Center of Gravity

by K. K. Allen

  I followed her lead and lay back on the floor beside her. The ceiling fans were on full blast, and the AC was blowing cold air, but the room still felt warm next to Lex. “What about now? Do you love yourself?”

  “I’m getting there.”

  I slid my hand across the floor until I felt hers and enveloped it with mine. “You know, it makes sense after hearing your story about the fouetté turns.”

  She turned to me. “What does?”

  I nodded. “That you find your center in the center of the room. It’s where you got comfortable with it. And I’ll admit, balance is one of the hardest things to grasp as a dancer. It takes immense strength, so for you to recognize that at such an early age and make healthy changes to your body is not necessarily a bad thing. I’ve heard worse stories.”

  She nodded, then as if another thought crossed her mind, she let out a little chuckle. “I swear my body was made to defy gravity.”

  Every time Lex referenced her body, I couldn’t help appreciating it more. It seemed she was tempting me—daring me to look. I lost every single fucking time. Her trim frame and sexy curves wouldn’t normally work well for balance, but it was clear she worked hard on her core. I just never would have guessed that the work stemmed from insecurity. It made sense now. All I knew was that I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

  She sighed and sat up, looking refreshed with her hair down and her eyes soft on mine. “Now that story time is over, are we going to dance or what?”

  This time, Lex held out a hand to help me up. I grinned, amused that she thought she could lift me from the floor. All six feet and hundred and ninety-five pounds of me. Using my quads, I stood and tugged on her hand, sending her flying into my chest. I narrowed my eyes on her when she looked up. “This one is a bit more intimate. Think you can handle it? I know you have trouble keeping your hands off me.”

  Her smile turned playful as she pushed me away. “I’ll do my best.”

  I had been teasing, but I adopted a more serious tone with my next request. “Can I lift you? We can talk through the moves first. But this one will require me to move you a little.”

  I wasn’t sure what her issue was with partnering, but we had worked well together before. She had seemed so freaked out about it at first. I watched her ponder my request, then she nodded slowly. “Yeah.” Her eyes met mine. “I trust you.”

  Her words wouldn’t leave me, not when I walked away to switch on the stereo. Not when I paired the Bluetooth on my phone and scrolled through my song playlist to find “The Cure,” one of Winter’s more personal tracks.

  “All right, so you want to stand”—I searched the space then moved to her, placing my hands on her shoulder and turning her to the side—“here.” I took my spot behind her. “The first two eight counts are me, guiding you, almost like I’m puppeteering you to move. The feeling should be that you’re manipulated by what I want you to feel, so you move as I control you.”

  “Sounds a little creepy.”

  “Have you listened to the words of the song? It is a bit. But it’s also emotional and devastating and tragic.” The tragedy that had entered and exited my own life crossed my mind before I grounded my thoughts back in the present.

  I was choreographing on the spot, repeating the start of the song to make sure it looked as good as it did in my head. As always, Lex followed me, her eyes in the mirror, picking up every intricacy and offering suggestions when something felt more natural for her.

  “Yeah,” I commented as we ran four entire eight counts from start to finish. “That felt good. Do it again from the top.”

  By the end of the song, I was bending her back, her body wrapped in my arms and her hair tickling the floor, and my nose pressed against the spot just below her chest. I never wanted to let her go. Not when she smelled so damn good. I wanted to search for the origin of the fragrance, bury myself in her. All night if that was what it took.

  Fuck, I’m hard. I stepped away from her, reached the other end of the room, and grabbed a hand towel from one of the cabinets near the fridge to wipe my face with.

  “That felt good,” Lex said, approaching me from behind, completely unaware of the effect she had on me. It was better that way. “Whoever gets to dance that will be lucky.”

  I looked over my shoulder and stared at her throat as she spoke, not daring to turn my body until the swelling between my legs relaxed again.

  “Do you know what Winter wants to do with the songs? Did she say?”

  I didn’t know how to respond since I hadn’t checked my phone all night. It was right there on the counter, so I grabbed it and started scrolling through my messages and missed calls. “Shit,” I muttered when her name appeared a few times. One missed call and two text messages.

