by Anya Nowlan
“Don’t let him fool you into thinking that’s somehow a good thing,” Pierce muttered.
Gage just shrugged, his dark gaze fixed somewhere in the distance.
“Hey, beats birthing a cow.”
Neither Will nor Pierce could really argue with that.
Before long they were all arriving in front Black Oak’s first and only dance studio, opened only a month ago. The building used to be a butcher shop, so Pierce was actually looking forward to seeing how the hell the new owners had managed that particular transformation.
As they walked in through the doors, Pierce had to admit, he would have never pegged the airy, pastel space as having been anything else than what it was now. A cheerful young lady who Pierce knew to be from around town, but whose name he couldn’t recall, was sitting behind the reception desk.
“Oh, hey,” she called out. “The wedding party, I presume?”
“Hey, Sally,” Joanne chirped, reading the woman’s nametag. “Yeah, that’s us.”
“All right, let me lead the way,” Sally replied, getting out from behind the desk.
Pierce and the others followed her to a room marked Studio Three. Sally opened the door, popping her head in first.
“Tory?” Sally said. “Your group is here.”
With that, Sally gestured everyone inside, telling them to have a great time before disappearing back the way they came. Pierce filed in last, hands in his pockets, already dreading what was to come.
The hardwood floors gleamed, the mirrors on the walls shone, but none of that was what caught Pierce’s attention. Opposite their group, clad in a flowy, knee-length skirt and a simple, elegant blouse stood their new teacher.
And she was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. Glossy brown hair in a tight bun, her clear green gaze assessed everyone in the room. Pierce’s bear growled, low and possessive, blood starting to pump fast in his veins.
Ah, hell. I’m in trouble.
Three
Tory
Her hands clasped in front of her so she wouldn’t fidget, Tory stood in the unfamiliar space, with strangers looking at her expectantly. They knew nothing about her, which was somewhat liberating, but Tory still felt like she had been thrown into unknown waters.
What did she know about teaching? She wasn’t exactly patient, and these people weren’t professionals waiting to be trained. They just wanted the basics, so they wouldn’t embarrass themselves on the dance floor.
“Hello, everyone. My name is Tory Jones, and I’ll be your teacher today,” she announced, putting on a smile.
A pretty blonde immediately stepped forward, looking immaculate and more than a little excited.
“I’m Joanne,” the woman said, stepping up to shake Tory’s hand. “I’m getting married to that guy over there,” she pointed behind her.
“Will,” the man waved.
Joanne barely paid her future husband any mind as she carried on.
“Those lumberjacks flanking him are the groomsmen, and I’d rather not have them trampling other guests on the dance floor. Oh, and the beautiful ladies over there are my bridesmaids, Cindy and Tina,” Joanne finished.
“It’s very nice to meet you all,” Tory replied, looking from Joanne to her wedding party.
Lumberjacks was an apt term, Tory decided, studying the rugged men in front of her. One of them in particular caught her eye, though. And it wasn’t just because the guy was openly staring at her, an intense look in his eye.
Built like a linebacker, with a mop of messy brown hair, the man had a sharp nose and pronounced cheekbones. Those features were softened by his full lips and round eyes, though. All in all, he looked too good to be true, and Tory glanced away as soon as she could tear her eyes away.
Ogling at her students certainly wasn’t professional behavior, and she needed to focus on the class, not the handsome stranger. But it seemed the man himself had other ideas.
“I’m Pierce,” he said, stepping closer, until he was side by side with Joanne.
He stretched out his hand as well, and Tory clasped it, a shiver running down her spine when her skin met his. It was entirely inappropriate, and entirely involuntary, but the reaction was undeniable nonetheless.
Has it really been that long since I’ve been touched by a man? Tory mused, locking eyes with Pierce.
“Nice to meet you,” she replied, quickly pulling her hand away.
“I don’t have a partner, I’m afraid,” Pierce added, giving her a not-so-subtle once-over.
Even in her heels, Tory felt small in his presence. Squaring her shoulders, she looked from Pierce to Joanne, suddenly unsure of what to say.
“Oh, maybe Ms. Jones can use you to demonstrate some steps?” Joanne offered, making Tory’s stomach drop. “Sorry about the uneven number,” Joanne added, giving her an apologetic look. “Forever single, this one,” she patted Pierce on the shoulder.
“Hopefully not forever,” he added, throwing Tory a quick grin.
Now what the hell was that supposed to mean? Tory couldn’t help but wonder.
Not that it mattered. Flirting wasn’t on the agenda, and she needed to focus on the class. This was her first day, after all. And she had no plans on fucking it up. Turning to Joanne, she decided to ignore Pierce as much as possible.
Even though she had a feeling that was going to be easier said than done.
“Congratulations on the wedding,” Tory said. “We’ll get your lumberjacks ready for the big day, don’t worry.”
Joanne nodded, smiling.
“And I’ll partner up with Pierce here, for now. We can switch later on when everyone has the basics down,” Tory added.
With that, everyone took their places, with Tory giving them the steps for a simple waltz, to practice by themselves. She walked around the room, correcting posture where needed, and giving tips.
