“What’s on your mind?” Kirsten. Again.

  Tia tensed, looking directly at Saylor, but she was so distracted by Jericho that she didn’t even notice. It wasn’t her fault. She deserved to have fun and not be Tia’s keeper for the evening. Tightening her shoulders even more, Tia straightened her back and slid over a little to put more physical space between them.

  “I was thinking about the competition coming up.” It was the biggest lie on the planet, but this was Kirsten. Who cared? Tia just wanted to keep everything as neutral as possible.

  “How many do we have competing?”

  We?

  This was Tia’s studio, not Kirsten’s. The possessiveness was strong, and Tia wanted to give Kirsten a piece of her mind, but she held her tongue. It would only get her into trouble if she did that. She sucked down the rest of her drink and grabbed Saylor’s. She wouldn’t care, would she? Tia would buy her a new one. But she needed the alcohol to get her through tonight.

  She should have just said no to coming out. She should have stuck to home. But she’d wanted to be free for a change. She wanted to spend more time with Saylor. Now that she was here, she could actually admit that to herself. It wasn’t that she wanted to get out—it was all about Saylor.

  Tia really needed to figure herself out.

  This wasn’t good for either of them. Tia sucked down Saylor’s drink.

  “How many are competing, Tia?”

  Tia cringed. “We have four couples, so eight, and two singles.”

  “Wow. That’s a lot.”

  Tia shrugged slightly. It was more than normal, but she was pushing competition a bit more than normal, especially for adults. It wasn’t about earning titles. It was about challenging themselves. Kids were really good at doing that. Adults? Not so much, and they all needed challenges—Tia included.

  “Why are you here, Kirsten?” Tia asked pointedly. She faced Kirsten fully, hoping to get an honest answer. “Because we broke up over a year ago.”

  Kirsten’s lips parted in surprise before they curled up into a seductive smile. “I want to give our relationship another try.”

  “Absolutely not.” Cold washed through Tia again. She couldn’t help but glance at Saylor on the dance floor. They made eye contact, and Tia shook her head. She needed to deal with her own problems. She needed to grow up and face the consequences of her actions. “I have zero interest in starting anything back up with you.”

  “Why so adamant?” Kirsten trailed her fingers along Tia’s bare arm. “Surely our relationship wasn’t all bad.”

  “It wasn’t. You’re right about that.” The sex had been insanely hot, though Tia wasn’t ever going to mention that to anyone. But with the hot sex came the crazy woman. Tia would take boring sex over that any day. “But the bad far outweighed the good.”

  She stepped back slightly, locking her eyes on Saylor with a sharp nod.

  “I’m going to get some drinks. I don’t want to talk to you again. Stop whatever game you’re playing because I’m not joining in.”

  Without another word, Tia walked away. She headed straight for the bar without even looking over her shoulder. She’d needed that. She’d needed to stand up for herself and make it understood that whatever was going on needed to stop immediately. When she got to the bar, she leaned against the counter and let out a sigh of relief.

  This was true freedom.

  eleven

  Saylor paused her dance when Tia walked away from Kirsten. She really should have been there. She should have left Jericho on the dance floor and gone to save Tia from Kirsten so that she wasn’t stuck on her own. Saylor’s hand shook as she touched Jericho’s arm.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  She had just reached the edge of the dance floor when Kirsten grabbed her arm and dragged her back. Saylor furrowed her brow at Kirsten, canting her head to the side and watching Tia’s backside sway as she walked toward the bar.

  “Let’s dance,” Kirsten murmured, her voice low and sultry.

  “I…” Saylor straightened her shoulders. Keeping Kirsten on the dance floor would keep her away from Tia. “Sure.”

  They walked back to where Jericho was and started right back where Saylor had left off. But the tension was different. The mood had shifted. Jericho slid her gaze from Saylor to Kirsten, obviously at a loss for words and not sure what to say. Saylor didn’t know what to say either, so she kept moving her body and her hips to the beat and tried to ignore the sense of unease in the pit of her stomach.

