"How'd you hear about this?" he asked.
"I keep up with the dance studios. I haven't attended anything, but I've been paying attention to their schedules."
Colin nodded. "Ah. Well... If you really want to, I guess we can."
"Don't worry, it's just basic stuff. Waltz, cha-cha, mambo, tango, stuff like that."
"Basic for you, maybe."
Jaina raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you're afraid of ballroom dancing."
His silence made her chuckle. "It's okay. I'll be there to hold your hand."
"Oh, that will make it better."
"What's wrong with ballroom dancing?"
Before Colin could answer, Jaina's cell phone went off. She sighed and answered it. "Hello?"
"Hi, Jay, it's Angela!"
Jaina blinked in surprise. She hadn't heard from Angela since the day before she and Colin had consummated whatever it was they'd... consummated. "Ange, hi. Are you back?"
"Just got in. Sydney was amazing! I got to go surfing... which I'm horrible at. And I went crazy shopping." Her friend laughed. "Are you free tonight? I thought maybe we could hang out."
She looked at Colin, then said, "Well... I didn't have any solid plans for the evening."
He nodded. "If you want to go have a girl's night with Angela, go ahead. I'll be home when you get back."
Jaina smiled. She knew there was a reason she loved him. "Sure. I'll meet you at your place? About an hour?"
"That'll work. See you in a bit!"
Angela hung up. Jaina put her cellphone in her pocket. "You've been all day without me. I thought you'd be a little more possessive."
"You've had me for two weeks. You haven't seen Angela for the same length of time. I can survive a few more hours." He turned a sexy grin to her. "'Sides. I got you all to myself this weekend."
♥♥♥
Angela had called just before Jaina left the house and suggested they go clubbing. Jaina made a quick change of wardrobe--a red, drapey shirt, black skirt that hit just above her knees, and black pumps--and drove over to her friend's apartment.
Angela answered the door dressed in a clingy blue top with a draped neck and long sleeves, and black leather pants with ankle boots. She'd pulled her blonde hair up into a style Jaina had never been able to figure out, with wisps falling attractively around her head.
They took Jaina's car. Angela navigated, until Jaina realized they were headed to the club she'd gone to her second week in New Zealand. The club where she'd first, unknowingly, encountered Colin.
As they walked in, handing over their cover fees, she suddenly wished Colin was there with her. She wanted to dance with him.
Angela ran into the bathroom to apply a fresh coat of lip gloss. When she came out, she found Jaina leaning against the wall, a small, secretive smile on her face.
"What's up?" she asked.
Jaina shook her head. "We've got catching up to do. I know someplace."
Angela followed Jaina down some stairs into a room empty except for a DJ.
"Have you been here before?" Angela asked.
"Once or twice."
They sat on a sofa against the wall. Jaina crossed her legs at the knee, leaning her head on her hand.
"You missed an interesting couple of weeks," she said.
"Oh?"
"Colin filmed some, uh, interesting scenes with Rebecca."
Angela grimaced.
"Then there was the Pig Incident. With Alex's transgenics stuff? Yeah, the piglet Colin had to hold kinda... pooped on him."
Imagining the look on Colin's face at that point, Angela burst out laughing.
Jaina smiled, remembering how it'd completed a thoroughly awkward week. "And you know the bellydancers they were bringing in? The lead dancer broke her leg, so guess who got to fill in for her?"
"You?!" Angela gasped. "I didn't know you did that!"
Jaina laughed. "It's lucky for them I'm into it."
Ange shook her head, saying, "Wow. So you made it on to the show."
Jaina grinned. "More than that. The plotline involved the lead dancer having a, uh, fling with Alex."
Her friend's blue eyes widened. "No! So you've... y'know, kissed Colin?"
"Yeah. Pretended to, uh, you know... also."
"Wow." Angela snickered.
"And you were right."
"About the kissing?"
"Yup." Jaina chuckled, then sighed. She wanted to tell her friend more, but also wanted to keep it to herself. "Oh, and Teniel's pregnant."
