Three to Tango (5 page)

his eyes.

“This time.” Jace winked as he stepped forward, placed both hands on Alec"s

shoulders, and spun him around so their positions were reversed.

“Stay.” He dropped his hands and stepped away from his hunka-hunka-

burning-love dance partner, until his backside bumped against the desk. Flashing a

grin he hoped expressed exactly how attracted he was, Jace turned around to cue up

“La Cumparsita” on the stereo.

He let out a long, low breath and squared up his shoulders before turning

around to face Alec. Jace dropped his head slightly so he was looking at his partner

from under lowered eyelids. Alec held his position as Jace moved toward him on the

beat, sensually rolling his hips into each step. He stopped an arm"s length from his

partner and placed one hand, palm flat, against the center of Alec"s chest. They

circled each other on a matched beat, eyes locked. Jace pushed Alec away and then

stepped forward into his frame: one hand in Alec"s, the other resting on a solid

shoulder, while Alec"s free hand rested hot on the small of Jace"s back. Right knees

bent, left legs extended behind, they mirrored each other"s stance. For a long

moment they held the position, motionless.

Being in Alec"s arms, his face close enough to share the man"s warm, sweet

breath, was like a dream come true. And Alec was right there with him. There was

no hesitation in his posture, no discomfort in his dark, smoldering eyes. Alec was as

affected as he.

Mel’s going to shit.

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27

Melody walked through the door of Jace"s studio, shimmying her shoulders to

the beat of the music. Maybe if she asked nicely, Jace would dip her. She"d always

loved to dance with him, even though he was about a thousand times more graceful

than she could ever be. When they were younger he used her as a practice partner

once in a while. God, how she"d loved those stolen moments in his arms when she

could press her body to his and hold him close and pretend he was hers for just a

little while. Of course that was before she knew for sure that he would nev—Mel

stopped in her tracks, shock chasing away the memories as she took in the scene

before her.

The tango was generally sensual, but her roommates were locked in the most

intensely erotic version of the dance she"d ever seen.

Banked passion hung heavy in the air, thick enough to choke on. If she hadn"t

seen it herself, she"d never have believed it. They looked like a couple: the kind of

couple everyone aspired to be, that single people envied.

A sudden wave of guilt washed over her. She felt like a Peeping Tom,

witnessing something intensely intimate and private. But she was too mesmerized

to look away.

Oblivious to their audience, the pair pivoted counterclockwise with Jace"s leg

wrapped around Alec"s hip, chest to chest, their faces as close as possible without

actually touching. As they stepped back and pivoted around each other, Melody

couldn"t help but notice their shorts. How could either of them not realize the

woodies they were both sporting? She expected it of Jace, but Alec too?

Straight, my ass…

Melody loved watching Jace dance, but seeing him and Alec together like this

did something new and exciting to her insides. Something shocking but undeniably

sexual. Images flashed in her mind: her body between theirs, all heated sweat and

flexing muscle and graceful motion…

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Chloe Cole & L. C. Chase

A low moan escaped Melody"s throat, heat rushed down into her abdomen, and

wetness pooled in her panties. She had never been more turned on in her life. She"d

thought playing one-on-one basketball with Alec was better than porn?

Alec stopped Jace, leading him back while stepping forward, flexing his left

knee. Jace kicked his leg under Alec"s. The step was called a gancho, Melody

remembered. But she"d never seen it quite like this. Jace kicked his leg up, held it

for a second, then slid it slowly down the inside of Alec"s left leg.

“Shit.” Her knees weakened, and she half-fell against the desk. Her movement

caught the attention of the two dancers. They both froze, arm in arm, chest to chest.

Identical gazes of shock locked on her. For an endless minute, no one so much as

moved a muscle, let alone breathed.

Then Melody reached over and turned off the music, unsurprised by the husky

quality of her voice when she spoke. “Do you two have any idea at all how fucking

sexy that was?”

And the three-way trance broke.

Jace looked down at himself and muttered a curse under his breath before

turning away, but Alec held her gaze with an expression she"d never seen on his

face before.

Pure, unadulterated lust.

Three to Tango

29

Chapter Five

Melody surveyed the living room with a critical eye. It screamed “boho chic,”

which would have been all right, except she"d been going for “seductive lair.”

Only a half hour left until Alec got home, and now she had to start all over

again.
Damn.

Her apprehension wasn"t over Roomie Appreciation Night; that was nothing

new. They"d been doing it every other Saturday for the past six months. Usually

they would have dinner, play a board game like Scrabble or Monopoly, then settle in

for a cheesy, late-night horror flick and popcorn. It was all very domestic and

homey, but that was so not the vibe she was shooting for this time. She wanted to

make sure whenever they spent time together, Alec got to see a new, more sensual

side of her. Jace would be there too, of course, but she wasn"t going to let that stop

her. Alec"s perception of her had to be permanently altered before he would ever

truly consider sleeping with her and, as always, she was going to charge forward

with a full-court press.

So what’s sexy? Think sexy, Mel.

Blowing out the linen-scented candles, she replaced them with the ones she

and Jace had picked up at a sex shop months before. She brought one of the little

jars to her nose and smiled with satisfaction as she inhaled the rich scent of vanilla

and a touch of sandalwood. What had the clerk said? “
Sandalwood heightens sexual

excitement
.” Yep, that would do the trick.

She eyed the vintage, crackled wineglasses with the kitschy charms on the

stems on the coffee table.
So boho
. Surely they had something sexier than that.

