Page 5 of Take the Lead
New York. That explained the trace of accent.
When she turned around, she gave his bare chest a once-over. “You’re one to talk. Aren’tyoucold?”
He shrugged. He was, but he’d survive. Besides, he had a down jacket hidden in the house for after she left.
“So.” Gina braced her hands on her hips. “Have you ever danced before?”
“Not really.” His brothers Reed and Wolf were the party animals, the boisterous ones. Stone was the strong one. The quiet one. The serious one. It even said so on theLiving Wildwebsite, under his photo: “Stone is strong, quiet, and serious.”
In a family of seven kids, birth order mattered. Stone, at thirty, was the second oldest, and he and his siblings had been locked into their roles long before the show aired on TV. Maybe if his older brother Reed were different, Stone could have loosened up a little, instead of taking on all the responsibilities of the oldest without the parental attention. But as always, he put family first. Right now, that involved embarrassing himself in front of a gorgeous woman.
“Um, but I can learn,” he added. “To dance.”
“Don’t worry, I’m a good teacher.” Gina flashed him that grin again, the wide, toothy one that almost made him forget about the cameras.Almost. “Besides, everyone has danced in some form or another.”
“Only if you count clapping and stomping while my brother Winter plays the fiddle.”
“The fiddle?” Gina snorted, covering her mouth with one hand.
At least she was laughing about the fiddle and not Winter’s name, like most people did. And she hadn’t batted an eyelash when he’d told her his name was Stone, so that was a point in her favor.
Gina recovered without any further comments about the fiddle. “Yes, I would say clapping and stompingdocount, because they require a connection to the music.”
“Don’t we need music now?” When Stone crossed his arms over his chest, Gina’s gaze followed the movement. It took everything he had not to say,Hey, my eyes are up here. The producers would love it, which was all the reason he needed to hold back. Besides, teasing suggested intimacy, and they were still strangers.
She moved closer, invading his personal space without aDo you mind?He didn’t mind, though. She smelled nice. Sweet and floral.
“Not yet,” she said. “I’m going to give you some pointers on frame and hold first.”
This was already over his head and they’d barely begun. “What does that mean?”
“In ballroom dance, the man—or the person dancing that role—leads. He creates a frame with his body for the person in the woman’s role to dance within.”
Gina poked and prodded at Stone’s shoulders, spine, and jaw, positioning him like a mannequin. It reminded him of the photoshoots he’d done and when the PAs prepped him for filming. Working in TV involved being touched by strangers more often than he’d expected, but it was different with Gina. Her touch was strong and sure, and her cool fingers left a trail of fire and goosebumps in their wake.
She lifted his elbow, then pressed down on his shoulder when he raised it too high. As she circled him, the camera operators—hers and his—swarmed the corners of the porch. This footage would wind up on both TV shows.
“If you’re the pro,” Stone said, doing his best to hold the position she’d put him in, “how am I supposed to lead you?”
Gina ducked her head under his arm, embarrassingly close to his armpit, and peered up at him with an impish smile. “I’ll teach you.” Her palm rested on his lower back, his skin growing warmer where they touched. Better to focus on the potential for embarrassment, not her closeness, her scent, or the way her shiny hair slipped over her shoulder. And definitely not her hands or how much more touching they’d have to do before this was all over.
“We’re expected to have our first dance ready in three weeks?” Even to his own ears, his tone was skeptical.
“We’ll be ready.”
“Assuming I don’t break your toes first.”
She suppressed a laugh. “You won’t.”
“And after the premiere we only have one week for each rehearsal.”
“Uh-huh.”
Now he didn’t need to distract himself. Panic threatened, and Stone let out a slow breath. This was a fool’s errand. He should stay in Alaska and call the whole thing off. But no, that wasn’t an option. The contracts had been signed. Barring an injury, he was locked in.
Easing back, Gina looked him up and down, then nodded. “You’ll do.” Before he could prepare himself, she stepped into his arms.
She was right. Even though she was a foot shorter than he was, when she rested her left arm on his and took his other hand, she fit perfectly into the frame he created.