"Ha! I was right. Is Jason still being weird?"
Jaina shrugged. "I assume so. I moved out."
Angela's mouth dropped open. "Really? That was sudden."
"So was my sister's arrival in New Zealand," Jaina said wryly. "Dad caught her doing something naughty and sent her packing. She's here until September when she goes to college in England."
"Where'd you move?"
"I'm staying with a friend."
"Cool." Angela eyed the DJ. "I ran into a guy in Sydney. Jack Fallon?"
Jaina tensed. "You did?"
"You're right, he's a total jerkoff. I hope to never see the slimeball again."
A couple guys came down the stairs. One was as blonde as Angela, hair long, straight, and fine. The other had short, spiky, brilliant red hair that could only come from a bottle--it was about the color of a red crayon. Jaina didn't pay them much mind, since she wasn't interested.
The blonde obviously saw something in Angela that he liked, because he made a beeline straight for her and asked her to dance. She accepted quickly, leaving Jaina with the redhead.
"Would you like to dance?" he asked in a surprising Irish lilt.
"I'm sorry, but I'm a bit taken," Jaina said, studying her nails, which were sadly in need of a manicure. She thought longingly of the silver foil polish in one of her boxes, still unpacked and sitting in one of the spare bedrooms.
The man looked around the room. "I'm not seein' anyone else here."
"Look, you seem nice, but I'm not interested. I have a boyfriend."
"And you seem to be here without him. C'mon, girlie, would it kill you? Just one dance?"
She had the thought that it might kill him as he grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. "Oookay... forget what I said about nice."
Jaina yanked her hand back. "Touch me again and I'll remove several digits you'll probably need later tonight."
He narrowed hazel eyes at her. "What did ya come for then, if not t'dance?"
The Dead Or Alive song changed to INXS. Jaina regretted that the dork was ruining a perfectly good song by harassing her.
"She came to dance," a voice behind the man said. "Just not with you."
Jaina looked over, seeing with a great deal of surprise that Colin was there. She managed to cover well, though, and took his hand. "Sorry," she said to the guy.
Colin pulled her out to the floor. Jaina saw he was still in the clothing he'd been wearing that day: a white and blue striped button-up over black cargos.
"You're here," she said stupidly.
He shrugged. "I know you just meant to let me in on your amusement, calling to tell me where you were, but... I was at the grocery, just a few blocks away, so I thought I'd stop in for a bit."
"Ah."
"Just one song," Colin murmured, his hands settling on Jaina's hips. "I've got ice cream in the trunk."
"You paid the cover fee for one whole song?"
He grinned. "Actually, no. I was bad and used my celebrity to get in."
Jaina blinked. "Did you really?"
"Yeah."
She glanced over her shoulder at Angela, who was completely absorbed with her partner. Turning back to Colin, she slid her hands up his arms and then draped them on his shoulders. "I'm glad to see you. No matter how you got in."
Colin smiled and pulled her close, closing his eyes. The song wasn't intended for slow dancing, and they weren't, exactly... He just wanted to hold her. It was the better choice, his alternati
ve being to punch out the lights of the guy who'd been bothering Jaina.
Way too soon, the song ended. As it slipped into the lyrics of "Mediate", Colin pulled out of Jaina's arms. "Gotta go," he said quietly, brushing his lips against her ear.
"Okay." Jaina let their hands linger, fingers touching, then dropped her hand.
Angela's dance partner had noticed the absence of his Crayola-haired friend, and he stopped dancing with Angela, who had turned in time to see the back of Jaina's dance partner, but nothing more.
"Who was that?" she asked, sidling up to Jaina.
"A guy," Jaina said, hoping her blush didn't show. She was still humming from her contact with Colin.
She still felt a little wobbly in the knees, as she always did when he touched her, and the memory of his cologne just made it worse. Jaina didn't want to ditch Angela or anything, but she suddenly, desperately wanted to go home to Colin.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
She made it through another hour--Angela dragged Jaina into the karaoke lounge--and then managed to claim fatigue and take Ange home.
