LITMIR.BIZ

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his arms round her and held onto her more firmly. “I’ll come and give you and Jan a hand if you like,” he said smiling down at her, his green eyes glowing. “Apart from one or two show dances, I’ll have plenty of free time. Maybe I can help you and Harri with your rumba, too?”

      Julia thought of his presence in the training room, calming Jan and encouraging her. “Oh, yes please!” she said with more warmth than she meant to. “That’s just want I need!”

      Harri watched them over Casey’s shoulder, as the girl hung limpet-like onto him. He scowled. So, that was the way it was. A shaft of jealousy speared his middle causing actual physical pain.

      “Larry! We practise tomorrow. Nine on the spot!” Eva’s voice irritated his ear.

      “It’s Harri,” he muttered yet again, “and it’s on the dot, not on the spot.” He shrugged Casey off and went to congratulate Suni, keeping one eye on Julia and Daniel, still standing with their arms entwined.

      Fuck these impossible restrictions imposed on his career. He’d have to make a move soon, or lose Julia. He’d just have to chance it. He just hoped it wasn’t too late.

       Step Seven.

      The rehearsal wasn’t going well.

      Daniel had kept his promise and had come in to help practise the rumba with Julia and Harri. Jan and Eva were in the studio next door and, at first, Julia thought this would mean a more relaxed session – she was even looking forward to it. But she was wrong. Harri was tense and wasn’t taking kindly to Daniel’s suggestions. He seemed more reluctant to let go than ever and it was making the dance seem stiff. Even Julia could see it.

      “Let me show you,” Daniel said finally, after the third run through. He took Julia into the beginning hold and backed her gently down until she was almost touching the floor with her head.

      “See, you have to make love to her, caress her.” At this, Daniel held her with one arm and rubbed his hand electrifyingly down over Julia’s breastbone.

      Julia let out a startled yelp – Daniel’s hand was hot and perilously near her breasts.

      He lifted her up slightly and pulled her to him until they were nose to nose. His green eyes were mesmerising. “You never break contact, do you see Harri? You’re always connected physically or, most importantly, emotionally. You’ve got to make the audience believe you’re in love with this woman. And don’t rush through it, take your time, linger over her.”

      Daniel pulled a disorientated Julia back to her feet and left her side. “You have a go.” He placed Harri and Julia close together, far closer than they’d ever been.

      Julia stared into Harri’s dark eyes and willed her sympathy over to him; he must be finding this excruciatingly embarrassing. She was so close to him that she could feel his breath hot on her face; it smelled of toothpaste. She felt his strong arm come round her back and it seemed to burn right through her ballet top.

      “Right, good, that’s better.” Daniel’s calm and encouraging voice broke into the moment. “Now, back her down. Julia, you have to trust him like you trusted me, he’s just as strong, he’s not going to drop you. Release her hand now Harri and take yours down her body, that’s it.”

      Julia could feel the muscles in Harri’s arm tense against her back.

      “Look at him Julia, don’t let him break that contact.”

      Julia did as she was told and was held in a spell cast by the warmth in Harri’s brown eyes, he’d never ever looked at her in quite that way before.

      “Now take your hand Harri and stroke it slowly down her. No use your whole hand, flatten the palm out.”

      Julia felt Harri’s hand sear her body and felt it tremble slightly. And then, because she couldn’t help it, because it was too much like bliss, she let her head arch back in ecstasy. Desire pulsed through her. She heard him whisper something in Welsh and let the husky words caress her – just as his hand was caressing her body from breast, over her stomach, to the where her legs met.

      A beat began in the very core of her being, where Harri’s hand lay. God, she was turned on! If she didn’t have this man soon, she’d combust. Did he know the effect he had on her? She couldn’t help herself; she bucked against his hand, making it press more urgently against her sex.

      “Good, good,” Daniel sounded surprised but pleased, “that’s a good line. Hold it, then lift her gently up Harri and bring her back to the standing position and be ready to break away … now!”

      Julia found herself coming to without really knowing quite what had just happened. She was dizzy and her legs trembled. She still fizzed with unspent desire. Then she saw Harri breathe heavily and run a hand over his forehead, and she came back down to earth. He was sweating. Damn, she didn’t think she was that heavy!

      Daniel looked at both of them curiously: “We’ll take a break now folks, but we’ve done some good work here this morning. Take twenty.”

      “Good idea,” Harri mumbled and walked out.

      Julia frowned at the towel she’d just picked up and muttered into it as she wiped her face: “I didn’t think dancing with me would be so much of a hardship for him.” She gazed up at Daniel in appeal. “I thought we got on so well.”

      He passed her a fresh bottle of water. “I think that’s the problem, babe.” He nodded to the door. “Think our Welsh friend likes you more than just a little bit.”

      “No!” Julia looked at him startled. “He can hardly bear to touch me. Today’s the first time anything like that’s happened and that’s only because you were coaching us.”

      “Didn’t look like that to me. Think he’s gone to cool himself off, if you know what I mean.” Daniel gave her a bawdy wink and grinned. “Don’t sweat it – it made the dance hot, hot, hot!” He came nearer and swiped the bottle from her. “It’ll be a showstopper.” He saluted her with the water bottle and drank thirstily. Screwing his eyes shut, he clamped down on his own burgeoning feelings for Julia. He’d seen the longing in Harri’s face and knew he couldn’t, maybe didn’t want to, compete.

      “Maybe he has to be careful,” he added. “You know, in his line of work. People can be funny about the image children’s television presenters give off. They have to appear a bit innocent, don’t they?”

      “What, still, in this day and age?” Julia glared at him.

      Daniel shrugged. “Well, maybe. It’s just a theory and Harri’s serious about his job. He said the other night how much it means to him.”

      But Julia wasn’t really listening, she stared at the door through which Harri had exited so swiftly and wondered what he had just said to her in Welsh.

      “So, what did you say to me?” They were sitting in the pizza place again. Neither of them really wanted yet another pizza, it was simply a quick way to refuel their starving and hard worked bodies. The place was again packed with people celebrating Christmas. This time, Mary’s Boy Child played on the sound system.

      “What? When?”

      “When we were doing the rumba this morning with Daniel.” Julia, disconcerted by Harri’s unusual disinterest, prattled on, mainly to fill the silence. “He was brilliant, don’t you think? So encouraging and kind. He’s exactly what I need. But what did you say in Welsh, during training?”

      Harri looked down at his beer and reddened. “It was nothing.”

      “No, it was something. What did you say?”

      “I said …”

      “It sounded beautiful. I had no idea the language was so beautiful. What did you mean?”

      A large group in the back of the restaurant erupted into laughter and began a chorus of We wish you a merry Christmas. Harri’s eyes strayed

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