Minx backpedaled and fell dramatically over a couch, but as she went over the back of the couch, Harmony saw a flash of respect cross Minx’s face. She didn’t account for Minx’s speed, though; by the time Harmony was on her feet again, Minx was in her face. “You and me,” she hissed. “Next week. And we’ll see if this old Minx can teach you some manners, you pathetic little house kitten.”
Glancing briefly into the entrance to the corridor, Harmony watched Diane nod happily before turning back to the frigid blue eyes of Minx. Her own blue eyes shimmered with excitement as she stepped closer to Minx, tilting her face to look up to the taller, stronger woman. “You’re on,” she answered. “And you’re going down.”
Chapter Nineteen
“You’re a better actress than you probably thought, huh?” Lauren asked, smiling slightly at Harmony as they bent to help pick up debris from the floor.
“I hope so,” Harmony answered, laughing. “I actually hate olives, too.” Picking up a stray olive that had rolled across the floor, she made a face at it and dropped it into a bowl beside her feet.
“Why’d you eat them, then?” Lauren asked, looking up in surprise.
“Ha! Go back to being Minx and see if it still pisses you off.”
“It does,” Lauren laughed. “Good instincts.”
“That’s why I ate them, and it was totally worth it. For a second there, I thought you were gonna go nuts and kill me, and as crazy as it sounds, I know it was a great show. I’m betting the audience was eating it up.”
“I bet they were,” Lauren grinned. “That’s what they come for – the conflict.”
“Pretty sure you walking around looking all tough and irresistible doesn’t hurt, either,” Harmony teased.
“Yeah, I bet you’re right.” Picking an olive out of her hair, Lauren tossed it into a nearby garbage can and looked over at Harmony. “You’re not too bad either,” she said.
“Yeah, yeah,” Harmony laughed. “Come on, let’s get this table picked up. The guys are starting to move them out.”
Bending their knees, the women each took one side of the table carefully in their hands. “Okay, three-two-one?” Lauren asked. When Harmony nodded to her, she counted them down; they heaved, turning the table until they were able to set it solidly upright again.
“Girls need any help?” Xander asked, appearing just behind Harmony’s shoulder. “I think the clean-up crew is ready to get in here if you want to go change for the night. Diane says we’re finished and the show is wrapped up out there; the crowds are leaving.”
“Awesome,” Harmony sighed. “I am so ready to fall into my bed. I think I’m going to sleep for days.”
“Me too,” Lauren laughed, teasingly offering Harmony another stray olive from the edge of a nearby table before tossing it into garbage can on the other side of the table. “My pillow is totally calling my name. Come on, let’s go get rid of these costumes. I’m sick of walking around half-naked with my ass hanging out.”
“At least you’ve got one,” Harmony answered. “Some of us aren’t so lucky.”
“Hey, Harmony. Give me a minute?” Xander asked, catching Harmony’s elbow as she and Lauren turned to walk away.
“Yeah, sure,” Harmony answered, turning to glance at him before looking back to meet Lauren’s questioning gaze. “I’ll catch up to you,” she said, sending Lauren on to the dressing room alone. When she and Xander were alone in the hallway, she turned back. “Okay, what’s up?”
He smoothed the palm of one hand over his chest, taking a nervous breath. “I know we didn’t manage to get anything to eat in here, but I was … it gets pretty dark out in those parking lots at night, and sometimes people hang around after the shows, hoping to catch us out there. Autographs and stuff. But it can get crazy sometimes with everyone so busy, so maybe I could, um, walk you to your car?”
Chewing her lip, Harmony thought back again to her conversation with Whitney a few days earlier. She’d been struggling with anxiety for so long. She’d been so young when Cameron had been raped, and watching her once-happy, confident sister become so hurt and withdrawn had affected her deeply. The worst part was that Cameron had known and trusted the man who had violated her, and the knowledge had left Harmony afraid to trust anyone. She hadn’t dated, she hadn’t partied, and she’d never had a boyfriend.
Until Turner, who hadn’t felt any more passion for her than she’d felt for him, which had been none. Their five dates had all been boring, culminating in one messy attempt at sex in the back of her car that had been completely calculated and entirely lacking in passion or enjoyment. There had been no spontaneity in the act and very little emotion; the day after they’d done it, Harmony had simply broken things off and stayed away from the dating scene.
But now? Here was Xander, persistently asking for her time, asking her to give him a chance. “Come on, Harmony, it’s not marriage,” he teased, taking her hand. “I just want to be sure you make it to your car.”
She’d been watching her big sister all their lives. She had followed Cameron through their childhood, mimicking the actions and attitudes of her big sister. And she had followed her into the depths of grief after Cameron’s rape stole all sense of trust and innocence from both of them. Could she now follow Cameron’s example in letting the past go?
It had to at least be worth a try.
“You know what?” she asked, looking up to meet the question in his eyes. “I think I’d like that, if you’re sure.”
“Okay, good,” he said softly, releasing her hand and stepping away. “And I’m sure.”