Jaina parked the car and sat for a minute in the driveway. The half-inch of snow that had fallen--it snowed, but never very much--had melted during the afternoon, but the ground was covered with frost that made everything sparkly.
She locked the car and trudged up to the door. The house was dark. Glancing at her watch in the light of the porch, she saw that it was a little after 11. She grimaced as she unlocked the door.
The TV was on, though the lights were off. Colin was lying on the light blue sofa, shoes off, one white sock covered foot sticking out from under the sage green chenille throw Jaina had brought with her when she'd moved in.
She crouched by the sofa. Colin was asleep, dark lashes a crescent on his cheek. He snored softly. Smiling, Jaina took a moment to watch him, then reached over to smooth his hair.
His eyes opened. For a moment, he was started, then his features relaxed into a sleepy smile that did funny things to Jaina's stomach.
"Hey," she whispered. "C'mon, time for bed."
"When'd you get back?" Colin sat up, rubbing one eye with the heel of his left hand.
"Just now." Jaina hung up her coat. Then she extended her hand.
Colin wrapped his fingers around hers as he stood, the throw over his shoulders. He pulled her to him. "I love you," he murmured.
"I know." She grinned, standing on her toes to kiss him. "Let's go upstairs."
♥♥♥
The next morning, Jaina stumbled out of bed, threw on some clothes, and went into the bathroom. A few minutes later, Colin heard what sounded like cursing, and then Jaina came back out, went to one of her yet-unpacked boxes, dug through it for a moment, pulled something out, and stomped back into the bathroom.
He watched this process in bewilderment, laying with his arms folded under his head. "Jaina? Is everything all right?"
Colin blinked when Jaina walked out the bathroom. "You wear glasses?!"
She flushed. "Oh, c'mon, you know I wear contacts."
"But I didn't know about the glasses. It's a bit... odd." Colin sat up.
"I usually wear them when... you're not around. And when I'm not at work. But I accidentally dropped one of my contacts down the sink."
"You don't have a spare set?"
She shook her head. "Not with the prescription I've got. I can't do disposables." Jaina picked up a scrunchie off the dresser and pulled her hair back. She was wearing a large, shapeless, royal blue sweater that reached mid-thigh, with black leggings and royal blue socks. Her glasses were oblong, in thin metal frames enameled blue.
Colin sighed. "Guess I should get dressed."
He got out of bed, wearing his Calvin Klein briefs. Jaina stifled a snicker--she preferred the boxers--then pouted. "Do you have to?"
He chuckled. "Well, I could go about like this all day, but it's rather cold, and I'm afraid that I might get arrested for indecent exposure... if I didn't die of it first."
Laughing, Jaina left Colin to dress and went downstairs to start brunch. It was already after 10, so she made a heartier fare than usual. She was just setting out the plates when Colin came down, wearing holey jeans and a navy sweatshirt, feet bare. He grabbed her around the middle and swung her around.
Giggling, Jaina threw her arms around his neck. "What was that for?"
"Felt like it." He kissed her. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
She slid her arms down and around his waist, leaning her head against his shoulder. "Colin... are you really okay with me staying here?"
He drew back. "Of course. Why do you ask?"
Jaina shook her head. "I dunno. I just feel like I'm imposing or something. I mean... I want to be here, but... Shouldn't we feel apprehensive and everything about living together? People in the movies or on TV are always nervous about it, and-"
Colin sighed. "Come here." He took her hands and lead her to the sofa in the living room. There, they sat down.
"Jaina. I know what it is you're trying to do. I'm not going anywhere. This is where I want to be. I was the one who suggested you move in. I wouldn't have said it if I didn't want you here. You don't have to look for a way out for me. I don't want one."
He clasped her hands in his. "I don't care what people always say on TV. This is us, and to me, this feels right. I'm more than happy to have you here, Jay. You don't need to keep looking for an exit."
She looked down at their hands. "I know."
