by Susan Arden
Gillian closed her eyes. His cock filled her with fire. His erection was enormous, stretching her open in ways she fought.
“Do as I say, or I won’t finish.”
She did as he instructed, taking a deep, slow breath. His cock no longer threatened her with caustic pain. Her sex pulsed. She pivoted back, taking him deeper. A whimper slipped away from her. A craving for more of him deepened within her.
“That’s it. Let me do this.” Stephen pushed his cock farther into her. His finger stroked her clit and fingered her piercing. Another wave came crashing down. He began thrusting into her, at the same time rubbing her erect nub. And she gave in to him. Gave all she had.
“Jesus, you’re so unbelievably wet.” His hands were on her hips as he pumped into her ass. The exquisite feeling was unlike anything she’d ever imagined.
“Do it. Harder.”
“Oh, baby. Fuck. This is unreal.” He pulled her forcibly against him, entering and taking her away.
Her climax overpowered her body, singeing all thought. She pressed her face against the mattress. His body draped over hers, both of them spasming. Their breaths were loud, drowning pants.
His hands pulled her to him, unlocking one of the cuffs. Her arms ached, but so did her heart. He’d managed to unlock the secret yearnings she’d kept bottled up, and when they were free, the rest of her baggage made for the door. Tears poured down face. This wasn’t supposed to be about tomorrow. In Stephen’s arms, she’d found a way to reach past her issues, surrounded by titanium limbs. Safety dwelt here. She desperately wanted to stay.
In a torrent of emotion, she let go and let him take over. His mouth found hers, and kissed her softly. He whispered against her lips, things she didn’t exactly hear, but her body responded as he gathered her to him. Effortlessly, she softened, melding to him.
“I want all of you. Every last bit. You’ve let me in. I’m not leaving.”
“Why did you do this for me? When you know I’m not the right person for you? My life is utter chaos.”
“I do well in difficult situations. Hadn’t you noticed? You’re an amazing woman. I’d do this, and more, if you let me. We’re good together.” He pushed her back against the mattress, leaning over her. “And not just in bed. I respect you for at least taking steps to find out your dreams. Don’t fear that I’ll stand in your way.”
She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders. “I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve someone like you. But I thank my lucky stars.”
“Darlin’, all you have to do is let me know how to help.” He brushed her hair past her face, twisting a curl over his finger.
She laughed. “Better be careful. I just might need a dance partner.”
Chapter 14
“Hey, I waited until your class was over.” Stephen removed his hat while treading over the hardwood floor of the dance studio. It creaked under his boots. “Need a favor.”
The little girl standing in front of his sister looked up with her mouth open. “You’re a tall cowboy.”
He smiled. “Just the boots. Really.”
The little girl laughed. Cory patted the child’s head, tying the girl’s sneaker. “Go over with the other girls.” Cory stood up, facing the children and moms near the entrance to the studio. “Okay. Thank you for coming. Those of you who are still waiting, your mamas will be here in a few minutes. Why don’t y’all do one of the new puzzles Miss Gillian brought? She set them out. Mind you pick up the pieces before leaving.”
Amidst the farewells, two children plopped down in the carpeted waiting area, answering in unison. “Yes, Miss Cory.”
Cory swung around. “What’s up?”
“I want to learn how to dance.”
His sister seemed to contemplate him for several long seconds. “I take it this has something to do with Gillian.”
Without waiting, he launched into his argument in support of his idea. “I know there are plenty of people who learn how to dance in weeks. I’m willing to practice. Do whatever it takes. Hell, if I can take a dirt bike across a triple table-top jump, I think I can manage to do something with my feet flat on the ground.”
“And there’s your first problem. Think light. Airy.”
“What do you mean? I don’t have flat feet.”
“Stephen, do you remember my prom? You may not have flat feet, but by the end of the evening, you darn crushed my hands. Arm-wrestling isn’t dancing. Sure as heck isn’t on national television.”
