Center of Gravity

by K. K. Allen

  Her words slammed into me. I couldn’t argue with a single point. She wasn’t threatening me. She was delivering the reality check that I desperately needed. Lex deserved this opportunity, and I couldn’t be responsible for destroying her reputation as a dancer before it had even begun.

  She was moonlight and magic when she danced, leaving stardust in her wake. And she was only getting started.

  Which was exactly why I had to let her go.

  CHAPTER 45

  Lex

  The shuffle of feet padding across the wood floors. Running water from a shower. The rustling of clothes and hangers in a closet. All sounds were faint as my mind fought the exhaustion that had finally taken me hostage well past midnight.

  My eyes peeled open, and I stirred to look at the clock on the nightstand—two in the morning. My heart rate picked up. I listened harder to track Theo’s movements, wondering if he had ever come to bed, but I knew he hadn’t. I was a light sleeper. I would have wakened instantly to the feel of his warm body pressing against mine.

  He said he would be home early. My gut churned with discomfort as I played over every possible scenario that didn’t include him and Winter together … all night.

  Light poured over the bedroom as the bathroom door opened. A second later, the light flicked off, swallowing the room in darkness. Bare feet again padded across the floors, stopping a few feet from the door. And then silence. My eyes searched the dark as I forced deep breaths to calm my racing heart. I caught Theo’s faint outline near the bedroom door, as though he was about to leave.

  Why isn’t he coming to bed?

  I stirred, hoping to bring his attention to the woman between his sheets. The woman who had waited up for him for hours until finally succumbing to sleep. The woman who was desperate to be wrapped in his arms, to feel his whispered mutterings of how crazy I drove him and how he loved being inside me. I could already imagine his hot kisses peppering my back as his fingers played their favorite game inside me. I needed them on me—inside me—now.

  “Theo,” my sleepy voice croaked. I couldn’t bear the distance anymore. “Come to bed.”

  Too much hesitation snaked through that moment of silence, and more negative thoughts made their way to the forefront. When he finally started to come to me, my heart went into my throat as I imagined him spending the night naked and tangled with Winter. The images became more vivid when he crawled under the sheets and didn’t make a move to touch me.

  “Sorry I woke you. Go back to sleep, Lex.” His tone was gruff, cold, heating the backs of my eyes. Hot tears dripped down my cheeks, and I couldn’t seem to stop them.

  I could have asked him where he’d been. I could have asked him if he wanted me to leave his bed, his room, his home. I could have asked him if he wanted to continue breaking the rules in Vegas, because before I’d fallen asleep, I was ready to risk it all for him.

  But as my heart began to crack in two, I knew I didn’t have to ask any of those questions, because in the span of a few hours, something monumental had shifted, or maybe the truth was finally coming to the surface.

  I was falling in love, and Theo didn’t feel the same.

  I’d barely fallen asleep when the alarm went off. I hit Snooze and waited for Theo’s arm to hook me and slide me toward him. That had been our routine for the past week, so we always set the alarm earlier than we’d needed. Last night, I had set it to give us a full hour before we had to get ready.

  But when a few seconds went by and I didn’t feel Theo’s rough fingers, memories of last night barreled through my mind. I twisted my body in the sheets to find Theo’s side of the bed empty. My chest was achy and swollen. My head was full of fog from exhaustion. And my eyes were heavy and puffy from my tears.

  It should have been the happiest day of my life. I was waking up to fly to Vegas as a backup dancer for Winter’s residency series, a dream come true. But my happiness dimmed at the finality of what Theo and I had shared this week. I hadn’t wanted it to end.

  I moved slowly to the bathroom to shower and get dressed. When I was completely ready, suitcases in hand, Theo came into the room, looking as though he hadn’t slept at all. His eyes moved to my fingers, which were wrapped around the handles of my bags, and he stepped forward. “I’ll take those.”

