of him here and there, but never at length, and never in a way that gave me a clear picture. Really, all I knew about Hunter was that he’d wanted to play in the NFL ever since he was a little kid and eventually he got exactly what he wanted.
“It’s pretty cool you’re still working here, Patrick.” Elana smiled over at me. “Seriously. I thought you would’ve quit by now.”
“Ehh. It’s mostly a part-time thing. Besides, someone has to be in charge of the dance practices.”
“Ah, so it’s more of a control freak thing.” Elana chuckled. “Either way, I’m glad you’re here. I would’ve stayed on staff, too, but—”
“But Hunter’s football career took off and he wanted family by his side.”
“Yeah. That.” Elana nodded. “I miss working with you, though.”
“I miss you, too.” A smile played on the sides of my lips. “And I’m willing to take that check, whenever you’re ready to hand it over.”
Hunter Perry.
I was standing by the wall of the dance studio at the youth center, resting against the barre. I’d taken the time to look the guy up, curious about Elana’s sole PR client. And as I read headline after headline about his latest gaffe, I felt my skin burning up with pure annoyance.
Hunter Perry was an asshole.
And he was due to walk into the youth center any moment now for our initial one-on-one, and I was somehow supposed to pretend like he wasn’t an asshole?
Who the hell did he think he was, anyway? Joking about something like that? Making fun of guys who wanted to be cheerleaders?
The thought of Elana even being related to Hunter was starting to make me a little sick to my stomach. Whereas Elana had been so calm and collected about me being true to myself, it was hard for me to imagine that Hunter was going to treat me the same way, and I didn’t know if I was prepared to spend an afternoon with an arrogant, small-minded jock.
“Patrick?” A deep voice suddenly cut through my thoughts, and I turned to glance in its direction. “Sorry. I was just—do you know where I can find Patrick McEntire?”
“That’s me.” My words came out low. “Who’s asking?”
“My name’s Hunter Perry.” The stranger held his hand out for my own. “Nice to meet you. Elana sent me over.”
“You’re… Elana’s brother.”
“Guilty as charged.” Hunter grinned. “And you’re Elana’s friend from high school?”
“Convicted and sentenced.” I awkwardly tried to play off Hunter’s phrase as a distinct sheen of sweat started to form somewhere at the back of my neck.
Holy shit.
Hunter Perry was so much hotter in person. I’d seen photos of him online but seeing him face-to-face was such a different experience. He was a few inches taller than me and the way his eyes reflected the sunlight filtering through the oversized glass window of the dance studio made it seem like there were glittering stars living in his irises.
But it didn’t matter how beautiful Hunter was.
Because Hunter he was still an asshole.
And as soon as I remembered the way he’d laughed about male cheerleaders, about boys doing anything that was meant for girls, I jerked my hand away from his own. “Your sister told me that you were having dance trouble.”
“Dance trouble? What do you mean?”
“You tell me.” I folded my arms against my chest. “What’s going on? Did you get a callback for Dancing With The Stars and now you’re freaking out about being embarrassed on national television?”
“No, I’m just… I think I’m just supposed to dance?” Hunter seemed confused by his own question. “And Elana said she’s taking care of the rest.”
“So, what? Elana just pulls the strings and you go in whatever direction she says?”
“Pretty much.” Hunter grinned. “That’s why she makes the big bucks. She’s always ten steps ahead of everyone else, especially me.”
“Right. Speaking of steps, do you already know any?”
“Uh…” Hunter’s words trailed off as he moved slightly away from me. He then began to move in a square, his feet sliding across the floor in a quiet rhythm. After a few moments, Hunter’s movements came to a stop. He looked back over at me. “That was it. That was pretty much the only step I know.”
“That was…” I tried to find the right words to respond. “…Interesting.”
“Interesting, that’s exactly what I wanted to hear.” Hunter chuckled, the sound echoing throughout the room.
I inwardly rolled my eyes, irritated with how much I liked the way he laughed, his bright smile spreading all across his face as he