“I can’t,” she said with a defeated sigh. “You saw Claire and Brian. I may hate him, but Kevin is famous and they would love to learn from him. I have to do what’s best for my dancers and if having that twat bag at my studio is what is best, then I’ll do it.”
He loved this side of her. This was the real Reese, and he thoroughly enjoyed this side of her. She was slowly but surely tearing down the walls she had up. She was becoming comfortable around him, and he was thankful for that because with every touch, every kiss, and every moment he spent with her, he fell a little more. She was the other half of him he was missing and even though their relationship was supposed to be fun and carefree, it was more than that for him. There had been so many times this weekend he wanted to tell her that, but the thought of her running away kept him from saying the words. He was scared.
How he was scared of a little thing like her was beyond him, but he was. She and Claire were the big goon defensemen that could take him out of the game of love. They could ruin him. He had to make sure that never happened, because he loved them with every fiber in his body. Turning to face her, he reached out, cupping her face, and smiled.
“I am proud of you.”
She arched an eyebrow. “What for?”
“For being you. It takes a lot to put aside your issues with him for your kids.”
She smiled as she looked away shyly, shrugging her shoulders. “It’s no big deal.”
“No, it is,” he insisted as he leaned closer, brushing his lips against hers. “And it doesn’t go unnoticed.”
She looked up, her eyes soft as she smiled. He smiled back and kissed her fully on the lips before hugging her into his side. In a comfortable silence, they watched as the girl before Claire performed to some Taylor Swift song. He loved having her in his arms. The feel of her sweet body against his sent molten lava through his veins, and he was convinced that he could live with her as a permanent appendage on his body. It might be hard to play hockey with her glued to him but, in a way, he didn’t care. He never wanted to let her go.
He was hopped up on the way Reese made him feel. She put him on a high that was indescribable. He was hooked. She was his drug, and he was utterly fine with admitting his addiction to her. Moving his hand into her back pocket, he was rewarded with a sneaky little smile.
“You trying to get frisky?”
He gave her a cocky grin. “Aren’t I always?”
“True, very true, but you’re gonna have to wait. Claire is about to come on.”
He moved his nose in her hair and took in a deep breath. “I have no problem waiting for you.”
She giggled as she pushed him away playfully. “Shh, you’re turning me on.”
“Good,” he said, kissing her jaw. “Now you’ll have to wait, too.”
She scowled at him. “I hate waiting.”
“Sorry,” he said with a shrug as they called Claire’s name. Turning to look at the stage, he smiled when he felt Reese’s hand slide into his back pocket. He tried to ignore the desire he had for Reese as he watched Claire get in position. When the song started and she started moving like her body was the music, Phillip found himself in awe of her beauty. He had seen her dance with a partner and in a group, but he decided that watching her dance alone was his favorite. She commanded the stage, owned it, made it her bitch, and it was mesmerizing to watch.
“I like her outfit a lot more today,” he said as she leaped in the air before landing and pulling her leg behind her head.