Page 10 of Guarded Hearts
“Boring for you or them?”
For Mia and a million other people watching.“Do you think there’s some balance? The dance can’t be too hard, but it should still be entertaining with a bit of ‘wow.’”
“You’ve got the ‘wow.’ I’m worried the entertaining part will be when he drops Mia, or he misses a hold.” He brushed his dark brown hair out of his eyes. “Is it Tyler Sullivan? Is she planning to use her boy-toy for a show?”
I covered my face with the towel and took some deep breaths. Jace was an honest partner, and he’d agreed to come if he got to perform the routine with me in front of Mia tomorrow so he stood a chance of being noticed. Since the wedding was top secret, I had to tell him Mia was thinking about adding swing dancing to her next stage show and wasn’t sure she wanted swing dancers. I was glad he came, but he wasn’tmaking me feel any better about demonstrating the routine. He didn’t understand the stakes.
“She didn’t tell me her plans.” I threw the towel on the floor. “Like I said, she might be using some swing in a future show, and she asked me to put something together that a novice could do. That’s all I know.”
“Well, if this doesn’t fit the bill, I’m happy to choreograph for her.” Jace’s tone was casual, but I’d been around the dance scene long enough to know when my job might be in danger of being poached.
That was the problem with bringing someone else in. I hadn’t asked any of the other dancers from the show for this reason. Mia knew about my swing background thanks to a night at the bar on the last tour. She probably hadn’t looked any deeper into the experiences of the dancers she’d hired forthistour. Having someone sweep in and steal my glory wasn’t happening.
“This is what she wants,” I said, feigning confidence. “I’m stressing for nothing, I’m sure. Nerves. That’s all.” I was fiddling with my phone when the practice-room door popped open. “We’re busy,” I said before looking up.
When I did look up, my breath caught in my throat, and a hum started low in my belly. Pasha’s wide shoulders were framed in the doorway, and the memory of him, on top of me, murmuring Russian phrases in my ear caused a shiver of pleasure to race along my spine. Tingles all the way down.
What had he said? I’d tried to look them up, but spelling something in Russian when you only heard it whispered in your ear on the brink of an orgasm proved more difficult than I expected.
That night hung in the air.
“Mia asked to see you.” Pasha’s words were heavily accented, and his gaze shifted from me to Jace and back again.
“Oh, right.” My voice was too breathy. This reaction was why I’d been avoiding him. My body wanted more, even if my brain knew it was a bad idea. “Her dressing room?”
“Yes.” Pasha eyed Jace again before our gazes connected for a beat longer than needed. Another wave of desire swept over.
I cleared my throat, hoping my next words wouldn’t sound so much like a horny teenager’s. “I’ll be right there.”
He closed the door without another word, and Jace whistled low. “Holy sexual tension, Batman.” He fanned himself. “If you’re not already banging him, the world is about to combust. Any chance he swings both ways?”
Jace was bisexual, and when we’d been dance partners, he’d rarely missed an opportunity to go in whatever direction suited him. Nothing had ever happened between us, but it wasn’t from his lack of effort. No one had been safe from his flirting and sometimes overt sexual advances. I hesitated contacting him for that reason, but up until this moment, he’d been tame. He’d also mentioned a boyfriend.
“Aren’t you seeing someone?” I gathered up my stuff. I needed to shower and get ready before the show tonight. Pasha’s appearance was a reminder that I couldn’t slack on my regular job. Impressing Mia meant doing both well.
“Yeah, I am. But—options—it’s good to have them. No ring on this finger.” He grinned as he packed his bag. “You going out tonight? I’m staying at a hotel, and I can meet you and whoever wherever you go after the show.”
I wasn’t performing the routine for Mia and Pasha until tomorrow afternoon. “If we go out, you’ll still be good for another practice in the morning?” No matter what, I wanted to be absolutely confident about the swing choreography.
Jace chuckled as he slung his bag over his shoulder. “I’m not too old yet for the party and the performance.” There was a challenge in his gaze. “What about you?”
“Oh,” I said with a grin, “I can handle my alcohol and my dancing just fine.” I’d be fine. My limits were set in stone.
Chapter Five
Pasha
Iwasn’t a jealous man. With Zoya, I hadn’t had even one jealous incident. In fact, I’d been sure I didn’t have that green-eyed monster lurking in me. My trust in women ran deep.
Men, on the other hand, were a different story.
Watching Mia testify in court, hearing the stories of other women in her group therapy sessions, either firsthand through a partially closed door or in passing, eroded my trust in other men. The way Alyssa was twirling and spinning around her dance partner, their bodies brushing, this guy’s hands skimming her bare skin made me want to rip him off her.
Not a normal reaction.
I had no idea what was happening on the dance floor. Each move was fast, a flash of footwork and flesh, and I couldn’t keep my eyes off the other man’s hands. When I wasn’t watching his hands, I was drawn to Alyssa’s sun-kissed bare face, her long dark blond hair secured in a tight bun on top of her head, instead of loose around her shoulders. She glowed with a thin sheen of sweat, which appeared on her brow.
“This is fast,” Mia murmured, barely above the music blaring from Alyssa’s phone. “This is pretty fucking fast.”
