He pulls me into him, squeezing my ass as he kisses me. “Stop overthinking it. I will tell you all my grand plans when there’s something to tell.”
“You better,” I mutter back, letting him hold me close.
“You guys coming back to the villa for celebration drinks? Romeo and Orlando are already back there ready to party.” Sloane does a little shimmy like she’s ready to go.
I glance at the boys. They know how badly I don’t want to be in this country. “Sorry, sis, we’ll have to take a rain check. Got to get my princess back home,” Asher says.
She wraps her arms around me. “You did good today, girl. Look how far you’ve come from the anxious girl I met here last year.”
I laugh, knowing she’s not wrong. “Thanks for everything you’ve done to help me. I’ll be eternally grateful.”
“Maybe just keep my brothers in check for me, takes the load off my hands.” She chuckles as she flicks Asher in the forehead and slaps Cruz on the arm playfully then leaves us.
I suck in a full breath and glance up at Jagger, feeling so lucky to have stumbled upon him and his brothers. They’ve changed my life in so many wonderful ways. “Take me home.”
Jagger picks me up by the waist and deposits me onto the table, his lips hovering just above mine. Cruz walks to the door and flicks the lock. And Asher moves into my side, his hand lacing into my hair.
“We have half an hour before we have to leave for the airport.” Jagger’s lips drop to mine, and he kisses me savagely, his legs pushing in between mine.
“We need to celebrate. I’m sure Sloane won’t mind.” Asher chuckles from my side, his laughter going right through me.
“Asher Stryker, I know what you have in mind. You’re a dirty man.”
His laugh vibrates through the room as he places kisses down my neck. Cruz comes to join us, that dark look of desire igniting in his eyes that tells me I’m in for one hell of a celebration.
My cheeks flush with heat, I can feel it radiating off me, and as much as I know we shouldn’t be messing around here, I can’t resist them. Today I took control back of my life, and I’m on a high like never before. We need to celebrate.
Epilogue-Eighteen Months Later
What a Feeling
Mypalmsslickwithsweat, I sit in the waiting room of a grand, old building, anticipation thrumming through me for my dance audition this afternoon. I wouldn’t let the boys come in here with me, even though Jagger was adamant I was not leftalone. Ever. Nothing’s changed there, even if we haven’t heard a thing from my family since the contract was signed a year and a half ago. I knew my brother’s threats were empty. He had lost his right-hand man and the backing of his company. I’m not sure where he is now, but I hope the slap back to reality taught him to be more humble and less selfish. Only time will tell.
I feel sorry for any girl who walks into this building after me, she’ll have to pass my overprotective boys lurking out front. They hardly fit in with the upper-society people who run this place.
In front of me stand three incredibly beautiful girls, the grace of their athletic bodies testament to their dedication to dance. My stomach twists.Just because they look the part doesn’t mean they have anything over you, Daisy. When I change out of my combat boots and into my pointe shoes, I shove my headphones over my ears and listen to my audition song again, letting the melody take me back into my head, going through the motions I know off by heart. I have worked tirelessly with Paige over the last six months. The routine is perfect, and she assures me it’s a winner with the judges. The boys wanted to offer them a bribe to make sure I was accepted. I lost my shit with Jagger when I overheard that conversation. They might have gotten me this audition, but I’m going to win my spot at this school because of how I can dance, not because they have more money than sense and some underworld influence.
I stand and use the chair to stretch out my muscles, fiddling with my shoes to make sure they’re on perfectly. I can’t risk anything going wrong, not when it’s taken me so damn long to get back here. A girl comes running past me, nearly hitting me on her way through, her head buried in her hands. I slip my headphones off as she scurries past, obviously bawling her eyes out. “Poor girl,” I whisper, swallowing down the lump in my throat, hoping that won’t be me next.
“Some girls can’t take the heat. Looks like she cracked under the pressure,” says the redhead in a skintight black leotard beside me. She’s bent over a chair stretching out her quads and doesn’t look fazed by the other girl’s clear meltdown.
“Hope I can,” I whisper mostly to myself.
“Daisy Stryker.” My name is called from the double doors at the front of the hallway. Suddenly it feels as though all eyes are on me and my heart is about to stop. You can do this, Daisy.
I suck in a shaky breath as I move down the hall toward the dance studio. When I’m inside, the door closes with a thud, and I flinch at its finality. There’s no going back now, not with all assessing eyes on me. My heart starts to hammer against my rib cage, the thump of it like a beat of its own in my head. I know I can do this, but with the lineup of five judges’ beady eyes on me, I’m scared I’m going to fumble. This is worse than taking the stage at The Raven’s Nest for the first time. So much worse. Back there, as long as I showed some skin, I could get away with fumbling my moves out. Here, one little slip-up will see my dreams shattered.
“Daisy Stryker?” the woman in the center of the judges asks with a perfectly manicured brow raised, like she’s not so sure if she has the right girl.
“Yes.” I force a smile, doing my best to act confident, hoping my surname won’t interfere with my chances. There aren’t many around these parts who don’t look at me twice when they hear it. This dance school might be one town over, but my family are known by reputation wherever we go.
“Let’s begin.” She nods, shoving her glasses back up the bridge of her nose.
My head spins just a little, and I suck in a full breath to calm the tremble in my hands as I take my starting position. My audition song plays through the speakers, and I let the music take me away with it, feeling it vibrating through me asmy mind goes blank and the moves flow. I gracefully execute leaps, pirouettes, promenades, and an arabesque as I dance my way through the routine. When the music ends, I’m left almost breathless and panting as I stare down the judges, not from exhaustion but fear that this might all be over faster than it had time to begin.
I fucking nailed it. I can feel it deep within my soul. I just hope it was enough for them.
It’s like time has stopped as I wait for one of them to say something. Anything.
