Page 58 of Deceitful Promises

“I’ll be just outside,” I tell her.

“Why?” she says, looking at me daringly how she does when she’s sleepwalking, except now she’s wide awake. Now, excitement and confidence flurry through her.

I smirk. “You won’t get much ballet practice in.”

“Don’t be such an animal,” she laughs. “Maybe I just want you to see and …” She pauses, then breaks my heart, something I didn’t even know was possible. “… and make sure all that food hasn’t ruined me.”

“Oh, Ania,” I say, taking a step forward.

She holds her hand up. “It’s not a big deal. I’m serious. I need an opinion, and you said nobody else gets to see me naked.”

“Nobody,” I say fiercely.

She smiles almost with a guilty look, as if she doesn’t think she deserves to.

“Okay then. Where’s my stuff?”

I gesture to the locker. “There should be a bunch of sizes in there.”

“You just have to promise to give me your honest opinion.”

I sit down, reminding myself this is a big moment for her. I try to convince myself somehow not to pounce on her the second I see her naked body. She slowly starts taking off her clothes, giving me small, nervous looks.

When she reveals her breasts, it’s like I can taste her nipples again. She pulls down her pants, then her underwear quickly, standing in front of me naked, her cheeks turning red.Fuck. I’m on my feet, staring at the triangle of her pussy, the small gap between her thighs, the perfection of every inch of her.

It’s not just the physical. It’s something else. She could be any size, any shape, as long as she’s Ania. It goes beyond the skin. It’s weird. I don’t understand it, but it feels so damn true.

“This part,” she says, touching her stomach.

“Shh,” I tell her softly, walking toward her. “You’re perfect, Ania, and you’ll be perfect even if you gain a hundred pounds. Damn. Just you … You’re enough.”

She looks at me almost in awe as I walk toward her, lowering her voice. “Really?”

I reach out, so tempted to bring my hand to her pretty slit, but then I stop myself. This is about her beauty. I need to tame the savage inside somehow. Instead, I gently wrap my arms around her, pulling her into a hug. She makes a sound somewhere between a sigh of relief and a sob.

“You’ll always be beautiful,” I tell her, “ because you’ll always be you.”

She makes a croaking noise. “Is that a line from a book or something?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. If it is, I’ve never heard it. It’s just the truth.”

“Since when did you get so romantic?”

“When a certain ballerina came into my life …”

I hold her even tighter. She grips my sides almost desperately like she’s been waiting her whole life for somebody to see how perfect she is. I’m not sure how long we stay like this. I’d happily stay here longer, but she laughs and gently nudges me away.

“Hey, aren’t I supposed to be putting on a show?”

I smooth my hand down her naked body, over her hip. “I thought you were already.”

“Notthatsort of show.”

“Naked ballet … There’s an idea.”

She laughs again. “Maybe one day.”

I force myself to move away from her, knowing it’s going to be damn near impossible if I stay much longer. It’s not just her look but her scent, heat, and everything. It’s just that she’s Ania, Anna, and that’s all that matters.

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