Tia squinted at her, as if not quite believing the words that came out of Saylor’s mouth. Which was fine because Saylor wasn’t sure she believed them either.

  “Fine. It’s not that.”

  “Much better,” Tia answered, grinning when their glasses of wine were brought over. “I don’t appreciate you not telling me the truth.”

  Duly noted. Saylor cringed. She did have to do better about that. She was so used to avoiding sharing what she was feeling because no one wanted to hear about it. No one wanted to know about the anxiety that raged within her. No one ever had.

  “My friend, Callie, is talking about coming for a visit. Any good places I should take her?” Saylor fidgeted with her fingers in her lap, staring at the wine glass in front of her. She hadn’t started drinking it yet, afraid that if she did, then she really wouldn’t be able to hold her tongue.

  “There’s lots of places. Have you been to many of the tourist spots since moving here?”

  Saylor shook her head. She’d barely left the apartment except for dance classes. Her heart sank. When had she become such a recluse? She sighed, knowing her face fell because Tia immediately leaned forward.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I just feel like I’ve been stuck in a rut. I can’t get out of my own head. Have you ever felt like that?”

  “All the time.” Tia’s lips quirked up slightly, and she leaned back again with her wine. “I got custody of my nieces when I was very young. Fallon was nine and Monti was barely two. And I raised them from there on, but there were so many times that I just felt like I was doing the same thing over and over again and it wasn’t making a damn bit of difference. With each of them in different ways. And then there were other days when I was so exhausted and burned out and didn’t know what to do next that I just wanted to lie in bed all day and never emerge.” Tia gave a little nervous chuckle.

  But Saylor had never felt more seen before.

  She felt like that almost every day lately. She’d felt like that before, but it hadn’t ever lasted this long. Saylor picked up her glass of wine and took a sip, debating about what to say next. She could confirm or she could deny. She could change the topic, too. But she didn’t want to. Something about this felt right.

  “I don’t know what to do.”

  “About what?”

  “Moving here.” Saylor shrugged. “I can’t find a job, I’m a strain on Jameson because I’m not contributing and I’m always home, and I’m just not myself anymore.”

  “Who are you?” Tia asked, and she seemed genuinely curious.

  Saylor licked her lips, the bitter flavor from the wine lingering on the tip of her tongue. She shook her head slowly, tears nearly brimming in her eyes. “I don’t know.”

  “Then we should probably start there.”

  We?

  Never before had that sounded so good. Like someone was actually going to be there with her. Shouldn’t it be Jameson who made her feel not alone? There she was again. Back to comparing. Cursing herself, Saylor bit the inside of her cheek.

  “How did you do it?” Saylor finally asked.

  “Do what?” Tia’s eyes seemed to glitter with amusement at the obvious change in topic. But she didn’t call Saylor out on it.

  “How did you figure out who you were?”

  “Oh.” Tia took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I had a crash course. That’s the flippant answer. Let me try again.” Tia thought for a minute before starting again. “I don’t think it’s a one-time deal, figuring out who you are. When I got my nieces, I had to figure out who I was again. When they were grown up and moved out, then I had to do it again. Each time we enter a new phase in life, I think that’s a process we go through.”

  “Maybe that’s just what I’m doing then.” Saylor’s voice was soft, and she stared at the table as two heaping plates of food were set in front of them.

  “Good. It takes practice.” Tia immediately dove into her food. She took that first bite, moaning around the food in her mouth, her eyes rolling back into her head as she plopped her back into the seat and moaned again. “God, this place never does anything wrong.”

  Saylor’s heart raced. Just hearing those sounds, so wild and erotic, her entire body was alight with something. She couldn’t quite name what it was, but it made her incredibly uncomfortable. She was overheated. Her chest was tight and constricted. And she couldn’t get the sound out of her head.

  Is that what Tia sounded like in other situations?

  Saylor had heard her groan like that when she was stretching before and after class, but it hadn’t quite had the same effect as this time.

  “Saylor?”

  Snapping her gaze to Tia’s, Saylor realized far too late that she’d become completely distracted and disarmed. “Yeah?”