The men, who she got to know as Will the groom, Jason the brother and Gage the rancher, were doing relatively well. They were a little stiff, a little off-beat, but nothing that a little work wouldn’t fix. The ladies had no problems with the steps or putting them to music, so they were left to wait until they could try their moves out with their respective partners.
Then, there was Pierce. The man might have been beautiful, but he had lead feet and the grace of a tractor. Not to mention it seemed he had some difficulty telling his left and right foot apart.
“Shoulders,” Tory remarked, tapping a finger on Gage’s shoulder as the man attempted to glide across the floor.
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied.
Ah, small-town politeness, Tory smiled to herself. I can get used to that.
Turning her attention to Pierce, still struggling with putting one foot in front of the other, she sighed softly. It wasn’t that she minded putting in extra effort with those who needed it, but did it have to be Pierce of all people who needed a helping hand?
“All right, everyone, find your partners,” Tory announced, clapping her hands. “Remember, boys, look over your lady’s right shoulder. And keep your steps long. Get up on your toes.”
Across the room, Will nodded, grabbing Joanne close and making the woman giggle. Joanne’s brother, a young man with the same kind features as his sister, paired up with Cindy. They both flushed a little when Jason placed his hand on her back.
That left Gage and Tina, and it wasn’t difficult to see Tina was a lot more into the idea of getting closer to Gage than Gage was. He remained stiff and stand-offish, putting as much room between himself and Tina as he could.
Tory guessed the spark just wasn’t there. She could always tell. Dancing said a lot about a person, and about people’s compatibility. It was surprising, though. Tina was just the kind of voluptuous, redheaded bombshell men tended to drool over.
“Just you and me, then,” Pierce said, coming up behind her.
Pursing her lips, Tory turned around to look up at him, only to get caught in those warm brown eyes of his. Grinning, he held her gaze.
“All right, show me your hold,” she replied, holding out her hand for him to grasp.
“Of course, teacher,” Pierce smiled back at her, giving her an exaggerated bow.
Tory resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the man. Yet, as he stepped closer, her heart started to race. It was totally stupid. She didn’t even like the man. Sure, he was handsome, but he was also arrogant, and shameless in the way he was clearly trying to hit on her.
Still, Tory nearly held her breath when he took her hand, and placed his palm on her back. She placed hers to lay on Pierce’s shoulder, but as soon as she did, he pulled her close, his broad chest firm against her body.
“Like that?” he asked innocently, while Tory cleared her throat, flustered.
“Uh,” she stammered. “No, not exactly. I need room for my elbow,” she replied.
Yet neither of them made a move to pull apart, standing there staring at each other instead.
“We’re doing it!” Joanne’s excited voice echoed out from the other side of the room. “I think we’re doing it!”
Taking a step back from Pierce, Tory craned her neck to look at Will and Joanne, smoothly twirling their way through the steps.
“Good, good,” she praised, the smile on her lips feeling strained.
Pierce’s large, warm hand was still pressed against her upper back, and being so close, she was overwhelmed by his scent. It didn’t smell like cologne, or aftershave, but something distinctly Pierce.
Musky and hot, with notes of something that reminded her of a walk in the woods right after it had rained.
Stop sniffing your clients! something inside her chided, and Tory pulled herself back into the present moment.
“Okay, let’s start with the left foot change,” she said, looking down at Pierce’s feet so she wouldn’t get distracted by his face. “One, two, three,” she counted aloud, letting him take the lead.
He was pretty terrible, of course, but once it was time to go and show the other couple’s some personal attention, she was still a little slow in letting go. Pierce’s hand lingered on her back for just a moment too long, sliding down to her waist as they disentangled.
Tory had to fight the flush rising to her cheeks, left to hope she wore enough make-up to mask the redness.
“Thank you for trying,” Pierce said with another bow. “I know I’m hopeless.”
“No one’s hopeless,” Tory argued. “Some people just need a little more time to get it down, is all.”
Something glinted in Pierce’s eyes as he studied her, an infuriatingly sexy quirk to his full lips.
“I wouldn’t mind more time with you,” he replied.
Hand flying to her hip, Tory felt her carefully practiced teacher role slipping. Here she was, just trying to start over like she had foolishly announced she would. And this charmer thought he could make it about his urge to get into her pants?
Nope. Not gonna happen.
So what if the anger rising inside her was a little misplaced. Pierce still needed to be made aware that being new in town didn’t make her naïve. She knew his type. Charm a girl, show her a good time, and then move onto the next.
Tory wasn’t having that. She wasn’t some shiny new toy the men of Black Oak could line up to play with. And she definitely wasn’t in the mood for romance. Even if her body kept stubbornly disagreeing with her on that when it came to Pierce.
“You think you’re leaving here with my number, don’t you?” she said, arching a brow at him, keeping her voice low enough so that the others wouldn’t hear.
Music still flowed out of the speakers, and Will was counting out loud in tune with the steps. If anyone was paying special attention to her conversation with Pierce, they certainly didn’t show it.
A grin spread across Pierce’s face, despite him clearly picking up on the not-so-friendly tone of Tory’s voice. It only served to annoy her further. Even though her gaze did stop on his lips for just a moment too long.
