Why don't you Stay ... Forever - Jennifer Ashley Page 0,31

over is the nicest thing any woman has said to me.

“Erin.” I brush my thumb across her cheekbone. “I’m not worried about you. You’re awesome. Kind and sweet, and not the type to string along two guys at once. You’re true. It’s one of the things I love about you.”

She stills, her eyes fixed on mine, lips parted. A few heartbeats go by.

Then I realize I’ve just said the L- word.

Damn it—I was supposed to save that for the grand gesture. Oh, well, I screw up stuff like this all the time. Falling in love isn’t the same as setting up an efficiently elegant, bug-free program.

Love has lots of bugs in it. I’m figuring that out.

Erin drags in a long breath, and then she launches herself at me. Her arms are around me, and we’re kissing and kissing.

We fall to the non-static floor mat, which is soft, our legs tangling as we devour each other. My hand is on her breast, hers running down my back to grip my ass.

“Hey, Ben, could you help me with—” Austin’s voice breaks off, and we hear his startled exclamation, followed by quickly retreating footsteps. His voice trails behind him. “Aw, man. This place is not safe for work anymore.”

Erin

After a long afternoon of thought, I relent and tell Clarice I’m fine doing a pas with Reuben, but Dean has final say. I suggest it needs a meeting with me, Dean, Clarice, and Reuben to discuss it all before making decisions, which is how Reuben should have handled it in the first place.

Not going behind our backs and asking my boyfriend’s permission, the git.

Clarice agrees and we fix a time to meet during rehearsals tonight.

On the other hand …

Ben’s words, It’s one of the things I love about you, continue to ring in my head. Reuben’s visit caused the phrase to slip from Ben’s mouth, and I’m almost grateful to Reuben for that. Ben got embarrassed as soon as he said the words, and I kissed the hell out of him before he could take it back.

Good thing Austin had come in, or we both might have been fired.

I hug the feeling to myself that evening in Clarices’s office at her studio as Reuben tries to convince Dean and Clarice he needs to dance with me. Neither Clarice, Dean, nor I are sure of his motives, but I’m in a great mood.

“Sure,” I say. “We can do something short. We wouldn’t have to cut any of my dances with Dean that way.”

Dean gives me an amazed look, opens his mouth to argue, then shuts it again. Clarice has the final word—it’s her show—and she takes a moment to consider.

Clarice is in her sixties, with very short gray hair and a willowy dancer’s body. She still performs for the fun of it and she choreographs and teaches us all the dances herself.

She purses her pink-lipsticked mouth while she thinks. “All right. I don’t want to hide you in the chorus anyway, Reuben. The audience likes you, so you can have a few minutes in the front with Erin. Actually I’m having an idea for a pas de trois as well.” She sends Reuben a sudden frown. “But no ad libbing. You do my steps and don’t mess up my show.”

Reuben lifts his hands in surrender. “Thank you. I promise you, Erin, this is purely dance. And, Dean, I’m not trying to upstage you. Like anyone could.”

He delivers the last words with a twist of lips that makes it a possible insult. That’s more Reuben’s style.

Dean chooses to ignore the poke at his ego. “All right. We’ll need extra time to learn all this, which means you’re paying for dinner, Reuben.”

Reuben rolls his eyes. Clarice dismisses us, and we head to the studio’s large mirrored rehearsal room.

I hang back with Dean. “You gave in easily,” I remark.

Dean shrugs, glancing at Reuben, who is yards down the hall from us already, eager to begin.

“Keeps him from whining. Clarice will turn his demands into an asset—we all know that.”

“Hmm.” I study Dean closely, and he mouths, What? “You’re getting mellow in your thirties,” I say. “Feeling all right?”

Dean puffs up in mockery of his own usual attitude. “I’m perfectly fine. If I’m mellow it’s because I’m happy for you. I’m just a romantic at heart, I guess.”

“What does that mean?” I ask, perplexed. He was hiding something.

“Nothing.” Dean takes my hand and rushes me down the hall. “Let’s learn this new stuff. Time’s a wasting.”

I let him tow