Page 106 of Forbidden Hearts
“You realize the money has already been raised, right?”
I jerk my head back. “But the bragging rights and the medals are still up for grabs. Listen, I need a serious partner here.”
Asher shakes his head. “You need a partner, and you got me.” He extends his hand. “Dance with me, Phoebe. I won’t let you down.”
I don’t think he’s even capable of letting me down.
* * *
“You’re going down, Bettencourt,” Connor says as he points his two fingers toward his eyes and then at me.
“Focus on the dancing, Arrowood. You’ve yet to win.”
Asher turns us so we’re away from them. “You all need help, you know this?”
I shrug. “Connor has come in second for the last three years, so he’s bitter. Okay, so we have four more hours, and this is when it becomes do or die.” I yawn and rest my head on his chest. “So tired.”
His hand moves up my back, resting in the middle. “I like that we can touch right now and no one cares.”
I snuggle deeper. “We can be like we were in Texas.”
He chuckles. “I wouldn’t go that far. But I can hold you in my arms, rub your back, or whisper in your ear, and they have no idea that, for weeks, you’ve been mine.”
His. Only his. His words wrap around me like a blanket, warming me everywhere. I want to stay here, in a place where he is mine and I’m his, but the truth lingers that in a few weeks, all of it will be over.
I need to leave and let this be a memory I hold close. I push myself up. “Our time is dwindling.”
“I know.” Asher’s blue eyes fill with disappointment. “Have you made a decision on Texas?”
I shake my head. “I will in the next week or so. I was hoping I’d hear from Vanderbilt, but I don’t want to talk about it.”
“No?”
I shake my head again. “Right now, I want you to hold me tight, keep me on my feet, and let me pretend again.”
Asher sways us, making sure we keep moving. This is the point in which I always regret my choice to do this. I’m exhausted, and most of the other dancers have already quit. It’s down to us, Ellie and Connor, and the Settimo twins, who came in third last year. They’re a sleeper team and are worthy opponents.
“What would you pretend was real right now?” His deep voice causes me to shiver.
I lean back so I can look at him, wanting to tell him that my dream would be to have it all. “I don’t think I should say it.”
“Tell me or I’ll sit.”
“Well, that was unfair.” I sigh deeply and then bring my hands back to his chest. “I’m not sure what you want to know.” That’s a lie. I know exactly what he wants to hear, but I’m afraid to admit it.
“If you could have this be our reality, what would you want, Phoebe?”
“You. Us,” I blurt it out, too tired to be more eloquent. “I would want to be a couple, to date, to fall in love, to dance at these stupid contests every year.” My fingers inch up, resting above his heart. “I would want my days to be spent helping people in this area with quality care. My nights would be spent in your arms, making love to you. That’s what I would want, but no one ever said we could have what we want, did they?”
I phrase it that way because, whatever he’s going to say now, I really don’t want to know. If the fantasy he paints doesn’t include me, I’d rather never hear it. If it does, then again, I can’t handle it. The truth is, we are perfect for each other in so many ways, but this isn’t our time.
“No, we definitely don’t get what we want. Except we are going to win this year.”
“You sound confident.”
“I am, if I can’t give you everything else you want, I can at least give you this.”
I smile. “It’ll be enough to have that.”
