Page 24 of Take the Lead
“Yeah,” Gina said. “I’ll have—”
“Let’s do shots!” Lori thumped a fist on the bar to punctuate her words. “You in?”
After a short hesitation, Gina nodded.
Stone pretended to be interested in his drink while Natasha grabbed Gina’s elbow.
“You never drink during the season,” Natasha hissed.
Gina shrugged. “I know. It’s fine.”
Her roommate backed off, holding up her hands. “Mira, no soy tu mamá. Just reminding you of your own rules.”
“I know.”
Stone leaned down. “What did she say?”
With a huff, Gina translated Natasha’s words. “She said she’s not my mother. Come on.” She grabbed a shot from the cluster set out by the bartender. Stone took one for himself, and when Lori counted to three, they all slammed them back.
It burned going down. Nowhere near as good as the scotch. And when was the last time he’d done shots at a bar? College? It wasn’t something he and his brothers did. Reed didn’t know when to quit, Wolf was a lightweight, and Winter said his body was a temple and he wouldn’t poison it with alcohol.
Gina sucked in a breath as she returned her glass to the bar. Her eyes watered a little.
Stone rested a hand on the bare skin of her back and stroked gently with his thumb. “You good?”
“I’m fine.”
Her skin told another story. “You have goosebumps.”
She held his gaze for a long moment, her expression unreadable.
Kevin appeared at her side and grabbed her arm. “Yo, Gina, let’s dance.”
For a heartbeat, Stone thought she would stay. But when she nodded at Kevin, Stone let his hand drop from her back.
She wasn’t his. It was stupid to feel even the slightest bit possessive over her. Still, he kept his eyes on her as she followed Kevin onto the dance floor. The music had switched from DJ-spun beats to a live salsa band, and it seemed like all the dancers knew the right steps. Since he didn’t, Stone picked up his scotch and watched Kevin lead her around the floor in tight circles.
Jackson joined him at the bar, clutching a gin and tonic. “You’re the breakdancing one, right? That was a hard act to follow.”
“I thought I was ‘the Alaskan one.’” Stone cracked a grin and made himself turn away from the dance floor. “Don’t worry, there’s no breakdancing in our foxtrot.”
“That levels the playing field somewhat.”
“You’re a TV actor, right?” Since they were competitors, Stone sized him up. Jackson was a good-looking guy, objectively. Fashionably dressed, with broad shoulders, black hair buzzed on the sides, light brown skin and eyes. But could he dance?
“Yeah. My show’s in its second season.”
“What’s the name of it?”
To Stone’s surprise, Jackson ducked his head like he was embarrassed. “Bite me,” he muttered into his glass before draining it.
Stone squinted at him. “Excuse me?”
With a sigh, Jackson set down his empty glass and picked up the next one the bartender had waiting for him. “It’s the name of the show,” he clarified. “It’s calledBite Me.I play a vampire werewolf.”
Stone couldn’t help it. He burst into laughter. It was the funniest thing he’d heard since arriving in LA, and he was so fucking relieved that someone else had a more embarrassing byline than he did. He put down his drink before he dropped it, and missed seeing Gina return until she was standing right in front of him.
That damned red dress taunted him. His fingers itched to hold her as he had all week.
