Chapter 11
Dakota
I’m not overreacting. I’m not over-fucking-reacting.
“Every day, for the past four goddamn days, every time I stand behind this desk, I can feel someone… him watching me like some kind of… DNR officer,” I groaned into my palms, elbows propped on the front counter as I unloaded my deep innermost thoughts on my sister.
Okay, so maybe it wasn’t specifically Rhylan that I felt stalking me, but he was still on my mind. Maybe a part of me just wanted it to be him. Those two nights; one insanely hot, the other hostile, stuck on replay—driving me crazy.
“Uh, is Steph at the nutrition shop spiking your protein shakes?” Tiffany’s brows pinched together, her lips pursed, surveying me as if I’d gone mad. “Do you see him watching you? Like, actually, physically see him at his window?”
I may have been over-exaggerating, to an extent. Subconsciously wanting his attention without saying it aloud. But I did sense that someone was following me, even if it wasn’t actually him.
“No, of course not, I—”
“Then how do you know for sure? He doesn’t look like the type who’d be prone to stalking women—have you seen his fucking abs?” Yes. I have, in fact, multiple times. The image of his body burned inside my fucking brain.
“Are you suggesting that stalkers can’t be hot?” I argued, pressing my palms onto the counter to push myself up from my bent position.
“No, I’m simply stating that he appears more than capable of getting any girl on Broadway to drop her panties just by looking at them, so he probably doesn’t need to chase you for the same high.” Rude…
“Are you saying he doesn’t want me?”
“Are you saying you want him to want you?” She scoffed, dramatic eye roll and all.
“Jesus Christ, D. You’re confusing as shit, do you know that?
I could swear that no more than an hour ago you were going off about how much you despised the man, and now you’re offended that he might not be interested at all?
” My sister’s sardonic laughter filled the empty lobby and rang through my ears.
“Just what the hell is going on with you? What’s with the spiral? ”
“I don’t—nothing.” Fuck. “I’m not offended, and nothing is going on.
I-I don’t know why I said that the way I did.
” Oh, who was I kidding? Of course, I knew.
Because deep fucking down there was a tiny fragment of my libido that was attempting to drag its way out of the pit of chastity hell just to fuck him again.
“Then what’s the problem? If you want that piece of smokin’ hot cowboy caviar, then go get him instead of pushing him away because he had the balls to open a studio across from yours.
That’s what this is about, right? The competition?
” It wasn’t just the threat he posed that bothered me.
It was the fact that I was still thinking about Rhylan in a way I shouldn’t—the undeniable hunger to be over—and under—him permanently.
“Why are you tearing yourself apart over something so petty?”
I took a slow, deep breath, collecting myself to better articulate the reasoning for my reluctance to pursue someone I otherwise obviously should.
“If I run to Rhylan now, then he wins...” God, even his name was fucking hot to say out loud.
“Wins what? A fucking cookie? A free pass to your pussy for the night? Don’t even get me started on the fact that you already know his damn name.
” Tiffany threw her arms in the air for dramatic effect, annoyance on full display.
“Going to him doesn’t make you the loser in whatever imaginary rivalry you’ve cooked up in your head.
Claim him, D. You grab that cowboy—Rhylan—by the fucking balls and show him that you’re the one in control.
You make the first move, own his fine ass.
” There was so much passion and drive in her tone.
“Giving in to your sexual desire isn’t giving in to him, so set your bullheaded dignity aside for once in your life and just fucking go for it. ”
My little sister, being the voice of reason, while my thoughts spiraled, and a stubborn part of myself stayed reluctant to bend, for fear of breaking altogether.
Intimacy often found a way to complicate even the simplest of things.
“Oh god, your silence is fucking killing me right now. I can practically hear your thoughts bleeding out from inside your head…” Tiffany slapped her hand on the counter, startling me as her eyes seared into mine like a witch being burned at the stake.
“Alright, repeat after me; you are a strong, independent bad bitch, who doesn’t need a man—no matter how goddamn hot—to validate her or make her happy. ”
“Weren’t you just—”
“But—” She drawled, continuing with her pep talk.
“That doesn’t mean you aren’t allowed to let one in for a change.
One that could be the perfect match that you’ve been waiting for, even if you can’t see it right away.
I mean, the two of you already bicker like the idea of a relationship is foreplay. ”
“How did you—”
“I was watching the security cameras that night. The alarm was tripped when he entered the studio, so I checked the system to make sure you were okay, and your body language alone told me you wanted to mount that man right where he stood.” Tiffany shrugged like spying on me wasn’t a problem.
