Page 22 of The Virgin's Dance
“Hey there,Bella. Pilot’s told me all about you.” She kissed Boh on each cheek. “It is really good to meet you. Pilot’s talked about nothing else but you for a week.”
“Ro, don’t ruin my game,” Pilot said, grinning, and slid his arm around Boh’s waist. “Proper introduction. Boheme Dali, prima ballerina, meet Ramona Scamo, irritating sibling and incredible photographer.Almostas good as her brother,” he added with a wink and Boh and Romana laughed.
“Don’t believe a word of it. I’mbetter,” Ramona shot back, then eyed Boheme critically. “But I would kill to have you in front of my camera.”
“Dude, are you hitting on my girlfriend?” Pilot teased his sister, not knowing the effect his words had on Boh.
Hisgirlfriend.Wow.
Her pleasure must have showed as Pilot kissed her temple and Ramona beamed. “Look, kids, I’m sorry to barge in on your romantic evening, but I was passing by and Pilot promised to show me the photos of you, Boh.”
“Which you couldn’t have looked at on your email?”
Ramona grinned. “I admit I did, but I was passing by anyway.”
“For gossip.”
“You caught me.”
They all laughed. Boh relaxed. Ramona was as warm and friendly as her brother and as Pilot talked with his sister about the project, Boh felt them including her at every turn, as if she were already part of the family.
“I agree with Grady,” Ramona was saying. “No gimmicks. Boh doesn’t need them. Look at her …” She bent to study the photos and then grinned. “You’re right. I absolutely am forming quite the crush on you, Boh.”
Pilot opened another bottle of wine and they lounged around on his couch, chatting until the early hours. Seeing Boh dropping with exhaustion at nearly two-thirty, Ramona got up and hugged them both goodbye. “Sure I can’t drive you home?” Pilot looked concerned but Ramona rolled her eyes.
“Dude, I’m fine. You, lady, come here and hug me. I look forward to getting to know you better.”
After she left, Boh smiled at Pilot as he led her back to bed. “She’s wonderful.”
“She’s a maniac, but yeah, I do love her. She’s very like our mom, a force of nature.”
Boh felt a pang at the tenderness with which he spoke about his family and he noticed her reticence. She smiled at him. “It’s just … I wish I’d had that kind of familial love.”
“You have it now if you want it.”
They didn’t make love again, both too exhausted, but they wrapped themselves around the other. “Goodnight, baby.”
“Goodnight, my sweet girl.”
She nuzzled her nose against his, then his lips were against hers as they fell asleep. As Boh closed her eyes, she wondered if tonight was just the beginning of a new happy life. Could she believe in it? She hoped so.
In the morning, however, the dizziness came back. Boh and Pilot made love. But he could tell something was off. “Hey, are you okay, baby? We can stop.”
Boh shook her head, wanting to be near him despite her whirling mind. “No, please don’t.”
The nausea kept her from climaxing, however, and she confessed her illness to Pilot. “It’s only mild anemia. It just sometimes catches up on me. I’ll be okay.”
Pilot frowned. “You should take the day, recover.”
“Ha,” she said, “and find myself out of a job.”
“If you’re sick, you’re sick. They’ll understand.”
The idea of just lying here and resting or being with Pilot was too tempting, but could she risk Kristof’s rage? She sat up and shook her head. Big mistake. Waiting for the dizziness to pass, she leaned into Pilot’s arms. “Seriously, I’ll be okay in a few minutes. I should go to the studio. It isn’t worth Kristof’s temper to risk a day off, and he did see us leave together. He’ll think I’d rather be in bed with you than dancing with him. Which would be true,” she added with a grin.
Pilot still looked worried, but he nodded. “Okay, but I’ll drive you in after a huge breakfast, no arguments.”
“Sounds good.”
