Piper nodded seriously. “She’s right. Hey, Drew. I’m surprised to see you here. You usually just crash after concerts.”
He shrugged. “Where’s Jo?”
“Asleep.” Noah jumped onto the second bed. “She’s an old lady just like you.”
Piper poked him. “She’s pregnant, doofus.”
When Drew imagined coming here to talk to Lola, he’d thought he’d find her upset over the blog post, but instead, she’d smiled more in the last minute than he’d seen in the last week. He didn’t want to take that away from her, but he owed her this conversation. “Lola, can we chat for a minute?”
She pursed her lips, studying him before issuing one short nod. “We’ll be back. You guys can find a movie without me, but don’t eat all the Milk Duds.” She jerked her head toward the door, and Drew followed her out into the quiet hall.
A strand of wet hair fell free from Lola’s bun, and she twisted it around her finger as she leaned against the wall, her eyes looking anywhere but at him. He tried to see the little kid he’d known ages ago, but she was nowhere to be found, replaced with this woman before him, a woman he couldn’t get out of his head.
She was only nineteen, but there was nothing young about her. Each word she spoke was measured with wisdom, her movements that of someone who’d been dancing for decades. And yet… she wasn’t ready to take the position he’d hired her for.
“I saw the blog.” She leaned her head back on the wall and pushed out a breath. “And I feel like the conversation you want to have is one we’ve had before.”
It was. He’d told her he wouldn’t try to kiss her, that it wasn’t the reason he’d chosen her. “I know.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Lola, I know I haven’t exactly been welcoming.”
She snorted. “Understatement.”
“But I want you to succeed here on your own merits. I know you will.”
“Have you wondered if you chose the wrong girl?”
Where was that coming from? “Not once.”
“I know Nolan has probably reported to you that I can’t connect—whatever that means.” He had, but Drew didn’t believe it. He’d felt a connection with Lola when they danced. She could do it, she just had to dig deeper.
“You just need more practice.”
“Practice? Drew, I can do your dance moves in my sleep.”
He liked to think they weren’t as simple as that, but he let her continue.
“I have been studying your dancing for years, spending hours learning every move.” Her face flushed as if she hadn’t meant to reveal any of that.
“That’s how you picked everything up so easily.” It all made sense now. Lola knew his dances before he ever came back into her life.
She nodded. “Don’t go getting a big head on me. I never planned to pursue dancing professionally, but there was an honesty and an excitement in the way you moved.” She placed a hand over her heart. “I felt it. And now, I spend my days practicing when it won’t get me anywhere because I’m dancing with the wrong people.” Her chest heaved as her voice grew louder.
“Lola—”
“No, let me speak. Please. I know you’re my boss and all that jazz, but you need to hear me. I will never get it right with Nolan. You know it, and I know it. He certainly knows it. And Noah, dancing with him was weird and awkward. Neither of us could stop laughing until Piper finally got fed up and let us quit.”
Noah had helped her? Danced with her?
She went on. “I have only felt that connection once.” She pushed away from the wall and approached him. “With you. Back in my studio, we danced. Truly, completely danced.”
“We did.” He couldn’t take his eyes from hers.
The corners of her mouth tipped up. “Dance with me, Drew. You. Not Nolan. Not Noah. You and me. Then tell me I’m not ready.”
“Lola—”
“One dance.” She dropped her voice. “Dance with me.”
Less than a foot separated them, but they didn’t touch. Their eyes locked, her desperation matching his.
Dance with me.
It didn’t matter how tired he was or that he knew this was a bad idea.
Because when she said those three words, he knew there was no denying her.
Dance with me.
“Yes.”
20
Lola
Dance with me.
As soon as those words left her lips, Lola couldn’t call them back. Did she want to? Practicing with Nolan and Noah hadn’t worked, and it was time to see if she really had what it took or if she was deluding herself. She had to know if she’d given up her old life, the path she’d set off on, for something real, something within her capabilities.
She had to know if that single dance with Drew had been a fluke or if there really was something about him that transformed her, that allowed her to let down the walls she’d hidden behind her entire life.
Nolan said she wouldn’t connect with him, but he wasn’t the first person to tell her that. Whether it was dance or potential relationships, something always held her back. For so long, she’d thought it was Asher, that her feelings for him kept her from getting close to anyone else even as a friend.
But maybe it was her.
“Won’t the rest of them miss you?” There was something off in Drew’s voice as he glanced back over his shoulder at the door to her room.
“They’ve probably already started the movie.” She shrugged, doubting they’d notice she didn’t come back. When Noah overheard her telling a few of the other dancers she was going to stay in tonight, he’d invited himself over for some reason she couldn’t fathom. They’d had fun dancing and even chatted a bit, but she didn’t understand why he wanted to hang out with her instead of the plethora of dancers vying for his attention.
At first, she worried he expected something other than a movie, but then he’d invited Piper. Nolan tagged along after them, saying he’d had enough of Brooke for one day. So, somehow, they’d become a foursome having a movie party after the big rock concert.
What world was she living in?