  Winter: I just tried to call you about the features. Don’t make me do this alone.

  Four hours later.

  Winter: It’s done. See you tomorrow.

  Lex’s forehead wrinkled in the middle. “What is it?”

  I let out a heavy sigh. “Winter asked for my help and I didn’t see it. She’s pissed at me.”

  “I’m sorry, Theo. Do you need to call her?”

  No, I wanted to say. But I knew I should. Nodding, I pressed on Winter’s name and waited for it to ring. It went straight to voicemail. “She’s probably asleep.” I stuffed my phone back in my pocket, hating the discomfort whirling in my gut.

  “It’ll be fine. Just talk to Winter in the morning.”

  Lex sounded so calm, so certain. I wasn’t so sure it would be that easy. I hadn’t told her what Winter had said this morning. Lex would lose her shit if she knew that Winter compared her to Mallory, and I could never tell her.

  “You ready to go home?” I said, my mind twisted with worry. I shouldn’t have brought Lex here. My intentions were pure, but my feelings for her clearly weren’t, and that was enough to get us both in trouble.

  Too fucking late, Noska.

  “Yeah.” I could hear the hesitation in her voice, as if she thought I was kicking her out. I guess I kind of was. “I’ll grab my bag.”

  When we got to her place, I offered to walk her up, but she refused again, sliding her curves through a slit she’d created in the door entrance. But I’d already caught the worry in her eyes as she glanced around the space, apparently making sure the coast was clear before she entered.

  Something churned in my gut then—a suspicion that she was hiding something from me. Whether it was someone or something, I didn’t know.

  But I was damn well set on finding out.

  CHAPTER 28

  Lex

  My phone was ringing when I got out of the shower. I threw a towel around me and ran into the kitchen, where my cell phone sat on the counter.

  When I saw the ID flash Shane’s name, my heart nearly jumped out of my chest. “Shane!” I squealed before walking into the main room and tossing myself on my air mattress.

  Shane and I had moved in sans furniture, with the intention of buying a couch first. That was the plan until we were required to pay an entire year’s rent up front since we didn’t have credit. Who needed furniture, anyway?

  “Hey, baby girl.”

  I grinned at the familiarity of his voice. Ugh. I missed him.

  “How are things with the Grade-A Tyrant, aka Theodore Noska, and that hottie pants, Reggie? Please tell me you let Reggie pass through the golden gates. That boy is fine.”

  “Ha. Count on you to expect a man to treat me like a queen.”

  “That’s right. He better treat that pussy like gold, baby girl. So, fess up.”

  I rolled to my side and laughed. “Sorry to disappoint, but these gates are locked and chained for maximum security. Besides, there’s no time. We’re in the studio day and night.”

  He sighed heavily as a form of protest. “Girl, you are killing me.”

  “Ugh. Let’s not talk about it, then. Tell me about you. The gig. I need all the dirt. How’s the club tour?”

  He cackled and
began to detail his days from start to finish. Constant traveling, working, and partying. He sounded happy and a little exhausted. As much as I would have loved the experience of a caravan tour, I was quite happy to know I’d be set up in a Vegas hotel, bunking with another dancer. I hoped they’d pair me with Amie.

  “Shoot,” I said apologetically when my door intercom beeped.

  “What is it?”

  “Nothing. Someone’s at the apartment. Are you expecting a package or something?”

  “Nope.”

  “Hold on a sec.”

  I held the phone to my chest as I walked to the front door and reached out my finger over the intercom receiver, suspicion crawling through me. It beeped again, and after a smidge of hesitation, I pressed the button and leaned into the receiver. “Hello.”

  “It’s me. You ready?”

  My heart took off at a gallop. Theo. But why?

  I pressed the button again, waiting for the crackle to die off before I spoke. “Um. Ready for what?”

  “I’m driving you to the studio. Want me to come up and wait?”

  Shit. “No,” I barked, wishing I had taken a second to respond. I swallowed a flurry of emotions to quell them from rising to the surface. “I’ll be down in a minute.”