“I think this time the motivation is different. I lost a bet and had to take you to prom. Wasn’t exactly thrilled to be doing my brotherly duty.”
His sister’s exasperated exhalation was accompanied by a dramatic roll of her eyes. “I don’t know.”
“I’ll make it worth your while.”
She laughed, cocking her head to one side. “How so? Dear brother, what have you got that could interest me?”
He knew he had her. Stephen reached into his pocket. “These.” He dangled two front row tickets to a rock concert in Dallas. The hell and high water he’d had to go through was bearing fruit. He watched his sister tilt her head, her eyes widening in shock, and then he prepared for the ear-piercing scream she’d project from her lungs.
“Stephen! Oh my god!”
The children stopped and turned.
“Miss Cory is happy,” he called over to them. “Nothing to worry about.”
Cory jumped up and down, doing a hilarious happy-dance. His sister had swallowed the bait, alright. She pivoted right next to him and attempted to snatch the tickets.
He raised his arm, keeping them out of her reach. “I think we need to define the rules.”
Her gaze dropped to his. “Rules?”
“Yes. You know, those things other people have to abide by.”
She exhaled, pressing her lips together. “I’ve heard. What’s your price?”
“Dance lessons. Every day. Morning and night. I’ve four days, maybe five, before Gillian will start looking for a partner. Right?”
Cory nodded. “She’s already put out feelers. But nothing yet.”
“Good. You know her. What dance will she most likely want to use?”
Cory shook her head. “She doesn’t know. The producers didn’t make that part clear. I’ll talk to her tonight. She might know something by then. Stephen, not to rain on your parade, but even if we had that information, and you learned the dance or even dances, this is television. Are you prepared to show up?”
“Don’t go there. I choked the last time. Things were scre—messed up in my life. This isn’t a motocross race where I had my chest ripped open.”
Cory’s somber face stared back. “I know.” She softly punched his arm.
“So, do we have a deal?”
She eyed the tickets. “Of course. I’ll help out my brother in need.”
Yeah, right. He had to nail Cory down. This wasn’t the first time he’d attempted to negotiate a deal with Warren Buffet McLemore in front of him. “And I mean to practice at night. Two hours, or three. I’ve already watched several videos and researched the most popular dances. I still remember what we practiced for your prom. Do you remember those lessons?”
“Brother, my feet do. Fine. We start now. If you’re serious?”
“I’ll go get my shoes.”
A woman entered the studio holding out her hand to the children. “Thanks, Miss Cory. C’mon, girls.”
“Bye-bye, Miss Cory,” the children chorused as they scooted out the door.
His sister playfully wagged a finger. “Practice until next week. Not long until the recital,”
Cory’s gaze returned to Stephen and dropped to his feet. “Shoes?”
It was his turn to roll his eyes. “I do own more than boots. I’m not a complete moron. I realize these aren’t dancing shoes.”
* * *
If he took an accounting of what ached, his arches and calves tied for first place. Cory, for all her needling and ability to whine her way of out
of ranch work, had gained one thing in her favor. She was a complete task master at dance instruction. Cory didn’t just say do it again, she marched him back to the front of the studio and began the sequence of steps over. And then demanded he do it again. They’d begun with the waltz he learned four years ago, and she grunted her satisfaction that he’d not forgotten.
For some unknown reason, dance came to him. His ability to comprehend where his body needed to be in space, just like during the motocross jumps that enabled him to leap into the air and come down, allowed him to master the steps required in the mambo, fox trot, and even the rumba. But the tango… He watched Cory demonstrate while explaining his part as the lead, walking him through the basic steps.
“Tut-tut, frame up.” She walked around him. “You’ve got to feel the music. The steps, you’ve got down. Amazing. But there’s something missing. And if I get it, so will Gillian. The tango is a dance of the present moment. Don’t think about what you’re going to do ten steps down the road.” She inhaled. “It’s about what you feel here and now.”
“I get it. I’m just focused on what happens next. I’ll do better.”
