Climb (Club Kitten Dancers 3)

That’s what she wants?

Good dragons, this woman is going to be the death of me. I got in this morning and went back to my apartment. I showered, changed, and took a nap before coming to Sassy’s. It’s a good thing, too, because I don’t know if I’m level-headed enough to figure out how to get my sneakers off: much less a pair of boots.

Somehow, I manage to get out of my shoes and I pull my jacket off. I throw it over the back of the couch before heading into the kitchen to find this whiskey. As promised, it’s on top of the fridge, and I take a long swig before pouring it into two glasses.

I hear the shower turn on, and I allow myself to relax a little. Just a little. Sassy looked tense and stressed from the moment I laid eyes on her, and it’s no wonder: her day was shit.

All she wants to do is teach her classes and empower women, but that didn’t get to happen today.

Nope.

Today she didn’t get to focus on helping her students, on working to improve their self-esteem, on creating a comfortable learning environment. Today she had to focus on keeping Bailey and Paige safe. Today she had to work on keeping herself safe.

Today she had to worry.

Does she often deal with problems like this? I can’t imagine she does because Sassy has never mentioned it before. I like to think we tell each other almost everything. Maybe that’s just me being naïve, but I like knowing we’re close. I like knowing the two of us are a team. I like knowing there’s nothing she can tell me that will shock, scare, or freak me out.

I like knowing there’s trust between us.

I take another sip of the whiskey and head back to the couch. I bring her glass, too, and set it on the table. Then I sit down and lean back on the sofa while I wait for her to finish her shower.

Sassy’s place is sweet and comfortable: like her. It suits her. When she bought the building, she knew she wanted to create a dance studio, but she also wanted to live nearby. I actually worked with her and several of our friends to remodel the place from the inside out and I have to say that it looks great. Sassy spent weeks picking out the perfect furniture and décor for her home, and it truly suits her.

The couch is black and so is the coffee table. They contrast with the blonde laminate flooring and give the room an edgy look. Sassy doesn’t have a television, so the wall behind the coffee table has three black-and-white photos of Sassy dancing with her friends. There’s one of her hanging off the pole by her ankles, one of her and Bailey posed with their backs to the pole, and one of the first class she ever taught to do inversions.

Yeah, she’s proud of her place, and I am, too.

Sassy has worked hard to get where she is.

It’s part of why I love her.

Fuck.

Love.

I do love her.

I have to tell her tonight, but suddenly, I’m starting to feel nervous. The shower shuts off and she walks out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel.

“Oh,” she says, spotting me. I think she was trying to sneak quietly into her bedroom without being noticed. Fat chance of that. I always notice.

“Oh,” I echo her word.

“I just forgot to bring clothes with me,” she says. “You know, force of habit and all.”

“I think you look great,” I tell her.

“Thanks,” Sassy says, and then something happens I don’t think I’ve ever seen before. If I didn’t know better, I’d say she was blushing.

Her cheeks turn a bright pink and she smiles almost shyly.

Sassy?

My Sassy?

She’s always gone after what she wants. She’s always been bold and determined and blunt as all hell, so for her to blush?

That’s something I’ve never seen, something I didn’t even know was possible.