Chapter 13
CHAPTER 13
“Where are we celebrating?” Katherine asked from the passenger seat of my car.
To be honest, I didn’t have a plan.
At all.
I was pretty new to all this.
All kinds of lines filled my head; the sort of crap I’d usually say to my one-night stands like, It doesn’t matter where we go, baby, as long as we’re together.
But I couldn’t say that shit to Katherine. Not now, not ever.
“We could eat dinner. I know it’s late but we could grab tacos at the food truck park.”
“Or…” Katherine scooted closer to me in the driver’s seat, looking up at me suggestively through a web of thick, black lashes. “We could go back to your place,” she whispered.
I stared straight ahead, gripping the steering wheel tightly as Katherine's words hung in the air between us. With how intense our connection was tonight on that stage, I wasn’t sure Katherine and I could be trusted alone in my bedroom. But even as my mind knew it was a bad idea, my body reacted to her closeness, to the sultry, slow blink of her eyes, her subtle invitation.
I wanted her, I couldn't deny that. But I also cared about her deeply and didn't want to rush into anything.
I knew it was uncharted territory for her. And it certainly was for me, too.
I took a deep breath. "Katherine, I don't think that's a good idea. You've had a lot to process tonight. This thing with the casting director, and Professor McCay..." I trailed off, glancing over at her. She was watching me steadily, no trace of hurt or embarrassment on her face. Just patience.
“The only thing I want to consider tonight is your place or mine. And since mine is past curfew…”
I groaned and slowed to a stop at a red light just as she leaned across the console and pressed a kiss to my neck right beneath my ear.
And she didn’t pull away with that one kiss. Her lips lingered, skimming down my neck to my collarbone and she moaned as if the taste of me was too damn good.
“Fuck,” I murmured and turned my lips to hers, pulling her close and kissing her deeply.
She responded hungrily, running her hands over my chest, the kiss becoming more urgent until behind us, a car honked.
“Shit,” I muttered, realizing the light turned green. I pulled away from Katherine and whipped the car into a U-turn toward my condo, ignoring the smug, triumphant smile on Katherine’s face.
I groaned, pulling into my driveway. Cars lined the street outside; the lights on, people spilled out into the yard, drinking and mingling.
“You’re having a party?” Katherine asked, just as confused as me.
“Not my party,” I grumbled and turned the car off. This had Duncan’s name written all over it.
“Isn’t that Bailey?” Katherine asked as we climbed out of the car.
“Yeah, looks like it.” And… was that Nate?
“Is this… is this a cast party?”
Oh, fuck this.
But as we walked closer, entering through the front door, I realized Katherine was right. The party consisted of everyone from our show mixing with my teammates. Upside down in the middle of the room, Duncan was doing a keg stand. As our teammates lowered him, he rushed over to us.
“Look who finally joined us!”
“You planned this?” I asked, looking around at how fast this party turned into a rager. The show only ended an hour ago and already half the people here were wasted.
“Surprise!” Duncan said, grinning.
“It sure is,” I grumbled, but one look at Katherine’s beaming smile made me relax a little.
With her tote bag still slung over her shoulder and her scuffed up character shoes dangling from her index finger by the straps, she looked around the party, eyes glinting.
Softening, I slid my hand around her waist and tucked her into my side. “You’re excited about this party?”
She shrugged a shoulder to her ear. “You only get one opening night party, right?”
“You? You’re going to have hundreds.”
She smacked my arm lightly with the character shoes. “I meant for this show, butthead.”
“Well, Juliet, what would you like to drink?”
Katherine's eyes lit up at my offer. "I'll have whatever you're having," she said with a playful smile.
“Are you sure about that? I take my drinks pretty damn strong.”
She pinched her fingers together. “Maybe a mini version of what you’re having, then. We don’t want a repeat of our last party.”
I leaned in and whispered into her ear. “You mean the party where I fingered you in the alley after?”
Katherine hid her laugh, her cheeks flushing scarlet. “Well, maybe we want a little repeat of that.”
