Oceans Between Us (A Cinderella Romance) Read Online Free PDF Page B

on his knees and sorted through the music discs, then threw up his hands with a sound of displeasure. "You have terrible taste!"
    She stared at him a little taken aback by his bluntness. Then she laughed. "You're an expert, I suppose?"
    "I most certainly am." He slouched back against the chair he'd vacated, all dark and brooding and thoughtful. Her heart did strange little leaps and bounds as she watched him. "I suggest Dirty Dancing ," he offered.
    "Dirty what? Oh, you mean the movie." That was actually a really good idea. If she could find a movie soundtrack or compilation of suitable songs, she wouldn't need to burn any music to CD. And she knew exactly who to ask. Her sister's neighbor, Tina, loved movie soundtracks. "Great idea. You've just earned your dinner." Charlotte and Poppy had both fallen asleep drinking their milk. Maria set their cups on a table and tucked a blanket over them, making sure they wouldn't roll off the sofa. "Watch the girls for a moment, will you?"
    She dashed through to the kitchen and quickly phoned Chris to ask her to stop in at Tina's and bring the Dirty Dancing CD over when she picked up her daughters. Then she made Dino a cup of tea, put a homemade chocolate muffin on a plate, and hurried back to the sitting room.
    He had settled in a chair and was leafing through one of the children's plastic books. As she walked in, the book mooed, and he grinned like a little boy. He quickly set it aside when she handed him the tea. "So, you are going to the hop in old-fashioned clothes?" he asked.
    She wouldn't call her outfit old-fashioned exactly, but she knew what he meant. "Yes, I've got something suitable for the era. I just have to learn to dance now," she joked. Although she didn't really intend to bother. She would be too busy helping with the catering to dance.
    "Let me teach you."
    "To what, dance?"
    "Salsa." He rose and danced across the room with the athletic grace of a man whose muscles were perfectly toned and balanced, a man who knew exactly how to move.
    Maria forgot to breathe.
    He approached her, hands extended. "Come, Maria, it is simple. We will start with the five basic steps, forwards and back."
    "Gosh. I don't know." She was quite likely to end up a puddle of mush at his feet. But he was standing in front of her, hands outstretched, demanding a response. She couldn't just ignore him. "Oh, all right. I'll give it a try."
    With a tingle of nerves, she slipped her fingers into his warm grip and he pulled her up. "Now, cara , watch me." He counted as he stepped forwards and back. "Your turn."
    Maria's cheeks burned as she copied his steps but rather less elegantly.
    "Again," he said.
    She tried again and he repeated his command.
    "You're taking this very seriously."
    "Ay ay ay, Maria. Do you not know that you must practice if you are to learn?" He took one of her hands.
    She glanced up from her feet to his intense expression. This was a new side of him, this concentration and focus. She got the feeling he probably gave everything he did one hundred and ten percent. She was willing to bet that nothing short of excellence would satisfy him. Whatever his job, he must be good at it. After she practiced a few more times, he took both her hands and danced with her.
    At first she stared at her feet, but that was difficult when he was dancing in front of her. She raised her gaze to find him watching her, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "You see, Maria," he said, drawing her name out in a long, sexy drawl. "You can do it if you want to."
    He showed her another move, a turn, and held her hand above her head as she twirled. His fingers were warm on hers and sensation raced across her skin from his touch. As she looked into the rich brown of his eyes, she realized she liked this man, really liked him. She was in danger of falling for him; in fact, she was already halfway down that slippery slope. But if she lost her heart to Dino Rossellini, she was setting herself up for