Free Fierce Love by Phoebe Conn Page A

valued none longer than a few weeks or months. Rafael had probably walked over so many broken hearts he no longer heard the crunch.
    When the dancer finished to lively applause, she flounced off the stage and disappeared behind a hanging curtain. A couple soon replaced her. They were favorites of the small crowd and danced to many enthusiastic cheers. When they finished, the café’s owner came to their table.
    “Will you dance for us, Rafael?” he asked in heavily accented English.
    Rafael nodded to Maggie. “I’ll dance if you’ll dance with me.”
    She thought of the advice she’d given the twins about mood, and tonight she could easily conjure up a fierce disdain. “If everyone will forgive my lack of appropriate costume and shoes, I will.”
    Their host clapped his hands. “You may dance for us naked if you like.”
    Rafael laughed; Felipe then realized what he’d said and blushed with embarrassment, but Maggie interrupted his rushed apology. “I understood what you meant. My clothes don’t matter. May I borrow some castanets if there’s an extra pair? ”
    “Of course, I’ll find some.”
    As she rose, Maggie glanced around the room. The women present were focused on Rafael, but the men were watching her. She was used to drawing attention when she danced, but she was usually on a stage separated her from the audience and here, she would be nearly in their laps. Perhaps it was only her father’s name that had impressed them.
    “Do you dance here often?” she asked Rafael.
    “No, a few times is all.” He rolled his sleeves up his forearms. “But people remember me.”
    “Of course they do.” She took his hand to step up on the stage, but because he now knew how well she danced, she’d lost the advantage. This time the surprises would all come from him. She was grateful for the distraction of the castanets Felipe handed her. She clicked a slow beat in time with the guitarist and quickened it as she turned her shoulder to Rafael. She moved with a graceful sway and let the familiar steps carry her into the lively and seductive dance.
    She ignored the spectators’ stares and appreciative shouts and lost herself in the music, while Rafael danced so close to her she couldn’t possibly ignore him. He moved with a masculine grace, and she couldn’t help but wonder what sex would be like with him. He’d certainly bring the heat of passion but might be done in a single fiery burst, while she liked men who made love all night long.
    Clearly he had the necessary stamina. Maybe all he’d need would be a woman with a fire of her own. When the guitarist strummed the final chord, Rafael drew her into a warm embrace and kissed her as she’d expected him to last night. It was a surprisingly gentle kiss, one merely for show and over before she could respond. The small crowd cheered, and she forced a smile when he let her go.
    She handed the castanets to Felipe but didn’t return to her chair. “Could we go now?” she asked Rafael.
    “If that’s what you wish.” He offered Felipe the money for their wine, but the man shook him off with a flurry of compliments for their dancing and walked them to the door.
    Rafael took her hand as they reached the street. “I’m sorry. I thought you would like it here.”
    “I did.”
    “But you want to leave so early?”
    “I haven’t gotten used to the difference in time yet,” she hedged. She couldn’t say he overwhelmed her and led her thoughts deliciously astray. That was way too much to admit so soon.
    “Do you tell no one the truth? No one trusts a Gypsy, but people will expect better from you.”
    They’d reached his car, but he hadn’t unlocked her door, and she had to face him. The shadows in the dimly lit street flattered him, and she could so easily imagine women clinging to his knees, begging for his love. She didn’t cling. “There’s a difference between lying and being considerate of another’s feelings.”
    “I don’t understand