CHAPTER 25
Troy
ANA’S THERMAL JACKET rubs against mine as we fall into step with each other in the hallway of the rec center.
“Good morning,” I hum.
“Yeah,” she mutters, staring ahead. “Right.”
As we make our way toward our studio, I start stretching out my shoulders. It’ll hopefully save more time for our practice and also make up for having to leave earlier yesterday.
She turns toward me as we continue to walk. “Maybe if you warmed up enough you wouldn’t be sore right now.”
I drop my arms.
She’s unbelievable.
Here I was trying to help, but no…
“The pain started the minute you walked through those doors and entered the building,” I say.
I hear her smirk. “Didn’t know I had so much of an effect on you.”
“Well, nausea does that to people,” I chide, dry. Now that I’m going, I want to go even deeper, way, way crueler. The way only she manages to bring out of me. “Turns out ice dance isn’t as easy as I thought. It’s actually pretty hard. So, what do you think about taking tango dance rehearsals?”
A few beats of silence pass as she debates my proposal. “Yeah, sure, I don’t mind that,” she says. Satisfaction and surprise shoot through me. “When were you thinking?”
“Oh, I was thinking just for you. But sure, yeah. I can join.”
She scoffs, loud. “You’re actually unbelievable.”
“Thank you.”
“That wasn’t a compliment, idiot.”
As we reach the final hallway that leads to our studio, we pass by a larger one that’s filled with ballerinas on pointe.
The Academy owns the rec center, but it’s mostly used for the ballet academy that an unaffiliated director runs.
The building isn’t as crowded since it’s the summer, though, it looks like this particular studio’s pretty full.
A few dancers crowd outside the wide glass window, chatting together, watching us.
“Do you know them?” Ana asks me.
“Nope. But I should…” I wink at one of the girls just to piss Ana off.
And it works, when she notices the soft brunette smile back at me and then rolls her eyes.
“If only they knew how insufferable you are,” Ana sighs out. “You must hide it so well.”
I snort.
“What, is that the only word you’re capable of using to describe me, now, Petrov?”
Flicking a brow at her, a tinge of rosiness fills her cheeks, spreading heat across my own skin.
“Well,” she says, “it’s the perfect word to describe you, so yeah.”
“Because you know me so well…” I stop our steps when we reach our studio.
“I know you enough.” She crosses her arms as I tilt my head at her.
“You think.”
“What?”
“You think you know me.” Swinging the door open, I paste on an artificial smile. “After you, dearest.”
She rolls her eyes again.
_________
As we both slip off our jackets, I notice what Ana’s wearing underneath.
A fitted black tank top that I’m pretty sure doubles as a bodysuit.
And it has a long zipper running down the center.
Paired with her black leggings, her outfit leaves pretty much nothing to the imagination.
The latex is so tight, it feels wrong for me to even be watching, when she looks like she’s naked.
Wait, hold on. Why am I thinking of Ana, naked?
I quickly redirect my eyes to our instructor.
When Colette tells us to take our spots in front of each other, my attention turns back to Ana.
We face each other again. Glancing back up at her, my gaze lands on her chest. Her nipples poke against the latex, the zipper in between toying with me.
Knowing that if I gave it one single tug, her perky tits would bounce right out at me.
My cock stirs.
Ana’s voice snaps me out of that rabbit hole. “If you’re done staring at my boobs, I’d love to start our routine.”
“I wasn’t staring. I was admiring,” I gesture like a buffoon, and though, she grimaces, she also blushes.
“How was practice yesterday?” Colette asks us.
“Great,” I reply. “Ana made tons of progress.”
Ana smiles. “I couldn’t have done it without Troy.” My lips quirk at her overly friendly tone. “His grip during the lifts needs some more work, though. Oh, and his dismount could be a bit tighter. But other than that, he did alright.”
There is nothing wrong with my dismount. Or my grip. And she knows that.
Colette begins the music that neither Ana nor I missed.
As I lift Ana above my shoulders, I hold her firmer than the last time. Frustration coats my skin as her eyes glare at me from the mirror.
“Is this a good enough grip for you?” I choke out.
“Ah, did my comment get to you?” she says, while dismounting from above me.
“No, you’re getting to me.”
“Am I? What should I do then to please you?”
