“Fuck no.” He shook his head. “That wouldn’t be fair to you. The show is already paying me a fuck ton more than they are you, and I know damn well that you don’t earn nearly as much as what you should from NYCB. Which is a shame since you’re a fuck of a lot more talented than I am. If you want to put money on us winning, it’ll come from me. All I want is more time with you.”
His answer was pretty darn perfect, but I was afraid to trust in what he made me feel. “So we’ll dance better, right?”
“If that’s what you have to tell yourself, sweetheart.”
I had sorely underestimated how dangerous Hale was going to be to me.
3
Hale
I’d learned a ton of shit over the past couple of weeks, the least of which was how to dance. While winning the show was still important to me, I had another goal that was just as, if not more, vital.
With every hour I spent in Lisa’s company, I became more determined to make her mine. She wasn't just beautiful and talented. She was smart, charismatic, kind, and…stubborn as fuck. She was fighting our attraction hard, but she was going to learn that I could be just as stubborn. And when I wanted something, I got it.
The way her body responded to my touch was a dead giveaway that our chemistry wasn’t one-sided, and there wasn’t much about Lisa I didn't notice. I hadn’t missed the signs that she felt a connection with me that went beyond the physical. But as much as I wanted her body, I wanted her heart more. So I told my cock to fuck off—no pun intended—and spent any time that we weren’t working trying to show her how amazing we were going to be together. In and out of the bedroom.
Not that I didn’t take advantage of our proximity to fan the flames of sexual desire. One way or another, she’d cave, but in the end, I would have all of her, just as she already had all of me.
I expected the fact that we were constantly being filmed while in the studio to put a damper on things, but Lisa had explained about judges sometimes favoring couples who have amazing chemistry, so I didn’t bother holding back in front of the camera. Besides, I wanted it to be very clear that I was the one pursuing her.
It had taken very little research to figure out why she was so skittish about giving us a shot or even being linked with me in the press. Soon after, I’d caught up with Jake at the gym and had a private word. Backed up by two of my teammates who were also in LA for the off-season…and happened to be linebackers. The pretty boy action star liked to pretend he was a badass in real life, but the truth was that the little shit used a stunt double for everything. It was a well-kept secret, but I had connections. So I threatened to out him by announcing that he’d signed up for our next full tackle charity game. He wouldn’t be able to back out without looking like a jackass, but playing would expose what a fucking wimp he was.
It wasn’t my first choice on how to handle the situation, but beating the shit out of him would’ve jeopardized not only my career also but my spot on the show—which meant losing my easy access to Lisa.
“How are you feeling?”
I was startled out of my thoughts by Lisa’s sultry voice as she sashayed up to me. We were waiting backstage for the signal to take our places for the opening group number.
I almost swallowed my tongue when I got the full visual of her in her costume. Fucking hell. She was wearing a shimmering gold leotard with a deep V down the front that was heavily lined with rhinestones, and there was a matching one on the back. It appeared strapless, but I knew it was held up by very thin, transparent, flesh-colored fabric. She had half-sleeve things on that went from her elbow to her wrists and then narrowed over her hand and looped around her middle finger. Her skirt was also gold, but it was a couple of layers of swishy, transparent cloth and speckled with more sparkle.
The song she’d chosen was from the live-action movie of Beauty and the Beast, so her costume was reminiscent of Belle. However, I’d watched enough Disney movies with my nieces to know she outshined all of their princesses.
“I’m used to performing in front of a crowd,” I told her. “But considering my lack of experience before we started, I expected to be shaking in my boots right now.”
She giggled, making my smile widen. “You’re not nervous?”