“You little voyeur you,” I said with a tug to her hair. “Is it the thrill that someone might catch you that you like?”
Her cheeks turned a shade of scarlet I’d never seen on her before. “I’m an actress,” she whispered. “I always like people watching me.”
Well goddamn. I wasn’t expecting that. My brows drew higher. “So you really are a voyeur.”
She shrugged, but the flush of her cheeks betrayed the nonchalance of the movement. “It might be a little fantasy of mine. To have sex on stage… with an audience.” Slowly, her eyes lifted to mine, blazing bright blue like the center of a flame. “But I don’t want them to know I’m having sex. Like a little secret.”
Noted. Fucking noted.
That didn’t seem like the easiest thing to arrange, but holy shit. Maybe someday.
I squeezed her hand and led her through the crowd to the makeshift bar in my kitchen. My teammates cheered when they saw us, raising their drinks in celebration.
"To the best Romeo and Juliet this school has ever seen!" Duncan yelled, eliciting more cheers from the group.
I rolled my eyes but couldn't help smiling. Their enthusiasm was infectious. I poured Katherine and myself two glasses of rum and coke, handing her the weaker one.
"To an amazing opening night," I said, clinking my plastic cup against hers. “And to you going on to Broadway.”
She snorted, fiddling with the strap of her black character shoe. It was worn and faded, the elastic near the buckle so frayed, it looked like it might snap.
“Yes, to Romeo and Juliet, the star-crossed lovers,” Addison said from where she hung onto Ross’s arm. “But we all know how that story ends, don’t we?”
I glared at her from the other side of the counter. “Good thing that’s fiction. And Katherine and I are real life.”
Katherine smiled shyly and took a sip of her drink. As she did, Addison's gaze zeroed in on Katherine's worn shoes.
"Are those your character shoes?”
“You’ve seen me wear them at rehearsal for a few weeks.”
“Yeah,” Addison snorted, “I thought they were your rehearsal shoes… not your performance shoes. Fucking hell, they’re knock offs of Capezio?!” Addison said through a shrill laugh as she reached across the counter and yanked one out of Katherine’s grasp. Though she was smiling, her eyes glinted sharply as she passed the shoe to Bailey to see, too.
“Seriously,” Bailey said. “You don’t have a pair of LaDucas?”
Katherine gave a little snort. “I’m a freshman here on scholarships and student loans. Buying a pair of LaDucas might be a tad cart before the horse considering we need to make it through freshman cuts to be invited back to the program next year… wouldn’t you say, Bailey? Besides, my parents got those for me a few years ago for Christmas. They're my lucky shoes."
"Lucky? They look one step away from the trash," Addison said with a cruel little laugh that Bailey snickered right along with.
I tensed, anger rising hotly in my chest. But before I could say anything, Katherine lifted her chin.
"Maybe so," she said evenly. "But they helped me land this role, didn’t they? A role that you and your LaDucas didn’t get cast in.”
Addison’s eyes narrowed in an angry glare. “Only because I didn’t join the class until later.”
“You can tell yourself that,” Katherine whispered, snatching her shoe back from Addison’s hands.
I squeezed Katherine's hand, pride and admiration warming me. "Couldn't have said it better myself," I said, then guided Katherine away from the kitchen so we could get away from them. After we were out of earshot, I leaned in and whispered, “What the hell are DaDoncas?”
“LaDucas,” Katherine giggled as she corrected me. “It’s a company that makes beautiful Italian leather high end character shoes. All the Broadway dancers use them.”
“Well it sounds like once that call to Mr. Abrams goes through, you should get a pair.”
Katherine shook her head, but her beautiful smile is back. “Did you not hear what I said about the cart before the horse?”
I threaded my fingers into hers and drew her knuckles to my mouth to press a kiss to them. “How about this? Before your first Broadway show, I’ll take you to this LaDuca store and you can pick out any shoe you want.”
She scrunched her nose, but that stunning smile was still in place. “You don’t have to do that. They’re kind of expensive. “
“Oh, yeah?” I leaned down and kissed her nose. “Well… you’re kind of worth it.”