Page 32 of What Doesn't Kill You…

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Dance class was not going well. It turned out that Violet's disdain for being led in life translated into her refusing to be led around the dance floor too. She also seemed incapable of relaxing. Max felt as though he was trying to waltz with an ironing board. One that kept hitting him in the shins.

"I'm not cut out for dancing," Violet ground the words out. "Couldn't we have done a martial arts class instead? I'm good at that."

"Funnily enough, they don't offer those at a wedding destination." Max smiled down at her, aware their instructor was watching their every move. "Think of this as fighting, with music."

She made a little growling sound deep in her chest. "It's not fair, Rodrigo is off picking up our weapons, Abasi's hacking the florist's database, Evan is planning a covert drone mission, and I'm here." She glared at him. "Dancing."

"No, no, no," the instructor, Robert, interrupted again. "Not like that. Remember to feel the music flow through you as you move. Let me show you again." He firmly moved Max out of the way and took Violet into his arms.

She recoiled and Max winced, mentally chanting don't hurt him, don't hurt him...

"Try to relax, Violet," Robert said. "You act like you're going to your doom, not your wedding." He chuckled like he was hilarious.

And steam came out of Violet's ears. She made a little growling sound that reminded him of the sound feral dogs made before they bit. He couldn't take it anymore.

"Sorry, but I think it's best if I dance with Violet. She's feeling out of sorts today." He eased Robert out of striking distance of his fake fiancée and took his place. "It's je?—"

"Jet lag." The instructor did little to hide the fact he was rolling his eyes. "I heard she has a particularly bad case of it."

Robert was an Englishman, with stylish hair that was graying at the temples and a patrician nose. There was a distinguished air about him that he obviously cultivated, and he seemed particularly proud of dancing in London's West End. His superior attitude was beginning to grate on Max, as he’d bet Violet wasn't the first woman Robert taught who didn't have any natural ability.

Robert took a very dramatic breath. "Okay, let's try this from the top again. It's a gentle waltz. The steps are simple, all you have to do is hold each other, look into each other's eyes, and follow the beat of the music. I'll do the steps beside you." He eyed Violet with long suffering. "Please try to relax. It's very hard to dance when you're wound so tight your muscles have frozen solid."

"I'm trying," she spat out.

"Are you though?" Robert said sweetly.

She glared at him until he backed off.

"I think the music is a distraction," she said. "Makes it hard to remember what you need to do because you're so worried you'll miss the beat."

"Then let's try it without music," Robert declared.

He signaled to the pianist to sit this round out. The young woman gleefully reached for her phone. Probably posting about the couple who couldn't even do the waltz.

Max leaned in to whisper in Violet's ear. "We're supposed to be in love and this is supposed to be fun. Remember, Rodrigo said to make everyone believe the wedding is real. For that to happen, you need to relax. Nobody expects you to do this perfectly, all they want to see is a couple having fun."

"But I should be good at this," she said with a furious frown. "I can do martial arts forms perfectly. I'm a honed machine, completely in control of my body. This should be a breeze. It's got to be the bloody beat. I've never had to kick ass to music. It's unnatural."

"First, you aren't kicking ass, you’re dancing. Second, just because you're good at one form of movement doesn't mean you have to be good at all of them."

"Yes." Her eyes darkened with rabid determination. "It does."

There was no reasoning with her. "Why don't you close your eyes and pretend we're doing very weird sparring at the gym."

She snorted. "You wouldn't last five seconds sparring with me."

"That's not the point," he said evenly. "The point is that you don't have to get this right, you just have to get through the class."

"I can do this," she said with a maniacal glint in her eyes.

Yep, he'd lost her. She was beyond reason now and obviously had something to prove. He wasn't sure what, and he was pretty sure she didn't know either, but that didn't appear to matter to her.

"Okay," Robert announced loudly. "Max's hand on Violet's waist. Her hand on his shoulder. The other two hands held in arms gracefully extended. Those arms lead the way, we follow them as they flow around the room."

Violet made gagging sounds. Max coughed to cover them.