Beyond the Seduction

by M.A. Stacie

  “Ella, that was a beautiful bow. Come and stand next to me and show the class.”

  Ella skipped over to her, waving when her mom moved around the room. Dale’s phone pointed in their direction. She was filming her daughter. Shae chanced a glance over to Ella’s father and right away wished she hadn’t. He wasn’t watching his daughter. He was watching her, his blue eyes thinning as he analyzed her in a way that left her cold. He seemed angry with her, but she was clueless about why.

  Ella tugged on her T-shirt. “Princess?”

  Shae tore her gaze away from his and looked down at his daughter. “Sorry, sweetie. Yes, show everyone how to do it.”

  She allowed Ella to take center stage while she buried her anxiety. She didn’t look back at him. Instead, she lost herself in the lesson. The girls helped her focus, and the lesson moved swiftly, leaving her to end it before she was ready. “Sorry, little bugs but time’s up until next week.” She received a chorus of complaints. “Next week there will be a prize for the bug that practiced the most. I want graceful, elegant princess bows, yeah?”

  They all cheered before rushing off to their parents. Shae walked over to her mom, pleased when Lisbeth patted her arm. “Good job, darling.”

  “Thanks. It was fun—” A tap on her shoulder interrupted her conversation. She turned to see Dale Reese holding her daughter’s hand. “Hi.”

  Dale flicked her hair over her shoulder. “I’d like to say thank you.”

  “Oh, that’s not necessary,” Shae said.

  “It is. Ella was so looking forward to this, but she isn’t the most outgoing of children. Her dad and I are hoping these lessons will help.”

  “I’ve seen it happen plenty of times. Something like this is always a great idea. I’m sure she loved having you both here to watch her.”

  Dale’s brows drew together an instant before a smile lit up her face. She pointed over to where Blue Eyes sat. “He’s not Ella’s father. He’s my brother.”

  “Oh,” was all Shae managed to say before Dale waved goodbye. Blue Eyes left without giving her another glance. The entire interaction had been odd to say the least.

  “Are you okay?” Lisbeth asked.

  Shae nodded. “I’m fine. Just got a few things on my mind.”

  Her mother hummed, though she’d only be subdued for a short time. Maybe by then Shae would have worked out what she’d done to Dale’s brother.

  Chapter 4

  “What the hell was that?” Dale asked as they left the dance studio.

  Trace shrugged. “What was what?”

  Grasping Ella’s hand, his sister stalked ahead of him until they were far enough away from the building. She turned and stopped him by placing her hand on his chest. “You know exactly what I’m talking about. Why were you staring like that at Shae?”

  Trace ground his teeth, pissed that his sister had seen it. He hadn’t meant to stare, but something about that woman interested him. The way she moved entranced him. How fucking cheesy was that? Not that it made it any less true.

  He’d lowered his head, concealing the direction he was looking in, but she’d still caught him. His sister was like a damn bloodhound. “I was watching her teach Ella. That’s why you asked me to come with you.”

  Dale squinted and pressed a finger into his chest. “Liar. Do you know her?”

  “Nope. Should I?”

  “Jesus, talking to you is so freaking annoying at times!”

  Dale stormed off, taking Ella with her and leaving him scuttling behind them. He knew her well enough to know she wasn’t going to drop the conversation. That didn’t mean he was about to spill, though. Damn, he was clueless why he’d been staring at her anyway. Sure, she was pretty and she had legs that went on forever. That was expected from a dancer, wasn’t it? In fact, it wasn’t just her legs that were willowy and lithe—her entire body had a strength and poise he’d rarely encountered. Even from across the room he could see the tone in her upper arms and shoulders.

  He was entranced.

  “D, wait. Come on, I wasn’t being mean or anything. I was watching—like you were.”

  His sister spun to face him. He had to bite back a grin as Ella twirled. “No. No, Trace. You were staring. Not watching. Distinct difference.”

