Page 41 of The Devil and His Goddess

I’D DONE COUNTLESS DUETS IN my competition days, not to mention all the pas de deux work in ballet. But since we were revisiting old routines, I decided to step outside of ballet. One of my all time favorite duets had been a routine I did with a male dancer for a dance competition in the movie-inspired category. The piece was mature, romantic, and as I thought about that routine, I itched to know what it felt like to perform it with Perseus.

Perseus listened intently and took all of my instructions seriously. We went over each eight count, and it was only by a stroke of luck that I remembered the male’s part. My cheeks ached from how hard I smiled the entire time. He hadn’t been lying when he said he learned quickly. I only had to tell him or show him the steps once for him to retain them. We worked through the routine, growing hot and sweaty, and eventually, Perseus took his shirt off and tossed it into the corner of the room.

My mouth watered at the sight of his bare golden skin, and he smirked at my momentary speechlessness. I quickly cleared my throat and recovered, walking him through the last of the routine.

“Think you got it?” I asked him as we finished the last chunk of the routine.

He accepted the spare hair tie I offered him, pulling his hair back in a loose bun at the back of his head. I tried not to watch the way his arms flexed as he did so. “Guess we’ll find out.”

Walking over to the stereo, I queued up the song—“Rewrite the Stars.” I pressed play and dashed over to Perseus for us to begin. The music filled the room as our eyes locked, and I realized too late that it might have been a bad idea to do this dance with him.

The playfulness had left us like wind out of a deflated balloon, replaced by a swell of seriousness. Every time Perseus touched me, lifted me, or brushed against me, my very being was swept away by him. The music, lyrics, and duet, guided us together like two stars destined to spin in the other’s orbit.

The dance, romantic and sensual, ended with the two of us standing. My back pressed to his torso, and he held my hands out on either side of me, my arms resting against the strength of his own. My head was tilted toward him with his own bent down close to mine so that our noses lined up. The music stopped, but neither of us moved. I closed my eyes and tried to catch my breath, all while soaking in the feel of his bare chest at my back and face brushing against mine.

“Harper,” he whispered, his voice coming out rough and low.

My eyes finally fluttered open to find his attention locked on my parted lips. The moment swept me up. I was lost in the feel of his hard body and the lingering buzz that the dance had created between us. Without thinking, I moved my head just enough to brush my lips against his.

That single faint touch had fireworks exploding inside of me, and it only got brighter when he groaned softly. His hold on my hands tightened, and just as he deepened the kiss with a delicious sweep of his tongue, reality came crashing back.

My eyes snapped open, and I immediately leapt away to break the kiss. Ducking my head, I took multiple steps away from him. My hands shook as I put my back to him, wide eyes locked on the ground.

I couldn’t believe what I’d just done.

I couldn’t believe I’dkissedhim.

“I’m fascinated,” Perseus suddenly announced with a chuckle behind me.

Slowly, I looked over my shoulder to find him also staring at the ground where I’d just been standing in his arms.

He shook his head and continued, “You give dance your all. You’re sure and fearless in it.” He finally looked at me, his green eyes blazing. “Yet you let fear govern you when it comes to me.”

I straightened and narrowed my eyes. “I’m not afraid.”

“Then why do you pretend you don’t want me as badly as I want you?”

The question knocked the air back out of me. I knew he wanted me. That much was obvious, but to hear him vocalize that he wanted me badly was an all new high. I ignored the happiness swimming in my chest and looked back down at my feet as I tucked some hair behind my ear. “Why me, Perseus?”

“Because I want you,” he answered without hesitating. “It’s a simple concept, Goddess. Why does there need to be a grand reason?”

My head snapped up so I could fix my firm stare on him. “Because there will be grand repercussions for fooling around. You’re myboss, Perseus. Not to mention, you’re a celebrity, which is a whole other can of worms. There’s so much potential for things to go wrong if we feed into what we’re feeling. So again. Whyme?”

Silence wrapped around us as he stared at me. My heart beat hard as I waited for an answer, though I had no idea what answer I was looking for. It wasn’t like it would change my mind. The risk was too great. The incident with Mandi earlier today was evidence enough of that, all the more reason that I couldn’t believe I’dkissedhim.

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

“I remember the first time I saw a ballet,” Perseus suddenly said, turning to scan the photos hanging on the wall again. “It was … a long time ago, but even after all this time, I haven’t forgotten. I’llneverforget. I’d seen plenty of other forms of entertainment and dance. I expected that time to be no different.”

Hanging on his abrupt change in topic, I crept closer and came to stand beside him again.

He didn’t look at me as he continued, “The Paris Opéra Ballet was doingLa Sylphide, and from the minute it started, I was sucked in. I couldn’t look away. I couldn’t breathe. I watched these humans dance and tell a story, all with their expressions and movements. I’d never seen anything more beautiful. I’d never felt more alive than in that moment.”

His eyes found mine again. “Watching you dance … It’s just like that. Nothing else exists. Nothing can hope to compare to the vision you become. In all my years, I’ve never seen a more stunning ballerina, Harper. Not back then and not now.”

My heart beat harder as emotion climbed up my throat. I couldn’t tear my gaze away as the sincerity of his words bounced around my chest like warm ping pong balls.

Dance was the center of my universe. My performances were my mark on the world. A ballerina’s life on stage could only go on so long. The work eventually took a toll on the ballerina’s body, forcing them to retire early. While I got my associates degree solely for the purpose of eventually opening my own ballet studio where I could teach future ballerinas and danseurs, my true heart lay in performing. In pushing my body to give a performance that lasted in the minds of anyone who watched. I wanted them tofeelsomething when they witnessed me.

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