An Excerpt from An Intoxicating Interlude by Jessica Lauryn
Ryder shut the door. He sat beside her, on her bed. Drawing a breath, as though he was the one who was anxious, he asked, “What do you want to talk about?”
“Oh”—Dani thought quickly—“well I told you a lot about myself earlier, about my life growing up. But you didn’t tell me anything about yours.”
Ryder’s eyes darkened. He walked to the window and stood there a long moment before saying, “There isn’t exactly a lot to tell. My past is legendary at Rabourn Theater.”
“Well, yes and no. All of us who participated in the secret society believed Augustus Nathanson was a good man. I know he was your father, but I don’t really know anything else.”
“What more could there be to say?”
Dani studied his expression. Ryder was there with her, but it was like he wasn’t there, as though he was someplace else. It was as though his mind was in another time—when exactly had she become so curious? Yes, Ryder had gotten her to open up to him, something she still couldn’t believe she’d done, but the fact that he was unwilling to talk about himself made her wonder. Was it possible their pasts had been similar? Had Ryder been betrayed by the people he’d loved the most, like she had?
She rambled, “Something, I’d imagine. Everyone has a story, I mean, it isn’t as though you were born on another planet.”
Ryder glared at her. Dani met his stare.
He lifted an eyebrow. “You seem awfully curious about me all of a sudden.”
“You are my husband.” She shrugged. “Why wouldn’t I want to know more about you?”
“I don’t doubt you do.” Ryder crossed his arms. “Though I can’t imagine how I spent my adolescence is very high on the list.”
Unsure of how to respond to that, Dani stammered, “When I said let’s talk, I did mean talk. I wasn’t trying to…that isn’t why I…”
“You know, it’s amazing to me how a woman who used to take her clothes off in a room full of drunken men could be so guarded. Unless it’s an act. I have always believed your acting skills were uncanny.”
“How dare you! I told you that—”
“You were forced into exotic dancing because you had an unfair shake in life? Maybe that’s how it started, but you were at home on the stage. There were other ways you could have supported yourself, even under the worst of circumstances. You chose dancing because it’s in your blood, because it’s running through your veins, pumping through your heart with every beat.”
“So, I enjoy dancing,” Dani said, unable to believe how flawlessly he’d been able to turn the focus back onto her, or what a wild shift in topic had come of it. “It isn’t as though that was ever a secret. I have a skill and I used it to support myself. I did what I had to, to survive.”
Ryder sat beside her. Looking into her eyes, asked, “Were you doing what you had to do earlier tonight, when you were kissing me?”
Dani’s heart came into her mouth. She backed up, attempting to hide her burning face. “I see what you’re trying to do. It’s the same thing you were doing earlier. You want me to let my guard down.”
“What if I do?” Her husband inched closer. “You asked me not to leave, which I can only assume you did because you want me to stay.”
Dani wanted to move away. She needed to move away, but her body refused to do anything besides remain in place, tingles rushing through her, her body shuddering as though she’d been caught against an electric socket.
“You don’t really want to talk.” Ryder grazed her cheek. “Do you Dani?”
Dani’s throat was so dry she couldn’t speak. She inclined her head, intending to move it up and down. It seemed to be locked in place.
“You have so much passion inside of you. I saw it when you were on the stage. You’re dying to let it out, but you bottle it up inside because you’re afraid.”
“I’m not afraid,” she insisted.
Ryder smiled. “Prove it.”
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You can find Jessica Lauryn at www.jessicalauryn.com
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