Page 68 of Take the Lead
‘He’s such a tosser.’
And I agree with that too.
We both look out at the hubbub surrounding us, perhaps subconsciously checking to see if Merle is in the midst of it, but if he is I can’t see him. I’m not sure I feel like rejoining the party, though.
‘How do you feel about getting out of here?’ I ask. ‘It’s getting late and I don’t want to give the make-up girls too much work to do tomorrow, trying to cover up the bags under my eyes.’
‘Good idea,’ he agrees, then points at the giant wet patch on his T-shirt. ‘I’m kind of soggy anyway.’
‘Then we need to get you out of those clothes as soon as possible.’
He grins back at my flirty smile. ‘I’ll get us a taxi.’
His T-shirt has almost dried by the time we get home, but it’s still discarded within seconds of us walking through the door. This time when he scoops me up onto the work surface so we can kiss more comfortably, we don’t end up in the bedroom. He pushes my skirt above my waist right there on the counter.
I lean back so he can help me wriggle free of my underwear and he nudges my legs wider and finds my clit with his thumb, bringing on that blissful feeling that I’ll never get tired of, intensifying it with his fingers just when I think it can’t get any better.
I want to kiss him, touch him, take my dress off, run my fingers through his hair, but my arms are behind me, supporting me. And before I have a chance to push myself upright, he bends forward and hooks my legs up onto his shoulders, bringing his head down between my thighs. I collapse back onto my elbows, drop my head back and close my eyes. The way his tongue makes me feel, it’s like it was made just for me.
I don’t push myself back up until he draws himself up to standing and eases my legs down from his shoulders. I reach for him as he steps in to kiss me, tugging at his belt buckle as he trails his fingers along my thighs.
When he breaks away to free himself from his trousers, I unzip my dress and pull it up over my head. I watch him step out of his boxers and kick them away, then he moves back in front of me, tugging lightly at my hair as his tongue finds mine again.
He slides my hips closer to the edge of the counter, angling himself towards me, and I gasp as he grasps myhips and enters me. I reach up and cling on to his back as he starts pumping against me, my breasts squashed against him as I kiss his neck and nibble his ear, moaning as my orgasm creeps ever closer.
I can feel his breath on my skin, hot and heavy as our bodies crash against each other and I can see the concentration on his face. He’s so close, too.
When he pushes his hand between us and finds my clit with his thumb again, I’m completely lost. It feels like my whole body has turned to jelly and I can barely hold on to him as I come. He buries his face in my hair and climaxes moments later, gasping and juddering as he lets himself go.
We stay there for some time afterwards, locked together and regaining our composure.
‘I think I might need to lie down now,’ he eventually says with a grin.
‘We do have a big day tomorrow,’ I laugh.
He lifts me down to the floor and kisses me one last time. ‘Then let’s make sure we’re ready for it.’
Chapter 36
Being at Channel 6 feels a lot less daunting with Aleksis beside me. I feel even more upbeat when I learn Emilia has landed the merengue for tonight’s live performance. To me, it’s the least watchable of all the dances. I’m optimistic the audience will prefer our cha-cha.
It’s brilliant having the whole gang back in the reception room – it makes for a much livelier atmosphere. Beth has shaken off her nerves and is looking forward to dancing again, Liam is back to his usual cheery self now we’ve called a truce, and Dean and Theo look thrilled to be reunited.
The day follows the usual format of rehearsals, make-up and costumes, except that there’s extra time set aside for one more rueda practice. This time, Merle keeps whatever thoughts he’s having to himself. I take that to mean he’s finally accepted he can’t come between me and Aleksis.
I can’t help noticing a bit of tension between him and Emilia, though – and that he seems to be exchangingmore than a few meaningful glances with Ros. But that’s not my concern.
The rehearsal goes without a hitch – and thankfully it’s just as polished when we perform it in front of the live studio audience to kick off this week’s show.
‘Bravo!’ Kimberley shouts at the end. ‘What a brilliant way to get things started here atFire on the Dance Floor. It’s certainly got me in the mood for a party. Well done, everyone, thank you so much for that. And how nice it is to see all the old faces back in the room with us this evening. Beth, Theo and Liam, thanks for joining us again. And Gabriel, Daniele and Valentina as well, of course.
‘Come over here and join me, guys,’ she beckons them over, ‘while the others go off and get ready for their individual performances. Beth, tell me how it feels to be back on our fantastic stage again. I have to say, that looked like so much fun.’
‘It’s a bit nerve-racking when everyone’s relying on you not to mess it up, but it’s such a buzz when it all goes right,’ I hear her say as the rest of us rush off to get changed.
Aleksis and I are dancing first this evening, so we race down the corridor to Layla, Hannah and Kelly, who are waiting to give us a speedy makeover. It’s amazing what they can do with three minutes – one outfit off, another on, hair whipped up into a sleek up-do, a layer of hairspray, an extra slick of eyeshadow and lipstick and we’re back by Kimberley’s side, ready to watch Sarah’s edit of our cha-cha lessons and yoga practice.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to see what our four remaining couples have got in store for us tonight,’Kimberley says. ‘And we’re expecting more blazing hot performances as they battle it out for a place in next week’s final. First up, hoping to ignite the dance floor, it’s Kate and Aleksis, who’ll be dancing a cheeky cha-cha for us this evening. And they’ve been working on their core muscles this week in a bid to put them in the strongest position. Let’s take a look.’
