The Dance Off

“That I’m formidable and focused and fabulous.”

That pretty much covered it.

“Don’t get me wrong,” she said, hidey arm forgotten as she tilted her gorgeous face to him. “I am all of that.”

“And more.”

“Thank you.”

“But...”

“I’m freaking out right now.”

When her feet began to shake up and down, as if trying to lose excess energy through her toes, he knew she wasn’t exaggerating. “Why?”

“Because I’d naturally assumed he’d be travelling to Europe with the old show, so never gave him a second thought. But I just got an email about the audition tour, and he’s been listed as coming. Here. To watch me dance. I’m screwed. I’m royally screwed.”

“He being?”

“My ex.” She pulled herself upright and gave the laptop a little shove, tilting it his way. Ryder got a glimpse of a man with brown hair, pale skin, smouldering blue eyes. The fact that Nadia’s lip curled as she said his name somewhat mollified Ryder’s urge to rearrange those pretty-boy features but good.

“Associate producer, I see. You lost your job while he got promoted.”

“So it seems. He always knew how to play the game. The woman—and she was barely that—he left me for was the niece of one of the producers. I, on the other hand, was dancing under another name so as not to cash in on my connections. And now look at us.” Her tone was snappy but her body was so expressive he knew she was more upset than she was letting on. “There’s also the fact that he is a brilliant dancer. One of those born with that elusive “X” factor. Stage presence like—”

“How could you bear to leave such a creature behind?”

Nadia didn’t even have the good grace to blush. When her eyes skewed to his her mouth stretched into a knowing smile. “If I didn’t know better I’d say you sounded jealous.”

“Lucky you know better.”

“Mmm.”

When her gaze swept back to the laptop, caught on the image smouldering back at her, all humour faded and she shut it closed with a snap. Then she ran her hands over her face, before hunching and staring through the wall of windows to the sparkling water views beyond.

“If he has hiring rights, which is how it reads, then this ups the ante big time. I’m going to have to pull out all the stops.” She swallowed, hard, then, “The entire time I worked for them they had no idea who my mother was. But what if letting it be known made the difference this time—” She nibbled at her bottom lip. “Because the thought of not getting this job...”

Her hand fisted into her T-shirt—which was actually his—lifting it from the long legs draped over the couch. How could she not know she had so much charisma, so much instant sex appeal she’d only have to saunter into that room and any producer worth his salt would hire her on the spot?

That bloody mother of hers had a lot to answer for.

“Nadia,” he near growled.

“Mmm?”

“Nadia, look at me.”

For once she did as she was told.

“Don’t do it,” he said.

An initial burst of shock lit her eyes before they narrowed. Like where did he get the right to have an opinion at all? He didn’t care much if he had the right or not, she was going to have to hear what he had to say.

“You got where you were despite her once before. You can do it again.”

“Sweet sentiment, Ryder. But you don’t know that.”

The number of people Ryder was certain he could count on in his life could be tallied on one hand. Less. Which was why he ran his behemoth business—from the plans to the paper clips—like a mini-monocracy. But in that moment he knew he could count on Nadia. To be true. To do her best. To aim as high as the sky. Because not only was she stunning, provocative, and slippery, she was brave, and gutsy, and honourable.

“When it comes to you, Nadia Kent, I most certainly do.”

She swallowed. Then hooked her thumbnail against a tooth, a soft pink flush rising in her cheeks. “While you, Ryder Fitzgerald, might just be the most surprising man I’ve ever met.”

When the intensity in her arresting eyes began to bring on that upside down inside out feeling, he ducked his chin to the simpering sap on the laptop. “All evidence to the contrary.”

Yet her eyes remained on his. It was a long moment, a heady moment, before she glanced away and said, “Yeah. And you’re right about the other thing too. A moment of weakness averted. Bugger it. It just means my routine will have to be so amazing, so beyond the edge of anything they’ve ever seen, they’ll have to hire me.”