  “Who, dear girl, is that?” Shane asked, his detective spirit fully active.

  I laughed, knowing it would kill him, but I refused to share details. “I’m so sorry, but I need to go. I’ll call you tonight, okay? I love you.”

  “Lex. Don’t you da—”

  Cringing, I ended the call and unwrapped my towel as I ran to the bedroom on a hunt for fresh clothes.

  After ripping my closet apart, I threw together an outfit for today’s rehearsal—red shorts, black-and-white-striped leggings, a red sports bra, and a backless white crop top. I also managed to find a matching ball cap as I was jogging to the door.

  I slid on my shoes and grabbed an extra hair tie before flinging the door open and shrieking. Theo was standing there, a hard look on his face as he searched the space behind me.

  Mother fuck. No. My heart slammed into my throat, and I instinctively pulled the door handle behind me. It clicked shut, but the look on Theo’s face told me he wasn’t about to leave it at that. His hand shot out, and he pressed his palm against the door, caging me in.

  Double fuck.

  “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

  I let out a breath of frustration. “No. It’s a mess—”

  “You’re a shitty liar,” he challenged. “What are you hiding in there?” His eyes narrowed.

  “N-Nothing.”

  Fury was building behind his eyes with my every response. “You realize it would have taken me two seconds to open this door without it ever looking like someone forced their way in?” He slid his free hand around my waist to get to the handle, then he jiggled it behind me to demonstrate how loose it was. I was distinctly aware that he was jiggling me too. “And no one stopped me from trailing someone in downstairs. I could be a thief. Or a murderer.”

  “Or a nosy boss who asks far too much from his dancers,” I quipped.

  “Don’t push me right now, Lex. I’m not in the mood.”

  I swallowed. He was so close, and his expression was intense. I didn’t know if I wanted to smack him or yank his mouth to mine.

  “Let’s just go.”

  “Not until you show me what you’re hiding.”

  I was shaking, but not with fear. Theo cared about whatever was behind my apartment door, and maybe he cared about me. Would he take no for an answer? Probably, but he’d walk away pissed. I didn’t want that either.

  Finally, I sighed. “Fine. Knock yourself out.”

  He wasted no time turning the knob and pushing the door open. I didn’t move as he scanned the small space of my apartment from over my head. His jaw tensed again. “Grab your things.”

  I didn’t understand. “I’m already dressed. Let’s go.”

  He peered down at me then, and something fluttered where it shouldn’t. “No. Grab a bag and pack your things. You’re not coming back here.”

  My jaw dropped. “Are you insane? This is my home.” Tears threatened to burst from my eyes as shame slithered through me. I was certain I’d just encountered the most humiliating moment of my life. My childhood crush had just seen me for who I really was—a poor slob with no furniture.

  “This isn’t a home. This is a step up from the overflowing trash bin outside.”

  I glared at him. “It might not be a million-dollar mansion in the Hollywood Hills, but it’s mine.”

  He squeezed his eyes shut, and when they opened again, they were blazing on me. “It’s not safe, and you know that too, or you wouldn’t have anything to hide.”

  “What are you doing here, anyway?” My voice shook.

  “I came to give you a ride. And now I’m helping you pack.” He slid around me and started to move through my apartment.

  “My legs work just fine.”

  Theo raised an eyebrow. “Looking at this place, that’s quite the miracle.”

  He was being ridiculous. Sure, the apartment wasn’t in the best neighborhood and wasn’t exactly clean thanks to my habit of flinging clothes across the room when I was exhausted at the end of the day, but it was still a home with a bed and electricity. It was fine.

  I humored him, shoving clothes and toiletries in a bag, enough to make him think he’d won this one. But there was no way in hell I would allow him to entertain his hero mentality. What did he think I would do? Camp out at the center every night until we left for Vegas? No way. We both knew what had happened last time.

  We pulled into a parking lot a block from Gravity, where Theo was going to let me out so I could walk to the building unobserved. But I remained sitting, my mind still spiraling from his intrusion.

