She stops suddenly and her eyes fly open in surprise. Did I make a sound? Eyes the most unique color I’ve ever seen—the color of light filtered through whiskey—lock on mine. The phrase ‘tiger’s eye’ has to have been coined to describe their unique color. Her cheeks are flushed slightly, whether from her dancing or embarrassment I don’t know, the soft shade of pink contrasts with that smooth creamy skin everywhere else. Her chest moves as she struggles to catch her breath, and I force my eyes back on her face.
“Sorry—didn’t mean to startle you,” I say.
Wide eyes take me in as I move farther into the room with my hand extended. The pink color of her cheeks darkens the closer I get. Did Meredith hire another dancer? After a few months on tour, I should know everyone, but I don’t recognize her. With eyes like hers, no way would I not remember her. “I’m Jackson.”
Braced for the flare of recognition, the jolt when it doesn’t happen is a pleasant surprise. Her hand is cool in mine, but I can feel the strength beneath the satin as well as a zip of electricity where our hands connect.
“Charlie.” She’s tiny. Not as small as Meredith, but I still tower over her by almost a full foot. A spark zings up my arm and her breath catches. Did she feel it too? Reluctantly, I release her hand, and my fingers itch to snag a piece of hair that slithers out of her messy bun, brushing against her bare shoulder. Hooking my thumbs in my belt loops should help me avoid the temptation.
“Pleasure, Charlie.” Hoping to put her at ease, I smile. “Interesting name. How’d that come about? Were you named after Charlie Daniels?”
“I don’t know who Charlie Daniels is.” She smiles, wrinkling her nose, and her cuteness factor breaks my scale. “It was my great-grandma’s name. Not Charlie. Charlotte. That’s my full name. I couldn’t say Charlotte when I was little, so I told anyone who’d ask that my name was Charlie. It stuck.”
One shoulder lifts in a shrug, setting that loose piece of hair swinging. Her teeth bite into her lower lip after her ramble, as if she feels the need to stem the words.
Charlotte. It suits her. All curves and graceful lines, smooth as I roll the name around my tongue.
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