by Katie McCoy
“I’ll buy you a new blue dress,” he told me. “But hopefully this will suffice until then.”
I pulled out a beautiful, flowy summer dress, covered in green flowers. It was soft and delicate, and absolutely gorgeous.
“Thank you,” I told him, slipping it on.
It fit perfectly.
“I checked your other dress for your size,” Liam told me, showing that he wasn’t just thoughtful, he was smart as well. Not that I had ever really doubted it. “Looks good on you,” he commented as I gave a little spin.
I couldn’t help it, the diaphanous fabric flew up around my legs, and I felt a little like I did when I tried on new costumes for roles. That had always been my favorite part about new projects—trying on the costumes for the first time and seeing the way they moved with me.
I reached up and gave Liam a kiss on the cheek. He turned his head at the last moment and captured my mouth with his, kissing me until we were both breathing heavily. He stepped back.
“You’d better go before I rip that dress off you as well,” he warned, his voice deep and sexy.
A thrill ran through me, and part of me wanted to stay, wanted to text his control. But he wasn’t the only one with plans that day, and I knew it would be better for both of us if we took some space after that night together. It had been wonderful and intense, but I still didn’t know how I felt about it. I still needed to process it.
“I’ll call you,” Liam told me as he walked me to the door.
I shrugged a shoulder, trying to seem casual but secretly thrilled and hoping that I’d hear from him soon. He kissed me goodbye, and I headed home, my entire body still humming from last night’s very sexy encounter.
An hour later, I had showered and put my new green dress back on, and I headed out to meet Paulina, Becky, and Viktor at a brunch place that they had picked—one that was close to the theater they were rehearsing at. It would be the first time seeing them since the night I had met Liam, and I was excited to tell them about my adventures, but from the moment we all sat down, it became clear that all we were going to talk about was ballet. Specifically the ballet that they were involved in.
“The new production is such a mess, Juliet,” Becky said with a groan. “You’re lucky, really, that you don’t have to deal with all this.”
The others nodded eagerly, but I didn’t believe them for a second. Sure, they were all complaining, but that didn’t mean they loved it any less. Not a single one of them wanted to be in my shoes.
“The casting is horrific,” Viktor added. “Whoever thought that Maxine Thomas would make a good Sleeping Beauty is clearly nuts.”
I appreciated what they were doing—or what they thought they were doing—but insulting the ballerina who had taken my spot in the performance didn’t make me feel any better.
“She’s a good dancer,” I offered, not wanting to get into it.
Viktor scoffed. “Yeah—if you’re blind,” he quipped.
Paulina and Becky laughed. I just took another drink of my mimosa.
“I’ve been teaching a ballet class,” I told them.
They all went silent.
“Oh,” Paulina said slowly, as if I was a wild animal she was afraid of frightening. “And how was that?” She was speaking to me like I was a child.
“It’s good,” I said, trying not to mimic her condescending tone. “It’s an after-school program for at-risk students.”
I’d only taught two classes, but I’d really been enjoying it. The students were really enthusiastic and passionate—what they lacked in skill they made up for with excitement. Which they had in spades. And there were a few students in my class who did have natural, raw talent. Talent I was more than eager to develop.
“That sounds . . . interesting,” Viktor responded, exchanging looks with Paulina and Becky.
“You guys should stop in sometime,” I said, even though I knew there was no possible way they would.
I could feel our friendship slipping away at that very moment. Because they didn’t want to talk about me or my life. They wanted to talk about dance. Because that was their life. It was all of their lives.
I had been that way before my accident, so I couldn’t really begrudge them those feelings. I’m sure all of us had thought we’d still be able to be friends after this, but now that it was clear that it wasn’t, I wasn’t going to fight it.
“We should go,” Becky said eventually, looking at her phone. “We have to go to rehearsal.”
I gave each of them a hug, knowing I probably wouldn’t be seeing them anytime soon. It was sad, but I understood. I really did.
After they left, I sat at our table, finishing my mimosa and trying to decide what to do with the rest of my day. I was just about to leave when I got a text from Hayley.
Emergency! was all it said.
I called her back immediately.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, my heart racing.
“I need a dress for tonight,” she told me, and my pulse began to slow to a normal pace again.
“That’s not an emergency,” I laughed.
“It is if you need it in a few hours,” she countered. “Can you help me?”
I met her at the same place I had bought my sparkly blue dress—which I might have recommended because I wanted to buy a replacement. And maybe another pretty, colorful dress. Or two. Or five. My tips had been amazing, and even thought I was being sensible and putting plenty aside for a rainy day, that didn’t mean I couldn’t splurge once in a while.
When Hayley walked in, she was frantically typing something on her phone.
“This is ridiculous,” she told me, putting the phone away long enough to give me a hug. “I get, like, one day’s notice to go to this event and now I can’t find anyone to do my hair and makeup. And I don’t have a date.” She let out a humorless laugh. “One of those issues is an ongoing one,” she said. “I’ll let you guess which one.”
“I could do your hair and makeup,” I offered. “I can’t do anything too fancy, but I can put it in a cute bun and give you some sparkle on your eyes.”
