Drea

Laz flips the switch, and the lights illuminate a small dance studio. Mirrors line the walls while a light-colored hardwood floor completes the space.

This house has everything you can possibly think of in it. I can’t imagine what it’s like to live like this. It must be nice to have money.

“Go ahead and stretch,” he orders as he lays the folder he’s been holding on the floor.

I follow suit and lay my folder down next to his. Then I begin doing basic stretches.

We both prepare in silence. I sit down on the floor and then spread my legs open wide before touching my toes. I glance up and notice Laz staring at me with an amused expression. He opens his mouth to say something, but I shake my head.

“Don’t even start.”

“What?” he questions with a chuckle. “I was only going to offer to help you stretch. My thoughts were totally innocent.”

I glare up at him. “Sure, they were.”

I hope he’s quick enough to pick up on the heavy sarcasm in my voice.

After we’re done, Laz hops onto his feet. “All right, let’s get started with some basics.”

I stare at him with a blank expression. “What do you have in mind?”

“A quick routine.”

I blow out a big puff of air and my newly found self-confidence wavering because I know dancing is my ultimate weakness. “I’m not very good at this stuff.”

“I know, which is why we’re here. In order for you to make the cut and stick around, you have to learn this.”

I sigh. “I’ll give it my best shot.”

He nods and then fishes his phone from the back pocket of his jeans. He fiddles with it, and soon, bass thumps through the room. He sets the phone down next to our folders and then turns toward me. “Maybe we should get loosened up first and just freestyle. Pretend like I’m not here, and dance like you do when you’re alone in your bedroom.”

I grimace, and he laughs.

“Come on. It can’t be that bad. You can keep the beat or else you wouldn’t be able to sing. You just have to learn to let loose, like you do when you sing, and allow the music to take over your body.” He stands back as he crosses his arms and waits.

My stomach flutters, and I swear, a cage full of butterflies have just been released inside it. My hands tremble as the nerves begin to really take hold of me, so I clench them tight at my sides.

Laz tilts his head. “Why are you so scared? No one’s here but us.”

My eyes widen. I could lie to him and tell him I don’t know, but I might as well come out with the truth. I’ve never been very good at lying anyhow. “You intimidate me.”

His eyes search my face and then quickly drop down to my lips for the briefest of seconds before returning to meet my gaze. “You shouldn’t let anyone make you feel that way. In this business, you’re going to come up against a lot tougher critics than me. You need to figure out how to be fearless and face what scares you most head-on, or you’ll never make it.”

“How am I supposed to do that?”

He slowly licks his bottom lip and then extends his hand to me. “Dance with me, get close until you’re comfortable around me.”

I swallow hard. The thought of pressing my body against his sends a shiver all through me.

“It’s not going to bite, angel.” He wiggles his fingers.

I swallow hard and then finally place my hand in his.

His grip is firm and warm, and before I have time to focus on the little shiver of excitement his touch elicits, he pulls me in tight against his hard chest.

My chest heaves as he leans down and whispers in my ear, “Trust me.”

A tingle zips down my spine, and goose bumps erupt all over my body as the warmth of his breath caresses the sensitive flesh beneath my ear. This man is so damn sexy, and his nearness is driving my body crazy. I close my eyes in an attempt to settle down, but it seems to only heighten my other senses. The smell of his spicy cologne envelops me, and it makes my pulse quicken.

We stand there for a moment, locked in one another’s arms, unmoving. Each of us waiting for the other to make the first move.

“This isn’t going to work.” His voice is strained, and it causes me to open my eyes to look up at him.

Panic hits me. “Wait, please don’t cut me. I’ll—”

His index finger slides under my chin, and he tilts my head up just enough so that our eyes make contact. It’s such an intimate gesture that my stomach flips. “Relax. I only meant that we needed to try another approach.”

He releases me and then takes a couple of steps back. Instantly, I miss the warmth of his body.

Laz strolls over to the wall and flips the light switch. It’s completely dark for a moment, and it takes my eyes a minute to adjust to the trace amount of light streaming in from the one tiny window in the room. I stand perfectly still, not wanting to make an idiot of myself by falling on my face because I can’t see where I’m going until I can gain my bearings.

“I know this seems crazy, but humor me.” Laz’s voice cuts through the darkness. “This is more about feeling the music and less about how you look while dancing.”

I gasp when he touches my hand, and then his fingers trail slowly up the bare skin of my arm.

He steps behind me and presses his chest into my back again. I resist the urge to let my head to drift back and rest on his shoulder.

I must admit, being in the dark with him like this is far less intimidating. Hopefully with the lights off, he won’t be able to tell I’m losing my ever-loving mind right now.

He leans forward, and I can feel his warm breath against my ear. “Allow the music to flow through your body, feel the bass in your bones, and just move.” He uses his hands on my hips to guide them from one side to the next. “Move.”

I take a deep breath and then begin to do as he asked, moving at a slow pace.

“Faster,” he commands before he pulls my hips harder against him. “Like this.”

We move in sync, picking up speed to keep in time with the music. Laz grinds into me, and my mouth drifts open as I find myself enjoying his close proximity.

I continue to rotate my hips, grinding my ass against him, and my panties start to get wet. In this position, it’s easy to imagine what having sex with Laz might be like. I’m completely turned on, and I can tell he is too because it’s hard not to notice the swelling erection he’s developed beneath his jeans.

I give in and lay my head back against his chest. My heart thunders in my chest as Laz traces a line across my face with the tip of his nose. If I turn my head just a smidgen, our lips would be close enough to touch.

I know I promised Candace that I would not act on my attraction to our boss, but he’s pretty hard to resist, especially when he’s touching me like this. This feels like more than just dancing. It feels like foreplay, leading us down a path to something bigger and better.

“Drea.” The way he whispers my name causes my toes to curl.

The unmistakable feel of his chest heaving against my back tells me he’s fighting to hold back too. He senses it, too—this connection.

But I know, based on the conversation I overheard between Laz and Cam, getting physical is forbidden. Anything happening between us is wrong on so many levels, but damn if I don’t want to see where this could lead.