Page 26 of Take the Lead
A pretty blonde in a short black dress approached them. She shot Stone a sassy grin.
“Ooh, check you out,” she purred. “Are you one of the pros?”
“Nah, he’s one of the celebs. A wilderness survivalist.” Kevin drained his drink and called for another before finishing the introductions. “This is Lauren D’Angelo, Olympic figure skater.”
Lauren slipped an arm around Stone’s waist and winked up at him. “Damn, you’ve got even more muscles than I do.”
“I… I guess.” She was flirting, which would have been fine, in most circumstances, but she was coming on strong, and Gina was just a few yards away, spinning around the dance floor with Jackson. Even though they were just dance partners, it felt wrong to flirt with another woman.
Lauren’s gaze sharpened. “Can you dance?”
Kevin cut in. “Rumor has it that Stone’s got some sweet breakdancing moves.”
Rolling her eyes, Lauren released Stone to take the beer Kevin handed her. “Yeah, but can youdance? Ballroom style.”
“That’s what we’re here to learn, aren’t we?” Stone sipped his scotch just to have a reason to break eye contact with her.
“That means you can’t.” Lauren shrugged. “No offense meant. Just taking stock of the competition. You know how it goes.”
Stone drank again to avoid answering.
“Since I don’t have to worry about you as competition…” Lauren’s voice turned silky again, and she set the beer aside to wrap her arms around him.
She’d gone from flirty to competitive and back again in less than five minutes. Were all Olympians this intense?
Her hand slid down to his ass and Stone almost choked on his scotch. Unsure how to proceed, he sent Jackson a wide-eyed plea when he spotted the actor returning from the dance floor with Gina.
To Stone’s eternal gratitude, Jackson stepped in, grinning and holding out a hand to Lauren.
“Hey, I’m Jackson. You’re Lauren, right?”
She swept him with a cold, assessing gaze. “That’s right.”
“You want to dance? Gina and Natasha have been giving me salsa pointers. If I’m going to win, I need all the practice time I can get.”
It was the perfect thing to say. Lauren’s eyes flashed with challenge, and she let go of Stone. “You’re on. But you’re not going to win.”
Gina sipped from the glass of water Mimi handed her and turned to Stone. “Getting a little close there, weren’t you?”
Her tone was unreadable. Before Stone could explain, a commotion to his left drew his attention. A bearded guy wearing a scowl and a Knicks cap joined their group, greeting everyone loudly and kissing all the women on their cheeks. The guy spotted Stone and swung over, extending a hand.
“How’s it going?” the guy asked in a deep, accented voice. “I’m Dimitri. You must be Stone.”
Stone nodded, shaking hands, and the name clicked. Dimitri Kovalenko, one of the judges onThe Dance Off.“How’d you know?”
Dimitri’s dark eyebrows rose under the hat. “Are you kidding me? You must be the tallest celebrity we’ve ever had on the show, even counting football players. The wardrobe department is shitting their pants.”
Mimi set out another row of shot glasses as the dancers returned from the floor. When Gina reached for one, Stone almost said something, but he caught Natasha watching.
Gina had a friend here. Lots of friends. She didn’t need him looking out for her, and there was no reason why he should feel obligated to. She was just his dance partner. That was all.
“Gina, sweetheart, come dance with me.” Dimitri snaked an arm around her as soon as the shot glass left her hand.
“Okay.” She was giggling as he hauled her back to the dance floor.
It took every ounce of Stone’s self-control to keep from chargingafter them to break in. But what would he do then? He had no claim on her. And he couldn’t salsa.
Instead, he watched. His drink was gone before he knew it, another in his hand, thanks to Mimi’s watchful eye. As he sipped, he noticed something.
