was

facing him again, she saw physical evidence—tent in his sweats—that he was, in fact, enjoying the show.

She alternated rolling her right and her left shoulders back then ran two fingers up her satin gloves

before sliding first the left one off and then the right. She swung them around over her head before tossing them in his direction.

He reached out and grabbed one, smiling from ear to ear.

She walked towards him in time to the melody, her sure strides continuing past him and around his

chair. Running her fingers along the line of his shoulder and then across his back, she finally stopped

beside him and put her heeled foot up on his knee. Leaning down, she placed her hands on either side of

her ankle and slowly ran her hands up her calves, over her knee, and down her thigh.

The sensation of touching herself, even just on the leg, while Eric’s eyes followed her movements

intently…
Wow
! It was a serious turn-on. She liked having his undivided attention.

Removing her foot and moving to stand between his legs so her back was facing him, she set her hands

on his knees and dipped down. Then, chest first, her body rolled up. She heard a deep moan of

appreciation as he reached out, touching her backside.

“No, no, no.” She turned and glanced over her shoulder, wagging her finger back and forth. “No

touching.”

His head fell back in mock frustration. “You’re killing me.”

“But what a fun way to go,” she said with a wink.

His deep, guttural groan sent a pulsating wave of tingles cresting through her. She loved the fact that he

didn’t even have to be touching her to give her body pleasure. He could do it with a sound, a look, a word.

With arousal coursing through her, she decided that practice time was over. Turning to face him, she

started unhooking her bustier. His eyes narrowed as he watched her hands unfasten each and every hook,

starting from the bottom so by the time she got to the top her stomach and cleavage were peeking out

between the separated fabrics.

As she unclasped the last hook, the garment popped open like it was spring-loaded, and her breasts

burst free. He exhaled a harsh rush of breath at the sight.

Lily loved the way he looked at her body. Other men she’d been with had seemed plenty turned-on by

her curves, but the way Eric looked at her, she felt like she was his ultimate fantasy come to life. It was an amazing feeling.

Placing her petite hands on his large thighs for balance, Lily dipped down. But instead of rolling back

up, she continued until she was on her knees in front of him. Then, moving her hands beneath his shirt, she splayed her hands over the steely contours of his rippling abs.

He sucked in a breath as she ran her fingers up his muscular chest, grazing her nails against his skin

along the way. She began removing his shirt and he helped by lifting his arms.

She sat back for a moment on her heels, her hands resting on his legs, which were still clad in sweats.

She let her eyes take in his strong and powerful chest and then let them wander down to his narrow waist

and long, muscular thighs.

Deciding that he still had on way too many clothes, she said, “Stand up.”

His eyebrow rose at her command. She normally didn’t give commands in the bedroom—he did. And

she
more
than enjoyed it. But they weren’t in the bedroom right now, and this was
her
show.

Taking his time, he slowly stood as she remained kneeling before him, bringing her face level with his

shaft, which was currently straining out of his sweats. Licking her lips, she moved her hands to his

waistband and pulled them down and off, freeing his swollen flesh.

Her mouth watered as she stared at his full, throbbing erection. Wasting no time, she placed her lips

around his member and then took him as deep and far as she could before pulling back. The velvety