  Without a doubt he was not going to win here. He’d been in this situation too many times with her when they were younger to know the outcome. Dale didn’t give up.

  “And,” she continued, “as for you saying you weren’t being mean? Wrong. You were so disrespectful. I watched her turn pink when she saw you, and that happened more than once. She started to look anywhere but in your direction. So I’d argue that you were mean.”

  “You would,” he muttered, regretting it when she shot him a death glare.

  “I have to go back and take Ella. She’s her teacher. Just because you didn’t like her doesn’t mean you can do that. Ella has to deal with the fallout.”

  Feeling chastised, Trace rubbed the back of his neck and lowered his voice. “It wasn’t because I don’t like her. I don’t know her. Sorry.”

  “You should be. And I suggest you go back and apologize to Shae.”

  “Hell no!”

  Ella giggled at his outburst, and he had her laughing harder when he scrunched up his face and stuck out his tongue. “Your mom has some crazy ideas, princess.”

  “Do not bring her into this conversation. You’ve annoyed me. I asked you to come with us to cheer you up. I didn’t expect it to be at someone else’s expense.”

  “I still don’t think I was staring that much. I was just watching her dance with the kids. She’s good.”

  Dale relaxed a little, her tone calming. “She is. Her mom used to be a top ballerina. Shae’s a dancer, too. Though I’m not sure she ever tried the professional route.”

  “The pressure of dancing in front of adults is different than kids.”

  Dale smiled. “Like you’d know. I should do an Internet search on her. I feel nosy asking her outright. I don’t know her.”

  “And doing a secret Internet search isn’t nosy?” He snorted. His sister had strange ways of convincing herself that her curiosity was fine. To him, it really was just plain intrusive. “Doesn’t it show you their history on the big board in the reception?”

  Dale waved her hand. “Pfft, that’s a few photographs and newspaper clippings. I want the whole story.”

  “And you say I’m rude.”

  “You are if you don’t apologize.”

  Trace rolled his eyes, and Ella copied him. It had his sister shaking her head and grasping Ella’s hand again.

  “We’re going to get milkshakes. You coming?”

  “Not in the mood. You did your good deed for the day. You got me out of the house. However, now I’m heading right back to it.”

  Dale tilted her head. “Is that after you go and talk to Shae?”

  “Tell you what.” He pointed at Dale. “After I go home and work out what the hell I did, then I’ll decide if I should apologize. Okay?”

  “You can be an idiot. Do you know that?”

  “Story of my life right now.”

  Dale took a step back. “I’m not joining your pity party. I know you’re hurt, and it’s not my fault. It’s not Shae’s either. Go home, sulk, and then come back here and talk to her.”

  Trace shot his sister a salute and blew Ella a kiss. He headed toward the park, the dance class playing in his head as he walked through the gates. A loud squeal of excitement had him wincing, and four toddlers went rushing past him, followed by a woman shouting after them. She seemed to have about as much control as he did right now.

  Exhaling, he slumped onto a bench. He pulled out his cell, thinking about calling Dale to tell her what a dumbass he’d been, but instead he opened up his gallery of photos. Each time he looked at the images it was a like a knife to his heart. Over the six months Tatum had been in the world, Trace had taken photos every single day. All Tate needed to do was sleep in a certain way, or smil
e when she woke up, and he’d capture the memory forever. He couldn’t work out whether it hurt now because he could relive the moments, or whether it would have hurt him more if he didn’t have them to revisit.

  Nevertheless, he couldn’t bring himself to delete them. Instead, he tortured himself with the pictures of happier times.

  Times when Tatum was his.

  Times when he was a father.

  Chapter 5

  Shae’s interaction with Ella’s uncle stayed with her for the following few days. It bothered her that she’d done something to offend him, though she had no idea what that had been. She started to wonder if she knew him and hadn’t recognized him, but without a doubt, Shae knew she’d remember those eyes. They were so intense that they’d be difficult to forget.

  It left her floundering.

