I was fragile, but he pieced me gradually back together on the table.
His slow movements built until we were breathless, sticky with sweat, moans pouring from our lips. He laced our hands together, whispered he loved me, and showed it with every kiss.
And when I came, he followed right behind, collapsing on top of me with a gasp.
I loved the weight. The feel of him.
As he caught his breath, he drew a finger over my forehead, brushing the hair out of my face. We lay like that, together on the table, wrapped around each other until our bodies cooled.
Finally, I had to break the silence.
“How many more chapters have you written?” I asked.
A smile hinted on his lips. “A few.”
“I have notes.”
A soft laugh came from him. “I’d love to go over them with you, but can it wait until the morning? I have other things I’d like to do with you first.” He kissed me deeply and slowly, making the promise there’d be many more to come.
-38-
Grant
TWO MONTHS LATER
Leave it to Tara to be late to her own party. By the time we arrived at Kyle and Ruby’s place, everyone else was already there. We set our bottle of wine on the kitchen island, beside the other bottles the guests had brought, and the tray of macarons Ruby had no doubt stress-baked.
“There she is!” Payton said when she spied us sneaking in. She was McAsshole’s younger sister, and the resemblance was apparent. “Cutting it close. It’s almost eight.”
The TV was on, a commercial playing in the background as people chatted over the sound. In a few minutes, Dance Dreams would come on. It would be the fifth episode of the season—New York selection week. After that, they went to the live shows.
Tara had signed an NDA about whether she’d made it as a contestant and was forbidden from telling anyone. So, tonight, our friends were finally going to find out if Tara was going back to New York, or if her journey had ended.
Of course, she’d already told me. We’d decided we were done with secrets after the blindfold club—at least, secrets from each other.
Joseph poured a glass of wine for himself and a glass of ginger ale for Noemi. She was still struggling with morning sickness, and I felt bloody awful for them both. Seeing his wife sick was especially hard on him, because it wasn’t something he could control.
She was here, though, so hopefully it was beginning to ease.
“Shh,” Ruby announced to the group. “It’s coming on.” She squeezed onto the couch between Kyle and Julius, breaking up their bromance.
I’d spent months trying to track down the blindfold club and was seriously annoyed when I discovered McAsshole was best friends with Julius. All that work when I could have gone right to the source. At least now we were all friends. Maybe I could work on Julius’s girlfriend Courtney to convince him to try out for rugby. He’d played football in college, she’d told me last week at our previous ‘watch party.’
Tara and I sat on chairs gathered from the dining table. Silas and Regan weren’t the guests of honor like us and must have gotten last pick, because they had been relegated to folding tailgate chairs. But once the show was on, everyone was quiet, and our gazes were glued to the large screen.
Every time there was a shot of Tara, no matter how brief, the group would cheer, and Elena was the loudest. The girls catcalled when she was shown at practice, her chest drenched with sweat and in a low-cut sports bra. My girl was so hot, I felt that way every time I looked at her.
When it cut to commercial, the group would break into discussions, and I wanted to laugh each time the show returned, and they fell silent. They were all so invested in her success. It was powerful and wonderful to watch.
“Where’s Hot Cello Guy?” Kyle’s brother-in-law Dominic said during the next break, reading Twitter aloud from his phone. “The people want to know.”
I smiled and shook my head.
They’d edited it down to less than three minutes on-air, but Dance Dreams had shown Tara’s audition during the Chicago episode, and they’d included the part where Rita called me hot cello guy. #HotCelloGuy had been a reality TV star for thirty seconds, and for one night, I was trending on Twitter. My parents probably died with embarrassment.
Finally, it came time for Tara’s segment on the show. She’d been grouped together with nine other hopefuls. They’d spent a grueling week practicing a routine together, and then performed for the choreographers. If they liked what they saw, they’d pick dancers to fill out their team.
There were trades and steals among the choreographers too. Things to give the show more drama, but none of that mattered at this stage. If a dancer was selected tonight, they were in.