Savage Vandal (82 Street Vandals #1) - Heather Long Page 0,75
from concertos to rock, I grinned.
This was home.
The place between music and movement.
Serene, despite the exertion, I repeated the cartwheels, rolling my whole body all the way across the studio then back. The spin coupled with being upside down sent all the blood pounding into my skull. If dancers and performers weren’t used to it, it could disorient even the most capable.
And I hadn’t been capable of much the last few weeks.
I came out of the last cartwheel in an arabesque. I hadn’t bothered with pointe shoes. I’d need to smash the boxes. And I could dance barefoot. Today it was just about the music. The music segued to another familiar tune, and I went through a whole series of positions, riding the grace of the music. The suite was perfect for warming up, building control and then letting loose.
Every step elongated the stretches I’d already done. Every motion reasserted my control. The constant hum in the back of my mind silenced as I flowed with the music. No bruises to stiffen my movements, and there was an odd elation that struck when that thought eddied to the surface. The music shifted again, this time to something more rock opera, and my mind relaxed as my body took over.
Riding the razor edge between performance and exertion, I surrendered to the motion. This wasn’t some rehearsed moves, but just letting my body move to the music. I wanted to go up en pointe, but without shoes, my toes would have to do. Pirouette. Arabesque. Step in. Step out. Back to center. Around. I spun with the dance, and when the music changed to something much more pulse pounding, I just let go.
The rush of it and the motion. The silks weren’t too far above me, and I did a series of flips then caught them, suspending as I held there and flexed as I began to roll them and up I went. The peace I’d found in the music and the motion couldn’t compare to the elation flooding me as I began to work my way up.
Roll, twist, weave, and catch the foot, then tumble and swing and back up again. I flew up and then down. Each sinuous motion would allow me to climb as I rolled with them. There was a moment when I was suspended only by the weight of my feet balanced in the folds of the silks, my arms outstretched, that everything fell away.
Eric.
The company.
The bruises.
The bones.
The terror.
The kidnapping.
Even my erstwhile guardians, who despite their rough, tatted exteriors and dangerous air, didn’t frighten me.
Well, not much.
“Hey, pretty girl, you lost?”
“She looks lost.”
I slipped a little but caught on the swing and then twisted up and rolled down until I hung just from the two edges and dropped. I didn’t land as I expected though, hard arms closed around me as someone caught me.
My eyes flicked open, and I found Jasper staring at me with the most unexpected openness and wonder in his dark gray eyes. The hammer of my heart thudded against my ribs. Rather than just set me down, Jasper curled his arms up until he almost had me in a bridal carry. Panting, I fought to find words. They weren’t always easy to reach when I was lost to the music. The next song clicked over, and it was a slower tempo, something to cool down with, and I needed to…
“Can you put me down?” I managed to push those five words out, and Jasper shifted his grip and slowly let me stand. It involved me sliding down the front of him, but he didn’t brush my ass or catch the side of a breast. More, he moved almost subtly so I didn’t hit his groin. I swallowed around a suddenly dry mouth because I wanted to see if he was turned on.
Sweat slicked my skin, and the air had turned humid around me. Though I was breathing far harder than I should be for the workout. Jasper didn’t withdraw once I was on my feet. If anything, he seemed to be studying me intently like he wanted to dig inside my brain or something.
I took a step back, and his hands loosened before they fell away from me. A quick sweep of the room showed me we were alone, and I turned away and began to move again to the music. Longer motions, stretching again. I’d pushed and I could feel twinges, especially in my arms, but I didn’t care.