Free 8 Weeks by Bethany Lopez Page A

hands on my hip and shoulder, skin to skin. It suddenly felt twenty degrees hotter, and when our bodies began to move together, I thought I might spontaneously combust.
    I wouldn't say that we danced the Salsa well, but what we lacked in skill, we made up for in pure heat.
    By the time our song ended, I saw Maria fanning herself on the sidelines. It could have just been from dancing, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was from the way Cal had watched me as we danced.
    I dropped my arms and averted my eyes, afraid of the emotion that was running between the two of us. I turned on my heel and walked over to the bar to grab a glass of water.
    "You okay?" Cal asked, coming up behind me.
    "Yeah," I responded. "I feel like I lost a few gallons in sweat though. You want one?" I asked, indicating the bottle of water in front of me.
    "Please."
    I watched Maria on Raul on the dance floor as we drank. They looked absolutely amazing together.
    "Wow," Cal said.
    "I know, right. They're spectacular."
    We watched them dance for a while longer, then Cal asked if I was ready to go.
    I nodded and said, "Thanks for this, Cal. I had a lot of fun."
    "Me too."
    When we were on the road back to my place, I turned to him and said, "You did really well. I'm proud of you for getting out there."
    Cal chuckled at that.
    "It didn't start out so well, but Maria has a gift. I felt pretty good by the time we danced together. I'm glad we did it."
    We sat and listened to the radio for the rest of the way. There was no awkward silence, or need to fill space with idle chatter. It felt comfortable, and I knew we were both reflecting on our date.
    When he pulled up to my condo, I went to get out, but he said, "I got it," and jumped out of the car.
    One of the sweetest qualities in Cal was that he was an utter gentleman. I guess I'd always taken it for granted.
    I let him help me out of the car and walk me to the door. When I turned to thank him again, I was surprised to see him walking purposefully toward me.
    One second, I was standing on the step, the next I was up against the door in Cal's arms.
    His hands were on my face, and his body was pressed fully against mine, I barely had time to gasp in surprise, when his mouth was on mine.
    The kiss was frantic and full of need, and without a thought, I matched his need with my own. His mouth slanted over mine and our tongues met, causing a moan to escape my lips. He brought one hand around my lower back and pulled me closer to him. I lifted my leg up and assisted him as he cupped my bottom and brought me fully against him. I fisted his shirt in my hand, needing to grab on, eager to pull him closer. I nipped his bottom lip lightly, and felt a rush of cool air as he pulled his mouth away from mine.
    He lowered my leg and took a step back, leaving me standing there scattered and full of need.
    "I'm sorry, Shel." He leaned in and kissed my forehead lightly. "I got carried away."
    Cal turned and jogged down the steps back to his car, as if he needed to get away as fast as he could.
    I watched him leave with a mixture of relief and regret before slowly turning and letting myself in.
    It looked like a cold shower and a lot of soul searching was in order.
     

 
     
    Chapter 19 - Cal
     
    Leaving Shelly the other night had been one of the hardest things I'd ever done. The image of her flushed cheeks, and the look on her face when I'd thrust her up against the door, had made the last few nights unbearable.
    I hadn't seen her since, but she didn’t seemed pissed when I left, so I hoped that she was still feeling positive about us and was as eager for Saturday's date as I was.
    I was waiting at a local bar and grill for TJ and Scott. We'd made plans to grab some dinner and catch half a game before Scott had to meet up with Victoria to go over wedding stuff, and TJ had to meet up with his flavor of the week to hook up.
    I had no plans after dinner.
    This was the highlight of my day.
    How different my life had gotten in a matter