  Kirsten stepped in closer to Saylor, effectively elbowing Jericho out of the picture. Saylor sent Jericho a plea for help, but she had her head turned down and missed it. Kirsten took Saylor’s hips and started dancing against her. Their movements were clumsy and awkward. They had no feel for dancing together.

  Saylor tensed again.

  Something else was going on here. Something she didn’t have the full details on. But did she need them to do this favor for Tia? Not really. Would it be helpful? Most definitely. Saylor tried to put more distance between them. Kirsten’s perfume was heady, and it overwhelmed Saylor’s senses, which was hard on a sweat-filled dance floor. Thank God they weren’t in the same dance class together.

  When the song quieted and started into another one, Saylor tried to step away. Kirsten took her hand. “Stay. We need to talk.”

  “About what?” Saylor hated that she’d asked that. She should have said they didn’t have anything to talk about, that she didn’t need to talk to Kirsten, that she needed to leave.

  “Tia.”

  Saylor shuddered. The next song started up, but she didn’t move as Kirsten held on to her hand tightly.

  “You’re just another notch in her proverbial belt.”

  “I’m sorry. But what?” Saylor cringed. “I’m hardly—”

  “She does this with all the young cute women she finds in her studio. She has a thing for them. It’s predatory, really.” Kirsten’s words wormed into Saylor’s heart.

  She was stunned into silence, not sure what to say or do next. She was frozen to the spot, people dancing all around her, moving as if there was nothing turning their worlds upside down. And there wasn’t. Why was Saylor even letting Kirsten do that?

  How could she?

  It wasn’t like Tia had shown any interest.

  And Saylor was engaged.

  There wasn’t anything going on between them.

  Saylor sucked in a breath, bolstering herself. “Tia and I aren’t anything more than friends.”

  “That’s how she always starts. Friends with the new dancers. Then she swoops in and pushes it beyond that.” Kirsten stepped in closer, taking over the moment. “She especially likes first time lesbians.”

  “But I’m not… I’m not into women.” But how much of that was the truth? Because Saylor had thought about women before. She’d thought about kissing them, touching them, going down on them. She never had. She’d never given into those temptations, and now more than ever since she was with Jameson, that couldn’t happen.

  “Sure you’re not, honey.” Kirsten’s laugh was dry and humorless. “That’s exactly why she wants to turn you.”

  “I don’t think sexuality works like that.” Saylor took a step backward. “But um… thank you for the advice.” She turned around and took a deep breath.

  The dance crowd was still milling around, dancing or drinking. But Tia was nowhere in sight. Saylor had to get out of there. She was in over her head. Tia would have to figure out handling Kirsten on her own. Saylor’s heart raced, and she reached for her jacket, throwing it over her shoulders and zipping it up.

  “Leaving already, Saylor?” Kirsten said, that drawl of satisfaction so strong that no one could miss it.

  Saylor said nothing. She walked a couple steps backward, away from Kirsten, and then turned suddenly, running squarely into Tia. Words caught in Saylor’s throat, and she couldn’t force them out. Ducking her chin, she pushed past Tia and headed straight for the door. She’d walk a few blocks away and then call for a ride. She just needed to get the hell out of there.

  “Saylor!” Tia’s voice reached her ears, but Saylor ignored it.

  She raced for the door. She needed the cold air on her cheeks. She needed to feel like she could breathe again.

  “Saylor!” Tia grabbed her elbow and pulled her back just as she reached the middle of the stairs. “Stop.”

  “I’ve got to get home,” Saylor said, her nerves ratcheting up again.

  “Just stop a minute.” Tia calmed her tone.

  Saylor glanced down, finding Tia’s jacket in her other hand. Saylor’s heart raced, and she couldn’t find the words again. What was happening? “It’s fine. You go back and have fun.”

  “No. I’m not doing that.” Tia blew out a breath. “What did Kirsten say to you?”

  “Nothing.” Saylor clenched her jaw hard.