“See these steps.” She moved, showing him. “It’s a fluidity. There must be a connection between you and the music. You’ve got to hear the notes connecting. Don’t rely on your brain to govern your feet. This is more about the music moving through you. Watch me.” Cory clicked the iPod and handed it to him. She closed her eyes. The music began. His sister transformed in front of his eyes, from a young woman with too much attitude, into a dancer with sharp, precise moves. She didn’t need a partner; she expressed the music using her feet, legs, arms, her whole body, stretching with the notes, recoiling and rolling.
The dance ended and he applauded. “You’ve made your case.”
She curtsied. “Keep the iPod. Go home and practice. When you get up, practice some more.”
Stephen removed the tickets from his pockets. “Take these. Don’t lose them. I can’t get replacements.”
His sister hugged him. “You’ll do fine. I can’t believe I’m saying this to one of my big, bad brothers. You can actually dance.”
* * *
“What are you doing?” he asked Gillian when she called.
“Here, back at the hotel, there’s a dinner tonight. I think things went really well during the production meeting. I was given a schedule. They’re set to come to Annona week after next. And you? How was your day?”
He bolted upright. “As in, less than seven days? I thought this was going to air during the fall. In a couple of months.”
“They’ll be there in ten days. To begin filming at the studio. They wanted to capture a day in my life. I’m worried they’ll find out about Haden and somehow that will come out.”
“How would they find out? It’s none of their business. Besides, that’s a day in the life of Haden. Not you.”
“Hope you’re right. I don’t want them to publicize his issues. It could hurt his career.”
Immediately, he understood the value of misery in this type of story. His two cents wouldn’t help her cause. He pushed aside his own concerns. “Don’t go bringing problems to bear on your dreams. I thought we talked about having faith that this will work out. Do I need to haul you over my lap and smack some sense into that gorgeous ass of yours?”
She laughed. “You sound just like Nana and then some, but minus the spanking. Don’t tempt me to be bad just so you can have your way with me. I promise I’ll keep it positive. Do you miss me?”
“Jesus. You have no idea. Why, if you were here right now, I’d be separating those purty legs of yours, and diving in so deep. To have you milking my cock when your body is trembling, that’s what I’d be experiencing if you were home with me.”
“I miss you terribly.” Her voice was husky and low.
“Are you touching yourself?”
“How did you know? Damn you, Stephen, can’t a girl have any secrets around you?”
“Sure. Just not you. Tell me what you’re doing.” He unzipped his pants, allowing his dick to spring free. “Tell me, or I just might fly out there and tie you up again.”
“I’m stroking my clit. It’s slick from the sound of your voice. I’m imagining your fingers teasing me. Like you did the last time. I want your mouth on me, sucking and tonguing me until I can’t take another second.”
“Girl, I’m rock hard just listening to you.”
“Fuck your fist for me. Imagine you’re with me. Taking me. What would you do to me?”
Gillian was hot. So fucking hot. On the phone or in his bed. It didn’t matter. She’d crept past all the walls he’d erected, and had wedged herself inside his head.
“I’d pick you up and wrap those gorgeous legs around me, and carry you back to bed. No time to undress. I’d rip whatever panties you were wearing off your body for being naughty. This would be a hard fuck. You’d moan as I rubbed your clit. So soft and wet, I couldn’t resist. I’d fuck you fast. Hard. In seconds, your skin would be glowing like it does when you’re excited. A powder keg waiting to blow. I love the fire you unleash when you come. Christ. I’m so hard and burning. Gillian, you’ve got me hot…I’m about to come.
“Me too. Fuck me harder, Stephen. Do it.”
“I’m nearly there, Gillian. You got seconds before I come apart at the seams.”
“Oh, babe. You got me.” Hearing her voice, the breathless quality when she orgasmed, hurled him over the edge. He pumped into his hand, imagining being clasped by Gillian’s sweet folds. In a second, his climax shuddered through him. He jettisoned, and the force of his orgasm left him panting, grabbing his T-shirt. Again, a wave burst. His balls felt as though they were going to explode.
