Page 23 of Romance Is Dead

“No touching,” I chided.

I flung out first one arm and then the other above my head, arching my back in an attempt to look graceful. But as my right arm swung away from my body, it collided with my phone on the desk and sent it clattering to the floor.

The song unceremoniously stopped, leaving us in total silence—and my butt poised mere inches above Teddy’s lap.

I considered stopping right then and there. I’d done enough to prove I could do it, hadn’t I? But now that the song was no longer rendering the situation completely ridiculous, I realized just how intimate our position was. I could hear him breathing, feel his thighs on either side of mine. Teddy didn’t move a muscle, and instead whispered in my ear, “Keep going.”

Against my better judgment, I did. I wanted to prove him wrong, to show him that whatever preconceived notions he had about the “type” of girl I was were misplaced. And maybe, the low rasp of his voice and the feeling of his legs pressed again mine were too compelling to ignore.

Bracing my hands on the seat of the chair, I took my time as I once again lowered myself to the floor before slowly rising up, making sure my ass brushed against his lap as I did. Teddy tensed behind me, his hands brushing the top of my butt as he wrapped them around my hips. I didn’t slap away his hands this time—instead I pressed into them, savoring the pressure of each fingertip pressing through the fabric of my leggings.

Knowing I was playing with fire, I spun around. I draped one leg and then the other around his waist before sinking down, our bodies meshing perfectly. My arms fell around his shoulders, and when I finally looked into his eyes, they were hazy. Stormy. Wrapping one arm around my waist, keeping me firmly in place, Teddy snaked his other hand slowly up my side. Up, up it went, grazing the side of my breast before he brushed my bottom lip with his thumb.

His lips cracked into a smile. “Perfect,” he murmured.

Any memory of how the dance was supposed to end flew from my mind. Teddy’s face was mere inches from mine, and I was pretty sure he was moving closer. It would be so easy to close the tiny gap. To give in.

God, I wanted to give in.

Then, flashes from the last time we were this close: the sound of the woman’s voice approaching, Teddy jumping out of the pool without a second glance at me, the way he’d breezily told her I wasn’t his type anyway. Teddy was down to mess around with anyone in front of him, until someone better came along. And even if my body was screaming at me to kiss him, I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

I couldn’t do this.

“I should get going.” I jumped off his lap, hurrying to make my exit. I ran a hand down my neck, hoping I wasn’t as flushed as I felt.

Teddy staggered to his feet. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have—”

“It’s totally fine. You’re overthinking it.” I backed toward the door, trying desperately not to stare at the way his joggers had slipped down, revealing the muscled V that ran along the inside of his hips. “Tomorrow we’ll get investigating, right? Don’t forget, you need to hold up your side of the bargain.”

Chapter Nine

Thankfully, I had a perfectly valid excuse to leave the set and avoid seeing Teddy for the rest of the day. After spending some time reviewing my lines for tomorrow’s scenes, I decided to pay a visit to someone special: Puzzle Face himself.

My dad’s property was an hour and a half away from the hotel, nestled in the forest and surrounded by acres of land he’d purchased to ensure its seclusion. The drive was gorgeous—the road cresting over hills and winding through the trees. Unfortunately, it also gave my mind ample time to spin over what had happened in Teddy’s room just hours earlier. Had I imagined the way he’d gripped my hips, trying to pull me closer? Or the heat in his eyes as I’d lowered myself onto his lap?

I didn’t think so.

But it didn’t matter, I reminded myself. Boys like Teddy couldn’t be trusted. He had Kendall Jenner in his DMs for God’s sake. And even if he was trustworthy, I wasn’t interested. Any tension we felt hadn’t been the result of anything real; we’d just been swept up in the magic of my dance skills.

Their powers were too great. It couldn’t be helped.

By the time I pulled up to the cabin, it was after three in the afternoon, the sun streaming gold and hazy through the trees. The front door was always unlocked, but I rang the doorbell anyway. Once I’d walked in unannounced and found my dad and his girlfriend at the time in flagrante delicto in the middle of the living room. I’d never been able to look at him, or pineapple, the same again.

There was a slight rumble of footsteps before the door flew open.

“Squish!” My dad reached out and wrapped me in a hug. He was still the towering height that made him so foreboding on screen, but in recent years he’d grown a sizeable paunch that made his hugs extra comforting. “I was just thinking about you.”

“Good to see you, Dad.” I rested my head against his chest, savoring the feeling of peace and safety. Living in LA, I tried to fly out to see him once a month, but depending on my schedule, that sometimes fell to once every three months. It was nice to be located so close for once.

He patted my shoulder as I pulled away. “What the hell is going on at that movie set of yours?”

So much for my feeling of peace.

“How do you know about that?”

“Old buddy of mine is married to the camera operator. Said it was real weird. A kid just dying out of nowhere like that.”

I would have to tread carefully. If my dad suspected a killer was on the loose, he was likely to barge onto set himself by the next morning. And I didn’t want that.

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