Chapter 19
Chelsea
“You’re up,” Jasper said as the audience continued to applaud for the gruesome threesome.
Yes, their performance was tight, artistic, and acrobatic. But in my mind, the dance hadn’t allowed anyone to feel the emotion of the piece.
Maybe I was still reeling from their nasty barbs.
“Okay.”
In another rarity, Jasper touched my shoulder. “You’re going to do great.”
I tried to smile, telling myself whatever happened, I would continue dancing. This wasn’t the end. This was just another night where I could express myself.
With the curtains down, I took the stage, easing onto the floor and waiting for the music. As the curtains began to rise again, blue lights shimmered across the stage, shifting in time to the music. The few chords were played and I awakened.
What I’d found challenging when I’d danced the piece before was trying very hard to encapsulate what I believed it would feel like if I lost a child. While I’d felt it in my bones, if only for a little while, the connection to the character I was portraying had never been electric.
That’s what was missing from the dance.
Even thirty seconds in, I knew I was holding back. Yes, every move was technically correct, fluidly beautiful. However, the missing piece could clearly be seen. I could tell when I danced toward where Jasper was standing.
His smile was smug, not joyful.
I threw myself into the music, moving toward the edge of the stage.
With the lights following me, a portion of the audience was illuminated.
That’s when I noticed Samantha, who was sitting on the edge of her seat.
But she wasn’t alone. Just before I was to make a signature jump, my gaze landed on the seat beside her.
Where Roy was seated.
My Roy.
The moment I noticed him, I instantly froze, which wasn’t supposed to happen. I stood taller, taking a couple of deep breaths while he tilted his head until our eyes locked.
While the music continued to pulse through me, I took a deep breath. He was here. Even after I’d pushed him away. For whatever the reason, a locked-down set of emotions hit me. I scuttled backward on the stage, throwing my arms out.
And without missing a beat, I not only felt the music, the pain of losing someone you cared about with all your heart, I felt it deep within my core.
So deep it felt as if I was flying.
The steps were easier, the jumps higher, and the spins with more rotation. I was breathless, happy, and full of despair all at the same time. There was no one else in the theater except for myself and one member of the audience.
A wolf.
As the music rose into a crescendo, I realized tears had formed in my eyes. That’s how heartfelt the piece had become. Once again, as I collapsed to the floor in almost the same place as when Roy had seen me dance what seemed so long ago, I was thoroughly spent.
And completely thrilled with my performance.
Whether or not I’d been seen by anyone of any importance I might never know. What I did know was that Cole Kendrick had made it his business to come to my performance. Maybe not such a bad guy after all.
No, in fact, he was amazing and I couldn’t wait to have him in my arms.
As the audience erupted in applause, I felt my usual sense of relief that always accompanied me when concluding a performance.
My body should feel exhausted instead of feeling more exhilarated than normal.
With everyone standing, I was also slightly embarrassed.
I’d experienced cautious if not obligatory applause and this wasn’t it.
The reactions were everything I hoped for, but right now, I was searching for Roy’s face. I still couldn’t find myself longing to call him by his real name. Roy had been the hot hockey man to encourage me.
He was on his feet, his hands in the air still clapping, but his eyes were directed at me. Before I took a bow and left, he nodded to the other side of him, grinning as he did.
Had an asteroid just crashed into the earth? My brother was sitting next to him. In the same theater, two guys I was certain would end up killing each other. Not only were they sitting side by side, but my brother had also come to see me dance.
Miracles would never cease.
And my brother was just as thrilled, yelling almost the loudest of anyone.
My gaze drifted back to Roy, my body tingling and not only from the heavy dose of endorphins. There was something about the powerful dark-haired god that kept goosebumps popping across my skin and my pulse racing.
It was at that moment I realized with every movement the leotard dragged over my painfully sensitive nipples. During such a potentially important moment, I was having an attack of horniness. What a ridiculous reaction, but as I’d experienced when dancing, there was no one in the room. Not a soul.
Just the two of us and my raging hormones.
Roy offered a salacious smile, which I’d come to realize he was very good at and moved past Jagger toward the aisle.
Before I jumped off the stage, I backed away as the lights faded.