  “You’re not eating.”

  “Oh.” Saylor’s cheeks burned. In fact, her entire body burned. She ducked her chin, refusing to look up at Tia, and shoved a forkful of food into her mouth. She didn’t taste a damn thing. And she knew it wasn’t because it wasn’t good, or that it didn’t have flavor, it was because her embarrassment over being caught in the spiral her thoughts had taken her down overwhelmed all of her other senses.

  Finally convincing herself to look up at Tia, she found her dinner companion with a sly smile on her lips and amusement in her gaze.

  “I like you, Saylor,” Tia said, her tone light. “And I don’t mean that in a mean way at all. You’re interesting, and I want to get to know you better.”

  How had Tia known what to say? Saylor’s shoulders tensed sharply. She shouldn’t want to get to know her temporary boss or her dance instructor better, should she? Wasn’t there supposed to be some kind of boundary there to protect each other? But this was so different from any other coaching relationship or boss relationship Saylor had in the past. Starting with the very fact that Tia was a woman, and Saylor had only ever related to men in those capacities.

  “Just letting you know that,” Tia said before finishing her glass of wine. She set it down on the table, looking Saylor directly in the eye. “In case you want to make a friend here instead of hiding away in your apartment all day every day.”

  Saylor choked back the worry that erupted in her throat. “Okay.”

  “Just okay?” Tia raised an eyebrow, sliding her finger along the curve of the wine glass and down the stem.

  “No, you’re probably right. I do need friends here.” Saylor’s lips pulled into a smile. “I definitely need friends here.”

  “Good.” Tia grinned broadly. “The studio is a great place to start looking for that.”

  Saylor nodded, not quite sure what she’d agreed to. But it felt good and right, whatever it was. It settled deep into her chest, and she relaxed into the moment. Tia didn’t want anything bad for her. In fact, it was the opposite. Tia just wanted her to thrive in Seattle. That’s what a good friend would do, wasn’t it?

  “To friends?” Saylor picked up her fork with the pasta on it and held it toward Tia. “Since you don’t have a drink.”

  Laughing, Tia followed Saylor’s lead and twirled her food around her fork. They joined them in the middle of the table, a giggle erupting from Tia’s lips. “To friends.”

  ten

  Sweat dripped down the center of her back, pooling right at the top of Tia’s ass. She breathed heavily as they finished up the last of the dance class that night, her heart still racing from the workout. Saylor looked alive with energy.

  Tia had loved getting to know Saylor the last week, and with Jericho back in the reins now that she wasn’t sick anymore, something had been missing. Tia wiped her hand over her forehead, clearing the droplets of sweat that had pooled there.

  The class lingered around, grabbing water as the music continued into the next song on the track. No one was leaving quite yet. Which was interesting. Had they all found a second wave of energy? Tia walked over to the stereo and turned the music off, hoping to signify that the class had well and truly ended.

  Laughter erupted from behind her as she locked up the equipment. Tia rolled her shoulders at the joyous sound. Saylor and Jericho chatted off to the side while some of her students finally started to leave. Steven touched Tia’s arm.

  “We’re going to S-Club. You should come.”

  “Oh.” Tia shifted her gaze around the room until it landed on Saylor. It had been a while since she’d gone dancing with her little crew. Saylor had a huge smile on her face, and immediately she looked up at Tia, their eyes meeting across the room. Tia overexaggerated her nod and kept her eyes on Saylor while she answered Steven. “Sure. That sounds fun.”

  “Perfect!” He squeezed her shoulder lightly and then ran off to invite someone else.

  Jericho bounced into the lobby, and Saylor walked slowly toward Tia. The others were already scattering and preparing to leave. Tia’s stomach tightened as Saylor came closer. Something about her put Tia on an edge she really didn’t want to be on. But it was impossible to avoid her. It was as if Tia was drawn to her, pulled as if Saylor controlled every move she made.

  “Good class,” Saylor said, her eyes locked on Tia’s face.

  “Yeah. I think you’re right on your way to being ready for the competition.”

  Saylor’s smile, which had barely lit up her lips, faltered. “Uh… yeah.”

