Dance All Night: A DANCE OFF HOLIDAY NOVELLA Read online

  From the look in her eyes, she got that he was talking about them. About the intention he’d declared at the mall.

  “I’ve had all year to think about it,” he said, setting the bag aside to smooth his hands over her body.

  “All…all year?” Her voice trembled as he pinched the sides of her panties and pulled them down her hips inch by agonizing inch, savoring the view as she was revealed to him.

  “Mm-hmm.” He made a low sound of appreciation in the back of his throat. When the last scrap of fabric was gone, he trailed his fingers lightly over her bare mound. “So pretty.”

  She huffed out an awkward laugh. “It’s more for convenience, but whatever you say, you beautiful man.”

  He shot her a grin, then slid out of his own underwear so they were both completely naked. Settling between her thighs, he traced a finger down her crease, appreciating the soft moan she made in response.

  “It took me a while to recognize what I wanted. It wasn’t until I saw Mitya and Tash that I knew.”

  She threw a hand over her eyes. “Are you really talking about your brother at a time like this?”

  He kept going, sliding his index finger inside her just enough to tease. She was so smooth, so beautiful, and already wet. “I saw them and thought, maybe settling down can be an adventure, too. And it made me think of you.”

  A hitch in her breath was his only answer. He looked up.

  “Jeshka.”

  “Huh?”

  “Uncover your eyes.”

  With a groan, she pulled her arm from across her face and gazed down at him. Her dark eyes were drowsy, her brown skin warm with pleasure.

  “I want you, Jeshka. Not just for now.”

  Did she understand what he meant? Could she see the love shining in his face? Her eyebrows shifted the barest fraction, and something like fear flitted through her eyes. Yes, love was scary. Forever was scary. But he was willing to face it, with her. For her.

  He wouldn’t push, though. Sliding her knee up, he kissed down the inside of her thigh. “Ah, milochka. You take my breath away.”

  Her voice was muffled, like she’d turned her face into the pillow. “Don’t say things like that.”

  “Like what?”

  “Sweet things.”

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t...I don’t know. I’m not used to hearing them.”

  At that, he crawled up her body so he could kiss her lips and look her in the eye. “I’m not those other guys, Jeshka. I’m not gonna hit it and quit it. Okay?”

  When she nodded, he moved back down her body and resumed what he’d been doing.

  “You don’t have to say anything now,” he continued. “I’m just letting you know, because my mouth is about to be very busy.”

  Then he parted her sex with his thumbs and got to it.

  Jess threw her head back on the pillow. This man was impossible. Saying every kind of thing a person could want to hear, and then, without wasting another second, lowering his head and eating her pussy for all he was worth.

  That mouth. If she’d known he was that skilled with his lips, with his tongue, she never would have given him such pushback.

  Stupid Past Jessica. She should have pulled him into Rhianne’s office, stripped out of her clothes, and told him to do what he did best. Because as amazing as he was as a dancer, this was his true calling.

  But the things he’d been saying… Such simple words, yet they’d affected her like the filthiest of dirty talk. Except instead of only arousing of her body, they also roused her heart.

  And now that treacherous thing was fully, irrevocably involved.

  He claimed to have been thinking about them becoming an us all year, since their first kiss. She’d thought it was a throwaway kiss for him. A kiss of convenience. It had been New Year’s Eve, almost midnight, and she was the handiest pair of lips nearby. Afterward, when she’d found herself thinking about him before falling asleep, she’d convinced herself that it meant nothing to her, either. It was fun. A lark. Nothing more.

  What if it wasn’t?

  I want you, Jeshka. Not just for now.

  I’ll stay, if you want me to.

  The words had burrowed into her heart and made themselves at home. She’d never be the same after this. Because what else did he mean, if not “just for now”? For…

  For…what?

  Always? Ever?

  He couldn’t mean that. Who said such things on a third date? She wanted to shut her eyes—against him, against the thought—but even as his tongue swirled over her clit, he held her gaze. The sincerity in his eyes sank into her with a bone-deep surety.