  “Don’t lie to me.” Tia eyed her.

  The sound of the music filtered down the stairs, echoing softly through the doors they’d gone through. Saylor bit the inside of her cheek. Tia was standing so close to her. She had such concern crossing her features. She was worried.

  “I’m fine,” Saylor supplied. “I promise.”

  “Please,” Tia begged. “Please don’t ever lie to me.”

  That hit home. Tia’s tone, her plea, her worry—it was all more than Saylor could defend against. Or perhaps she just didn’t really want to. “I’ll be fine.”

  “Good.”

  Just that small change in wording seemed to be enough. It seemed to ease some of what was bothering Tia, but she still didn’t let go of Saylor’s arm.

  “What did she say to you?”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “Saylor…” Tia said in a warning.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Saylor repeated. It didn’t really. Saylor was with Jameson. At least she wanted to be, right? But she had been doubting their relationship more and more with each week that she lived there. He didn’t make her feel good, not like he used to when they were just dating. They hardly ever saw each other. He stopped trying to take the time to spend with her. Saylor closed her eyes and loosed the words. “She said you wanted me to be another notch in your belt.”

  Tia sighed heavily, releasing Saylor’s arm.

  Saylor scrambled to say something else, to make Tia feel better, to stop hurting her. “For the record, I don’t think that. I don’t think you’re just wanting that, or that you’re even interested in that. I don’t…”

  “Just stop talking,” Tia whispered. She stepped back and brushed her hands over her face. She glanced up the stairs toward S-Club and then back at Saylor. “She’s not an idiot, Saylor.”

  “I’m sorry?” Confused, Saylor looked directly at Tia. “What do you mean she’s not an idiot?”

  “I mean she is because she won’t just give up on me. I broke it off with her over a year ago, and she still clings to this idyllic relationship that we never had. We didn’t even have a relationship, not really.” Tia stopped. “I don’t even know why I’m telling you this. It’s not important. We’re not together. But Kirsten isn’t an idiot, and she’s very sensitive to certain things.”

  “What things?” Was Saylor’s voice wavering? She sucked in a sharp breath, still holding her ground. What was Tia saying that she wasn’t actually saying? Was there something else going on? Did she want more than just friendship?

  “That I’m attracted to you.” Tia pressed her lips together in a thin line. “I’m not looking for anything, Saylor, I promise. You’re engaged, and I’m not getting in the middle of that. I’m not looking to make you gay or anything.”

  Heat washed through Saylor. Tia found her attractive? How was that even possible? Saylor was anything but sexy. She had such a strong athletic build that most people were turned off by her muscles and the fact that she could outrun most guys on a good day.

  “Are you okay with that?”

  Saylor tuned back in to the moment, realizing far too late that Tia had continued talking and Saylor hadn’t heard a single word. She couldn’t answer the question because she didn’t even know what it was in reference to. Her heart raced, beating its way up into her throat and into her head. But it wasn’t fear.

  It was anticipation.

  “Saylor?” Tia asked, that same concern from before back on her face. “I don’t want Kirsten to make you think that there’s anything else going on between us. I won’t cross any lines.”

  But Saylor wanted to. She’d wanted to for weeks now. The more she got to know Tia, the more she couldn’t stop thinking about her. She wanted to know what it would be like, to kiss a woman, to have Tia’s body pressed against hers in more than just a dance.

  Straightening her back, Saylor took a slow deep breath. She needed to get out of there.

  She needed to figure out what was going on with her body, what was going on with her heart. She started down the last of the stairs, but Tia caught up with her as soon as she pushed out the main door. She hadn’t said a single thing, and she should have known better. She should have known that Tia would follow her to make sure that she was okay.

  She always did.

  “Saylor, wait.”

  “Tia, I don’t think this is a good idea.” Saylor spun around, the rain falling on her face and chilling her burning cheeks.

  “Don’t just walk away. Talk to me, please.”

  “I can’t…” Saylor stopped. She had no idea what to say. “What she said is true, right?”