A rush of heat travels south.
“I have a few ideas…” My eyes move to the zipper between her chest. She glances down, then scowls at me.
Colette starts explaining the next lift in the routine. “For this next one, Ana, you will put your left foot on Troy’s left thigh. He will hold you from the front of your thighs, so that on the ice, your blades would be on his legs. But he will hold you tight so that you’re barely touching him.”
“Uh, I’d slow down a bit if I were you,” I interrupt. “Ana’s not the best at multitasking.”
Ana slams her foot down onto mine the same moment she pinches my shoulder. “I dunno, I’d say my multitasking’s pretty good.”
I scoff as her eyes light up. “Such a brat.”
“Start the lift,” Colette snaps at us. “We have a lot to get through today.”
I lift Ana’s left leg over mine. Before pushing her up onto both my thighs, I say, “Hey, it’s your signature pose.” She cocks a brow at me. “The flamingo.”
“Yeah? If I’m a flamingo, then you’re an ass.”
I laugh. “Come up with that all on your own, huh?”
She takes a deep breath, gesturing a hand to her hips. “Your hands need to be below my waist.”
I drop them lower.
“Any lower, and I’ll be at your ass. Unless that was your plan all along.” With my pointer finger, I graze it along her chin.
She steps on my toe again.
I lean close to her ear and whisper, “You know, every time you do that, it just turns me on.”
She meets my gaze, defiant. “Then I’ll make sure to press harder next time.”
“Yeah?” I grin. “And then what are you gonna do?”
“You’re lucky we’re not in our skates right now.”
“Hm, and why’s that, Ana?”
Her chest starts rising in irritation.
But she’s the one that started it today.
She’s actually started most of our bickering since high school.
I’ll happily take the blame for the years prior, but since her freshman year of high school, it’s like a grudge she can’t let go of.
A hate that’s grown between us, bigger each year. Waiting to explode.
I said it to mess with her, but arguing with her like this, it does turn me on. God knows why. Ana’s the insufferable one. Though I also can’t ever seem to get enough of the dynamic we have. Not before, not now.
_________
“Stop.”
Ana and I pause the spin we were working on at Colette’s dismissive tone.
Our instructor walks closer to the center of the studio to where we’re currently standing, our arms unlocked now. “The chemistry,” she announces. “It’s off.”
If I haven’t heard that one before…
“You’re both just moving,” she continues. “You’re not feeling the movements. From a technical scale, it’s an A+. But the tango isn’t a mechanical dance. It’s sexy and fluid. And you both look tense.”
Not to be a dick, but I don’t think I look tense. But she is our instructor…
Ugh.
“I mean, even your eye contact is awful,” Colette adds. “Why are you barely looking at each other?”
Ana and I grow quiet.
“Were you,” she gestures between us, “were you two a couple before?”
Ana gags, while I snort.
“She wishes,” I say at the same time Ana says, “Absolutely not!”
Colette looks, she looks surprised?
“Why did you ask?” Ana steals the words from my lips.
“Because you look at each other like you’ve seen the other person naked.”
Yup. Our ice dance instructor is on crack.
I think Ana seconds the notion when I spot the deep divot that’s landed between her brows.
Before any of us can continue, Colette’s phone rings. Her phone is always damn ringing. Maybe if she spent the same amount of time telling us how the hell she thinks we should fix the chemistry that she desperately feels is missing from this pointless routine, we’d be in better shape now.
“What is Colette even saying?” I mutter when she runs off.
“She’s right about our chemistry,” Ana agrees, surprising me. “We have none of it, so we should work on it.”
My lips curve. “Mm, are you suggesting we sleep together?”
She narrows her eyes at me with disgust. “I would never suggest that, asshole.”
“It’s a solution.”
“To madness.”
I cross my arms. “Well, you could just imagine that we’re having—”
“Seriously?” Her cheeks flush bright red.
“—a great time practicing together. Tell me, what did you think I was going to say?” I tilt my head up at her with a smirk.
“I swear your biggest talent is to piss me off.”
“Eh, I think you’d tweak that sentence if you knew me a bit better.”
“Doubt it.”
“Sorry, about that.” Colette returns to the studio. “Back to what we were discussing. I have a suggestion.”
_________
Ana