"What were you and Stride talking about?" he asked.

"Funny, he asked the same thing about you and me."

Aimes flicked his gaze back to mine, his entire body pulling taut. "What did you tell him?"

"Nothing," I told him. "You and I weren't saying a lot with words."

His lips twitched at that, and raw, almost desperate hunger flamed brightly in his eyes.

"Don't look at me like that," I said with a hint of a whimper.

We circled the dance floor, and ...