Silence filled the elevator as they took it down to the lobby. At this late hour, few people walked across the marble floors. An older woman smiled at them from the front desk. “Can I help you with something, Mr. Stone?”
“Nah.” He flashed her his patented charming grin. “You have a good night, Hannah.”
Once they passed her, Lola dropped her voice. “How did you remember her name?”
He shrugged. “I remember everyone’s names. They deserve just as much recognition as anyone.”
Every conversation Lola had with Drew surprised her. As a fan, she’d thought she’d known him, that the articles written about him, the interviews and dance videos told a straightforward story with few twists.
Everyone thought they knew celebrities, she supposed. But Drew… he definitely wasn’t what she’d expected.
Drew pushed open the door to the banquet room they’d been using for practice. With the tour moving on tomorrow, the hotel staff had returned the tables and chairs, preparing for their next event. Without a word, Drew gripped the edge of a table and dragged it out of the center of the room. Lola pitched in until they’d cleared a small dance floor.
Drew kicked off his shoes, a habit she’d noticed he had. On stage, he wore shoes to perform, but at other times he preferred to dance barefoot. Lola slipped off the slippers she hadn’t changed out of.
It didn’t occur to her until right then how underdressed she was to be dancing with Drew. Cotton sweatpants that had no shape and an old shirt. She wouldn’t be winning any beauty pageants that was for sure.
And Drew… well, he looked good in anything.
“Last time we danced, it was freestyle.” Drew concentrated on his phone. “Now, I need to see how you do with one of mine.”
The opening melody to the song I Want You came from his phone. He turned up the volume and set it on a table nearby before approaching her. His confidence
wavered for only a moment before he held out a hand.
When she didn’t take it, his expression softened, and he repeated her words. “Dance with me.”
The moment her hand touched his, he pulled her toward him, their bodies melding together as he started to sing. The vibrations of his voice sent a wave of energy over her skin as she tried to remember what step came next.
It was as if the dance had been ingrained in her. She didn’t have to think, to try. All she had to do was be in the moment and let muscle memory take control.
The song sped up and Lola pushed Drew away, mimicking the words of the song.
You push and I pull
Drew pulled her back to him.
I fall and you run away
When will you see
Your maybe never is my today
Because, baby, I want you
Baby, I need you to let me in
I lay all my cards out
Hoping you’ll let me win
That connection Nolan claimed she was incapable of? He was wrong. Every word drew her in, and she pictured herself back home in the studio with Drew where they’d danced for the first time together.
Dancing with Nolan was frustrating.
Dancing with Noah had been fun.
But dancing with Drew, feeling his hands holding her up, that was something else entirely.
Her legs burned with exhaustion, but she didn’t stop, couldn’t stop.
Drew’s hand slid down her back, lowering her into a dip before spinning her away from him. All the while, he didn’t stop singing.
She twisted on one leg, stomping her other foot down while reaching for Drew. Her hand found his shoulder and curved up over his neck while both of his gripped her hips, sending out flares of energy. She didn’t shy away from him. His touch didn’t make her uncomfortable. His gaze didn’t send her eyes looking for another focal point.
Instead, it brought her to life.
The song wound to a close, and their eyes connected.
Drew’s voice softened until he was practically whispering the words, “Baby, I want you.”
Their lips were so close, one move and she could close the gap between them, taking everything she knew they both wanted. His eyes never left hers as the song ended, leaving them with only the sound of their shared breaths.
Neither of them moved, neither wanted to break the moment, a moment so perfect Lola knew it would eventually shatter into a million pieces.
He traced his fingers up her arm so softly she wondered if she imagined it. His thumb skimmed across her collar bone to the hollow of her throat.
“I can feel your heartbeat,” he whispered, tapping his thumb in time with the drumming of her pulse.
The breath clogged in her lungs, crying to be released as her entire body tilted toward him, wanting to be closer but also wanting, needing to run from his touch.
This job was about the dancing, but Drew was impossible to resist. If she let herself, she could drown in everything he was.
And be happy about it.
Drew closed his eyes, inhaling a deep breath as if trying to get control of himself. When he opened them, his hand dropped, and the man she’d seen before her faded away leaving Drew Stone the rock star in his stead. He released her and stepped back, clearing his throat. “I think you have the connection down.” Without another word, he turned on his heel, scooped up his shoes and fled from the room, leaving behind a startled Lola.
Her legs threatened to give way beneath her, and she reached for the back of a chair to keep herself upright. What was that?
Had she just ruined everything?
Lola showed up late to leave for Washington D.C. the next day, but she wasn’t the only one.
As she climbed onto the bus with the other dancers, Brooke grumbled behind her. “Stupid rock star thinks he can hold everyone up.”
Lola plunked herself down next to Nolan with a groan. “Why were we up so late last night?” After returning from her dance with Drew, Lola watched the rest of the movie with Nolan, Piper, and Noah while gorging on too much food from the vending machines.
Nolan nudged her. “Because someone wouldn’t let us leave until she’d eaten her weight in chocolate.”
