Fallen Stars and Broken Dreams - C.C. Masters Page 0,93

coming and slung an arm around me as he held up his phone. Before I could even blink, the stranger had snapped a selfie of the two of us together, and then security was pulling him away from me.

“Whoa,” the young man said defensively. “No need to tase me or anything. I thought she was one of my friends from high school.”

Another security officer appeared, and I could see a third one hustling down the sidewalk towards us. The stranger gave them a charming smile.

“I’m so sorry, I was just excited to see my old crush, and I got carried away.” He looked over at me and held up his hands in a pleading gesture. “I promise, I didn’t mean to freak you out or anything. You look exactly like this girl I was madly in love with.”

I smoothed down my top and gave him a shaky smile. My heart was pounding with fear and adrenaline, and it was scary to think that just anyone could get to me that easily.

“No harm done - it was an honest mistake,” I told him hesitantly.

The security guards looked at me in question, but I reassured them I was fine. Merelle’s assistant ushered me into the waiting car, but the security officers were still questioning the guy. I hoped he wouldn’t be in too much trouble, but I wasn’t sure if the security team knew that I was Richard’s soon to be step-daughter or just a random girl on the street.

I tried to pay attention to Kary, my driver, as he talked about some of the bright spots of the city, but when my adrenaline had faded, I couldn’t hold back my yawn. I was ready to go home and crawl into my bed. I hoped Abby didn’t have any best friend activities planned for tonight. I could use some time in my dance studio after a quick nap.

Chapter 28

Katya

I heaved a big sigh when I went back to the fitness center after a trip back to the kitchen for more water. I counted four guys that I needed to walk through to get to my studio. I only hesitated for a second before I squared my shoulders back and walked through the room as if I owned it. Maverik returned to his squats after giving me a brief glance, but Kingston’s eyes lit up, and he followed me as I walked past. The other two guys watched Kingston and me with interest, but they didn’t say anything.

I ignored Kingston and slipped off my flats before sitting on the floor to get my pointe shoes on. I was already warmed up from before my trip, and I was ready to go back to work.

“What’s that for?” Kingston asked as he pointed to my inserts. I had started using the Perfect Fit kits to make custom molds for my feet a year ago and would never go back to using torn tights to pack my shoes again.

“Inserts,” I started to explain. “Imagine leaping up as high as you can into the air and landing with your entire body weight on your big toe.”

Kingston winced.

“These help to distribute the weight on your feet a little better,” I said with an amused smile. “The goal is to prevent stress fractures and sprains.”

“Does that happen a lot?” Kingston asked.

“Most dancers can dance through the pain of minor injuries, but sometimes you have to take time off. And it sucks.” I finished lacing up and stood, hoping that would give Kingston the signal that it was time for him to go. It didn’t.

One of Kingston’s buddies came in the studio with us. “You gonna learn how to dance, King?”

Kingston laughed. “Fuck off, Ali. I already got moves you can’t compete with.” He shimmied across the dance floor, and I rolled my eyes.

“Why don’t you guys do a little bit of a workout with me?” I suggested sweetly. I wouldn’t mind making them suffer through rounds of pliés and relevés.

Ali leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. “Let’s see you prance like a ballerina, King.”

I smiled at Kingston. “Developing your thigh muscles is important for hockey players, right?”

I was satisfied when I saw a flash of curiosity in Kingston’s eyes, and he followed me to the barre. I demonstrated a demi plié once in front of him and was surprised when he watched me intently but didn’t make any smart comments. I helped position his feet and corrected his posture before I let him try it. He made