“I was watching you before.” He wasn’t shy about his comment, and I didn’t know how to take it.
I looked him up and down again. Could he be a serial killer? Stalker? Some of the ballerinas had fans, but I’d never had one show an interest in me my whole life, not like Lawson was doing right now.
“Did you bump into me on purpose?” I wasn’t trying to raise my voice, but no matter how handsome someone was, it didn’t give them the right to purposefully ruin my day to make theirs better.
“No!” He held up his hands in the air and a look of horror graced his face. My already racing heart skipped a beat when I saw the panic, but I needed to cover that shit up. I had no idea who this man was and he already told me he’d been watching me. “That was a complete accident!”
“Sure.” My attitude was back, and I went to reach around him for the napkins to soak up the mess that was still on me. I’d completely been derailed by the interaction with Lawson. It hadn’t occurred to me I was still dripping wet inside the coffee shop.
“Shit.” He cursed at himself while watching me try to clean myself up.
I wasn’t sure if it was from the fact he felt like shit for not helping me or that I was rubbing down my torso in front of him, but my nipples were now pointing straight ahead like a beacon of what I really wanted right now. I looked back at the clock when I realized the whole time I’d been daydreaming and getting lost in this Lawson pull, I was already running late if I wanted any chance to change my clothes.
“Crap.” I tossed the used napkins into the trash bin. This would have to do for now. “I have to go.”
I turned on my heel and made my way toward the door, but an arm reached out to grab me by the hand.
“Wait.”
I spun around, and the panicked look on Lawson’s face stirred something inside of me again. It made my heart thud with anticipation of what was to happen next. The longer we were together, the less I found myself able to predict what was going to happen. The less I wanted to listen to my head and follow my heart, and what it was telling me was something I’d never experienced. But in the same moment, my head was winning out.Ballet.
“I have to go, Lawson.”
“Law.” He took a step toward me. “Call me Law.”
“I have to go.” I slipped my hand out of his and made a beeline for the front door. I didn’t hear the door close behind me as I hit the sidewalk. Instead, I heard heavy footsteps following me as I made my way toward the studio. As much as I wanted to get changed, I simply didn’t have enough time if I wanted to get in a full day of rehearsals before our show in three days.
I’d been a part of this production for two months now, and our show was coming to an end in just a few weeks. During off days we always made sure to do at least four to five hours of practice so when we went on stage on Friday nights, we always started the weekend with a bang.
“Can I get your number?” Law came up beside me, his steps matching mine, even when I increased my speed.
“No.” My answer was short and clipped. That was my head answering, but my heart had screamedyes.
“Why not?” He had to stop and adjust his footing as I rounded a corner, cutting him off.
“I don’t give my number to strange men.”
“I’m not strange. Well, sometimes I can be.”
I held in a chuckle at his response. I shook my head as to why this man chose me, because what I thought wasn’t flirtation before was clearly a mistake on my part. This man knew how to play the game, and from the way he was following me, I was sure he typically got what he wanted.
And I wasn’t giving it to him.
Well, not yet.
“Not what I meant.”
“I know,” he countered.
The loud street engulfed our silence as we continued our way toward the studio. I knew from the smell of fresh bread that we were close to my destination. It was probably the worst thing to have a bakery next to a dance studio, but it always gave us a little something to cheat on when we had a good day.
When we finally reached the studio, I stopped abruptly, causing Law to ram right into me, but luckily this time I held out my tea so it didn’t go everywhere. My hand went to his chest as his arms wrapped around me, stopping us both from toppling over.
“Give it to me.”
I couldn’t decipher if he meant my phone number or the kiss that was playing out in my head. Because right now, all I could picture was him leaning his head down and capturing my lips with his.
“Okay.” My voice came out shaky, and I could tell by his growing grin that Law knew just how much he affected me. I loved the feel of his arms wrapped around me. It was something I hadn’t been privy to in a long time, but it was now something I wanted to prolong with Law.
