Page 86 of Take the Lead
“No, you’re not.” Natasha scrolled through her phone. “Oh snap, here’s another one.”
Gina waved her away. Natasha was looking for tabloid stories about Gina visiting Stone at the hotel. The photos were all over the Internet, attached to stories that were rampant with speculation, including one that suggested they’d had a secret wedding. Fortunately, Donna had agreed to leave it out of the behind-the-scenes package—they had enough footage with Stone’s fall and Gina freaking out over Meli—and the publicity department’s spin had dispelled most of the rumors. Had Stone not been injured, the story would have been ten times worse. For now, Natasha was the only one who knew for sure that Gina and Stone were hooking up.
It felt weird to call it that, but “hooking up” had thus far been the extent of Gina’s romantic relationships. She didn’twantanything more than that, and with good reason.
Getting caught made her realize she was playing with fire, and not only with her career. As much as she’d loved being skin to skin with Stone, it had been a risky move, even with the birth control pill and Plan B.
She also couldn’t deny her growing emotional attachment to him. But he’d been abundantly clear that when his time onThe Dance Offwas over, he was going back to Alaska. If she didn’t want to get burned, she had to back off.
This week had been easy. Between the two dances and extra dance partners, they’d barely had a second alone. In her downtime, Gina told her agent to book her more interviews and auditions. She hadn’t been alone with Stone since spending the night at his hotel.
She missed the hell out of him. The sex, but also the companionship. And it pissed her off that he made her realize how lonely she’d been before he lumbered into her life.
No, that wasn’t fair. He was surprisingly graceful for such a large man, as evidenced by their progress in the show.
Natasha tapped her phone. “This one says you’re running away to Alaska together.”
Gina scoffed. “Like that would ever happen. Me, in Alaska? That’s nonsense.”
“Why, too many bears?” Stone asked, coming up behind her.
She jumped. Shit. She wouldn’t have said that if she’d known he was there. He loved Alaska, and she didn’t want to make him feel bad by disparaging it.
“Even one bear is too many.” She kept her voice light. “Come on, let’s practice that threesome samba roll one more time before we go out.”
Dancing kept her mind off Stone, off the paparazzi, and most importantly, off her impending face-to-face with Meli.
When it was their turn, they went out and did the dance. The choreography was simple—lots of ballroom samba content paired with a fun song and Stone’s improved footwork. Gina and Natasha had danced together for years, and Stone was comfortable with both women. He sold the hell out of the performance.
The second the dance was over, Gina patted his shoulder. “I think that was the best you’ve ever danced it.”
“I knew it was important to you.” Putting his arms around both women—something he never would have done two months ago—Stone walked them over to get their scores.
His support—and the push toward the judges’ table—was necessary, as Gina was having trouble catching her breath. Meli, looking perfect and polished in a silver gown, sat right between Chad Silver and Mariah Valentino. Meli’s brown hair hung in loose waves and her pleasant smile was camera-ready.
“Stay cool, G,” Natasha said under her breath.
“I’m cool.”
Gina wasn’t cool, not at all. But she could fake it.
Meli was everything Gina had ever aspired to be. She’d done it—moved out of the Bronx, made a career for herself, and achieved fame and fortune, most of it on her own terms.
Sure, she’d been divorced four times, but that had never registered for Gina before. Why was she thinking of it now?
Juan Carlos stepped in with his microphone. He made some complimentary, family-friendly jokes about their sexy samba, but Gina couldn’t take her eyes off Meli.
Until Juan Carlos stuck that damned mic in her face and said, “Gina, it’s no secret you’re a huge Meli fan. What’s it like for you to be face-to-face with your role model?”
“Um…” Gina swallowed hard. “I’m speechless.”
It was one of her publicist’s tricks. In a difficult interview, claim to be speechless or shocked until you could collect your thoughts.
Juan Carlos laughed and addressed the judges. “Meli, since you’re our special guest judge, let’s hear from you.”
A fine trembling took over Gina’s body as Meli turned to her with a kind smile, and she was grateful for Stone’s presence at her side. They were sweaty and overheated, but his strength and familiar scent calmed her. Behind Stone’s back, Tash dug her nails into Gina’s palm. The sharp pain snapped Gina out of her thoughts and helped her focus.
“First of all,” Meli began, “as a fellow Nuyorican, I’m so proud of you both for making it this far in your careers.”
