Pointe of Breaking (7 page)

And his motorcycle…

His motorcycle! I raced over to it, grabbed the seat, and pulled up. I wasn’t the strongest girl ever, but I was fit. However, the damn thing was awkward as hell! I managed to raise it a couple inches off of the ground before my grip slipped. Closing the distance, Leo caught the handlebars.

It took everything I could do to pry that metal beast up off of the ground. Yet, he managed to keep it upright with one arm. Squatting down behind me, he repositioned himself around me so that he could get a better handhold. My back was pressed against his chest, pinning me between him and the bike. We stood up together. Once it was upright, he propped it back on the kickstand.

His breath hit the back of my neck when he spoke, “This isn’t a danseur you’re lifting.”

He knew the proper terminology for a dancing partner? My interest was piqued.

Instead of stepping away, he reached around and inspected the bike’s gauges. He leaned further to check the opposite handle bar for scratches or…whatever. I was sure there were all sorts of scratches here and there, costing a small fortune to fix, but all I could concentrate on was him pressed firmly against my back. His hips fit entirely too perfectly against my backside. The euphoric scent of his cologne made me not want to pull away just yet. That and I swore his chest didn’t move when I leaned back against him ever-so-slightly. He chose that to be the best time to check the cushion of the seat just in front of me. His fingers slid over the leather and somehow managed to graze my shirt. When I didn’t object, he stopped inspecting his bike and began an examination on me. He pressed his fingers against my shirt. My stomach did a flip when his hand slipped over it.

The pound of his heartbeat on my back might as well have been drumming in my ears. He wrapped his hands around my waist. They almost fit all the way around me. I never felt so petite next to someone like him. He towered over me, around me, like I’d been created to fit snuggly next to him. He breathed in the scent of my hair as he traced his chin down the nape of my neck.

“You have something I want.” His remark came out heavy with unspoken desire.

I looked over my shoulder so that our faces nearly touched. My question came out ragged as all I could think about was my desperation to lick his lips. “What?”

He suddenly tore his gaze from mine. “The helmet.”

Abruptly, he let go of me and walked up the apartment complex steps. The sudden vacancy of his warmth left me trembling against the early autumns air. It took me a moment—an embarrassingly long moment—to gather myself before I met him at the front door. Leaning against the doorframe, he watched me walk up next to him. He couldn’t take his eyes off of me, and I couldn’t figure out his strategy. Was he seducing me? No, that didn’t make any sense. No man in their right mind would return to a girl who did what I did to his suit jacket.

Nevertheless, I couldn’t deny, nor did I want to, the irresistible attraction between us. Just as mesmerizing as his russet eyes was the captivating grin he gave me when my door keys slipped from my grasp. My trembling hands were seriously calling me out. I was blowing my cool factor. I dropped my gaze and bent over to pick up the blasted keys.

“Fuck,” Leo whispered.

I swore his hand caressed my outer thigh. I paused, desperate to memorize his touch against me.

Oh, snap out of it!

If all he wanted was his helmet, then I could give that to him. And then be done with him. We’d never be anything more than two very different people awestruck in each other’s presence.

I managed to unlock the door just as my elderly neighbor with the shih tzu shouted to hold the door. She hobbled down the hallway as fast as anyone could in a walker with tennis balls on the bottom. Leo held it open for her. While I waited for him, I walked to my mailbox and tried to act like I had half a brain and could do normal things. I needed to focus. I needed distance.

Inside my mailbox, there was a stack of envelopes and a final notice lying ominously on the top. I shuffled them around, not wanting anyone to see, especially Leo. I definitely wasn’t going to tell him about my money troubles or family history in general, bring up the fact that his family funded my dance scholarship, or that I might not even need the funding if Joffrey kicked me out.

I turned around to show him up to my studio apartment, when I smacked right into his chest. My hand pressed flat against his leather jacket. I hesitated to move away…I couldn’t. He smelled so damn good. Even so, I mustered the strength to take a step back, uttering an apology about walking into him.

Without warning, he snatched my waist and pulled me hard against him. He stole a kiss—an impulsive kiss that I wasn’t about to deny him. His lips moved over mine, opening my mouth up to his. I whimpered. Heaven help me, I couldn’t keep my eagerness under control. Everything about him was so unpredictable. Still, there was too much space between us. I grabbed his jacket and jerked him against me. My mail scattered to the floor.