  This man was the real deal.

  Then he closed his lips over her clit and sucked, making her cry out as his mouth sent buzzing thrills of sensation through her.

  After that, thinking was hard. So she stopped.

  Nik’s sweet, lingering touches turned hotter, more demanding. His kisses took on an edgy, erotic note that left her breathless. And his mouth must have covered every inch of her skin. When he finally slipped on a condom and rubbed some lube over it, she was nearly mindless with need. Her breath expelled from her lungs in harsh exhalations, anticipation steaming through her veins like a runaway freight train.

  “Jeshka.”

  Oh god, the way he said her name like that. It would be her undoing.

  “Come on,” he said, reclining on the bed beside her. “Get on me.”

  Those had to be the hottest words she’d ever heard. Renewed by the prospect of finally feeling him inside her, she rose up and straddled his hips. He rubbed his cock against her slit, making her gasp. No more wasting time. No more games. This was happening now.

  She positioned herself on his length and sank down, engulfing him with her body, impaling herself with his. Her slick, tight sheath stretched around him, and he filled her so completely, so deliciously. Pleasure shot through her, and when she finally came to a stop with her clit resting against his root, a shiver raced up her spine. His laugh was low, and she realized she’d closed her eyes again. Opening them, she couldn’t help but stroke his handsome face. His facial hair was soft, but still prickled her palm. One of these days, she’d ask how he conditioned it. For now, she had more important things to do.

  Rocking back and forth, she built up friction between them until they were both groaning. Nik’s strong hands clamped on her ass to help her move. As easy as dancing, they set a rhythm between them, making their own music together. He slipped his thumb between her legs, rubbing her as they moved. Her hands went wild, touching every bit of his body she could reach. He did the same with his free hand, stroking over her breasts, hips, thighs, even up her neck to cup her cheek. He pulled her down to kiss him, and she kissed him back with a desperation she’d never felt before as the mix of emotions he stirred up in her became too much to bear. He banded his arms around her, pulling her down to his body. His hips pumped like pistons, driving upward into her.

  Tension built inside her, coiling in her muscles. Her body strained, her heart pleaded, and then, finally, the orgasm burst through her. Like sunlight piercing a cloud, like sparkles behind closed eyelids, like a swiftly beating heart, it chased away the shadows and for one brief, stunning moment, she achieved perfect clarity.

  She never wanted this to stop. She never wanted to let him go.

  What if he meant it? What if he was really planning to stay, if she asked?

  Did she even have the guts to ask such a thing?

  She wanted to, oh god, she really fucking wanted to. This was too good. Everything about him was too good. And in her experience, things that seemed “too good” were, by extension, “too good to be true.”

  But if anyone were true, it was Nik.

  She couldn’t ask yet. Not yet, not now. It was too good, too much, and she was going out of her mind with want and need for him. More, yes, she did want more. She wanted everything. And the depth of the wanting scared the pants off her.

  Focus on t
he here, the now. Focus on the moment. It wasn’t just games and fun anymore. This was serious, but still, she could focus on how good it felt, how right it felt, and forget about the rest, forget about the future, for now. Was this part of the magic of Christmas? Enjoying the last days of the year, living in the moment, before stepping over the threshold into a new year with new resolutions, responsibilities, and consequences?

  If so, then she’d embrace it. For now, right now, everything was perfect and beautiful. And she’d snatch it up with both hands.

  The thoughts lasted a split second, chased by the flow of good endorphins. Beneath her, Nik slammed her hips down on himself one last time, then lifted her off him. Quick as a wink, he tore off the condom, jerked his cock in his hand a few times, and came with a groan all over his own belly.

  The tension in his body, his grimace of ecstasy, and the evidence of his pleasure—it was the sexiest fucking thing she’d ever seen.

  His chest heaved, making his defined abdominal muscles contract with every breath. His head fell back on the pillow.