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Chloe Cole & L. C. Chase

Martini glasses
! She went to the hutch, pulled down three, and gingerly placed

them in the freezer to chill.

Next? Music.

Typically, they would listen to CDs by whatever new indie band one of them

had discovered. But that wouldn"t do at all for tonight. Squatting next to the stereo,

she ejected the Arctic Monkeys" latest offering, then leafed through their extensive

music collection and plucked
The Best of Sade
from the mix.

As the smooth strains and silky voice purred seductively from the speakers,

Melody flashed back to the image of Jace and Alec dancing in the studio. Heat

pooled between her thighs as she recalled the intensity of the moment, the raw need

that had pulsed in the room—and her desire to join them.

They"d all acted like nothing had happened, brushing it off. But it was there,

the white elephant in the room. Jace had shot her an exasperated look as he"d called

a halt to the practice session. He clearly felt he"d been making headway with Alec,

and she had effectively cock blocked him. She tried not to focus on why his

annoyance with her had stung so much. They were competing for the same guy, not

trying to share him. That he would want to have some alone time with Alec to work

his magic was to be expected. So why had she felt so left out?

She shook off the unsettling question, then spared a glance at the clock and

ran into her bedroom. Ten minutes to change and throw on some makeup. She

yanked off her tank top and cutoffs, rifling through her closet in a mad rush.

Jace took the stairs leading from the studio two at a time. Usually, he got in a

good hour later than his roommates on Saturday evenings, but tonight he"d made

the conscious decision to put off some of the dance-studio paperwork until Monday.

He wasn"t interested in letting Mel have sixty minutes of uninterrupted time with

Alec if he could help it.

He walked in with a “Honey, I"m ho-ome!” and headed straight for the fridge to

take out the shrimp he"d bought that morning for their meal. He found himself

Three to Tango

31

dancing a little cha-cha as he seasoned it. The realization that there was music

seeping in from the living room made him stop to actively listen.
Ah…Sade. Well

played, Hellz.

By the time Mel"s door opened a few minutes later, dinner was on the grill, and

he was at the counter whisking the salad dressing. “Hey, baby doll, shrimp kabobs

and mandarin salad okay for you? I know you"d rather ha…” He trailed off as she

walked in the room.

“I"ve decided that tonight we"re going classy. We"re going to dress like grown-

ups and have martinis and listen to grown-up music. Now be a good boy and go put

a suit on.”

He heard what she said, but the words didn"t compute. He was too taken aback

by her appearance—and the shocking fact that his cock stood up and took notice—to

really let them sink in.

She wore a thin black cotton dress that hung sensually off one shoulder. It

skimmed her curves lightly, then ended abruptly midthigh. Nude fuck-me pumps

capped off mile-long, tanned legs. Her golden hair was swept up into some kind of

sloppy twist, barely contained by a clip. Her makeup was light with glossy lips and

sun-kissed cheeks. She was stunning. Jace shifted from foot to foot, looking for safe

ground.

“Grown-ups?” he parroted.

“Yeah, grown-ups. Now hurry up and change before Alec gets here, so I don"t

look stupid dressed up all by myself.”

Jace had finally gotten a handle on his unusual reaction. Then she turned to

get something from the freezer, and his train went off track again. The front of the

dress had covered her breasts with no hint of cleavage. Her back, however, was

completely bare, fabric draping from the exposed shoulder, then plunging to her

lower back. If he tugged it an inch lower, he would see her ass.

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Chloe Cole & L. C. Chase

Fighting to get his voice back for the second time, he said, “Wow. You look

amazing.” His voice was a little huskier than he would have liked. What the hell

was going on with him?

Mellz. Friend. Female. Get it together, Jace.

“Thanks. You want a martini or a cosmo? I"m buying.”

“Uh, surprise me. I"m going to change. Be back in a sex…er…sec.” Jace

practically ran out of the room. All the talk of seduction over the past week was

creating a sexually charged atmosphere in the house, and he was just getting swept

up—that was all. As soon as the bet was over and one of them, or neither, won

Alec"s heart, things would go back to normal.

He scanned his closet for something that could compete with Mel"s look,

settling on a light gray suit with a peach silk tie. She"d win the fashion-show

portion of the evening, hands down. He was going to have to shine elsewhere.

Melody stood in the kitchen with her head in the freezer. While she"d gone in

there to get the martini glasses, she"d stayed there to cool her flaming cheeks. If she

didn"t know better, she would have thought Jace was physically attracted to her.

The way his pupils had dilated and his breathing had grown erratic. She could have

heard a pin drop when she"d walked into the room. She pressed a shaky hand to her

still-warm face.

Okay, get a grip and make some drinks. As much as you want him to, Jace

doesn’t do girls.

Putting the strange moment aside for later examination, she shut the freezer

door and took the shaker out of the cabinet. She poured in Grey Goose, lime juice,

triple sec, and a splash of cranberry juice, then packed it with ice, put the top on,

and shook.

The front door locks tumbled as she poured a shaken-not-stirred martini into a

glass. Alec walked in a moment later, looking dirty, rumpled, and totally fuckable.

Three to Tango

33

A sudden shock of intense heat rushed down her abdomen.
Oh, hell-oo.

“Long day?” she asked, holding out the chilled glass.

His stunned expression was almost comical. He looked like someone had hit

him on the head with a brick. If he had been in a cartoon, steam would have shot

from his ears.