Pasting a smile on my face, I murmured, “In the short time we’ve been dancing together, I have learned that Hale deserves my trust. He’s as great of a person off the field as he is on. And that’s saying a lot, considering his record in the NFL.”
When I didn't add anything else, irritation flashed in her eyes. It was quickly masked, and I heaved a deep sigh of relief when she turned to the audience again because it was our cue to exit the stage. Hale and I were quiet as we walked hand-in-hand backstage to his dressing room, which was about twice the size of mine. Once the door was shut behind us and we were finally alone, he groaned, “Fuck, sweetheart. I am so damn sorry I didn't wait to do that until we were alone. I know you're leery of being in the public eye, and I feel like I just threw you to the wolves. My only excuse is that I was caught up in the moment. My defenses were down, and the self-control that I depend on any time you're near was nowhere in sight. Please tell me I didn't fuck things up with you.”
I appreciated that he apologized without me having to pull it out of him, and I understood what he meant. The connection I’d felt with him out there had been unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. “I guess I can't be too mad at you because I was lost in the moment, too. I just hate that everything we do from here on out will be under a microscope, especially since the producers are going to want to push the showmance angle hard.”
He stepped close and cradled my cheeks in his palms. “I don't give a fuck what the producers want. All that matters is what will make you happy. Tell me what it will take to make this right. Do you want me to walk away from the show? Because I will.”
Overwhelmed by his offer, I shook my head. “No, you can't do that. What about your nieces? And the donation.”
“I have more than enough money. I can write a check to the charity tonight.”
He had no idea what his offer meant to me, but it wasn’t just about the donation. “Your nieces would still be disappointed. They were so excited to watch us dance together.”
“Lucy and Lacy will understand.” He brushed his thumbs across my cheeks. “All they really want is for me to be happy, and that's not gonna happen if you walk away from me because of what I just did.”
I loved how he was just putting it all out there—letting me know how he felt about me while taking complete responsibility for the position we found ourselves in. “I don't want you to quit the show. I want to keep dancing with you and win the whole thing.”
There was a hint of vulnerability in his dark eyes as he asked, “And us? Do we need to go back to keeping things professional?”
“After that kiss, I don't think that's possible,” I confessed.
“Thank fuck,” he breathed, dropping his forehead against mine. “Will you come to my place so we can talk more?”
“Yeah, I'd like that.” All it had taken was one not-so-little kiss to make me realize that denying myself what I wanted was silly.
He brushed his lips across my forehead before pulling me into a quick hug. Then he nudged me toward the door. “Hurry, I can’t wait to get out of here.”
I rushed through changing and giggled when I discovered that Hale already had a car waiting at the back door. “Ready for a quick getaway?”
“Damn straight.” He tugged me toward the car, following me into the back seat after helping me in. Flinging his arm around my shoulder, he murmured, “Now that you’ve agreed to spend time alone with me, I can’t wait.”
“Neither can I.”
Unfortunately for both of us, traffic in LA was a nightmare, and it took an hour before we were dropped off in front of a sprawling house in the Hollywood Hills. The chemistry between us thickened every minute we spent pressed against each other in the car, and I was ready to tear Hale’s clothes off by the time we walked into his home. After all the time I’d spent resisting my attraction to him, I didn’t have any patience left. And I wanted his lips on me again, more than anything.
He turned toward me as he shut the door, and our mouths fused together. We tumbled against the wall, his hands sliding down my body to cup my butt cheeks. When he lifted me, I wrapped my legs around him and pressed my pussy against his hard length. The ease with which he maneuvered me was such a turn-on. Things quickly spiraled out of control, probably because I’d previously been in denial about how all of our practices had been a lengthened form of foreplay.