Harmony lowered her eyes, hiding a smile. “Okay. I need to go change though. I’d freeze walking around outside in this.”
He laughed, reaching out to touch the wave of her hair as it spilled over her shoulder. “Alright, well I’ll meet you back here then.”
“Thirty minutes, forty-five, tops,” Harmony answered, still smiling as she looked up again to meet his eyes. The nervous but happy smile was still with her when she walked into the dressing room, where Lauren was already showered and dressed in simple cotton pants and a tank top.
Perched on a stool, she had been working a towel through her hair when Harmony breezed through the door. “Well, don’t you look smiley for one in the morning,” Lauren teased.
“I’m content enough for the moment,” Harmony laughed, walking over to her vanity table and dropping onto the bench seat. “But am I smiley?” Glancing at Lauren’s reflection in her mirror, she lifted a jar from the table and twisted the cap easily away. Dropping it with a slight click onto the vanity, Harmony scooped a cotton ball through the thick, scented cream in the jar before sweeping it over her face to loosen her makeup.
“You look pretty smiley from here,” Lauren teased, walking over to prop her hip against the now-empty vanity table next to Harmony’s. “And with good reason. I really think Xander likes you.”
“What makes you say that?” Tossing a make-up covered cotton ball in the garbage, Harmony reached for another, leaning closer to the mirror as she worked the pale purple cleanser under her eyes. Combing her hair back with the fingers of one hand, she swept the cotton over her forehead, glancing briefly at Lauren before turning back to her reflection.
“He just gets kind of funny whenever you’re around. I’ve never seen him nervous before, but he is when he’s with you,” Lauren murmured. “It’s nice to see him interested in someone. He’s always been such a loner.”
“Xander?” Harmony asked. Finished cleaning her face, she tucked her makeup and other supplies into her bag and pulled out the simple outfit she’d been planning to drive home and fall into bed in. “He’s a loner?”
“Yeah, he keeps to himself a lot,” Lauren said looking around as if to be sure no one was listening. Satisfied that they were alone, she turned back to Harmony, saying, “He used to be more outgoing, but as he’s gotten more well-known outside of work, he’s quieted down a lot.”
“Oh, I see,” Harmony muttered,
folding her yoga pants in her lap in an effort to keep her hands busy. It made her nervous to have someone else telling her about Xander’s personal life.
“Anyway, if he’s coming out of his shell again because of you, then you’re one of the good ones in my book,” Lauren went on, wandering back to her own vanity table. Sliding a drawer open, she took out an elastic band and twisted her hair into a dark bun, somehow wrapping her hair so that all of the red was hidden. Without the bold red in her hair and the bronze shimmer of her show makeup, she looked completely different.
Watching the transformation, Harmony arched a brow. “I bet you can walk around out there without anyone knowing who you are, can’t you?” she asked.
“Most of the time,” Lauren laughed. “I’ve been caught by a couple of real die-hards before, but it’s really just the AWG fans that really know who we are. It’s easier than you think, hiding in plain sight.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Harmony said, laughing as she rose from the bench in front of her vanity. “Well, look, I’ve gotta get a shower … he’s actually waiting to walk me out when I get changed.”
“Ooooh,” Lauren said, laughing again as she pulled a giant shoulder bag from the space beneath her vanity. “I’ll get out of here then, so you can do what you have to do.”
Finally alone, Harmony rested her forehead against the edge of the table for a few seconds and then stood to move toward the showers. When she’d showered and dressed, she left the dressing room and went searching for Xander.
“Harmony,” he called, stepping into the hallway just as she approached the common room. “I saw Lauren going out a little while ago ... I was about to come check on you.” Taking her hand, he tucked it into the curve of his elbow, smiling slightly as she curled her fingers around his arm.
“No worries,” Harmony laughed, moving to adjust the weight of her bag on her shoulder and then smiling as he reached over and took the bag from her. “Lauren was still in the dressing room when I went in there, and I was kind of chatting with her before she took off.”
Layering Harmony’s bag over his own, Xander nodded. “She’s a good kid,” he told her. “She comes off a little tough sometimes, but she’s sweet if she likes you.”
“Oh?” Harmony asked. “And does she like you?”
“Not the way I think you’re asking about,” he answered. “We’ve gotten to be buddies though, working together so much.”
“So you know her pretty well, then? I mean, you guys worked together for a long time before they gave her a storyline of her own, right?” Harmony asked quietly.
“A little over six months, I think,” Xander answered, smiling down at her as they walked. “This wasn’t her dream job, but the stress of modeling was killing her and she wanted to quit, but she needed something with really good money. Her parents aren’t well, and she uses a good bit of her pay looking after them. So this is a little easier on her, I think. She takes a beating around here for sure, and she’s had some really grueling matches, but she likes that she isn’t risking her career if she gains a few pounds. She says she likes the freedom of being allowed to eat donuts,” he laughed.
“I can relate to that,” Harmony murmured. “In gymnastics, you need to be as streamlined as possible, small and light on your feet. And fast, of course. I think it’s not as strict, but you have to be careful what you eat, and you train all the time.”