“Tiff—”
“So, with that being said, pull that stick out of your ass and fuck what anyone else thinks. Because my opinion is the only one that matters and I’m saying the cowboy gets the green light.”
I’ve always been the one to talk my sister in and out of things… mostly out. So for her to be this aggressively passionate toward my situation was wildly out of character—and I kinda liked it.
Tiffany made it hard to fight and argue when there wasn’t a single reason to.
“Alright… fine… You win.” Because what’s the worst that could happen?
“Yay—”
“But…” I dragged out the word, cutting off her premature revelry.
“Yes?”
“You do not meddle. You do not plant the idea of this being anything more than a free use fuck into his head, got it?” My sister pressed her lips together, holding back the smile that threatened to burst from her face. “Tiff,” I warned.
“Okay, okay… no meddling.” Her eyes drifted as she sucked on her inner cheek, refusing to meet my gaze.
“Promise?”
“I… promise.” The word strained as if it were being painfully ripped from her vocabulary.
And if I know my sister… she’s gonna fuckin’ do it anyway.
What started as paranoia about being stalked eventually evolved into a dark curiosity. I found myself spending the last two nights in a cliché black hoodie, peeking through the windows of Vortex to spy on Rhylan as he taught private lessons, doing some stalking of my own.
The man had moves; there was no doubt there, and the longer I watched, the more invested I became. Rhylan was invested in his craft just as much as me, and it showed in how he cared for his students, taking them through their routines step by step and adjusting to their body’s abilities.
Tonight, he was teaching a young teen how to shuffle, and even though the kid stumbled multiple times with even the most basic footwork, Rhylan was patient; in no hurry to leave until they were ready.
I still hated him and his fucking studio, but beneath it all, something was making the idea of playing house, as my sister would call it, more appealing.
“And here I thought my sister was too good for stalking.” Tiffany’s voice startled me as she stepped into the shadows of the awning, her shoulder lightly brushing against mine.
“Didn’t you just accuse Mr. Tall, Cut, and Handsome of the same thing a couple of days ago?
” One of her brows arched with her question, and an ‘I knew it’ smirk gleamed in her eyes.
“There’s something about him that I can’t seem to get out of my system.” I was always open and honest with my sister; we rarely hid anything from each other anymore.
“I think they call that instant attraction; borderline love.” She elbowed me in the side with a light-hearted chuckle, and I didn’t fight the smile she elicited with the gesture.
“Don’t you go bringing the L-word into this. I don’t even know him.” Even after spending the past few nights studying this man, I didn’t know a single goddamn thing more about him than I did the days before.
“You and I both know that’s total bullshit. You know enough to decide if he’s worth chasing. You’re just too scared to admit the truth out loud.”
I returned my attention to Rhylan inside his studio and could swear that, through the mirrors' reflections, his eyes met mine for a brief second; my lungs stalled, and my chest tightened.
“What if what I want feels… dangerous?” Rhylan gave off an energy when he was near; one that emanated a vicious predator on high alert, reeking of testosterone. But oddly enough, the danger only made me crave him more.
“Then I’d say all the more reason? We both know you’re a closet adrenaline junkie; hell, you went skydiving last year just to prove a point, which again, you didn’t, and I still have nightmares of your body exploding on impact and covering that field in all your blood and organs and shit... ” I winced at her imagery.
“Morbid much, Tiff? Really? Was that necessary?”
“What? I have an overactive imagination, I can’t help it if my thoughts come out darker than they should.”
“And you say I have issues…”
“Hey! This isn’t about me, Miss Nightcrawler, lurking in the shadows of Rhylan’s dance studio like a psycho.
This is about you and him.” Her eyes flicked over to Rhylan, who was now helping his client pack up his things.
“Oh, shit. Go, go, go.” Tiffany whispered as she shoved me to the side and we took off down the nearest alleyway, keeping out of sight.
“Danger aside, I said what I said and meant it. You have your little sister’s stamp of approval on this one, and who knows, maybe you can hook me up with one of his hot friends later.
” She gave a playful wink and another nudge to the side of my arm.
“Always so encouraging when there’s something in it for you…”
“I mean… Can you blame a girl for wanting a walking six-pack for a husband? Biceps that I could just sink my teeth into and—”
“You can be shallow at times, ya know that?” I didn’t tease her often, but when I did, she knew I was right.
“Easier to fish when the water is at knee height. I’m not a strong swimmer, and the tide pool is looking a little… empty.” But I swear, the hopeless romantic in my sister would someday be another man’s reckoning.
“Touché, Tiff. Now let’s go home. I’m tired, and tomorrow is going to be a rough one if we plan to go out after work.”
“Say no more. I’ll help where I can.”
Because when in doubt, we could always count on each other.