His heart hammered against his ribs. Lying back, he was spent. “I can’t believe, over thirteen hundred miles away, and still you slay me.”
“You’re true to form on the telephone, babe. Maybe next time we should have a video phone conversation,” she whispered.
“I’m more than willing, if it means I can see your slick pussy. Jesus, with my luck it’d get published and splashed all over the internet.”
“Well, it’s one way to get famous fast. Think of the publicity for Evermore.”
“Not worried about me. You’d be the one hit, beautiful.”
“Stephen, I miss you. From my head to my toes and every place in between.”
His whole body convulsed. He more than missed her and longed to get her back, just to hear her laugh or watch her eat a piece of toast, asking him for more jam. He envisioned undressing her. Getting her beneath him. Damn, he wanted to say the words. No way to tell her. He wondered what on earth she was wearing. Shit, it was fucking Hollywood. Lurking vultures. He sat up. “Speaking of which, what are you wearing out? Something amazing, to catch the eye of one of the producers?”
“Not exactly. A business suit. I wasn’t thinking clubbing. Today I met with their legal department.”
“Any news about what’s expected during the dance sequence?”
“No news yet. I’m hoping tomorrow they give me some sort of rundown on what they’re thinking.”
* * *
He circled around the block. The spaces in front the studio were filled and, from what he could see, the inside was packed. Cory said this was Gillian’s busiest night. Ballroom dancing night. He pushed his way past the curious stares of the people gathered near the front door. He exchanged few greetings. His sister was nowhere to be seen.
“Hey, looking for company?” He didn’t turn around at first. The sound of Lori’s voice irked him. Inside Gillian’s studio, he had no desire to respond to her. When he did face her, the arched brow and attempt at a flirtatious grin exacerbated his desire to leave.
“I was looking for Cory.” His kept his tone non-committal.
Lori inched closer. His back was against a post, and he glanced around the room, wondering where in tarnation his sister was hiding. Lori laughed. “You here for dance lessons?”
> Should he just feign he was here to see his sister? If Lori was here for lessons, though, he couldn’t lie and then stay. For fuck’s sake. “Yeah. I am.”
“Bowl me over. We could be partners in dance, too. How funny would that be?”
He eyed her. “I don’t see that happening.”
“I’m dying to know. Did you come with a date?” Lori’s gaze swept fleetingly around the room before returning to him. “I’m just curious.”
“You made it!” Cory came up to him.
“What’s your brother doing here? He seems to have lost his tongue.”
Stephen exchanged a long, hard stare with his sister. Her slight nod of understanding gave him a boost.
“He’s doing me a favor. See, I like to teach with a partner. Makes it easier for me when I demonstrate. But I get nervous. So Stephen stepped in. Like before, for my prom. I don’t want to disappoint Gillian. You, of all people, know how important this is to her, being her best friend.”
Lori snickered. “You two were a pair that night. What are you doing afterwards?”
“Going home. I’ve got an early morning tomorrow.”
Cory narrowed her eyes. “Why are you asking, Lori? You’re engaged. Isn’t your fiancé coming?”
“No. He was called to the hospital. A baby decided to come early out of the blue.” She shrugged. “Just me. I’ll show him what I learned. The wedding isn’t for another three months. I figure there’s so much that can happen before the big day.” Lori’s eyes searched Stephen’s face. When her gaze slowly dropped down his body, he decided to excuse himself.
“Congratulations on your engagement. I wish you both the best.”
He started forward without giving her a chance to say another word. Inside the studio, the heat from the bodies and the broiling feel at the back of his neck had him breaking out in a sweat. Cory followed him.
“Don’t mind Lori,” Cory whispered with a scowl. “She’s feeling her oats before her wedding day. Last week she came on to the owner of Drake’s when we were out at Diamonds.”