Hayley gave me a grateful look. “Really?” she asked.
“Of course,” I said with a smile.
“That would be amazing.” She gave me another hug, tighter this time. “I always have to go to these boring fundraising events for my parents. They’re for a good cause, of course, but it’s a lot of standing around and chit-chatting with people who don’t really want to talk, they just want to show off.”
“That doesn’t sound fun,” I agreed.
She sighed and flopped into one of the store’s chairs. “At least it’s an excuse to go shopping with friends.”
I was touched that she had called me—and that she considered me—a friend.
“Let’s find you a dress first,” I suggested, starting to look through the racks.
“You wanted to find something for yourself too, right?” Hayley asked.
I nodded. “But it’s not a priority. We should focus on you.”
Hayley leapt up from her chair. “Let’s find things for each other,” she suggested excitedly. “I’ll look for dresses for you, and you can look for me. Unfortunately, I need something boring—no bright colors or anything too sexy.”
“I’m the opposite,” I laughed. “I’m all about bright colors now.”
“And sexy stuff?” Hayley asked, not being very subtle at all. “Something to catch Liam’s attention perhaps?”
I thought about how I had caught his attention last night, and I blushed. Hayley noticed and pointed a finger at me, her mouth wide.
“Oh my God!” she cried. “Did something happen between the two of you?”
“Maybe,” I said coyly, even though I had a hard time keeping the smile off of my face.
“Wow!” Hayley’s eyes were round. “I never thought I’d see the day when Liam met his match.”
I hurried to correct her. “We’re just having a good time together,” I told Hayley. “I
t’s nothing serious. I know I’m not his type.”
She scoffed. “His type doesn’t exist. Not really.” She regarded me seriously. “You know, you’re probably exactly what he needs. And he doesn’t even know it.” Hayley started looking through dresses. “When are you going to see him again?”
“I don’t know,” I told her honestly.
I wanted to see him again. Last night had been so much fun that I couldn’t wait to spend some quality bedroom time with him once more. But from what I knew about Liam, he tended to get hot and cold with me. And if the pattern persisted, I was probably going to get the cold shoulder again for a few days.
“Do you want to see him again?” Hayley asked me, her expression sympathetic.
I thought about lying, but honesty had been the policy as of late, so I decided to continue with that, even if it made me feel vulnerable.
“I do,” I told Hayley.
“Tell him,” she advised. “Liam has always kept his life organized into very specific, very separate areas, so I don’t know much about his dating life—except, of course, his ridiculously impossible list of demands—but I do know that when it comes to dealing with him, the best way to get his attention is to be direct. He doesn’t like games.”
“Neither do I,” I responded.
“That’s probably why he likes you,” Hayley observed.
“I think it’s a little simpler than that,” I said dryly.
Hayley put her hands over her ears. “All these guys are like my brothers.” She let out a faux wail. “Hearing about their sex lives is gross.”
“It’s not my fault you’ve got the hottest guys in Chicago as your surrogate—and real—brothers,” I reminded her.
“I guess that’s true,” she said grumpily. “At least you’re not dating Dante—I really don’t want to hear about his sexual escapades.”
I hadn’t met Dante yet, but from the way Hayley said his name, I could sense that there was something else there. But something that she clearly wasn’t ready to talk about, as indicated by how quickly she changed the subject.
“Oooh, look at this dress.” She pulled a beautiful red-and-yellow dress from the rack. It looked almost like a sunset. “This would look gorgeous on you.”
We shopped for an hour, and then returned to my apartment so I could do Hayley’s hair and makeup. It wasn’t anything close to what a professional might have done, but Hayley was naturally beautiful, with clear skin and extremely well-behaving hair, so I didn’t have to do much to make her look like a million dollars.
When she headed off to her event, I was left with bags full of new clothes, an empty apartment, and Hayley’s words of wisdom. Be direct, she had told me when it came to dealing with Liam.
Direct. I could be direct.
Pulling out my phone, I sent him a text. It just said: Come over. I’ll make it worth the trip.
As far as sexting went, it was pretty timid, but I felt like I got my point across. I waited, wondering what his response would be. It wasn’t long before I got those three little dots appearing beneath my message. Finally, he responded.
I’ll be there in fifteen minutes, he said.
He was there in ten.
And he looked good. Good enough to eat.
Apparently, he had been thinking along the same lines, because when I opened the door, he handed me a bakery box. It smelled amazing, and when I opened it, I found a slice of pie.
“What is this?” I asked, inhaling the sweet, sharp scent of lime.
“Key lime pie from Bang, Bang Pie Shop,” he told me, swooping in to give me a kiss on the cheek. “Best pie in Chicago.”
“Yum,” I said, taking it into the kitchen space to get a pair of forks.
“I didn’t want to show up empty handed,” he told me, following close behind me.
My body was extremely aware of his presence—especially my nipples. The moment I’d seen him through the peephole in the door, they had gone hard. My entire body was tingling, and he hadn’t done anything except kiss me on the cheek. And bring me pie.
