Butterflies quickstepped in Gina’s belly as she waited for Stone to arrive for their first rehearsal. Freaking out over a bear was not the kind of first impression she’d wanted to make, and it would suck if things were weird between them. Natasha was right, though. They were on her turf now, and she was determined to come across as professional and in control.

Gina practiced a few moves in front of the mirrors in the rehearsal room they would use for the rest of the season. Some of the other pros had started to practice already. Natasha had met her partner—star football player Dwayne Alonzo, fresh off the Super Bowl—the previous morning for a short rehearsal. According to Tash, Dwayne was good-looking, but boring.

Maybe Stone would turn out to be boring. That would certainly make things easier on a personal level, although it wouldn’t help their chemistry as partners. As she did a few foxtrot steps, Gina squinted at her feet, picturing Stone’s much longer stride. She had her work cut out for her.

The door opened, revealing Stone in all his rugged Adonis-like glory. His long hair was pulled back in a man-bun—a style she’d never thought sexy until that moment—and he wore navy basketball shorts and a white v-neck tee. As he entered the room, the camera crew followed him in.

Gina suppressed a dreamy sigh. It was highly inconvenient to have such an attractive partner. Meeting him in the middle of a forest had made him appear almost otherworldly. A few days in LA had convinced her he couldn’t really be as handsome and muscular as she remembered. Seeing him here, in the most mundane of settings and outfits, yet still larger than life and stupidly handsome, was like a slap in the face to her libido.

Haha, his body seemed to say. I really am that sexy. Deal with it, suckah.

Whatever. She’d danced with plenty of good-looking men. Granted, many of them had slim dancers’ builds, but so what? She could be an adult about this. Even though she wanted to giggle like a thirteen-year-old meeting her favorite boy band.

Yikes. She needed to get a grip. The overhanging threat of the showmance meant she had to keep herself in check.

“Hey there.” Trying for nonchalance, she strolled over and gave him a kiss on the cheek, as she did with all her friends. As if the scent of him—pine and fresh air and man—didn’t make her want to close her eyes and breathe deep. She pulled back, ignoring the urge to roll around in his warmth like a big fuzzy blanket.

Looking into eyes the same blue as clear Alaska skies, it took her a minute to find her wit. “My goodness, you’re big. How tall are you exactly?”

He scratched the back of his head. “Six-seven.”

“Shoot.” Gina cringed. “Sorry. It’s just . . . you’re even taller than my initial estimate. I’m five-foot-six, and it’s a challenge to choreograph a dance in hold when the partners have such a huge height difference.” She grinned to put him at ease, like her nervous babbling was normal. “Don’t worry. I’m an excellent choreographer, and I wouldn’t have gotten this far if I were afraid of high heels.”

He eyed her feet and his brow furrowed. “Are those . . . high-heeled sneakers?”

She lifted a foot to show him the side view. “They’re wedge high tops.”

“You can dance in those things?”

“Dude, I can dance in anything.”

“I’m not sure I can.” He cast a skeptical glance down at his own feet, clad in shiny black dance shoes.

Gina bit her lip, searching for a reply that couldn’t be misconstrued in editing. Ballroom dance required intimacy, and they didn’t have long to form a bond as partners. As much as their initial meeting had unsettled her, Gina was the expert here. It was up to her to make him comfortable, even though just looking at him gave her butterflies.

Fucking butterflies. Jeez.

“How are you settling in?” she finally asked. “Did you have a good flight?”

He shrugged, the fabric of his t-shirt pulling tight over the muscles. “Uneventful flight. The hotel is nice. Different from what I’m used to.”

She sent him a teasing grin. “I can’t imagine a bear is going to pop out from behind the ice machine.”

Instead of a laugh, he pressed his lips together and looked away, brows knit together like he was angry.

Gina put a hand on his arm. The camera operators closed in around them.

“Stone? Everything okay?”

“Are you okay?” he shot back, startling her.

“Sure.” The butterflies picked up the pace, dancing a salsa. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

His fingers tapped a nervous rhythm against his thigh. “The last time I saw you . . .”

