The ease Nicole and Shane had had was gone. Evaporated the moment his lips met hers. Her carefully crafted walls should have firmly risen when he called her Nic.
I should have never let him past the walls.
Shane was a friend. And the opposite of her husband. He was kind. Caring. Never irrational.
Though, outside of the kiss, he was also so controlled she wondered what would happen when he popped.
Nicole rubbed her hands along her arms as she looked out the porthole. They’d be on dry land in an hour. She had a massage and manicure scheduled like always.
But Shane hadn’t said anything about meeting up for dinner.
She craved their routine.
And more.
Nicole pressed her fingers into her arms to ground herself. Her few attempts to banish Shane’s kiss from her mind had failed spectacularly.
It had lasted less than half a second. Yet, Nicole couldn’t vanquish the desire, craving, need, for more. No matter how she tried to focus on something else.
The last time she'd acted without thinking, she’d eloped with her ex only to discover his true personality after they’d said "I do."
But I am not running off with Shane.
Nicole had no intention of ever walking down the aisle again. No desire to fall in love. But a few hot nights…
The door to the clinic opened and Shane stood there, backpack slung over his shoulder. Street clothes ready for the day they had in port before setting off for the last three months of their contract on the high seas.
She waited a moment for him to say where dinner was. Held her breath when he offered a smile. But he didn’t say anything.
“Want to skip dinner tonight?” Nicole took the frown forming on Shane’s lips as a good sign and pressed on. They could do something else fun. “Because I feel the need to dance the night away.”
She twisted her hips just a little. Once upon a time she’d spent her free hours at the dance studio or in the dance club. Modern was her specialty, though she’d mostly given it up in med school. And stopped completely when Caleb mentioned how uncomfortable it made him.
“Dancing?” Shane raised a brow. “Not sure I'm a great dance partner, but sure. You know a place? Because I’ve never even looked for a dance club in port.”
Her skin heated. It wasn’t a date.
“I do know a place. A little hole in the wall, but the music is popping.”
Shane’s brows furrowed just a little. “I know you like dancing. You’ve mentioned it more than a dozen times.”
Nicole stuck her tongue out. “Not that many times.” It was a fun hobby and she’d showed off a few moves on super boring days.
“I just want you to know that I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve danced," Shane went on. "So when I say I might not be a great partner, I'm not hiding a great skill. Don’t want you disappointed.”
There was a hint of something on the word disappointed. A deeper feeling. But whatever it was, Shane didn’t elaborate as he grinned. “On the other hand, there is no way I can outshine you.” Adjusting the backpack on his shoulder, he nodded to the door. “Want to go wait on deck? I can’t imagine we’ll have any patients between now and docking.”
He was right, and Nicole grabbed her bag. They were going dancing.
But why does he think he’ll be a disappointment?
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