CHAPTER 18
Theo
“Wake up, sunshine.”
The deep singsong voice reached into my slumber and yanked me out of it. I jumped without understanding why at first. Then I searched the bed, my palm skating across the sheets for another body, one I became far too comfortable with overnight. Where was she? Where the hell is Lex?
I looked up at the door where Reggie stood, a smirk plastered to his face. “Another late night?”
My eyes were still heavy, and for the life of me, I wasn’t sure if I’d slept well or not. It wasn’t easy to drift off to sleep with Lex in my arms, every shift of her curves quickening my already racing pulse.
God, I wanted to touch her last night. More than touch her. I wanted to slide her shorts down and press my cock between her thick ass cheeks, like a horny teenager with the bluest fucking balls. Every time she shifted, I looked at her to see if she’d meant to move against me.
What the hell am I thinking? I don’t fuck backup dancers.
“What are you doing here on a Sunday?” Sundays were the only days Gravity didn’t hold any classes.
“Went running and stopped for a water. Thought I heard something back here.” He squinted at me then walked into the main staff room toward the fridge. I followed him, my eyes scanning the room for signs of Lex. When I looked back at Reggie, he was eyeing me over the fridge door. “What are you doing here?”
“Working.” I shrugged. “You know how it is. I’m behind on some of the tracks. Nailed one last night and started another.” I didn’t think it was worth hiding that much. The team knew I’d been stressing.
He tapped his wrist. “Time’s running out, Noska. Let me know if you need help.” He winked, pulling out a water and slamming the fridge door.
No question, no discussion. Just a comment, a jab, then he left.
Growling out my frustration, I stormed into the back room and slammed the door. Not a minute later, the bathroom door flew open, and out sprang a flustered Lex. I couldn’t believe I was seeing her there. Morning after, hair unkempt, white shorts, a black sports bra, and one of those weird shirts girls wore that just covered the arms and neckline. I could still see the swell of her breasts—a generous size for an athlete—and her toned abdomen. But it was the dip of her waist and the way her hips poured into her shorts that made me want to bend her over.
Fuck, my mind groaned. Does she have to have the best ass I’ve ever seen too?
“I thought you left.”
She threw her duffel bag down, the fire from last night still evident in her eyes. “I was in the bathroom changing when I heard Reggie barge in. I thought you locked the door. Are you trying to get me fired?”
I looked at the door, confused. She was right. How did Reggie get in? “Maybe he has a key or something. I don’t know. But it’s all good. He’s gone.” I eyed her attire and the black sneakers she was putting on. “Where are you going?”
“For a run.” Her tone was dry and riddled with annoyance. At what? Me? She was the one who snuck into the staff room last night. She should have thanked me for letting her stay.
I couldn’t make sense of the panic I felt at the thought of her leaving. “Are you coming back?”
She shot me a confused look. “Do you really care?”
I reeled back as if she’d slapped me. “I asked, didn’t I?” I rubbed my face and decided to try again. “I mean, you probably can’t go back to your apartment yet, so I thought—” I shook my head, realizing the question I wanted to ask would sound stupid. “Never mind.”
She stood, and I had a vision of her running around North Hollywood, dudes gawking at the perfection passing by. I stood too. “I’m coming with you.”
I expected an argument, but instead she stuck a set of earbuds in her ears, tapped into the playlist on her phone, and started for the door. We didn’t run beside each other for the entire five miles. But when we were rounding the corner of the building a few blocks from Gravity, I caught up to her and pulled her into the nearest café. “Food.”
Again, she didn’t say a thing. It wasn’t until we were seated and had ordered our food that she looked across the table at me and opened her mouth. “Last night was bad. I shouldn’t have gotten into that bed.”
If she only knew how great “bad” could be. But I couldn’t say that. Not to Lex. Not to Winter’s backup dancer. Instead, I aimed for nonchalance. It seemed to be working for me. “Nothing happened. What are you all twisted up about?”
I watched as her cheeks turned pink, a sight I’d found to be quite addictive. Her blush was almost as sexy as her ass. She seemed at a loss for words as she chugged her water.
“When will your apartment be ready for you to go back?”
Setting down her drink, she looked at me. “It’ll be fine tonight.”
With those quick words, there was something she wasn’t telling me.
“And this apartment you share with your…” Boyfriend. I couldn’t even say the damn word. “Shane.” I couldn’t believe she lived with that douche.
“My friend Shane.” She swallowed. “He’s touring with Dominic.”