  His hands landed on mine. But when I wouldn’t release my hold, he let out a deep breath and looked up, meeting my eyes. “Lex, I’ve got it.”

  None of this made sense. Him coming in late, not touching me, his cold tone. This was guarded Theo, the one I told off in the theater. The jerk. Not the man I’d grown to adore.

  “I waited up for you. What happened last night?” I hated that I even had to ask. I didn’t want to know the answer. Not the answer I feared, anyway.

  His jaw hardened, and he looked away, dropping his hands from mine. “I should have called.”

  I waited for him to say more, but when he looked at me again and gestured for my bags, I knew that was the end of the conversation. Heat flamed inside me as he reached for the handles again. “Your ride will be here any minute.”

  A black hole opened beneath me and proceeded to suck me in. “My ride?”

  He looked over his shoulders as he rolled my bags out of the room, not meeting my eyes. “We can’t show up together. Everyone will be arriving at the same time, and there’s only one small lot at the terminal. I don’t think we should take any risks.”

  He placed my things at the landing of the steps and turned around. “Breakfast?”

  My stomach rolled. I shook my head. “Not hungry.”

  He nodded and strolled past me into the kitchen, returning a minute later with a bottled water and handing it to me. “For the ride.”

  I couldn’t stop the first tear that rolled down my cheek. As much as I wanted to be strong and hide the pain, I couldn’t stop my emotions from unraveling right there in his foyer. “So that’s it? You’re just going to send me off in a strange car, and that’s the end of us?”

  “We said one week, Lex.” He still wouldn’t meet my eyes. “We’re headed to Vegas. You have your career ahead of you. A job to do. That was the plan.”

  “Yeah. That was the plan. But plans can change, Theo. When two people feel the way about each other that you and I do, plans change. Unless it was only ever about sex for you.”

  His eyes finally met mine, and everything about his expression crumbled. “It wasn’t. You know it wasn’t.”

  “I thought I knew a lot of things that turned out to be wrong. I thought things were over between you and Winter, for one.”

  I watched as his face transformed into anger. “There’s nothing going on between Winter and me.”

  I wiped my cheek and shook my head. “You were with her until two in the morning. You didn’t even touch me last night. And you weren’t there when I woke up. Where do you think my mind went? There isn’t much you can say to me at this point to convince me of anything else.”

  His jaw went slack. “What the fuck? These were your terms. One week, and then you wanted to focus on Vegas. On your career. And now you’re holding it against me. I was trying to do the right thing last night. Or would you rather have had me try to get one last fuck in before our flight? Would that have made you feel better?”

  Rage filled me as his words spewed like lava, destroying everything in its path. Our history, our memories, and whatever potential future we had. My hand reeled back and shot forward, slapping him across the face before I could think better of it. I swiped the tears from my eyes as he reached for his face, his eyes wide—shocked—but I didn’t stop to see if I’d left a mark.

  I grabbed my things, moved past him, and yanked open the door just as my ride was pulling up the drive. “See you in Vegas.”

  CHAPTER 46

  Theo

  Winter slipped into the company car beside me with an unreadable expression. Her white hair was down, straight and around her shoulders, her oversized dark shades hid her eyes, and her complexion was absent of
worry lines. As her assistant and bodyguards slipped into the row in front of us, Winter turned to me. “Your situation all squared away?”

  I shot her a look through the shades that covered my swollen eyes—eyes that were now filled with rage for the woman I’d once called my friend. She had given me no choice but to hurt someone I cared about, and I couldn’t forgive her for that. “I already told you. It’s done.”

  “Good.” She faced front, tensed, then faced me again. “Does she know I know?”

  I narrowed my eyes. “No.” And that was all I would say. If Winter expected me to give her the dirty details of last night and this morning, she would be sorely disappointed. “Are we done now?”

  Winter let out a frustrated breath. “C’mon, Theo. What is your deal with this girl? You told me it was already over. All I asked from you was to promise that you won’t be pursuing things further, and to keep my name out of your mouth. I don’t need her to know I’m involved and create drama with my Ravens. You don’t need that kind of drama either.”