She leaned her head on his shoulder. “I’m so tired.”
“You never told me where you’d disappeared to at the beginning of the movie.”
She yawned. “I just wanted to get some practice in.”
“After a concert? Wow, you’re either super dedicated or completely insane.”
“Maybe both.” She peered out the window. “What’s the hold up? We should be moving already.”
He looked down at his phone. “Piper texted me that they’re waiting on Drew.”
As if on cue, Drew sauntered across the parking lot with his jacket flung over one shoulder and his aviators perched on his nose. His hair looked like it hadn’t yet been brushed this morning, and there was a slouch to his shoulders he didn’t normally have.
Nolan laughed. “Looks like someone had a good night last night. Think he went out after he talked to you?”
“No.” Their dance replayed in her mind. She’d always needed to dance to make sense of everything around her, but with him it was different. He didn’t clear her mind, he muddled it. She couldn’t take her eyes from him as he climbed onto his bus. They’d danced together two times, and two times, he’d looked like he was going to kiss her.
Two times she’d wanted him to.
This wasn’t the secret longing she’d always had for Asher, the desperation for him not to leave her. Something about the way Drew touched her lit a fire in her, and she worried if she didn’t manage to put it out, it would burn through every part of her, leaving only ash in its wake.
Drew Stone could destroy her in a way Asher never had the power to.
And she’d let him.
“Earth to Lo.” Nolan grinned down at her as he flicked his eyes to the now closed door of Drew’s bus. “Don’t go there, okay? Trust me. Many women on Drew’s tours have tried, but he has a rule. He doesn’t mix relationships with his business, and honey, music is his business. Dance is his business.”
“I wasn’t going there.” She sighed. “Mostly.” She tore her eyes from the window and settled them on a rough-looking Brooke. She’d gotten to their room in the early hours of the morning reeking of alcohol.
For once, Lola didn’t hate being the youngest dancer on the tour. Her age—or lack of legal age—meant they didn’t try to convince her to go out with them. She’d always preferred nights alone in a dance studio or at home watching Netflix to parties and clubs anyway.
A few of the other girls caught her eye but quickly looked away. Nolan had told her once she proved herself they’d get better, but hadn’t she done that already? Didn’t she step into her role as backup dancer without missing a step? What more did they want from her?
She was tired. Tired of feeling like an outsider on this tour, tired of people saying she wasn’t ready or wasn’t good enough.
Her phone lit up, and relief zipped through her when she saw Asher’s name on the screen. No matter what happened between them or how much of a jerk he could be, he knew her better than anyone, and she needed him. Sitting up, she scooted away from Nolan. For some reason, it didn’t feel right to talk to Asher while practically snuggling another guy.
Bringing the phone to her ear, she answered. “Ash.”
“Are you okay, Lo?”
Of course, he’d be able to read everything she hadn’t said in her tone when she spoke a single word. “Yes.” The bus lurched forward as they pulled out of the parking lot. She tried to keep her voice down, not wanting anyone to know who she was talking to. If they knew her connection to Drew’s brother, they’d assume that was the reason she was here.
Thanks to the tabloid blogs, they probably already saw she’d known Drew as a kid.
“Don’t lie to me, Lo.” Asher’s voice deepened. “Has my brother done something?”
“No,” she whispered. “When are you going to stop thinking the worst of him?”
“Probably not until you’re home with me.”
He was protective, he always had been, but it hadn’t always felt so controlling. Once, she’d felt cherished by her best friend. “Well, then you have a long time to wait. Is there a reason you’re calling?”
“I miss you.”
A smile tilted her lips. “I miss you too.” Suddenly, every thought about Drew felt like a betrayal. Every image of him touching her, standing so close was one she knew would hurt Asher. She leaned back in her seat, needing to steer this conversation into safer waters. “How is home?”
“Good. Everything here is great actually. Lizzy started dance classes.”
Lola closed her eyes, listening to the sound of his voice. She’d wanted to be the one teaching Lizzy. “She’s going to love that.”
“Penny is entering a competition.”
Her smile widened. “I’ve been trying to convince her to compete for the last year. What made her decide?”
“You. She said if you can chase your dream, she can do the same.”
“Really? She said that?”
“Everyone here misses you, Lo.” He went silent for a beat. “I stopped by to see your mom. She’s just working as normal, but she made me a double batch of sopaipillas and told me to share with my sisters.”
“Did you?”
“Heck no.”
A laugh burst out of her, and she covered her mouth as a few of the girls sent glares her way. “You’re bad to the bone, Ash.”
“Don’t I know it.”
“But thanks for going to see her. I’ve talked to her a few times, but she’s usually busy at work.”
He sighed. “Yeah, I guess she’s taken on more shifts.”
“Is she struggling for money?” She hadn’t had the chance to send some to her, but she knew her mom wouldn’t take it anyway.
“I don’t think so. She just misses you, and if she’s not working, she’s sitting at home alone.”
“Well, now I feel even more guilty about leaving.”
Love is a Dance Step (Rockstars Anonymous) Page 15