  The whole thing shouldn’t matter to her. In her job she dealt with people all the time, many of them not the cheery, talkative type, so it confused her that this one man’s attitude stayed with her. There was no explanation for the hostility, but then she wasn’t going to get one unless she asked him.

  Shae needed to move on.

  Gritting her teeth, frustrated with her own stupidity, Shae looked around the dance studio. Twelve women looked back at her, waiting for her to start the class. They’d paid for an hour of cardio, not an hour of Shae standing and staring at them.

  Starting up the music, she took a swig of water before starting the warm-up. The ladies watched each step she took and repeated the action as best they could. Some of them were svelte, toned and fit, while others were trying to lose some extra pounds. Each of them enjoyed the class.

  Any other day Shae would have cheered and laughed along with them, and she told herself today was no different. However, no amount of convincing herself worked. She smiled but didn’t feel it. Damn him. Shae didn’t even know his name, yet he was driving her to distraction.

  “Okay, squat!” she shouted.

  The women all took up the position, following Shae as she began lowering herself in time with the music. She grinned as a few of them groaned, though she decided the slight pull on her muscles gave her a little more focus. Widening her stance, she squatted back down. “Pulse.”

  Everyone followed her lead, all of them having been to her class before. It was always easier when the class held regulars. She could turn on the music and shout out each move knowing the women would understand. Looking around, she saw red faces and trembling legs, but none of them gave up. The squats changed to lunges as the music ramped up. Blue eyes still hovered on the fringes of her thoughts, and even when the women whooped because their favorite song kicked in, Shae couldn’t forget his look of distaste.

  Sweat began to trickle down her spine as she forced herself to work. The rush of endorphins from the exercise class would help relieve her stress. But only if she gave it her all. Calling out the ladies for not trying would be hypocritical. She didn’t know the man, or what she’d done, and she’d no doubt never see him again. So after giving herself a stern talking to, Shae focused on the thumping beat of the music.

  “Who’s up for a little salsa?” Shae asked, shaking her hips and grinning.

  A few of them gave her a weak protest, but most began shaking their hips, too. One of the aspects Shae enjoyed about teaching her cardio class was the variety. She used many different types of dance during the session, all of them aimed at increasing the heart rate and burning as many calories as possible.

  Shae whistled and began moving across the floor. She gave Kate a high-five. The woman amazed her. She’d never missed a single class, sometimes coming to the studio four times a week to work out. It was paying off, because in the last ten months, Kate had dropped almost one hundred pounds. She was now a new woman, but reaching her goal didn’t stop her. She continued to attend Shae’s class, often encouraging many of the other women. Her story was hope to them—proof that sticking to the regime was worthwhile. The results were there for all to see.

  Both Kate and Shae kept up the tempo as the salsa changed to the merengue. They held their arms high as their hips snapped from side to side. The sweat that had begun to trickle down Shae’s spine now started to wet her brow. Her sports bra clung to her, moisture gathering on the waistband of her shorts. Each breath she took grew more labored, but at the same time her smile grew wider. Shae loved every moment, reveling in the aches, the sweat, and the heavy breathing. The dance flowed into the next, each one making it easier to lose her worries. It left her a little reluctant to end the session.

  “Are you all ready for a cool down? Have I tortured you enough?”

  Shae spun around, to a chorus of confirmation. She pushed her fingers into her hair, intending to tie it up away from her face. It was just long enough. However, as she stretched her arms up, she froze.

  Blue Eyes walked into her cardio class.

  The women mumbled to one another, Shae still stunned and staring at him. He winked at her then gestured for her to continue with her stretches. She pouted, annoyed beyond belief that she’d spent the whole class trying to forget him, only for the damn man to walk into her lesson at the end. Christ, she couldn’t breathe.

  “Um, okay . . . um, you know the drill. Keep the movements gentle, but make sure you’re stretching the muscles enough. Now is not the time to be halfhearted.”

  The groans returned while the women completed each soft movement. Her own limbs protested, her temperature reaching a peak. With each stretch Shae asked herself why he was here. What did he want with her?