  “Lex doesn’t create drama.” I muttered it under my breath, but Winter sighed as if she’d heard me.

  “This works out for all of us.”

  I glowered at her. “How the hell do you figure that?”

  She shrugged. “No distractions. A great tour. Lex gets to keep her job. And if you still have a hard-on for the girl by the end of the tour, then you’re free to act on it.” She smiled as if she’d just solved all the world’s problems, as if seeing Lex but not touching her would be easy fucking peasy for me.

  I’d never felt so helpless in all my life. Resisting the urge to hold Lex close last night. Not telling her the truth this morning, especially when she’d assumed I’d slept with Winter. It all was slowly killing me. Hurting Lex was the last thing I ever wanted out of all this.

  “Well, you get your wish.”

  Winter let out a sarcastic laugh. “If I didn’t know you better, I’d assume you were in love with her.”

  “And if I didn’t know any better, I’d think the reason you’re really doing all this is because you are in love with me.”

  Her mouth wrinkled, and she turned her head away. “I’ve moved on, thank you very much. Not that I couldn’t have you if I wanted to.”

  I chuckled over the fury that bubbled in my chest. “Not a fucking chance.”

  She let out a frustrated growl and whipped her head in my direction. “Listen to me. Before we get on that plane, you better come back around to my side of things. I’m sure Reggie will be happy to take over your position and lead the crew if you’re going to continue being so … difficult. We’re supposed to be partners. This show is as much yours as it is mine. So start acting like it.”

  Winter’s arms crossed over her chest, and she puffed out a loud breath of air. “Besides, we wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place if you had obeyed the contract to begin with and kept your dick in your pants.”

  “You certainly weren’t complaining when you showed up at my house and sucked that dick.”

  I watched with satisfaction as Winter’s face grew red. Everyone in the car could hear us now. Our argument was no longer private, but I had nothing else to lose. She was silent for the rest of the ride, and when everyone started getting out of the car, I thought I was in the clear.

  “Wait.” Winter stopped me before I could reach for the handle. “We need a second alone.”

  Alison shut the door behind her, giving us the privacy I desperately wanted to avoid. Winter pulled off her glasses and turned to me with pleading eyes. “Theo, I need you.” Her tone was softer now, almost apologetic. “Not as anything more than what you signed on for. My producer, my choreographer, and my friend. You know it’s in my nature to eliminate any threat in my way, and that’s exactly what I did. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

  I shook my head and looked toward the window, and the crew was already starting to board. My heart pounded furiously as I searched for Lex. I needed to see her. I wanted so badly to say “Fuck the contract” and tell her everything, but I couldn’t.

  “I am sorry,” Winter continued. “I respect you. We’ve practically grown up in this industry together. The last thing I want is to make your life unpleasant, but you’ve given me no other option. I protect what’s mine. My business. My crew. And you’re part of that world.”

  “Do what you need to do, Winter.” I reached for the door handle again. “But in six and a half months, when this gig is over, mark my words, I will never work with you again.”

  CHAPTER 47

  Lex

  By the time the crew began to arrive, I’d managed to stop the flow of tears and dry my face, but I kept my sunglasses on to hide my swollen and bloodshot eyes. After one trip to the bathroom, it was clear I looked exactly how I felt. Like absolute shit.

  Reggie and Amie arrived just as we were being ushered from the terminal to cross the tarmac to our plane. I let them carry on most of the conversation as I sipped my scalding coffee. The burn felt good as it slipped down my throat, slowly awakening me from the spell I’d fallen under with Theo. That was all it was, one week of passion that my heart took too far. An illusion of something I clearly wanted out of life. But the thought of ever letting another man into my heart felt impossible.

  “Lex, did you hear us?”