Gina rubbed her hands over her face. “Yeah, about that. Look, I’m sorry for the way I overreacted. First the seaplane, then the wilderness, then the bear . . . It was a shock, to say the least, and not at all what I was expecting.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “What were you expecting? Not a bear, I’m guessing. Or me.”

Should she answer? She didn’t want him to think she was disappointed to have him as a partner. “I don’t know, a ski lodge, or something.”

The corners of his eyes crinkled like he was amused. “You think all people in Alaska do is ski?”

“How should I know? I’m not what you would call ‘outdoorsy.’”

Stone’s gaze darted to the cameras before he leaned closer and lowered his voice to a deep rumble. “I’m sorry I scared you, Gina. I don’t want you to be afraid of me.”

Oh, sweet man. All this time, she’d feared she’d ruined her credibility as a teacher, while he worried about what she thought of him. If he’d been any other partner, if it had been any time other than their first rehearsal, she would have given him a hug. He seemed to need the reassurance and she believed in giving affection freely.

Except the cameras were too close. Jordy’s eye held a gleam of anticipation. No matter what she did—a hug, a pat on the shoulder, a squeeze of his hand—it would be twisted to create a story where there wasn’t one.

Gina nudged his arm with her shoulder and whispered, “I wasn’t scared of you.” It would have to be enough. She turned him to face the wall of mirrors.

“We should really get right into learning the dance, but first let’s talk strategy.” She lined him up so his reflection was in profile. Big and strong he might be, but he went where she led him. It was a good trait, since she might have to drag him around the dance floor while making it look like he was the one leading.

She looked up, taking in his height and bulk. On second thought, there would be no dragging this man.

“You have perfect posture,” she said, running a hand down his spine. The bumps of his vertebrae, embedded in thick cords of muscle, invited her fingers to linger and explore. She snatched her hand away. “This is going to come in handy. When you’re dancing in hold, keep your spine straight and your shoulders back and down. Not up near your ears.” She demonstrated by hunching her shoulders in an exaggerated fashion. “There’s nothing graceful about this.”

Stone barked out a laugh and to her surprise, he imitated her silly move. “Not exactly the epitome of grace and charm.” He flashed her a devastating smile.

Gina took a deep, deliberate breath. Would it kill him to be a teensy bit uglier? She kept going.

“Instead, we stand like this.” As she had on his porch, she positioned his body into the pose he would use for the foxtrot. She tried to keep her touch professional and impersonal. “Our first dance is the foxtrot. It’s a lively, smooth-flowing ballroom dance that requires us to match our steps while in hold.”

“Is this anything like the waltz you showed me?”

“I like to think of the foxtrot as the waltz con sabor. With flavor. It’s a good first dance because our bodies aren’t touching.”

His brow creased as she stepped into the frame he created with his arms. “What do you mean? We’re touching.”

She grinned at his obvious discomfort. He had no right to be cool and calm when she was a hormonal mess. “This is nothing. Dance partners are very familiar with each other’s bodies. There’s no getting around it. If you hold back, it ruins the dance.”

Stone pressed his lips together and didn’t say anything. His gaze lifted over her head to their reflection in the mirrors.

She tapped his left foot with her right. “Now, the basic steps. Always start with your left. I’ll be doing the opposite of what you’re doing. The foxtrot is about smooth gliding steps and perfect frame.”

After taking him through a few sequences of slow-slow-quick-quick, she said, “We’re going to showcase your posture and form while contrasting them with your virility and humble background.”

He coughed and his steps faltered. Above the beard, his cheeks reddened. “With my what?”

“You’re a big manly mountain man,” she said. “We’ll let that side out in the Latin and jazz dances. With the more classical styles, like the foxtrot and the waltz, we’re going to show a contrast—the elegant and refined side of the Viking.”

“Viking?” He looked like he was going to choke. She broke hold to pass him a water bottle from the small cooler.

“Don’t tell me you don’t know what you look like,” she said, pointing at his reflection. “We’re going to use those muscles and that beard to our advantage.”

He took a long swig of water, chugging more than half the bottle in one gulp. “I didn’t realize this was so tactical.”

