Chapter 8: THE DANCE

***\-JAX-***

I stood up, held out my hand to her, and felt my pulse quicken as I looked at her. Every second she spent scrutinizing me with her skeptical, sarcastic gaze brought me closer to a point where I could completely lose control. She was so different – not a game I could control, but a puzzle that was driving me crazy. “Dance with me, Celine,” I said, feeling my voice sound deeper than I wanted. There was a desire in it that I could usually masterfully suppress. But with her?

Her eyebrows rose and a challenging smile spread across her lips as she said, “You want me to dance with you?” There was a slight contempt in her words, and yet – there was also something else, a hesitation, as if she sensed that this moment between us was like a boundary that we had just crossed.

“What’s the matter? Are you afraid of me?” I grinned, but inside I was in a state of chaos that I couldn’t control. Her skepticism made my nerves vibrate, and I had an unmistakable need to convince her that I wasn’t just some guy she could play with. With a sigh, she stood up and headed toward the dance floor, as if to show me that she was just as in control as I was. But I couldn’t let her do that – not with her.

“Hey, where do you think you’re going?” Without thinking, I grabbed her arm and pulled her back. Maybe a little too hard, because the next moment I felt her body against mine, felt the warmth that radiated from her, how it rose in me and stifled every rational voice in my head. She raised her head and looked at me, her eyes sparkling and fixed on me, as if she knew that she had exactly the effect she wanted.

An inner storm broke loose, a greed that I felt all over my body. All this time, I had believed that I had everything under control – that I was in charge of the game. But now? Her presence made my boundaries melt. “Celine...” Her eyes, deep and full of secrets, looked at me and made me stagger in a way I was not used to. I should let go of her, turn around and disappear before it was too late.

But then there were her hands, digging into my hair, pulling me closer to her, as if she too could no longer hold back. Her lips met mine – warm, soft, inviting – and it was as if a tidal wave washed away all control I had possessed. Our kisses became wild and unbridled, and at that moment there was no holding back. My hands found their way to her hips, holding her tighter as our tongues played with each other in an untamed dance of longing and forbidden desires.

This kiss was different – it burned on my skin, deep in my soul. It opened up something in me that I had kept locked away for years. Usually, I was the one who dominated, who took without asking, who felt no obligation to anyone. But with her? It felt as if I was not only close to her, but as if she meant everything to me in a moment. Unspoken. Inexplicable.

I forced myself to detach myself from her, my forehead still pressed against hers, still feeling her breath on my skin. “Celine... not here... and not today,” I whispered against her lips, fighting the urge to just hold her and never let go. ‘I don’t want it to be like with the others...’ The words came over my lips before I knew what I actually wanted to say.

With the others, I had never hesitated, had always taken what I wanted – because it had been meaningless. But her? She made me question all of that, and that infuriated me because I no longer understood myself.

Her astonished look met mine, and a cheeky grin appeared on her face. “Jax... are you becoming decent?”

A humorless laugh escaped me, but it wasn’t a real laugh – it was the echo of the confusion she had unleashed in me. “Decent? Me? No, Celine, you hardly believe that.” I looked at her, my hands on her hips, and pulled her even closer with an uncontrolled urge. “But with you... everything feels different.”

“Is that so?” Her gaze drilled into me as if she wanted to find the truth in my eyes, the words I could never say out loud.

I nodded, felt my heartbeat thunder against my chest, felt her taking the ground out from under my feet and at the same time bringing me to a point where I no longer had any control – and I didn’t care.

She looked at me with a penetrating gaze. “What do you want, Jax... be honest.” The way she looked at me - so direct, so unyielding - left me no room for evasion. Everything in me screamed to avoid her, to smile the moment away, but I couldn’t. Her closeness stripped me of every defense, every masked response.

I pulled her even closer, feeling the heat of her body against mine, her heartbeat, which seemed to beat in time with mine, and for a moment I lost my footing, as if her question had disarmed me. “Celine...” I whispered, my voice rough and full of desire, the words like a secret I had never dared to share. “I want you. But not just like that, not superficially.” My fingers glided over her hips, sank lower, caressed every line of her body as if they could fathom her essence.

“I want more... much more.” My lips came so close to her ear that I could feel her breath on my skin. Her warmth was beguiling, a sweet poison that took away all clear thoughts and put me in a state of desire that I could hardly control. “I want every nuance, every hidden smile, every passion in you.” The words came softly, almost silently, and yet my heart vibrated in unison with what I was saying.

She looked at me, her eyes sparkling, challenging, like a flame that drew me deeper and deeper into its embers. ”And what makes you so sure you can take it, Jax?”

A small smile flitted across my lips, but my eyes were absolutely serious. “Maybe I can’t stand it... but for you, I’d risk it.” I slowly let my hand glide along her back until it rested on the delicate curve of her neck, my fingers sinking into her hair. “With you... I want to lose myself. Every second, every touch... with you, everything feels more sensual, more intense.”

A soft, barely audible breath escaped her lips, and the heat that ignited between us was almost tangible. Her hands slid into my hair, pulling me closer to her, as if she too no longer wanted to hold this control. And when our lips met again, we merged in a kiss full of tenderness and raw passion, a dance of desire and intimacy that needed no words.

