Page 96 of The Good Girl's Guide to Being Bad

“What?” he said.

“Hmm?”

“Why are you looking at me like that, Sadie?”

I blinked. “Practicing for the dance,” I lied. “Remember when I told you how you guys have to look at me? Well, I have to look at you…like I want you. More than anything.”

Colton nodded slowly. “You’re doing a damn good job. With the hearts in your eyes, even I’d believe you.”

“Thanks,” I said, shaking myself out of it, and then I took a deep breath. “Ready to get started?”

“Yeah,” Colton said. “Let’s do this.”

With that, we got down to business. Even though I was lovestruck and trying my best to hide it, Colton picked up the choreography so fast, faster even than Kyle, and he had “the look” down pat. Every time his eyes caught mine, I felt something spark inside me. Colton definitely didn’t need to work on his smolder. The way he looked at me…the way it made me feel…I had to keep reminding myself this was pretend. I wasn’t his type. It was all for the bet. Still… His hands molded to my curves, and Colton wasn’t afraid to pull me in close, move with me. The chemistry was undeniable. It was just like when we’d danced at the club multiplied by a thousand, and my heart was trying to beat a hole in my chest.

By the time Kyle came back, we’d gone over Colton’s part several times and had everything but the last bit of choreo perfected. The only thing left to do was put it all together and hope like heck it worked.

And miracle of miracles, after two more hours, it did. Kyle really had been practicing; I could tell. When we added him to the mix, everything was amplified, and the heat level couldn’t have been higher. The movements really brought out the tug of war between the two guys, and I was able to play off of them, telling the story of passion, desire and power I’d wanted to tell all along.

We agreed to meet again tomorrow night to practice, but before I said goodbye to the Bishop brothers, I laid out my plan.

“So, I’m going to try for the million views,” I said.

Colton and Kyle both stared at me.

“I thought it was your dream to be on theDancer’s Edgesite,” Kyle said, looking confused.

“It was,” I said—then amended, “I mean, it is. But ifDancer’s Edgedoesn’t want to give the dance their stamp of approval, I don’t want to wait for it. I’m putting work out there that I’m proud of. I love it, and that’s all that matters.”

Colton was smiling a bit, and Kyle looked stunned.

“Good for you,” my best friend said. “What made you decide to go for it?”

Glancing to Colton then away, I shrugged. “Took some good advice.”

“Sounds like a smart guy,” Colton said. “And how do you plan on getting a million views?”

“Well, I’m not exactly sure yet,” I admitted, “but I’m working on it.”

Kyle smiled and pulled me in for a hug. “Gah, I’m so proud of you right now.”

“Don’t be too proud.” Colton shook his head, tongue flicking his lip ring. “If we get that million, you’re that much closer to losing the bet.”

“Yeah whatever,” Kyle said, “maybe it’ll happen. Maybe it won’t, but man, I love that she’s trying. Let us know if there’s anything we can do to help.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, my friend, and I will,” I laughed. “I’m sure I’ll need all the help I can get. By the way, Betty’s coming in to do our makeup—which is awesome because she used to do makeup for the stars—and Tim said he’d drive down to film the dance for us on Saturday.”

Colton nodded but said nothing. As he stared at me, and I tried but failed to read his mind, one thought ran through my head like a record on repeat.

After we did this last thing, whether it succeeded or failed, Colton would no longer be my coach. The end of the month was in 12 days, and coincidentally so was the deadline forDancer’s Edge. That meant the end of the bet, the end of our time together, the end of my time with Colton. I felt my eyes misting and looked away. Strange, I’d always thought finishing my list would make me happy.

But I was already missing Colton even though he was right here in front of me.

The next few days flew by.

Colton, Kyle and I practiced every night—and I noticed Colton was never late even though he was still working long hours at the garage. He and Kyle seemed determined to make the dance the best it could be, making every correction, running the piece as many times as necessary, and I couldn’t have been more thankful.

I soaked up those practices, memorizing the feel of Colton’s broad shoulders, his closeness.

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