  I looked up, my eyes wide. “Um, no, sorry. I’m kind of out of it this morning. All the excitement. Couldn’t really sleep.”

  At least I wouldn’t have to lie for much longer. With Theo and I no longer sneaking around, I had nothing left to hide.

  Amie hooked her arm into mine as we stood in line to climb up the jet’s stairs. “We’re hitting the slots as soon as we get to Vegas. You and me. And then after the welcome dinner, we’re going to the piano bar at Harrah’s. You have to come.”

  I cringed, already feeling the strong need to gain whatever shut-eye I could before we walked onstage for rehearsals tomorrow. “Can I at least take a power nap? I feel dead.”

  Amie laughed. “No, girl. You’ll get your second wind as soon as we land. I promise.”

  I’d had enough promises to last me until the next century.

  “Hey.” Reggie nudged my other side with his elbow. “You okay?”

  My gut felt weighted with all the things I wanted to vent but couldn’t. I literally had no one I could talk to now. I waved away his concern and forced a smile. “Yeah. Just kind of weird doing this without Shane. We always talked about the big opportunities we’d have one day. We were supposed to have them together. I guess I’m just missing him right about now.”

  Reggie flashed me a smile and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “I get it. I’m no Shane, but I’m here if you need me.”

  Amie squeezed my arm. “Me too.”

  The plane had two main compartments, with luxury couches and tables in the front compartment and a much roomier, more traditional style of seating behind it. We were ushered to the back, where we found two rows of seats that faced each other. Reggie and I took the forward-facing row while Amie and Wayne sat across from us.

  Despite recent events, I felt the injection of excitement as the crew discussed the night’s plans, basking in the fact that we didn’t have to show up to the theater until later the next afternoon. Besides the night at Rooftop, this would be the first time our crew would be hanging out together outside the studio.

  I was laughing at Amie’s impression of a dueling piano player when something white flashed across my line of vision, pulling my gaze toward the front of the plane. Winter’s hair was long and loosely flowing over one shoulder, and she had a big smile on her face as she greeted the crew. “Everyone excited?”

  Many hooted and hollered and clapped, but I wasn’t one of them. My chest felt heavy, anxious, knowing Theo would probably be close behind.

  Someone nudged me in my side. “Look who arrived together,” Reggie muttered, as if whatever he saw annoyed him.

  My gaze shifted to the figure walking through the pl
ane’s entrance behind Winter. It was as if someone had punched me in the heart.

  Theo was trailing Winter, his glasses over his eyes and his stoic expression back. It was moody Theo. The one with the hard jaw and the tunnel focus. It made me swallow hard over the lump growing in my throat. How had I lost him overnight?

  Glutton for punishment that I was, I watched him take the seat beside Winter, as though it was the most natural thing in the world. Maybe it was. They shared a history my one week with him couldn’t touch.

  Something stirred in my gut, causing me to switch my gaze from Theo and toward Winter, and she’d already been watching me, studying me as if trying to read my thoughts. Does she know? It sure as hell felt as though she did.

  I tore my eyes away and inserted myself into the conversation between Reggie, Amie, and Wayne.

  “Wait. Are you talking about the music video for ‘Caged’?”

  They nodded. “Did you get the email? They’re flying us all back to LA to be in the video. If we accept. Whatever spots remain, they’ll be holding auditions for at Gravity.”

  “Wait. So, none of us have to audition? I thought Winter was big on auditions, no matter what.”

  Reggie shrugged. “She must have had a change of heart. Timing is a bit crazy. That week will be exhausting as fuck, but it’ll be worth it.”

  Amie grinned. “Definitely.” She looked between us then and raised her brows. “Hey, you two nail your partner dance down yet?”

  Reggie looked over at me and shrugged. “It’s coming together.” He winked. “We had some disagreements with the choreographer. Slowed us down a bit, but we’re good now.” He slid an arm over my shoulder and pressed a kiss to my temple. “It’s going to be badass, just you wait.”