He was also very flexible…which I tried not to think about.
“I had a great teacher.”
I appreciated how he turned my compliments around, giving me the credit whenever I told him how good of a job he was doing. Proving he was the polar opposite of the celebrity I’d been paired with during the last season of Dance, Magic, Dance! Jake had blamed all our mistakes on me while taking credit for anything we did right. And I never would have been able to put in a lift like the traveling basket when dancing with him, not even if we’d made it to the final episode.
“Yeah, well, I wouldn’t have been able to get you to the point where we were doing multiple lifts in our first dance if you weren’t a great partner.”
“Coming from you, that means a fuck of a lot. When you first showed me the choreography, you made it look so effortless and easy.” He laughed and ran his fingers through his hair, shaking his head. “But once you started teaching me the steps, I quickly realized dancing is way harder than I ever expected.”
I grimaced as I second-guessed the number of lifts I’d added to our routine. “Please let me know if you ever feel like I’m adding moves to the choreography that are too much for you.”
“You haven’t pushed me past my limits yet, and I trust that you won’t since you’re damn good at your job.”
Butterflies swirled in my belly at how much he seemed to trust me already. “Thank you.”
Hale padded over to his duffel bag and pulled a gym towel to wipe the sweat off his forehead. “But I still think we should squeeze in some extra practices next week.”
I had wanted to be paired with a celebrity partner who was willing to put in the work, but I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to spend more time with Hale without jumping him. “First, we have to make it through the live show tomorrow night.”
He dropped the towel and turned back toward me. “C’mon, there’s no way we’re getting voted off first with that routine. We look like we’ve been dancing together for months already.”
It was difficult to disagree when he was right. Because of his strength, hard work, and natural grace, we were way ahead of the usual learning curve. “True, but we already don’t have any days off from rehearsal.”
“Even an extra hour a day could have a big impact.” He arched a brow as he strode toward me. “Or you could even just come to my place for my morning workout before heading into the studio. It’ll help warm us up and get more familiar with each other.”
My brows drew together. “You’re doing a full workout before meeting me each morning?”
“Yup.” His biceps bunched as he flexed his arms. “Gotta make sure I stay in tip-top shape for next season.”
“Wow.” No wonder he was able to lift me so effortlessly. “I’ll see if I can get us some extra studio time next week.”
He winked at me. “After we take first place, I’m sure the producers will be willing to give us whatever we want.”
I wouldn’t be surprised if he was right. I learned last season that the producers sometimes played favorites, depending on how popular the dance partners were. They had to be since good ratings were what kept the show going. The chemistry between us was palpable, something the producers hadn’t missed. Showmances were encouraged, even though getting involved with Hale could further destroy my reputation. “Ready to take it from the top?”
He shot a cocky grin at me and nodded. “You bet.”
I pressed my lips together to stop myself from returning his smile. “No stopping this time, even if we mess up. Just like we'll do it on stage. Remember, no one will know except the two of us unless it's a big mistake, which is not going to happen.”
His grin widened. “I got it. We’ll fake it till we make it if necessary.”
As we moved into our starting positions, a completely inappropriate thought drifted into my head—I highly doubted I’d ever need to fake anything in bed with Hale. My cheeks were already flushed before the music began, and I felt as though my entire body was on fire by the time we were done. I wasn’t sure I could survive another minute of being this close to Hale without doing something reckless like jump his muscular body. Stepping away, I gave him a smile. “I think we’ve got it.”
“Damn straight, we do.” He flashed me a confident smile. “I’ll make a deal with you…when we come in first place on this dance, you’ll agree to work out with me in the mornings if you can’t get us that extra studio time.”
I was surprised by the stakes he was offering. “Oh, I thought you were going to say that I should donate my earnings from the episode or something like that.”