CHAPTER 25 #2
“I want you to think of this dance like any good skate. You’re telling a story.
So use that to build your chemistry,” Colette gestures, appearing to think on the spot.
“Picture this: you’re both pirates from opposite sides of the shore.
” The fuck… “One of you, let’s say Troy, found this massive treasure, while the other one, so Ana, believes she found this treasure first. The only way one of you can keep the treasure is by doing this dance to see who can trick the other into keeping the gold.
Everything has to be laid out on the line.
All the frustration and anger you’ve felt for your enemy for years.
But the twist is that somewhere in the dance, you realize something deeper is building.
Lust is slowly taking over the hate, and the passion between you two is unbearable.
So unbearable that you no longer remember why you started your tango.
The treasure is no longer important. It’s just about you two. ”
Pirates?
She wants us to pretend we’re pirates?
That’s all I got out of her entire speech.
“As the audience,” she rambles on, “I need to believe that there’s nothing more that you both want than to rip each other’s clothes off. This is a dance of seduction. And right now, the connection feels like watching paint dry.”
“We just started practicing together,” I defend with a polite tone. “I’m not sure if the connection between us that you’re asking for is possible this quickly. And this also isn’t our actual routine.”
“Even though this isn’t your skating discipline or routine you’re going to compete with, this will help your entire skating dynamic. As far as your connection goes, you already have it. There’s plenty of sexual chemistry between you two, but you’re not using it for the dance.”
I stand back, stunned by her response.
When Colette goes to turn the music on again, I whisper to Troy, “Pirates? Is she actually serious?”
“Apparently, roleplaying as pirates is going to fix everything,” he says. “Especially our sexual chemistry that only she sees with her bionic vision.”
I let out a loud snort.
“Woah.” He takes a step back. “Are you okay?”
My brows furrow. “Yeah, what do you mean?”
“No, it’s just, you laughed at something I said. Just making sure you’re not ill or anything.”
My smile curves down into a glare.
“Ah, that’s more like it.”
When Colette reaches us again, she says, “Let’s forget about the technical details for now and just focus on the basics. Troy, when you lean in to hold Ana’s hand, lead with your eye contact. And touch her like it’s the last time you’ll ever have the chance to.”
“You promise?” he says.
I roll my eyes.
Troy looks into my eyes, dramatic on purpose, and this entire thing feels ridiculous. His hand is opened up to receive mine, and as our skin meets, the hold he has around my waist grows unexpectedly tighter.
It makes my back shoot straight up with awareness.
“Now, Ana, it’s your move,” Colette says, while Troy’s arms leave my waist. “How would you seduce him?”
He snorts. “Now I’d like to see this.”
As Troy waits for my move, I study his face. How cocky he looks. How convinced he is at how well he knows me. That he’s this sex god, while I’m the na?ve girl he’s laughed at for eighteen years. Instead of letting it get to me this time, I decide to give him exactly what he doesn’t see coming.
“I’m gonna go use the restroom,” Colette says, most likely at the unusual delay from my end. “But keep practicing.”
Troy’s brows start to scrunch at my drag of silence and extended glance.
I take this moment to touch him. My hands land on either side of his wrists, slowly dragging up his arms with my fingers.
When I feel his skin twitch beneath his tight thermal, I bite onto my bottom lip and finally drop my eyes onto his.
His eyes are heavy-lidded, and I’ve never seen him look so confused.
Ha, perfect. Wrapping my arms around his neck, my fingertips trace over his skin.
I smirk when I feel his pulse quicken. As it flickers against my hand, I lean in close to his ear, and whisper, “How does that feel, asshole?”
I push my face back so he can see the pride flooding out my eyes.
But he catches me off guard as he spins me around in one haste move so that my back is pressed to his chest. He drops his hands to my hips, palming them against his hips.
When I feel his hard-on, a soft gasp escapes me.
I search for his eyes through the mirror.
Without breaking our eye contact, his lips dip over the shell of my ear. “Since you asked.”
Heat pools down my body and stings between my legs at the intensity of his gaze.
The door opens, and Colette reenters. Troy and I immediately push away from each other.
“So, did I miss anything?”
We glance at each other, our eyes flickering over the other’s with uncertainty.
“No,” I cough out, while Troy runs a hand over the back of his head.
Colette doesn’t even bat an eye. Instead, she moves closer to us, then asks us to repeat the starting position we were on before she left the studio.
Troy wraps an arm around my waist like he did earlier, but when our eyes meet this time, he looks at me. Like he’s analyzing what just happened. If that was just a part of our ongoing games. Or something. Else.
When my hand rests over his free one, my skin buzzes again. His eyes are glued to mine, and the air feels thicker now. As if there’s a cloud of lust floating above our usual ruthless insults.
Every step, every dip, every turn, our eyes never leave the others, an intense gaze that neither of us drops until the music disappears.
“Interesting.”
We turn toward our instructor.
“What?” I say.
“You’re a lot more quiet.” She gives us a knowing glance. “And the chemistry is, it’s incredible now! Whatever you did, keep doing it.”
When my cheeks blush, Troy smirks.
_________
Once Colette leaves us to practice on our own, an uneasy sort of anticipation tickles over my skin. I’m not used to feeling this way around Troy—like I don’t know his next move, and I’m questioning my own.
When Troy leans forward to lift one of my legs, my attention travels to how he’s holding me. His long fingers are spread wide to grip onto more of my skin. His thumb almost reaches my inner thigh. And I notice how big his hand now looks over my body.
“Ana?”
“Yeah?”
“My eyes are up here.”
And that kills everything.
“Get over yourself.” I scoff.
He grins.
Then he hooks his palm around the back of my knee, lifting my thigh around his hip.
He dips me the same moment his mouth pushes up my body, dragging just an inch from the zipper centering my bodysuit as my back arches into him.
I try to keep my breathing steady so he doesn’t hear the hammering of my heartbeat.
When his face reaches past my neck, I lift my face to meet his.
He drops his gaze to my lips as our noses brush.
What the hell is happening?
My head feels like it’s spinning.