  She slid down next to him and rubbed his chest, needing to prolong the contact, enjoying the simple pleasure of watching him breathe. When had she become so damned sentimental? It was probably Christmas’s fault. The room was quiet, aside from the sounds of their breathing. From the floor, something buzzed.

  “Was that the vibrator?” she asked sleepily.

  Under her ear, his laugh rumbled through his chest. “My phone. Ignore it.”

  “No, you should check,” she said, pushing herself up on her elbows. “Go ahead. It might be important.”

  With a sigh that said he was only humoring her, he reached over the edge of the bed to grab his phone out of his pants pocket. She admired his sculpted ass and the long stretch of tightly muscled body as he moved. Leaning back, he held the phone over his face and narrowed his eyes at the screen.

  He was silent for so long, she started to get nervous. “Everything okay?” she asked lightly.

  “Yeah, just my agent.” He set the phone on the nightstand and turned back to embrace her, but paused, glancing down at the streaks drying on his belly. “I need to clean off.”

  “We both do.” The inside of her thighs felt sticky, but more than that, the thought of showering with him appealed immensely.

  But his reaction to the phone bothered her, and she couldn’t let it go. “So…what did your agent say?”

  “Just reminding me I have to give him an answer.”

  Her breath caught. She struggled to keep her tone as casual as the hand he rubbed along her back. It moved in a lazy circuit from her shoulders down the curve of her butt, and back up again. “An answer about what?”

  “I got offered a role,” he said quietly, almost nonchalantly. Like it didn’t matter, like he got offered roles every day.

  Hell, maybe he did.

  “Oh yeah?” When he didn’t elaborate, she pressed. “What role?”

  This had suddenly become the most important conversation she’d ever had.

  “Pete Oliynyk in Raise Your Voice. They want me to be dance captain in the national tour.”

  Holy shit.

  Raise Your Voice was currently the hottest show on Broadway, a timely true story about a diverse group of teens fighting for immigration reform. Tickets were expensive, and you had to buy them over a year in advance. She hadn’t even known it was going on tour.

  But of course it was. And of course they’d tap Nik, a rising star, to play one of the bigger side characters, with the added honor of being dance captain. As an immigrant himself, the role likely meant something personal to him. There was no way he could turn it down.

  How long had he known about this?

  She swallowed hard. He was leaving. He had to. This was the kind of opportunity he’d be stupid to pass up, no matter what he said about them or us.

  There was no them. There couldn’t be. Because if it wasn’t this tour, it would be another one. He was too talented to interrupt his career for her.

  Somewhere along the way, she’d forgotten that this was just supposed to be for fun.

  His hand on her back slowed, and turned his head toward her. His gaze held a question.

  I’ll stay, if you want me to.

  “New Year’s Eve,” she whispered, feeling sick inside. She’d give him his answer then.

  That would at least buy her some time to convince her heart that letting him go was best for both of them.

  Chapter Seven

  December 23rd

  The next morning, the light seeping around the edges of the curtains had a distinct quality, soft and sort of dreamy, like…

  Nik bolted out of the bed. It had been years since he’d lived full time in New York City, but this sort of light could only mean one thing.

  He threw open the curtains, raised the blinds, and sure enough…

  “Snow!”

  Jess groaned and rolled over, snagging his pillow and pulling it over her satin-covered head. Last night, she’d explained the importance of a satin headscarf and pillowcase—she’d brought her own—to hair care. He’d filed the information away, wondering if it would be presumptuous of him to buy her a spare pillowcase for his place. Except his place was currently his brother’s place. Hmm, he’d have to fix that soon. For now, he turned back to the window.

  Outside, a blanket of snow covered everything—the trees, the driveway, his car, the roads…

  Shit, the roads.

  “I hope you didn’t have anything pressing to do today,” he told the lump in the blankets. “I’m pretty sure the roads are going to be closed for a while.”