So Shane was her friend and roommate, not her boyfriend. And he was out of town. Which meant she was alone. Is that it? She doesn’t want to be alone in her apartment?
“I guess I should thank you for not kicking me out of the staff room last night. I wouldn’t have known where to go.”
“I’m not that big of a jerk.”
“You kind of are,” she said, a smile cracking her beautiful lips.
Her insult probably shouldn’t have turned me on, but it almost felt as if we were flirting. I liked it too much. Clearing my throat, I contemplated how to make my next proposition. It had played on my mind all night as I drifted in and out of sleep, but after I watched her dance, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Her haunted movements were so controlled, like an athlete and ballerina molded into one perfect specimen. I wanted to do something with her gift. Or rather, I wanted her to do something with her gift.
“Now that you know what’s been ailing me these past few weeks, I wondered if I should take you up on your offer to help.”
She tilted her head, curiosity blooming across her bronze skin and bright blue eyes. “I’m not following.”
I wrung my hands together, my gaze on the table as I drummed up the courage to ask for the help I needed. It wasn’t like me, but I was desperate, and I’d never felt as inspired as I was last night while watching her move. She was poetry in motion, and I wanted more of it.
“A few of the final pieces I need to create include partner work and solos. What you did last night—I think that’s what ‘Moonlight’ needs.”
“Is that the ballad?”
I nodded.
Her gaze drifted as if she were in deep thought. She’d heard the song by now. From the way her face glowed at the familiarity of it, I knew she was interested. She looked at me. “Are you asking me to solo? Is that okay with the others?”
What am I asking her, exactly? “I don’t know how the others will feel, but at this point, I don’t have time to care. It’s one less piece I’d have to choreograph.” I let out a breath. “You can turn it down. But Lex, there comes a point in your career when you’ll have to put yourself first. And those who don’t support your success may not be the right friends to bring with you on your journey.”
She let out a laugh as she stared at me. “Is that why you have so many friends?”
It was my turn to squirm in discomfort. “I have my reasons for keeping my circle as tight as I do.”
“Oh,” she teased. “You have a circle?”
I narrowed my eyes at her as the waitress brought our food—two baskets of breakfast burritos. When she walked away, I leaned in. “My circle is very small, but yes, one exists.”
She eyed me curiously, as if she wanted to know more, but she began eating instead. I couldn’t help watching the way her face lit up at the first bite, as if she hadn’t eaten a real meal in years. It was a ridiculous thought. Lex was built the way she was and not for lack of nourishment. Still, I wanted to know more about her. Not just about where she came from or where she lived but how she lived.
“So that’s it? You want me to solo ‘Moonlight.’ That would help you?”
I swallowed my food then drowned it with a chug of water. “I want you to freestyle to ‘Moonlight.’ Show Winter what I saw. And I want you to help me choreograph the partner routines.”
“I don’t partner.” Her response was so quick it gave me whiplash.
“I’ll teach you.”
“No,” she said, her eyes digging into mine. “I don’t partner. I’ve never been into letting guys move me around the floor like I’m some kind of … object.” Her cheeks burned red, but she wasn’t playing around. She seemed almost angry at my proposal.
Shit. “Okay, we don’t have to do any lifts. A lot of what I’m picturing in my mind is mirroring, anyway.”
She let out a frustrated breath. “How many?”
“There are two.”
“How many other dances do you need to choreograph after that?”
“I finished one last night and started the next. Once I finish, that’s all of them.”
She seemed to be assessing the work to be completed. Then she nodded. “Okay, I’ll help you. On one condition.”
I cocked a brow, waiting for the terms of her agreement. Everything about her seemed so different than the day we’d met. She’d been a scared little newbie who’d been caught in a precarious position. She’d reacted on emotion and shock and tucked herself away under her shell, as if that would save her. I noticed the way she’d spot me walking the halls at Gravity and change direction. And how her entire body shook at the sight of me at the start of that audition.
Who is this little firecracker sitting in front of me now? I liked her. A little too much.
“What’s your condition?”
“I need this job. Which means, I can’t take any risks in losing my place here. My reputation, my contract, all of it was at stake last night. That can’t happen again. If we dance together, there can’t be more. I’m not saying that’s your intention or anything, I just feel the need to put that out there so we’re clear. Are we clear?”
I probably hesitated a little too long.
“Theo.” So stern. So fucking sexy. But she was right.
“You have my word. No more sleeping together, not even a daytime cuddle session.”
She shot me a serious look while she laughed. “You’re impossible.”
I shrugged. “Everything’s possible. You just have to play your cards right.”