“It was a last-minute request.” I put the pie on the counter and turned to face him.
“A request?” he asked, putting his hands on the counter, on either side of my hips. “I was pretty sure that was a demand.”
I blushed. “Maybe it was,” I confessed. “Do you mind?”
“A beautiful woman wants me to come to her home at night?” he asked, his mouth moving closer to mine. I could feel his breath on my cheek. “I don’t mind at all.”
“Good,” I murmured, my skin tight and itchy, even though he had barely touched me. “Thank you for bringing dessert,” I told him.
“That’s dessert for you,” he informed me. “My dessert is something different.”
I got a shiver of anticipation. “Oh yeah?” I asked as his mouth descended on mine. “What’s your dessert?”
“You,” he whispered against my mouth. “Always you.”
And for the next few hours, he showed me exactly how sweet dessert could be. For both of us.
14
Juliet
I had never been on a boat before. I was nervous, but Liam kept assuring me that it would be fine.
“Hayley always brings stuff in case someone gets seasick.” He had his arm around my waist as we walked towards the harbor. “But the waters look good today and we’re not going that far out. Once we find a good spot, we’ll drop anchor and swim and drink beer and have a good time.” He nuzzled the sensitive spot behind my ear. “You did bring a swimsuit, didn’t you?”
“Of course.” I gave him a playful shove. “Hayley told me to.”
“Is it a bikini?” he wanted to know. “An extremely tiny bikini?”
He looked adorably hopeful.
“You’ll just have to wait and find out,” I told him, spotting the rest of our group at the end of the pier.
I waved and Hayley waved back, smiling broadly at both of us. Alex, Emerson, Kelsey, and Chase were already there, along with two other men I recognized from a picture that hung in the bar. It had to be Sawyer and Dante, the guy that Hayley had been awkward about. The five guys were all co-owners of Rascals, and it was pretty clear that they were all a fairly tight-knit group.
“You made it.” Kelsey gave me a hug when we reached them.
I caught Chase and Emerson exchanging looks at the fact that Liam and I had arrived together, but no one said anything about it. I appreciated that. There had been plenty of gossip and drama when it came to dating in the ballet world; it was nice to be avoiding a little of that in the real world.
Until, of course, Kelsey and Alex pulled me off to the side and demanded I tell them everything that had happened.
“We’re just keeping it casual,” I told them.
“Uh huh.” Kelsey shot a look at Alex. “We both know exactly what that’s like.”
“It’s not a big deal,” I insisted, and they both smiled at me.
“Sure, sure,” they said in unison and we all burst out laughing.
“Seriously, though, we’re just having fun,” I concluded, hoping that they would let up on the third-degree interrogation.
Thankfully they did, but not before giving Liam a knowing look as he came over to join us.
“Did I miss something?” he asked, after they had gone back ashore to gather their things.
I was standing on the boat, trying to see if the rock of the waves beneath me would make me sick, but I actually just found it kind of soothing.
“I think everyone knows something is going on between us,” I told him.
He glanced over at his friends and sighed. “I shouldn’t be surprised.”
“Is that a problem?” I wanted to know.
Liam put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer to him. “Not at all.” His voice was low. “Because it means that we can do this.” He kissed me deep and long.
Long enough for his friends to start hooting and hollering.
“Is everyone pairing up?
” one of the guys—the one I assumed was Sawyer—asked.
“You can be Dante’s date,” Liam teased.
“I don’t put out,” Dante replied dryly.
“That’s not what I’ve heard,” Emerson countered, and everyone burst into laughter—except for Dante, who didn’t seem to laugh much, and Hayley, who seemed to be doing her best to act like she hadn’t heard what her brother had said.
“This was not supposed to be the love boat,” Sawyer commented as we all climbed aboard.
“Not our fault if you can’t get any love on this boat,” Chase joked, helping Kelsey onto the deck.
Sawyer gave him the finger and went to take the helm.
“I’m going to go help him,” Liam told me, dropping a kiss on my forehead.
I sat down next to Hayley, the two of us decked out in giant sun hats and sunglasses. Hayley was already slathering sunscreen onto her arms, and she handed me the bottle when I asked for it.
The weather was absolutely beautiful. The sun was out, so it was hot, but the moment we started moving—the boat cutting through the mild waves—we got a wonderful breeze that cooled my face, while the spray wet my arms. There were plenty of people who’d had the same idea as us, boats filling the marina. But it was clear that Sawyer didn’t want us to be anywhere near the rest of civilization, so we went out as far as seemed safe—the nearest boat looking like a quarter on the water.
“Do you guys do this a lot?” I asked Hayley, noticing that she was staring at Dante, who had just taken his shirt off.
Not that I could blame her—even though I was partial to watching Liam (who had also taken his shirt off)—Dante was an extremely attractive man. Not only was his upper body completely ripped, but he was covered in tattoos—his arms and chest decorated with over a dozen different inked images. He was a bad boy come to life, and I could definitely see how he would be appealing to a good girl like Hayley.
Who was still staring at him. And not doing a very good job of hiding it. Luckily, Dante seemed completely oblivious.