“What, you thought you could just show up and dance?” She snorted. “Think again, buddy. A lot of strategy goes into these competitions. Come on. We have work to do.”

For the next two hours, she dragged him around the room, correcting his steps and his stance. While Stone followed instructions, and went where she told him, he also sighed, eyed their reflections skeptically, and blinked for a little too long, like he wanted to roll his eyes.

If he didn’t learn to lead, she was going to end up doing all the work of getting him through the dances, and he was far too big for her to keep adjusting him as they moved.

Exhausted, Gina called for a hydration break. Without a word, Stone broke hold and dropped onto the edge of the small stage with an exaggerated exhale. Gina sucked on her bottom lip. If he sighed one more time . . .

The rehearsal room door opened and Donna Alvarez walked in.

Just perfect. Now Gina held back a sigh. She didn’t have the energy to deal with Donna right now.

Donna had been her main producer since Gina joined The Dance Off, and was most likely the person who’d chosen to pair her with Stone. Jordy wasn’t anywhere near as manipulative, and Donna was besties with the higher ups who concocted the “stories” for the show. A mousey assistant trailed behind, hugging a clipboard to her chest like a shield.

“Hi, Donna,” Gina said, aiming for pleasant.

“Gina.” Donna’s smile was wide, but thin. She always smiled that way. Her hazel eyes were like a shark’s, flat and deadly “Good to see you.”

Gina gestured Stone over. “Stone, this is Donna, my producer.”

Stone held out a hand to Donna and said, “A pleasure.”

“The wild man sure has some pretty manners.” Donna smiled again as she shook his hand. Stone’s face turned red.

“Donna oversees a few of the couples,” Gina explained for Stone’s benefit, and to cut through the tension. “Jordy’s only assigned to us.”

Jordy joined them, and they split up for individual interviews. Gina went to one corner of the room with Donna, while Jordy took Stone to the opposite end.

“How’s your first rehearsal going?” Donna asked. The camera girl, audio guy, and Donna’s assistant crowded around.

Gina flashed the camera a big grin. “Our first rehearsal is going great,” she lied. “Even though Stone has never danced before, he’s willing to learn and picking up the steps quickly.” Also false. “It’s really the best you can hope for in a partner with no previous dance experience.”

“What do you have in mind for your first dance?”

“I’ve never danced with someone this big before.” Gina raised a hand over her head to indicate Stone’s height. Her football player the previous season had been a quarterback, and smaller. “We’ll do something to show off his form, strength, and skill, with an element of fun. I want to show the viewers a side of Stone they’ve never seen before.”

Donna’s shark-eyed gaze intensified. “And what do you think about his looks?”

Gina smiled through the urge to grit her teeth. How was she supposed to answer that? Of course he’s good-looking, damn it! “Don’t worry, the viewers will definitely see Stone shirtless, although not for the first dance. It wouldn’t be appropriate for the foxtrot. But keep voting for us, and we’ll be sure to show you the goods.” She winked at the camera.

Donna crossed her arms. “It seems like you two have a lot of chemistry.”

Did it? Shit. Gina played it cool in her response. “We’re still figuring out our dynamic. I’m sure our connection as dance partners will grow the longer we work together.”

Donna’s lips twisted like she was disappointed in the answer, but she let Gina get back to work.

Gina met Stone in the center of the room. His forehead was furrowed, and he looked as annoyed as she felt. Jordy had probably grilled him on whether he thought she was pretty or not. She’d have to warn him the questions would only get more invasive as the weeks went on.

She jerked her head to the side to indicate the camera crew. “You okay?” she whispered, even though the mic would catch it anyway.

Now he rolled his eyes full out. “Are those interviews really necessary?”

“Channel it into the dance. Anything that’s happening, in any part of your life, channel it into the dance and let it be transformed.” She shrugged. “That’s what I always do.”

He held her gaze for a long moment, his expression clearing. When he nodded, she nudged his elbows. He snapped to attention, his form perfect. She gave him an approving nod. “Good. Now we focus on footwork. Ready?”

He sighed. “Ready.”

She counted down and they took off across the room.