  “No. It’s not. I promise you, it’s not.” Tia stood only a step apart from her.

  “I just can’t do this right now.”

  “Do what? All we’re doing is talking.” Tia’s voice rose, getting louder by the second. She seemed desperate almost. “Please don’t leave without us figuring this out.”

  “There’s nothing to figure out!” Saylor raised her voice, stepping even closer when she wanted to step away. Something was always pulling her back toward Tia. She never could walk away freely, could she? “There’s nothing between us.”

  “There’s not,” Tia agreed. “There’s not, but I don’t want you walking away thinking that I want more. I just want whatever friendship you have to offer. That’s it.”

  “That’s not it.” Saylor bit her tongue. She couldn’t stop the words from spilling. She’d tried so hard to keep it all in, but she couldn’t. “It’s more than that. It’s so much more than that.” Saylor took one more step.

  “No, it’s not. We’re friends. I’m your dance instructor. That’s all it is.”

  “It’s not,” Saylor reiterated, her eyes locked on Tia’s as the rain fell on them. “Stop lying to yourself.”

  When had Saylor stopped doing that? When had she agreed to lean fully into the fact that whatever was between them was fraught with sexual tension? Because now wasn’t the time to give into this. But fuck, she wanted to.

  Tia looked at her surprised. Droplets of water trailed down her skin, over her cheeks and onto her chest. Her tank was drenched on the top, goosebumps ran along her skin. Saylor held her breath as she moved in and pressed their lips together.

  Tia gasped.

  Saylor pushed in even more.

  She wrapped her arm around Tia’s back and pulled her in close as warmth flooded her. It masked the chill air. It warmed the raindrops. Saylor closed her eyes, sliding her tongue out as she parted her lips. Tia hummed and then stepped forward, turning their bodies and pushing Saylor backward. Following each of Tia’s steps, Saylor moved until her back pressed into the brick wall behind her.

  Tia slid her knee between Saylor’s legs just like she’d done on the dance floor, just like they were going to be locked together and never able to part ways. Saylor moved her hands up into Tia’s hair, tangling the locks around her fingers as Tia tangled their tongues together in a dance of their own.

  Saylor’s entire body changed tune, moving from one of discord to one of harmony. It slid perfectly into place, highlighting the strength that Tia brought, the hope that she had, the softness they shared. Saylor melted into the wall behind her, dragging Tia even closer. She dropped her hips down, grinding against Tia’s thigh, and pleasure shot through her instantly.

  That had never happened before.

  Tia’s mouth was hot against hers. Saylor’s entire body was ready for this, like she’d been waiting for a moment like this her entire life and she’d never found it before. Not until now. Not until she was in the arms of a woman. Saylor sucked Tia’s lower lip into her mouth, scraping it lightly with her teeth as she dug her fingers into Tia’s sides.

  Her jacket was hot and constricting. She struggled to breathe with it on, and she wanted nothing more than to rip it off and feel Tia’s entire body against hers. She knew what that would be like already. They’d danced that way. They’d stood together like that. Tia would be strong and firm against her, precise in each of her movements. Her curves would be a softness that Saylor had longed for.

  Groaning, Saylor pushed her body against Tia’s leg again, her clit throbbing at just the possibility that something more was going to happen. The anticipation she’d felt ever since meeting this woman reared its gorgeous head, blossoming into something wholly unlike anything Saylor had felt before.

  Pure desire.

  Tia slid her fingers up under the edge of Saylor’s jacket, finding her skin with her frigid touch. The shock was strong, but Saylor didn’t shy away from it. She leaned into it even more. She pulled Tia impossibly closer, not wanting even the smallest space between them. Tia wrapped her hand around Saylor’s side, tickling her skin before she pulled back and closed her eyes with a heavy breath.

  “Saylor…”

  “I wanted that,” Saylor said immediately. “I want you.”

  “We need to stop.”

  “I know,” Saylor murmured, already regretting that she knew Tia would move away. “I know we do, but just know, I don’t want to.”