“I wouldn’t dare presume such a thing,” Pierce replied. “Besides, I don’t really need to get your number. I can just ask you out right now.”
Dumbfounded, Tory stared at the man opposite her, not knowing whether she wanted to punch him or kiss him. Both seemed perfectly viable options at that moment. Yet in the end, she did neither.
Four
Pierce
Tory’s green gaze glittered as she stared him down. Her anger only served to make her more attractive, though, and Pierce found himself smiling against his better judgment. He was being far too bold, he knew that, but the chemistry between them was too strong to ignore.
Tory had to be feeling it, too. He had heard her heartbeat speed up when their eyes first met. That was something you couldn’t fake.
“You can’t be serious,” Tory huffed. “Has that line ever worked?”
“Don’t know, haven’t used it before,” Pierce shrugged. “Thought I’d break out some new material to try and impress you.”
“Well, it’s not working,” she replied.
“I could show you around town,” he offered. “I know all the best places. Do you like steak?”
Narrowing her eyes at him, Tory cocked her hip.
“Did you not hear me tell you I was unimpressed?” she asked.
“I did,” he replied. “But nowhere in there did you actually turn me down. I think you like this little banter we have going on,” he teased, waggling a brow at her.
For a moment, he thought he spotted the barest hint of a smile on Tory’s soft, full lips, but he couldn’t be sure.
“The class isn’t over yet and I’m working on being more polite,” she replied, and he sensed there was some truth to that.
“Ah, so you have a temper?” he asked.
“It has been said that I can come across a little rough around the edges,” she admitted, before suddenly scowling at him. “Anyway, that’s neither here nor there. If you’re here to dance, dance. If you’re here to flirt… Well, there’s the door.”
Pierce rubbed his jaw, putting on a thoughtful expression.
“Hmm,” he murmured. “And this is you being more polite, you said?”
“I haven’t punched you yet, have I?” she said, quirking a brow at him.
Pierce chuckled, unable to help it. So his new dance teacher was not only smoking hot, she was also a firecracker. His bear let out a pleased little growl. Ms. Jones was full of surprises, and he liked her more with every passing second.
“And for that, I am very grateful,” he replied, with Tory’s expression softening just a fraction. “Still, I would like to at least buy you a drink. As a thanks, for putting up with me stepping on your feet.”
“Your friends are already paying me for that,” was her matter-of-fact response.
Before Pierce could say anything else, Will interjected, raising his voice to be heard over the soft music.
“Hey, stop hogging the teacher,” he called out. “I know you’re the most in need of help, but…” he trailed off, earning a laugh from Gage.
“Is he hitting on you?” Joanne chimed in. “For the love of god, Pierce, we’re here to dance,” she chided.
Throwing up his hands, Pierce turned to look at his friends.
“Just talking,” he replied.
Joanne rolled her eyes at him.
“Right,” she commented.
“Okay,” Tory interjected, her voice carefully professional, almost no hint of her former snarky self. “Let’s move on to the right foot change.”
She turned away, walking back to the front of the room, but not before glancing over at Pierce for just a second. Was it wishful thinking, or did she look a little reluctant to end their conversation?
Either way, he didn’t get another chance to talk to Tory as the class went on, with her pairing him up with either Tina or Cindy. Pierce’s bear clawed at him, unsatisfied at having Tory so close yet having to keep their distance.
<
br /> As the lesson started to wind down, with Tory going around and giving everyone some personalized advice, Pierce couldn’t take his eyes off her. Everything from the way she walked, to the way she carried herself, even to the way her hands moved when she talked was so smooth and elegant, she hardly looked real.
And the more Pierce listened to his animal side as he waited in the corner of the room for Tory to get to him, the clearer everything became.
The way he felt was familiar, even though he had never felt anything quite like it before. Things that Will had confided in him when he first met Joanne came floating back, pieces of memories swimming to the surface.
Will had never been a very poetic man, but when it came to Joanne… He had described this draw to Joanne that was impossible to resist. Pierce had teased Will then, knowing from the love-struck look on his friend’s face what was going on.
It was the sort of thing shifters always heard about, that sense that you have found something you didn’t even know you were looking for. Yet in a way, they were all looking for it, all the time. Searching for that one person.
Their mate.
The realization stunned Pierce for a moment, as he watched Tory adjust Jason’s hand on Cindy’s upper back. His bear nudged and needled him, as if to let him know he had come to the right conclusion.
Tory was meant for him. And now that the thought had entered his mind, he could no longer shake it.
He hadn’t thought himself ready for a commitment like that. Not to mention the timing wasn’t the best. He was still transitioning into filling his father’s shoes at the construction company, and he had a lot to prove.
Yet he knew logic was of little use in this kind of a situation. This was pure instinct, a primal pull, a feeling of certainty that permeated his every cell. And it was a gift. To have your soul mate, that one person in the entire world that’s meant only for you, just fall into your lap?
That was luck on a scale he couldn’t even fully fathom.
To his disappointment, though, Tory didn’t come over to speak to him as the lesson ended, like she had with everyone else. Instead, she addressed everyone from the front of the room, her hands clasped in front of her.