Just as I was getting into it, he broke the kiss suddenly but didn’t pull away. He leaned his forehead against mine.

“I wanted to kiss you the moment you basically told Sasha to fuck off.” He traced his nose next to mine like he couldn’t decide if he wanted to keep talking or…do other things with his mouth. “The paparazzi has ruined your reputation enough for one day. I wasn’t about to give them another story by doing this outside.”

The paparazzi—their ghostly presences cleared my head. I was standing in the City’s limelight. Blake would see my every move. Somehow I doubted that he’d take kindly to his friend pining on his ex.

“I’m no good.” My lips hovered just above his. I wanted more—needed more. However there were already too many
things
going against us. This would never work. “You have no idea how big of a mess I’m in.”

“I don’t care about those
things
anymore than you do. I know what I want, and I’m looking at her.”

I pulled back from him, just enough to see his eyes. He needed to hear me—see me. See that I wasn’t lying.

“You don’t understand. I don’t know how well you know Blake, I don’t know if you’re friends…but he…he can ruin people or make them. After he broke off our engagement, it was a miracle I was able to stay at Joffrey—that he didn’t ruin everything I’d worked so hard for. I’d hate to throw you in the middle of this mess. And if anything happened, he’d see it as a sign of betrayal.”

“Blake and I aren’t friends. I’m not afraid of an asshole like—”

“Just listen!” I surprised myself that I’d interrupted him but even more shocked that he listened. “He has connections, horrible vile connections of men just as powerful as he. They’re like these sadistic brothers who’d do anything for each other. They tell lies, spread rumors, do anything to protect themselves.”

Damn it, why is she talking about Blake again?

All I wanted to do was marvel about how her lips were the softest things I’d ever felt. As soon as I saw her outside her apartment, they were all I could look at. I hadn’t realized last night how desperately I wanted her. I thought I just wanted to protect her and make sure she was okay because she was drunk. But I was wrong. It was more than that. It was a weird, gravitational pull that I’d never felt with any girl.

Then again, I’d never been around a girl like Adeline.

When she told off Sasha and Felicia, I wanted to thrust my fist in the air and cheer. Fuck, I wanted to kiss her damn face off right there on the street. I barely knew her and already she made me proud multiple times over. Her dancing, her demeanor, her quiet power, her unique attitude against all the bullshit that comes with living in New York City. It was enthralling. I wanted it. All of it.
Right the fuck now
.

Waiting for her to unlock her apartment building forced me to exercise restraint like I’d never done before. When I slammed my lips against hers, and she reciprocated with equal vigor…I knew I needed more. I grabbed her and firmly tucked her against my body. She was so small but so powerful. Every muscle and ripple beneath her clothes felt smooth and plump in all the ways that made my dick hard. Finally I was able to put my hands on her the way I’d been fantasizing about from the moment she ran onto that stage last night.

Now she is totally fucking everything up by talking about Blake and his pack of fucking followers.

“I know all about Blake and the brotherhood, believe me,” I looked down on her with a determined set to my jaw. The last person I want to talk about right now was
him
.

“Brotherhood? You mean the frat?” Adeline asked, furrowing her brow.

I blinked, suddenly realizing what I had just said. “Yeah, same thing.”

I pulled away from her, annoyed at myself for not thinking straight. This girl was way too distracting.
Use your fucking head, Richards!
I almost revealed something that I’d been sworn into secrecy since freshmen year. I couldn’t get into this. Not now. Not ever.

She eyed me curiously. “Why do I get the impression you’re hiding something from me, Leo?” she asked, crossing her sculpted arms across her chest.

A charged energy fired off beneath my skin and I shook my head nervously. I really needed to bolt. “Look, can I just get my helmet? I have somewhere to be.”

Her expression fell for a fraction of a second and then she straightened her already perfect posture and nodded stoically. “That’s definitely for the best.”

I scoffed, annoyed at her response and this situation. I was being such an ass right now. She continued to stare at me for another moment, obviously trying to read my mind. Damn this girl was under my skin. Two seconds ago I just wanted her under me and now I’m trying to leave?
What is wrong with me! This was not how I saw my morning going down at all.

She turned and began ascending the steps, and I did everything I could not to check out her bare legs under that short skirt. Fuck, why did every part of her have to look sexy as hell? I even loved the way her toes angled out when she walked.