“We should stop this before it gets out of hand... you should go home, Celine. Damian is probably looking for you already...” I felt a knot forming in my stomach as I spoke the words, but I knew I had to say them.

But she laughed softly and just shook her head, her eyes sparkling defiantly. “Jax... I don’t care about him. He’s a complete idiot. I’m old enough and I don’t need a babysitter.”

A painful smile crossed my face as I gently placed my hands on her cheeks and held her gaze. “Listen... me and Damian, it’s complicated enough as it is. What do you think will happen if he finds out you were here with me? He’s dangerous, Celine. Damian is no harmless guy.”

For a moment she seemed to process the words, then she sat down on the couch and tapped on the cushion next to her, an unspoken invitation that I found difficult to ignore. Reluctantly, I sat down next to her, feeling her closeness, her warmth – it only made it harder to keep my wits about me.

“What is it between you and Damian?“ Her voice was gentle, but her eyes betrayed her curiosity and concern. ’Has it always been like this?”

I sighed and shook my head. ’No. We used to be best friends.” The memory felt like a knife, tearing open old wounds. “Until the day he... killed a loved one.”

“He did... what?” Her eyes widened, and I saw a mixture of disgust and horror appear on her face.

I swallowed hard, the images of the past flaring up inside me like a dark shadow. “We went to school together back then, and it was about a girl... Samantha. She often hung out with us. I wanted more, he wanted more... but in the end she chose me. Damian’s ego couldn’t take it. He kidnapped her.”

Celine held her breath. “What did Damian do to her, Jax?”

I lowered my eyes, a bitter coldness ran through my veins. ”They don’t know for sure, but the police found her weeks later. They found welts on her body. They said someone had whipped her to make her compliant. I went to the police at the time, told them what had happened, but before charges could be pressed, evidence was suddenly missing.”

Celine stared at me in horror, her hands shaking slightly as she clasped them together. “And... you threatened him back then?”

I nodded slowly. “Yes. I swore to destroy him. But he sent me a warning – if I continued to take action against him, something bad would happen. Two weeks later... my sister was dead.” My voice broke, and I felt a familiar pain that was still as sharp as on the first day.

“Oh my God, Jax... that’s... that’s brutal.” Her voice was little more than a whisper. ’And you’re sure Damian is behind it?”

“Yes.’ My eyes met hers, and in that moment, I knew she understood. ”Not just sure, Celine. I *know*. So... if he finds out you were here...”

Slowly, she raised her hand and gently laid it on my cheek, her touch like a balm for all the scars I had carried with me for so long. “Don’t worry. He won’t hurt me. But you’re right... I should be on my way.”

Part of me wanted to hold her, didn’t want to let her go, but I knew it was for the best. I pulled her into an embrace, felt her closeness one last time, inhaled her scent. “Come back tomorrow, Celine. You’re always welcome here... but take care of yourself, okay?”

She smiled weakly, a fleeting expression, but the sparkle in her eyes was unwavering. ”I’ll take care of myself. See you tomorrow, Jax.”

She hesitated for a moment, as if she herself wasn’t sure whether she should leave. Her hand slid over my chest and she looked up at me, a hint of doubt in her eyes mixed with a warmth that almost made me forget everything around us.

“Jax,” she whispered softly, her voice barely more than a gentle murmur. ”I really should go...”

I held her gaze and gently laid a hand on her cheek, stroking her soft skin with my thumb. “I know. But that doesn’t make it any easier.”

A smile flitted across her lips, sad and beautiful at the same time. ‘You’re really making it difficult for me, you know?’ Her fingers found their way to the back of my neck as she leaned in a little closer, resting her forehead against mine.

“Maybe,” I said softly, my voice a breath at her ear, ’I want you to find it difficult.”

She closed her eyes briefly, as if she wanted to absorb the words, before she laughed softly. ’You’re impossible, Jax. You know I’ll be back tomorrow... you just have to wait.”

“Wait? For you? That’s the hardest thing you could ask of me.“ I grinned and felt her fingers gently stroking through my hair. ’But for you... I’ll gladly wait.”

She opened her eyes, and the expression in them took my breath away. ’Do you promise me that?” Her voice was soft, uncertain, as if she hardly dared say the words.

I gently laid my forehead against hers and whispered, “I promise. I’ll be here. And tomorrow... I’ll hold you just as tight as I do now.”

She let out a sigh as she wrapped her arms around me more tightly and gave me a last, tender kiss, a kiss full of longing and desire that made us both pause for a moment. Our lips touched gently, but I felt the depth of what remained unsaid between us, and the farewell felt much more difficult for a moment.

As she slowly pulled away from me, she looked at me again, her fingers gently gliding over my cheek. “Good night, Jax... dream of me.”

“I will,” I whispered back, unable to take my eyes off her. ”Good night, Celine... see you tomorrow.”

With a last tender smile, she turned to the door and disappeared into the night, while I remained in the silence, still feeling the warm echo of her touch on my skin, and the unspoken promise that would come tomorrow.