Page 8 of Guarded Hearts
“I don’t know.” Mia flicked through videos. “We can do something modern or something classic? What do you think would be okay for you?”
Nothing. Nothing would be even remotely okay. I’d have to work for hours no matter how simple she went, no matter how easy she believed it to be.
“It’s your wedding. Your day.” I wanted to do the right thing for her, even if it made my life impossibly hard. She’d come a long way from the girl sitting beside me in the car outside Tyler’s secondhand shop. If she wanted a fairy tale, I would play my part.
She perked up and flicked her finger up the screen. “Well, if you don’t care…”
Not exactly true. I cared. A lot. But I wasn’t going to let my fear stop her from getting what she wanted. Somehow, I’d figure out whatever dance she selected.
“Which one?” I asked.
With her finger, she tapped the screen, and a lively song started, the two people whirling and swirling across the screen. I’d seen this sort of dancing in movies, but I didn’t know what it was called.
“I’ve always loved swing dancing,” she said. “I thought about trying to talk Tyler into it, but I want something really romantic with him. You know? So, then I thought… maybe Pasha will do it with me?” She gave me a hopeful look.
I suppressed a sigh as I focused on the screen. “This one?”
“Like this, yeah. But you know Alyssa Miller?” A hint of a smile touched her lips. “She competed in swing dancing as a kid, so I’m going to see if she’ll choreograph something for me. Fun but not too hard for you. Is that—would that be okay?”
I stared at the screen. Alyssa’s name caused another sweat to break out, but this one had nothing to do with anxiety. The guy in the video was tossing the woman around like she weighed nothing, their bodies brushing together over and over.
Did Mia know I had a thing for Alyssa? I thought I’d kept my ogling under control. Before I spoke, I cleared my throat. “Alyssa?”
“Yeah. I thought you knew her. You gave her a ride back in the car after the bar the other night?” Mia stood up, never able to sit still for long, and started making a bottle for Victoria. The bottle was the only way they could rouse Victoria without her screaming bloody murder. Like her mother, she loved her sleep.
“Back in a sec,” she said, waving the bottle. “Gotta get this to her to drink before I get her out of bed. Don’t poke the bear.” She winked before disappearing inside their bedroom.
Was having Alyssa as the choreographer an unexpected bright side? I got hard just thinking about her in any detail. Replays of our encounterhappened all the time: in the shower, before I drifted to sleep, or when I caught sight of her after a show. Every detail was burned into me, like she’d branded me. Casual sex wasn’t for me, and the women I had indulged with, when I’d let need outweigh sense, weren’t ones I had crushed on for months either before or after.
The embers of my encounter with Alyssa glowed red hot, on the cusp of lighting another, bigger fire. Could I be around her without making an ass of myself, without burning down the life I’d constructed since Zoya’s death?
“So,” Mia said, reappearing in the doorway. “What do you think? Wanna swing with me?”
The video Mia had put on was coming to a close. Could I do this?
“Yes,” I said, not entirely sure my answer was truthful.
Chapter Four
Alyssa
The steady beat of Mia’s foot tapping the ground while she waited for my response didn’t ease my anxiety over saying either “yes” or “no.” Mostly, I wished Mia hadn’t come to me at all so I could have continued avoiding Pasha and pretending I hadn’t fucked him when I knew he was off-limits.
In my limited experience, one-and-done men didn’t quite scratch the itch. Orgasms were in short supply with one-night stands. What did a guy care as long as he got off?
My body had hummed for Pasha, lit up, and then exploded. I’d replayed the sequence many times over the last week, writhing under my covers, suppressing my gasp as I came, thoughts of him swirling around like a bad idea waiting for another opening.
“I’m flattered,” I said, stalling. Could I say no and keep my job, stay on Mia’s good side?
“Great, but will you do it?” Mia’s voice was exasperated. “Like I said, the choreography doesn’t have to be complicated. And if you want to come to the wedding, I can put you on the invite list. Basically, name your price. Having you do it is the most convenient option for me.”
Name my price? A five-digit number came to mind, which was ridiculous. Mia could hire someone much better than me for less. What Ineeded was a guaranteed job after Mia’s tour. With only a couple of months left, I would be in the danger zone financially as soon as the tour finished. So close to paying off the debt but not quite there.
“I heard Sarah Telling is touring soon,” I said.
“Yeah,” Mia agreed. “As soon as she finishes filmingCenter Stage.”
“Can you put in a good word for me with her?”
