Leo stood behind them, his arms crossed, his gray eyes fixed on Bella. He didn’t look confused. He looked amused. And something darker flickered in his gaze when he watched her hips sway.

Jay shouted, waving his arms, "Bella Bell! Are you okay? Walk normally! You’re freaking me out!"

Bella stopped. She looked at them, her brown eyes wide, her cheeks slightly pink, her lower lip pushing out in a small pout. "I was practicing my walk," she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Teacher Samantha said I’m a natural." She flipped her hair over her shoulder for emphasis.

Jay stared at her. "A natural... walker?"

Bella corrected, "A natural dancer. Walking is part of dancing."

Jay threw up his hands. "Walking is walking."

Bella lifted her chin. "Not if you do it right."

Jace rubbed his temples. "I’m going to bed."

Bella hurried toward them, her walk suddenly normal again, and grabbed Jay’s arm. "No, wait! Watch me do the combination Teacher Samantha taught me. It’s beautiful."

Jay groaned. "I’m tired."

Bella pleaded, "It’s only two minutes."

"Bella—"

"Please, Jay Jay?"

Jay looked at Leo. Leo shrugged.

Jay sighed. "Fine."

Bella ran to the center of the living room, pushed the coffee table aside, and took her position. She stood still for a moment, her eyes closed, her breathing slow. Then she began to move.

Her arms rose. Her body swayed. She turned, reached, fell to the ground, and rose again. It wasn’t perfect. Her turns were wobbly, her landings uneven, her arms sometimes stiff. But the moves looked funny and a bit cheerful, and that made Jay forget his exhaustion and Jace forget his headache.

When she finished, she looked at them expectantly. "Well?"

Jay clapped slowly. "I give it a solid D-plus."

Jace nodded. "C-plus."

Bella’s face fell.

Leo walked to her, took her hand, pulled her close, and kissed her forehead. He said quietly, "A-plus."

Bella beamed.

Jay groaned. "You’re biased."

Leo said, not looking away from Bella, "Of course I am. She’s my wife."

Bella hugged him, then stepped back. "I’m going to practice more tomorrow. Teacher Samantha said if I work hard, I might be ready."

Leo said, "You’ll be ready."

Bella’s voice was small and hopeful. "You think so?"

"I know so."

Bella smiled, kissed his cheek, and ran upstairs.

⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹

Bella stepped out of the bathroom, a cloud of steam following her. She was exhausted. Her muscles ached from hours of practice, her feet throbbed, and her hair was still damp, clinging to her neck and shoulders. She had wrapped herself in a soft white towel, too tired to even think about finding clothes.

But then she saw him.

Leo was standing by her wardrobe, his back to her, his broad shoulders shifting as he searched through her things. His dark shirt was stretched tight across his back, hugging every ridge of muscle. His sleeves were rolled to his elbows, revealing forearms corded with veins and strength. His dark hair was slightly messy, as if he had been running his fingers through it.

Bella’s tiredness vanished.

Her eyes lit up.

She crossed the room quietly, her bare feet silent on the carpet, and wrapped her arms around him from behind. She pressed her chest against his back, feeling the solid wall of his muscles beneath the thin fabric of his shirt. The warmth of his body seeped into her. She hugged him tighter, her fingers splaying across his stomach, feeling the hard planes of his abdomen.

She breathed him in.

Bella’s voice was soft, teasing. "What are you doing, hubby?"

Leo froze.

Hubby. She only called him that occasionally. Rarely. Preciously.

His breath caught. He could feel her softness pressed against his back, the curve of her breasts through the towel, the heat of her body seeping into his skin. His jaw tightened. His hands stilled.

Leo bit the inside of his mouth, controlling himself. "Looking for something," he said, his voice low, strained.

He reached into the wardrobe, pulled something out, and turned around.

He placed it in Bella’s hands.

She looked down.

Her breath stopped.

It was a rabbit cosplay. Soft white fabric. Fluffy ears attached to a headband. A tiny puffy tail. And the outfit, delicate and revealing, with lace trim and straps that left little to the imagination.

Bella’s cheeks flushed deep red. The heat spread from her chest to her neck to her ears.

Leo’s gray eyes had darkened. They looked almost black now, heavy lidded, hungry. He blinked at her slowly, his gaze traveling from her face down to the towel, then back up again.

Leo’s voice was low and dangerous. "Show me what you learned today. In this."

He walked toward the couch without waiting for an answer. He sat down, his thighs spreading wide, his arms stretching across the back of the couch. He looked like a king on his throne.

Bella’s heart slammed against her ribs. "O... okay," she whispered.

She clutched the cosplay to her chest and quickly went to change.

⊹₊୨୧⊹₊

When she came out, Leo’s breath caught.

The rabbit cosplay was very cute. But it was also very, very sexy.

The white fabric hugged every curve of her body. The bodice was low cut, pushing her breasts up and together, the swell of them soft and inviting. Lace trim traced the edges, delicate and teasing. The skirt was short, barely covering the tops of her thighs, fluffing out around her hips before ending in a soft white hem. The straps crossed over her shoulders and tied in small bows at the back.

The headband held two long rabbit ears, perky and soft, framing her damp hair. The tiny puff of a tail was attached at the back, just above the curve of her bottom.

Her legs were bare, long and smooth, slightly pink from the warmth of her bath. Her feet were still bare, her toes curling into the carpet.

She looked up at him through her lashes, her brown eyes wide, nervous, excited. Her cheeks were flushed. Her lips were parted.

Leo’s gray eyes burned.

Leo leaned back, his arms still stretched across the couch, his thighs still spread wide. "Now," he said, his voice thick, deep, barely controlled. "Dance."

Bella swallowed. Her heart pounded so loud she was sure he could hear it.

She walked to the center of the room. Her hips swayed naturally now, the movement no longer practiced but instinctive. The skirt fluttered around her thighs.

She turned to face him and she began to move...