We reached her apartment door on the fourth floor and I followed her inside. My senses were instantly hit with the smell of fruity lotion and the remnants of a vanilla candle. Her studio was a tiny, one-room apartment. There was a small, messy futon, a mini fridge, and a window overlooking the brick building next door.

“I like your place,” I said trying to get back the casual vibe between us and alleviate this tension.

She strode over to her bookshelf and picked my helmet up off of the floor. “Just a dorm studio, Leo. I’m sure you’ve seen much better.” She returned and stopped directly in front of me, toes pointed out, helmet clutched tightly to her chest.

“Now what the hell is that supposed to mean?” I asked. Damn she was fiery.

She squinted at me ever so slightly. “You seem to know more about Blake and his pack than you’re letting on, and I’m not sure I like being lied to.”

“I’m not sure I like being accused of shit for no damn reason,” I rebuffed, crossing my arms to match her provocative stance.

She didn’t seem interested in giving me my helmet anytime soon. Her eyes moved from my head to feet, and I swear I saw a shudder of attraction flash in her clear blue gaze. “I have plenty of reasons not to trust people like you.”

“People like me?” I aggressively nodded.

She returned the gesture. “You heard me.”

“Well,” I exhaled heavily feeling pissed the fuck off now. “It’s nice to know what you think of me.”

“You’ve not done much to show me a different side of you. All I know about you is you’re rich, you have horrid taste in women, and you drive a motorcycle. If that’s supposed to impress me, then you’ve got me all wrong.”

This girl was
infuriating
! “I don’t think I have you wrong at all. In fact, I think I understand you perfectly.” I leaned down so I could punctuate my point with a good old fashioned glower. Surely she could see we had something here. I couldn’t be the only one to feel it. I couldn’t be!

“And how is that?” she snapped.

I huffed out a large breath and racked my hands through my hair. All I could picture was her on that stage last night and how much her passion affected me. Changed me!

Overwhelmed at the lack of control I had right now, I strode over to her and grabbed her firmly by the arms. My helmet fell to the ground and she looked at me in shock. Before her sassy mouth had a chance to say something to piss me off further, I said, “I do understand you perfectly, Adeline. I may have only known you for a day, but I’ve seen things in you that I’m totally fucking intrigued by. Watching you with Sasha and her sister just now, it’s obvious that you don’t bow down to anyone. But you don’t scream at the top of your lungs. And that is hot as hell to me. You seem to be playing by everyone’s rules, but you are in no way a follower. And I think you might be a pleaser almost to a fault and on some level, I respect that. But what I am into even more…what I love so much I can’t even fucking think straight, is the fact that you have this quiet presence about you. I’m totally fucking turned on by it. Not to mention, you’re talented as hell. And as if all of the other shit wasn’t enough…you look the way you do.”

I watched her carefully as her chin dropped, and she stared at some inanimate object on the floor. My breath came heavily after my rant that even surprised me. She blinked her eyes in rapid succession like she couldn’t believe what the hell just tumbled out of my mouth.

“And you’re a lightweight, even if you won’t admi—” Her body crashed into mine as her lips seized my own in an aggressive, overwhelming kiss.

After the initial shock wore off, my hands groped firmly down her smooth back and cupped her ass, lifting her up onto my hips. Her legs wrapped around me like it was a reflex, not a thought. I stumbled briefly over a duffle bag with tutus flowing out of it and landed her on the edge of her tiny kitchen island counter. Her kisses were desperate as she nipped, licked, and sucked every damn bit of my mouth.

Needing to know if this was real or not, I brought my hands up to cup her face and pulled her away to look deeply into her eyes. Her brow crinkled with worry as whatever came over her lifted away. There was a new expression to her face now though. A tenderness that tugged deeply at some strange place in my heart. She breathed heavily, her chest rising and falling as she stared at my chest.

“I told you I was a mess, Leo. I meant it. I meant every bit of it.” Her voice was shaky, but her reserve toward me was faltering. I could see it all over her face. This was my chance.

“I like messy.” My voice was low and thick with arousal. I glanced at her lips. “Fuck, I think I might even like ballet now.”

Her eyes drifted from my chest to my mouth and then to my eyes. The tiniest of a smirk played at her lips.

That was my cue.