“Do you miss it?”
“Every day,” she answered honestly. “It brought me through the worst parts of my life, some really dark times my family has come through. It kept me busy and helped me focus on something else. Distraction, I guess.”
“Ah, I see. What’s it like to do this then?” he asked, guiding her to the end of a hallway and through a brightly lit exit door. “Working for AWG, I mean?”
“I like it.” Shrugging her shoulders, she allowed Xander’s gentle grasp on her hand to steer her toward the end of the garage, where her yellow Xterra sat gleaming in the moonlight. “It’s a good job, a good opportunity. If I do it well, I’ll have a strong career, and money that I can invest in the future. Retirement plans and stuff. And I won’t lie, it’s kind of fun to think people will notice me in the streets or something.”
Xander laughed. “You like the idea of fame, do you?” he asked, releasing her hand so that she could search her pockets for her keys. Crossing his arms over his broad chest, he narrowed his eyes and looked around the garage. “Fame isn’t always a plus side to this, you know.”
“Isn’t it? Who doesn’t like free purses and red carpets?” Harmony teased, unlocking the Xterra and opening the back door. “Here, I can set my bag in here now, so you don’t have to keep it hanging on your back.”
“Well, I don’t need any free purses,” he laughed, lifting the strap of her gym bag over his head and untangling the strap from his own bag. “And I’m not always fond of red carpets, either.”
“Really?” Harmony asked in surprise. Settling her bag on the back seat of the car, she turned to watch Xander’s face. His eyes were shadowed, his face only slightly illuminated in the pale light of the moon as it slipped under the covering of the garage. But she could see the tension around his lips, the way his jaw clenched tight as he gathered his thoughts.
“Sometimes it sucks, having a face that everyone knows,” he answered slowly, moving to lean his shoulder against her car. “You go out with a pretty girl and suddenly the internet thinks you’re getting married. You date her for a few weeks and then everyone’s looking at her to see if she’s pregnant yet.”
“Hmm,” Harmony murmured. “I can’t imagine that makes it easy to get into a relationship with someone.”
“It’s not,” he answered quietly, looking out across the garage floor. “Sometime no matter how good the relationship is, it doesn’t survive the spotlight. And in this industry? The whole world is waiting for you to screw up, do something crazy. You’ll be under constant scrutiny, Harmony, and that’s not always easy to live with.”
“Well, then, it’s a good thing we can all stick together, huh?” she answered, smiling reassuringly as she nudged him with an elbow. Leaning against the car beside him, she looked up and watched him smile down at her. “I think that’ll be a good thing about this – being here, I mean. So many people who understand what it’s like. Mentors. Guides.”
He watched her quietly for a while before sighing and turning his face away. “Right,” he said. They stood that way for some time, looking out at the river as it flowed silently behind the arena before disappearing into the darkness of the night.
Finally, he stepped away from the car, turning to face her. Harmony’s breath caught in her throat as Xander stepped closer, erasing the slight distance between them as he took her hands in his, the strong grip of his hands warm on hers. “Would you tell me something?” he asked her.
“Okay,” she nodded cautiously, her heart skipping a beat as she looked up at him.
“What made you say no?”
“To lunch with you?” Harmony asked quietly. She waited for him to nod, feeling his fingers tighten on hers. Sighing, she lowered her face and took a step back. “I – Xander, I said no because … I don’t know why.” She couldn’t very well tell him that she still suffered anxiety over what she’d seen her sister go through, could she? She couldn’t tell him that watching Cameron suffer such heartbreak had left her too afraid to risk trusting anyone, not even him.
Instead, she reminded herself to try. She reminded herself that Cameron had been able to let it go and move on, that Cameron was happier than she’d ever been, and that if Cameron could let go of the past, then Harmony could, too. “I don’t really know why I said no, Xander. It just … came out.”
“Would the answer still be no?” he asked.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, Harmony forced herself to look up again, to meet his eyes. “I don’t know,” she said nervously. “Are you planning to ask again?”
Tugging her hands to pull her close again, X
ander slid his palms up her arms and rested them on her shoulders, his fingertips playing in the loose ends of her hair. “I was sort of thinking about it,” he said. “Would the answer still be no?”
“Probably not,” Harmony breathed. He was close enough for her to see when his gaze dropped to her lips before moving back up to meet her eyes again. Her heart crashed in her chest as his body heat seemed to envelope her, and the general sense of overcrowded discomfort that had been with her for years completely dissipated, leaving her surprised. What was so different about him? What was it about him that allowed her to feel comfortable with him, even as he stepped closer?
“Okay, probably not a no, then,” he said softly, the pad of his thumb tracing her jaw.
“Mmhmm.”
“Okay,” he went on, his hands moving deeper into her hair as her hands floated up to press flat against his chest. “So go home then, and go to bed, and then come have brunch with me when you wake up.”
Wrestling Harmony (The Kingsley Series) Page 14