  “Are you worried about it?”

  “I always worry.” Saylor crossed her arms over her chest, which pushed her breasts up in her sports bra beautifully.

  Tia flicked her gaze down and then back up, forcing herself to look away. Saylor wasn’t interested in women. Saylor was an engaged woman. She was tangled up in a relationship already.

  “Are you going dancing?” Saylor asked, so timidly.

  Tia took a step in closer, wishing that Saylor would raise her head up and look directly at her. “I am. Are you?”

  “I don’t know.” Saylor worried her lower lip. “I’m not exactly someone fun when it comes to going out.”

  “Oh, I don’t know about that. I’ve enjoyed getting to know you these past few weeks. Besides, didn’t you say you wanted to make more friends? Steven will be there.”

  “Jericho’s going,” Saylor supplied, looking up into Tia’s eyes.

  Saylor’s amber eyes seemed to be filled with fear and something else. Tia held the moment, trying to figure out exactly what it was. Did Saylor not want to be friends with Jericho? Tia hummed to herself. No, she did. But the only person Saylor might consider a friend in this room was her.

  “You should come,” Tia added, planting a smile on her face. “Unless Jameson is in town and you need to spend some time with him. It’ll be good to get out, dance, burn some energy.”

  “Drink,” Saylor supplied.

  Tia laughed. “Yes, drink.”

  Saylor sucked in a sharp breath. “All right. Let’s go.”

  “Jameson…?” Tia reached out for Saylor’s elbow, holding onto it. She glanced down at her hand, realizing far too late she really needed to keep some distance between them.

  “He’s gone for the week. Florida and then North Carolina.”

  Nodding to no one but herself, Tia sucked in a sharp breath and let it out. “Then let’s go.”

  “Shouldn’t we clean up first?”

  Tia looked around, finding the studio already empty. Saylor pointed toward the broom, but Tia shook her head. “I’ll do it in the morning. I think we can ease off for one night to have a little fun, don’t you?”

  “Uh…sure.” Saylor crossed her arms again.

  Tia grinned and slid her hand into the crook of Saylor’s arm, walking toward her office. “I just need to lock up.”

  With their jackets on, the studio locked up tight, Tia led Saylor arm-in-arm down the street. S-Club wasn’t that far from the studio, which meant they could at least walk there. By the time they were drunk and it was after midnight, they’d probably want to get a ride home, but for now, Tia would take the walk to warm up her muscles.

  “Jameson sure does travel a lot.”

  “He does,” Saylor answered, tightening her grip on Tia’s arm. “He enjoys it.”

  “Do you?”

  Saylor sucked in a sharp breath. “I enjoy visiting new places. Though most I didn’t get to properly visit when I was competing.”

  “Right. In and out, always busy practicing and winning.” Tia bumped her shoulder against Saylor’s.

  “In a way, yes.” Saylor looked down at the ground, her grasp tightening on Tia’s. “I don’t enjoy him being gone so much.”

  “I can see how that would be hard.” Tia pointed up ahead. “We’re almost there.”

  The building buzzed with noise already, even though it was early in the evening. Tia kept Saylor’s arm in hers as they navigated through the people to find the rest of the dance class. Some people from other classes she taught had shown up as well.

  Tia made nice small talk with all of them, cringing when she caught sight of Kirsten’s blonde head off to the side. She had really hoped no one would invite her, but luck had never been on her side. Kirsten had woven herself into the fabric of the studio, and despite many attempts, Tia had never managed to get her out.

  “Do me a favor,” Tia whispered into Saylor’s ear. She had to trust someone here, and so far, the others hadn’t proven worthy to keep Kirsten away. “Don’t leave me alone with Kirsten.”

  “With…” Saylor trailed off, her eyes landing on Kirsten. Saylor tightened her grasp on Tia’s arm and turned to her with a smile. “Never.”

  “Dance?”

  “Yes.” Saylor started toward the main dance floor, dragging Tia behind her. They ditched their jackets on one of the small tables that their crew had claimed and immediately hit the floor.