“That was incredible, Chelsea. People,” Jasper called. “That’s how it’s done. Every emotion. Passion. Yearning. Intense desire. Anguish from a painful loss. Brilliant. You should be proud of yourself.”
I was jarred by his praise even while catching Tori’s comment. “She’s nothing special.”
Maybe she was right, but at this point, I didn’t care.
“Yes, Tori,” Jasper corrected. “She is.”
She turned in a huff, which I had to admit made me a little giddy.
“Kyle. Casper. Final performance. Make it count.” Jasper was already moving on, which was fine by me.
While I was supposed to remain close for the final curtain call, I flew toward the back corridor, hoping that’s where Roy had gone.
I didn’t see him at first, only the people from the theater who were going about doing their jobs. I was beginning to think he’d left, disappointed as the anticipation slowly began to fade into something troubling when a series of electric pulses skittered through me.
Stopping short, I gripped the edge of a door, taking several deep breaths because I needed to. The sensations were stronger than I’d experienced before forcing me to close my legs. Wetness formed in my core while the scent of my desire wafted into my nostrils.
He was here. He was close.
I slowly turned around, noticing his grin was lopsided, as if he’d done something wrong. In his hands were daisies. A bundle of colorful daisies. As he walked closer, I found myself doing the same.
By the point he was only a couple of feet away, he noticed I was staring at the flowers. “The flower shops were closed. We got back to town too late.”
“They’re beautiful. How did you know they were my favorite?”
The grin became more sensual. “Clementine strikes me as a down-to-earth girl.” He swaggered closer, his eyes lighting up. They were shimmering in spun gold.
“I don’t know about that.” I took a few steps closer. A part of me continued to believe this was a bad idea, but the rest?
When he was close enough, I fisted his shirt, dragging him toward the small dressing room.
He was the one who kicked the door shut, barely able to find a place to put the flowers before he pushed me back against the dressing table, bending me over only a split second before he captured my lips.
There was no need to talk, at least not right now.
The hunger was too explosive, a need that transcended all common sense.
He was more aggressive than ever before, immediately thrusting his tongue inside. The taste of him was way too sweet, the strong hint of peppermint as delicious as the way he looked.
Rugged and perfect. Maybe I was a bit jaded, but as the kiss took on a life of its own, I rolled my hands over his shoulders. The weight of his body crushing mine was spectacular, creating even more wetness between my legs. The crotch of my poor leotards would soon be soaked.
The way he dominated my tongue reminded me just how possessive he was. The moment and the dark cravings were delicious. Roy slipped his arm around me, sliding his hand under my bottom. With a savage jerk, he pulled me even closer until I was able to feel the entirety of his raging desire.
If we weren’t careful, we’d soon rip each other’s clothes off. Imagine how that would look to those bitches. I was almost ready to encourage bad behavior. With his other hand, he cupped the side of my face. The second he pulled his lips free, we both moaned. Or maybe he growled instead.
Whatever the case, I was lightheaded, my heart thudding.
As inappropriate as it seemed, all the stories about shifters rushed into my mind.
How strong they were. How intense their personalities, which I certainly knew to be true.
I wondered if what I’d read was true, that their senses were almost superhuman.
I had a feeling at some point soon I’d find out.
Using his thumb, he tilted my head back and dragged his tongue along my jaw, taking his time tracing my lips.
“I fucking missed you,” he muttered in his deep, gravelly voice.
“Me too.” I squeezed my hand between us, kneading his chest muscles while I crawled my fingers down further. There was nothing I wanted more than to have his cock buried deep inside. The ache in my pussy was increasing.
Beads of perspiration had already formed across my upper lip.
The need for him was increasing, becoming something almost obsessive.
A compulsion. I was shocked how powerful the draw to him was, so much more than before.
What was that saying about absence making the heart grow fonder?
At this point, it was turning need into something highly primal in nature.
We were both panting at an equal rate, consumed by the other.
And of course as luck would have it, the door was thrown open. Not only were there recognizable voices in Tori and Sienna, but also someone trying to keep people from coming inside.
“You can’t go into the dressing rooms. Those are for the dancers.” One of the stagehands seemed frantic.