Turn My World Around (Wishful 6)
“You can’t possibly know what I think, Tucker.” Her voice was maddeningly calm.
“It’s not a big deal.”
“That you were married at all, no. That you and I are supposed to be together and I didn’t know about it? That is a big deal. That’s a pretty major omission.”
Tucker thought of all the omissions she’d made, everything she hadn’t told him about her marriage. But he wasn’t interested in starting a full-blown fight right now.
“I wasn’t deliberately keeping it a secret. I just…don’t ever talk about her. We were college sweethearts. Got married straight out of undergrad and divorced before the end of my first year of law school. It was over and done six years ago.”
“And how hard would it have been to say exactly that when we were at dinner the other night?” A rare hint of temper underscored the question.
“I avoided talking about it for the same reason you avoided talking about your divorce. That night was about us and no one else.” He laced his fingers with hers. “Look, I’m sorry you got caught by surprise. I don’t know why Piper even mentioned it. They don’t talk about her either. The fact is, there’s still a ton we don’t know about each other. That’s the whole point of being in a relationship—having the time to learn those things. Once the competition is finished, we’ll have the time to sit down for whole damned infodump marathons of biographical information to fill in those holes. I’ll tell you anything you want.” And you can do the same.
Corinne sighed. “You’re right. I’m sorry. It just blindsided me. Tonight took a lot out of me to begin with and not knowing something that huge was just…embarrassing.”
“I’m sorry. That was never my intention.” He pulled into her driveway. “For what it’s worth most of town doesn’t know I was married.”
Which was the only way anything could stay a secret in Wishful.
“That’s an impressive feat. How’d you manage it?”
“Laura’s from the west coast. The wedding was out there. It was over and done before I came home. And then the gossip factory seemed a lot more interested in my single status.”
“And now they’re talking about your not single status.”
“Damn skippy.” He walked her to the door. “I’m really proud of you.”
Her lips curved. “I’m pretty damned proud of myself, as it happens. I don’t think we’re all going to magically be buddy buddy, but this was a step in the right direction.”
“And Friday night’s performance will be the next. We’re going to tango our way to a win.”
She raised her lips to his. “Damn skippy.”
~*~
Tucker’s hands curved around Corinne’s hips. “Are you ready for this?”
She leaned back into him, tipping her face toward his and keeping her voice low as they watched Tara and Daniel finish up their paso doble. “Ready to dance in front of half the town and God knows how many viewers online to the song we first made love to?”
“It’ll keep us in the proper mood,” he murmured.
“I’ve been in the proper mood for a week.” Not that she’d been able to get away long enough to act on it. What hours weren’t filled with work or rehearsals were bookended with Kurt and textbooks.
“There’s time after this before you have to get home.”
She opened her mouth to protest. With her NCLEX exam on Monday, she needed to spend every last second studying.
“You’ll think more clearly without the sexual haze.”
He was probably right. God knew she couldn’t concentrate when she got home from rehearsals because she was too busy imagining him naked.
“We’ll see what time we get out of here.” Maybe she could steal a little time. As aroused as she was likely to be when this tango was over, it wouldn’t take much.
From the ballroom proper, the emcee announced Tara and Daniel’s scores—straight nines from the judges.
“Tough to beat,” Corinne said.
“We can do it.”