  Saylor took hold of Tia’s hand and spun her around with a grin on her lips before stopping and swaying her hips side to side to the beat. Fuck, she was sexy when she did that. Did she even know it? Did she realize how attractive she was when she pushed aside the anxiety and worry and let her full personality shine?

  Tia put her hands on Saylor’s hips and pulled her closer, sliding a leg right along Saylor’s and encouraging the grind. They’d likely move into more dancing later, but for right now, Tia wanted to center herself and lose herself in Saylor. She wanted to forget that she knew Kirsten was watching them, that she was likely getting more pissed off by the second.

  Rolling herself up on her toes, Tia planted a hand on the small of Saylor’s back. She slid her other one down her arm, lacing their fingers together. She was going to push thoughts of Kirsten as far back in her mind as possible.

  “Are you ready?” Tia asked into Saylor’s ear, making sure that she heard.

  “Ready for what?” Saylor’s chest rose up with her breath, and Tia found her gaze locked on her breasts. It really was impossible not to see how sexy she was. She should just give up on avoiding it already.

  Tia grinned as she backed up slightly and positioned her hands out to her sides, Saylor’s loosely in hers. “To improv.”

  “What?”

  Tia didn’t give her a chance to react as she spun Saylor around, leading her into a dance that neither of them knew the steps to. Saylor followed perfectly. Tia spun her around, caught her, and dipped her. She turned her back to Saylor’s front, lowering her body in a shimmy before she slowly worked her way back up.

  Saylor grabbed hold of her waist and pulled her along as they moved in steps forward and back and then shimmied together as the music reached its pinnacle. Saylor’s lips were bursting with the biggest smile that Tia had ever seen. She didn’t want the song to end, but she knew they were close. One more time around, Tia smoothed her hand down Saylor’s side and pulled her in close, intimately, and then instantly regretted it.

  Their bodies were pressed together, breath heaving from the exertion, skin warm from the movement. Tia gulped in air, her entire body on the edge of needing something else to happen, something else to push them together, something else—

  “Hey. Mind if I have a dance?” Kirsten’s smooth tones were a bucket of cold water over the both of them.

  Saylor jerked back, looking from Kirsten to Tia and back again. “Actually, we’re going to get a drink. Since we skipped that when we came in.”

  She grabbed hold of Tia’s hand and dragged her off the dance floor forcibly. Tia couldn’t catch her breath. She couldn’t find words or anything. This little crush had become a snowball heading straight down the mountain and she couldn’t stop it. She couldn’t make herself put space between them again, to push Saylor toward a friendship with Jericho instead of her.

  They got drinks and walked back to the tables with half the crew while the other half was on the dance floor. Kirsten, luckily, seemed to stay on the dance floor and wasn’t bothering them. Tia took a sip of her cold cocktail.

  “Thanks for the save.”

  “You asked me to save you.” Saylor winked. “So I did what you asked.”

  “You seem to be really comfortable when you know exactly what you need to do.”

  “I am.” Saylor shrugged a little. “I’m not a fan of the unknown.”

  “I don’t think many people are.” Tia fluttered her fingers over Saylor’s hand, like she was going to grab on and hold it. But she stopped herself. The territory she was walking into was dangerous. That needed to stop. There were so many reasons she shouldn’t, that they couldn’t. She wasn’t even sure if Saylor was interested in something like that. All she’d ever implied was that she wanted friendship.

  “Come dance with me!” Jericho grabbed Saylor’s hand and pulled her toward the dance floor.

  “Go on,” Tia encouraged. “I’ll watch our drinks.”

  Tia stayed right where she was, watching Saylor as she and Jericho laughed and enjoyed their time on the dance floor. She made small talk with Steven, but as much of her attention as possible was focused on Saylor.

  What was it about Saylor that intrigued her so much?

  Because normally Saylor wouldn’t be Tia’s type, aside from her looks. Tia preferred confident women. Women who knew what they were doing, what they wanted and when they wanted it. Women who were queer, for starters. She really didn’t want to be with anyone who had never done this before. She was good at teaching dance but not life. Not how to properly fuck a woman into oblivion.