  I turned to him, my chest rattling with emotion. “You can’t do things like this. You can’t come to my home uninvited and start packing my bags. You can’t make decisions for me, and you sure as hell can’t tell me where to live.”

  He let out a sigh and moved his fingers through his hair. He was obviously frustrated, but it wasn’t his place to feel that way. “You should know I’ve felt off about that place since I first took you home. Seeing it up close—” He shook his head. “You can’t stay there. I’ll talk to Winter. I’m sure she’d put you up in a hotel.”

  “And what will you tell her? That you’ve been taking me home after secret rehearsals at your house and sharing a cot with me in the staff room of Gravity? Oh! And that you just decided to swing by my apartment and proceeded to demand that I show you my living conditions? I’m pretty sure any or all of that would get us both fired.”

  He cursed under his breath and faced forward. “You can’t go back there. You can stay with me, then. There’s plenty of space—”

  “No,” I said with a shake of my head, but I wanted to scream. Because all I really wanted to do was say yes.

  “Then I’ll pay for a hotel. We’ll go after practice.”

  “I’m not going to let you do that either.”

  He slammed his palms on the wheel. “Fuck, Lex. Why won’t you let me help you?”

  “Because it’s not your job to help me. I’m not your project.”

  “You think I’m treating you like you’re my project? Really? Did it ever occur to you that I might have developed feelings for you over the past few weeks and that I might care about you—a little? That seeing you in that rat-infested apartment in a shit area of town might worry the fuck out of me? I’m not trying to be your Prince Charming. Trust me, I know I’m not good enough for that. I just want to know you’ll be here when you wake up in the morning.”

  My breaths were deep and uneven. Moisture was brimming in my eyes. My bones were shaking, and my skin felt cold. I didn’t know what was happening to me. I didn’t know why my heart felt as if it were going to burst. So I did the only thing I could think of. I grabbed Theo’s shirt and yanked him to me, pla
nting my lips on his.

  He gasped, and I felt him hesitate. I could smell the fresh mint on his breath from his toothpaste. And I could feel the heat of his body as it gave in to mine, letting me hold his face with my palms as I wrapped my lips around his until he kissed me back. I felt his groan deep in my chest, the effects traveling deeper and reverberating off my bones. I’d never felt so alive.

  He pulled me toward him, over the console, and shifted my legs around his hips so I could feel him. So I could grind on him and work to relieve the ache between my thighs that had been there for days if not weeks. His hands moved around my ass as he pressed his pelvis into me, but nothing seemed to quell the need burning within.

  I focused on our kiss, on every inch of his lips, the warmth of his mouth, and the gentle way his tongue ran against mine. He groaned again and looked up, his chameleon eyes blazing. “No turning back now, Lex.” He kissed me again, this time gentler, pulling away lightly to speak directly against my eager mouth. “Please tell me you want to fuck me as bad as I want to fuck you.”

  Reality hissed at me through his words, my desire to strip right there stronger than anything I’d felt before. But we were one block away from Gravity. One block away from destroying everything I’d worked almost two decades for.

  I looked over my shoulder and caught the time on the dash. I sighed, my forehead falling onto his shoulder. “We have to go.”

  “The fuck we do,” he rasped in my ear. “I’m canceling rehearsal for the day.” His hand slid up my back and tugged at my top. “Take this off. Let me see you.” His thumb moved around my sports bra, running a finger between my skin and the fabric just beneath my breast.

  My lids squeezed shut as the darkness rushed over me, shading everything I wanted. I shoved his hand away. It was the first time Theo had triggered thoughts of Justin. As much as I wanted him to touch me everywhere, I couldn’t let him.

  He didn’t make another move for my breast, respecting my rejection. A calm rushed over me. I opened my eyes to his hooded gaze drifting up my body.

  I swallowed every desire to yank off my top and tried desperately to clear my mind. “Rehearsal starts in five minutes.” I was proud of the serious tone I’d adopted, my willpower winning. Too much was at stake to risk it all for a mind-blowing kiss.