"Are you doing it because... because of Jack?"
Jaina lifted a hand and pressed it to her mouth for a moment. "I thought I loved that jerk. I know now that I didn't, but... rejection still hurts."
He ran his hands over her fingers. "You want to tell me about it?"
"You should know," she said. "Even if I don't want to tell anyone."
Jaina drew a shaky breath, then said, "I met Jack in Los Angeles. We were about three weeks from filming. I'd been working with the conceptual artists and designers for Oceana for about six weeks prior, on the look of the sea creatures. Anyway... He'd been there for a fitting. We ran into each other outside Wardrobe. I don't know what he saw in me, but... he struck up a conversation. I was taken by his accent, and that he was a celebrity. The star of the movie.
"Nothing really happened until we got to Sydney. I don't know, he asked me out, I agreed... We started dating. It wasn't really anything that serious, I thought, until New Year's Eve, and he proposed. It was all candle light and flowers and everything, and he had a ring... I was just overwhelmed, and I said yes. We'd known each other a whole three months at that point. I was stupid."
Colin wondered, silently, if her whirlwind romance with Jack Fallon was what was making her insecure about them. No, he knew it was that, but he didn't know to what extent.
"The movie production shot on location in Sydney from mid-November to the beginning of February. Everything else was being done with green screens back in the States, so they didn't need me anymore. I wasn't even the senior makeup artist. I was the assistant. Since I was going to marry Jack, I stayed. I'm not really sure who brought it up, but we talked about me moving in, and... I thought he was the one. I thought I could spend the rest of my life with him."
She squeezed Colin's fingers. "I was going to move some of my things into his apartment, gradually, until I made the final move when my trial lease was up on my apartment. I showed up early, used the key he'd given me to get in... and found him with some man, in the bed he'd expected me to share with him. I lost it. Totally lost it. I screamed at him while they scrambled around, trying to get clothes on. I tore the ring off my finger and threw it at him."
She laughed shortly. "I told him that his boyfriend should wear it, since it looked like it could fit."
Colin's brows drew together. "I don't get it."
"I wasn't referring to his finger."
"Oh."
"I told him I wasn't going to move in, that the engagement was off, and I grabbed my thin
gs, and left. I haven't seen him since. That night, I called Jason, asked if he'd let me stay with him a while, and when he said yes, I filed for a visa. As soon as it was approved, which took a shockingly short time, I got a plane ticket, arranged to ship everything to Auckland, and I left."
"And two weeks later, you met me."
She nodded. "Yeah. And you know the rest."
He pulled her on to his lap. "I think you're very brave. And... I understand now. But I'm not going to treat you the way he treated you. I'd rather gouge out my own eyes than hurt you."
"That's a lovely image," Jaina said, laughing despite herself. "But please don't do that. I like your eyes."
"I like my eyes, too." He grinned.
Then his stomach growled.
They both burst out laughing.
"I think that needs to be fed," she mused, as they stood. "Let's reheat the food."
"Then I'm taking you shopping."
Her green eyes widened. "Oh? Why?"
"Your birthday's the day after tomorrow. And... I thought maybe we could go look at home furnishings?"
"Sounds like fun."
She took his hand, and they went into the kitchen.
♥♥♥
Jaina wanted to change into something dressier than what she'd worn shopping, so they dashed home and made it to the class just before it began. To Jaina's immense relief, they had two empty spaces in the class.
Colin admired Jaina as they walked into the classroom. She was dressed in a black top shot with gold threads, and a black and gold satin skirt in a spiral design. With it, she was wearing black high heels and bare legs. The skirt was knee-length. He liked the display of leg, and she knew it.
Other men in the room obviously did, too, judging from the eyes that followed her as they walked across the dance floor to place their coats on a couple chairs in the corner.
"I feel so out of place," Colin whispered.
Jaina eyed his slate-blue ribbed turtleneck and black pleat-front slacks. "You look fine. Wonderful, actually."
Love's Dance Page 17
