"Princess, get your butt out of that chair and dance with me." Dash delivered this line as if he were asking against his own better judgment.

A definite tingle arose in Savannah's core and her heart started to pound. The chill bumps climbing up her arms reminded her of just how dangerous it was to dance with a man she didn't like but found undeniably attractive.

Dash snagged Savannah by the hand and pulled her out toward the street. She was overwhelmed by the heat of his touch, the rough texture of his skin, the bath–soap smell of him, and the fact that practically everyone at the dance was watching them.

The band struck up "Can I have this Dance for the Rest of my Life," and Dash pulled her close. She placed her hand on his shoulder, immediately struck dumb by the hard muscle beneath her palm. He started moving, and she was amazed to discover that he was light on his feet, and knew exactly how to lead. They danced for quite a long time without speaking a single word, and the silence became charged.

She needed to break it. "This is quite a production, isn't it?"

"Yup," he said, as he suddenly changed direction and put her through a number of steps that had her moving forward and then backward and then forward again.

The silence swelled between them.

"You know," she said, "people usually talk while they dance. Of course, I guess you and I don't have much to say."

He glanced down at her with a tiny quirk of his lips. "I reckon."

He moved her through another pattern of intricate steps.

"But maybe we should have more to say," she said.

"You think?"

"Yes. I do. It would be kind of weird for us to just dance here for fifteen minutes and say nothing."

"I don't know. I've danced with plenty of women who talk up a blue streak and manage not to say anything important. So if you're talking to be sociable, you can quit. I like dancing just for dancing's sake."

"You know, Dash, you and I are more alike than either of us would like to admit."

"How's that?"

"We're both pigheaded. And kind of willful. And bratty."

He laughed. "Yep, Princess, that describes you to a T."