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I just appreciate beauty when I see it. Like you.” His gaze heated as it slid over her, making her stomach flip awkwardly. Chris finished his beer and tossed the cup into a nearby trash can. He reached for her hand. “Come dance with me. That’s a swing I hear playing and you were always a great partner.”
    Alicia held her hands out. “Oh, no, you don’t! It’s been a long time and you only liked dancing with me because I was light enough for you to toss around like a rag doll.”
    “Exactly,” he agreed, dragging her out to the dance floor, not giving her another chance to refuse.
    The music was fast, a blaring rockabilly rhythm that had Chris twirling, twisting, and spinning her until she gave up trying to figure out which direction was up. A crowd began to surround them, giving them room to dance and cheering them on. She’d forgotten how much fun she had dancing with him. He was a strong lead and she never had to think with him. He was always in the right place at the right time to catch her, no matter where she ended up. When he spun her back against his chest and reached for her hands, her body responded without even thinking. Curling her hands into his, he slid one arm to her lower back and the other under her knees, flipping her into the air and backward over his arm, catching her effortlessly while the crowd cheered. As the strains of the music slowed, Chris spun her back against him and dipped her.
    She stared up at him, her dark eyes locking with his deep blue, dizzy from the exertion and trying to regain her focus. Her heart thudded heavily against her ribs, feeling like it would burst. She expected him to lift her to standing again but he continued to stare down at her, his eyes going dark and languid. His fingers at her lower back were against her skin and she could feel the heat burning into her, scalding her and making shivers of delight course up her spine.
    She was breathless but, suddenly, she wasn’t sure if it was from the exertion or the way he was looking at her. She was the first to break the silence, unable to hold his smoldering gaze any longer without melting in his hands. “Um, Chris, just how long are we going to stay like this?”
    The look in his eyes vanished as quickly as it appeared, replaced by his usual grin and impishness. He bent toward her and pressed a quick kiss to her lips, causing her heart to plummet to her toes, before lifting her upright and taking her back to where David waited for them as if nothing had happened.
    W HAT IN THE hell was that?
    Chris wasn’t sure what had come over him. One minute he was flirting with some blond walking past him, the next he was kissing Ali on the dance floor. Of all the women he could kiss tonight, she was the last one he should even consider locking lips with. Here he was pressuring David to ask Ali out and then he kisses her, in front of everyone. What kind of friend was he? He wasn’t even sure what had possessed him to do it. He had to get it together.
    Damn it! Ali seemed awkward as well, pulling her hand away from his as he walked her back to David, and tucking it into her pocket. He had to do some damage control otherwise this was going to get messy. This was exactly why he’d avoided her for the last two years. He didn’t want to ruin their friendship. What was he thinking? He caught the look of surprise on David’s face as they headed toward him and quickly decided to play it off as a joke.
    David eyed him curiously but refrained from commenting, turning his attention back to Ali and handing her one of the cups he held. “I see I missed all the fun.”
    “Thanks,” she said, taking the drink. “I think I better sit down. I’m dizzy now.”
    David arched a brow and Chris could read the unspoken question in his eyes. He shook his head slightly, letting David know they could discuss it later. He wasn’t about to try to explain his actions right now. Not when he wasn’t even sure what to say or what had just come over