Page 70 of Take the Lead
“You can tell me, Gina. Whatever’s on your mind. I’m a good listener.”
She played with the ends of his hair. It was so pretty. Maybe he’d let her brush it.
He was waiting for a reply. She exhaled slowly. “This isn’t really a great after-sex topic.”
He shifted them so they lay on their backs, staring up at the ceiling. His bicep acted as her pillow. It was like they’d finally finished what they’d started in Central Park, in the sleepy meadow. He was warm, and he smelled strong and comforting.
It was false comfort, though. There was no point in getting attached to someone who was leaving.
She might as well tell him. Nothing like talking about an ex to send a guy running for the hills.
Nineteen
“There’s a reason why I don’t date people in the industry,” Gina said. “I did it once, and it went… badly.”
Stone tensed. Maybe this wasn’t a great topic to bring up. But he wanted Gina to feel like she could talk to him. She held a lot inside, masking her anxieties and hurts under a sunny exterior. He wanted to be someone she could reveal her thoughts and feelings to.
Someday, he hoped he’d be able to do the same with her.
“Once upon a time I dated a former dance partner.”
His jaw clenched audibly. “Mm-hmm.”
Straddling his thighs, she ran her hands up his chest and gave him a sleepy smile. “Don’t worry. You are, by far, the hottest man I have ever danced with.”
“Danced with or—” He waggled his eyebrows to make her laugh. “Dancedwith?”
She giggled and settled her head on his chest. “Both.”
He wrapped his arms around her. They were so used to touching each other, there was none of the usual awkwardness after a first fuck. All the dancing had led them to this point. “Keep talking.”
“Ruben was in the dance troupe I joined when I was a teenager. I hadn’t made much of a name for myself yet when we started dating. Ruben was more well-known—or at least, that was howit seemed to me—and he talked a lot about how we were going to take the dance world by storm together. I thought he meant it.”
“I sense a rude awakening coming up.”
“You guessed it. We entered a competition, and I choreographed the dance for the final showcase. Ruben took full credit for it. When I pointed out to him that it was my dance, he told me, ‘Jealousy isn’t a good look, Gina.’ Then he told everyone else in the troupe we were sleeping together, which got me pulled from the competition because they thought it would get in the way of my ability to dance, either with him or with others, and that it might be hard for me to see him dance with other women.”
Stone exhaled, more of a growl than a sigh. Gina patted his shoulder.
“I learned my lesson—don’t get involved with people I’m working with.”
Ah. That certainly explained some things. It didn’t seem kind to point out the obvious, but he did it anyway. “You broke that rule for me.”
She looked away. “So I did.”
He cupped her cheek and gently turned her to face him. “Why, Gina?” He needed to know.
Her eyes were dark, as if the lamplight couldn’t penetrate their depths. “I wanted you too much.” She swallowed. “And I don’t think you’ll betray me. Besides, you’re, like, industry adjacent.”
He raised his eyebrows. “We’re dance partners.”
“I know, but…” She gave his shoulder a flick. “Yes, I broke my rule for you, and I don’t regret it. Happy? But I don’t want anyone to know about us.”
On some level, it made sense that Gina would want to keep this secret. On another, Stone was so over the moon, he wanted everyone to know. Except neither of them had the luxury of anonymity anymore.
That reminded him of something, although he wasn’t quite sure how to bring it up.
“Speaking of… Donna mentioned something to me about a fake relationship thing?”