  One word drifted from the bed, delivered like a grumpy command: “Coffee.”

  Grinning, Nik knelt on the mattress and dropped a kiss around where he thought her head would be. Then he pulled on his boxers and ambled out of the room. To say he was feeling like a million bucks would have been an understatement. And maybe it was sappy of him, but as much as he’d loved being with her, sinking into her and being as close as two people could be, it was the simple act of holding her through the night while she slept that brought him the greatest pleasure.

  Yeah, he was a sap. Who could blame him? It was nearly Christmas, and he was snowed in with the most intriguing, beautiful, and funny woman he’d ever met.

  In the kitchen, he used the French press he’d brought with him to brew coffee. While he waited, he shot an email to his agent, telling him to turn down the Raise Your Voice role. He’d made his decision. Jess might need a little more time, but he wasn’t giving up on her. Or himself—he’d committed to giving this “settling down” thing a try, and so, he was staying. Putting down roots. This was Los Angeles—local opportunities were sure to pop up. But, to respect Jess’s wishes, he’d wait until New Year’s Eve to discuss it further.

  When the coffee was ready, he prepped it the way he knew she liked it and carried the mug into the bedroom.

  He was all set to climb back into the bed with her for a morning cuddle, but when she heard him, she sat up and reached for the mug. She took a big gulp, then sent him a sleepy smile. “Thanks.”

  “Anytime.”

  She sipped again, then straightened her headscarf, which had gone crooked while she slept. “Did you say the roads are closed?”

  “I think so.” He tapped his phone. “There was an inclement weather alert for this area last night.”

  Her eyes widened. “Are we snowed in?”

  “Looks that way.”

  She shook her head and mumbled into her mug, “This is just like a movie.”

  He laughed, then started to lean in to kiss her, but she slid out of the bed and headed for the bathroom. “I’m gonna shower,” she said. Before he could reply, the door shut behind her.

  Well. Okay. So she wasn’t a morning person. She’d told him that on the first date. And there was bound to be some awkwardness during the first morning after.

  The night before had been…amazing. No other word to describe
it. Everything he’d traveled the world searching for, he’d found in being with Jess. A sense of peace, freedom, contentment, and belonging, all rolled up into something that seemed to point toward love. What else could it be?

  She’d been there every step of the way with him while they’d been having sex, that was for sure. Her kisses told the truth. But what if that was all they had? He’d set out to be as open as he could with her, to not hold back. Go big or go home, right? But after days of wearing his heart on his sleeve, his vulnerability gas tank was on empty.

  Maybe he’d been fooling himself all along. He didn’t think so, and he was a pretty good judge of character—he’d been the first one to tell Dimitri to get his head out of his ass where Natasha was concerned—but doubts had started to creep in after he’d told Jess what was up last night and her only reply had been, “New Year’s Eve.” After that, they’d gone into the bathroom to clean up, then finished the Prosecco and roasted marshmallows in the fire he built in the fireplace. He’d also pulled out a bag of sour cream and onion potato chips—a nod to their first kiss.

  It was nice. Romantic. But Jess hadn’t brought up any of the things he’d said. Not the tour, and not his “not just for now” line. Probably he could’ve phrased that better, and maybe he shouldn’t have said it during sex, but it aligned with everything else he’d told her since seeing her at Rhianne’s party, so it shouldn’t have been a surprise. Yet he could feel her putting distance between them, and he had no idea how to stop it.

  Damn, what if she still didn’t believe him? What if he’d put it all on the line, bared his heart and soul, to no avail?

  There was still the possibility that this gamble wouldn’t pay off, that he wouldn’t be able to convince her. Shit, that he hadn’t been able to convince her. This was the last date.

  At the start, he’d been sure it was worth a try. And he still felt that way. But he was a big enough person to admit his feelings were a little bruised.

  The snow had bought him a little more time, and a little more holiday magic. He’d make the most of it, and then…well, it was all up to Jess.