  Standing upright, Shae clapped and thanked the women for coming. “Remember, I’ve started another class on Thursday. It’s a little more advanced, but I know each one of you could keep up with it. Some of the routines are the same. Kate, you’d be wonderful at it.”

  Kate blew out a breath before taking a large drink of her water. “I think I’m on shift this Thursday, but you can count on me any other time. I’m more than ready for my next challenge.”

  “Excellent. And don’t forget about drinks at Carter’s on Saturday. Yeah?”

  Kate nodded. “I’m there. See you then.”

  The women all began to filter out of the hall, and Shae tried her best to ignore the blue-eyed monster in the corner of the room. The music still played loudly. It was normal for her to leave it on while she cleaned the room. An internal debate began as she grew more and more tempted to ignore him. Without turning to face him, Shae knew he was staring at her, and her temperature rose in response. And she’d just started to cool down.

  He cleared his throat, his boots clomping across the wood floor. “Do you have a minute?”

  Pausing before facing him, Shae took a deep breath. Curiosity was getting the better of her, but the thought of talking to him about their previous interaction was causing her stomach to churn.

  Shit, she wanted to hide.

  “Your name is Shae, right?” His fingers touched her elbow, and her first reaction was to pull away.

  She scowled at him. His touch annoyed her because she didn’t know what was going on with him. One minute he was glowering at her, the next touching her arm.

  “Sorry, I was trying to get your attention. I didn’t think you’d heard me. Guess I have to apologize for that, too? D is going to kick my ass.” He gripped the back of his neck, his eyes not quite meeting hers.

  “Why are you here?”

  He smirked. “I came to book a dance class?” It was worded as a question, his tone making it clear to her that he was fooling around. There was no way in hell she’d allow him to mess with her. This was her comfort zone.

  “What class were you thinking of?” Shae asked, calling his bluff.

  The words had barely left her mouth before he started to laugh. He tossed his head back, flashing his teeth as he let a bellow of amusement spring free. Shae bit down the urge to laugh with him, and tried to ignore the way her stomach flipped at the sound.

  “You really are hilarious. Months of sadness and all I needed w
ere a few chats with you, my niece’s ballet teacher. Who knew?”

  Annoyance started to simmer in her blood. Being the butt of his amusement didn’t endear her to him. He hadn’t even introduced himself. “I’m going to ignore the last few minutes and ask you again in the hope that you answer me instead of laughing. Why are you here?”

  His smile faded. “Look, Shae—it is Shae, isn’t it? You didn’t reply before.”

  She gave a sharp nod.

  “My sister kinda went off at me when we left here. Let me tell you, D isn’t someone you want to mess with. She said I was rude to you. So I guess I’m here to apologize.”

  Shae raised a dark eyebrow and cocked a hip as she folded her arms across her chest. “You guess? So you’re not sure whether your sister was right?”

  Blue Eyes shrugged. “To tell you the truth I don’t recall what went on that day. I’d had some rather shitty news, and my head was messed up. I remember you making me laugh when you thought I was Ella’s dad. If you knew me, you’d know just why that cracked me up. Then you topped it off by calling me Mr. Reese.” He grinned. “Damn perfect.”

  “What else am I supposed to call you?” she snapped back, ignoring the way his lips curved again. “You come in here, manhandle me, and offer some lame-assed apology. Yet you haven’t even given me your name.” Pausing, she took a breath. “Maybe you should go. After all, you’re here because your sister made you.”

  “No.” He shook his head, making his shaggy hair flop into his eyes. “That’s not the reason I’m here—well, not the only one. Dale pointed out what I suppose I already knew. You kinda confirmed that when you flinched away because I manhandled you.”

  “And that is?”

  He pushed his hair back off his forehead. “That I freaked out, and that I needed to come and say sorry.” He took a step closer to her, holding out his hand for her to shake. “So I’m Trace—Trace Jacks—and I’m very sorry for being so screwy that day.”