Chapter Twelve

A tight grip on the strap of her purse, Jade knocked on Lexi’s door. She didn’t usually drop in out of the blue, not since her sister began seeing Beck, but she hadn’t told her about the fundraiser and if she left it any longer, Lexi would be pissed.

Why hadn’t she told her right away? She normally didn’t keep secrets from her. As she waited for her to answer the door, Jade wished she hadn’t given in to the impulse to drop by on her way home. She should’ve just called.

“Jade! What are you doing here?” Lexi shook her head at herself. “Not that I’m not happy to see you. Come in.” She moved back and opened the door all the way.

Jade stepped inside and made her way to the living room, picking her way through a variety of shoes, as Lexi closed the door and followed her.

“Geez, Lex, how can you live in such a mess? You know it’s little things like bad housekeeping that can drive a man away. Does Beck know you don’t like cleaning?”

Lexi rolled her eyes. “Talk about archaic thinking, and you can stop being my mother, Jade. I’ve been an adult for quite some time now, and I don’t need you acting like one anymore.” She blew out a breath. “Of course, Beck knows. I don’t keep secrets from him. Besides, he’s rich, remember? He has a housekeeper whom we’re keeping on after we’re married.”

The reality of the situation hit her, and Jade’s heart ached for a moment. Lexi didn’t need her anymore, and Jade could no longer ignore it. It wasn’t just the two of them now. She had Beck, and he was the center of her universe. She swallowed the lump in her throat, and her eyes burned. Soon she’d be all alone.

“Right, sorry. Old habits.”

Lexi shook her head at herself. “I didn’t mean to snap at you; I’m just starting to feel a bit swamped by everything I have to do in the next few weeks. The thought of packing up my entire apartment is overwhelming.”

“I can imagine. And I’d say I’m here to do whatever you need me to, however…” Her voice petered away, and she cleared her throat, unsure how to tell her about the fundraiser.

“What? What’s going on? Are you okay?”

She walked over to the couch, pushed aside a magazine and sat down. “Han asked me to do a dance routine with him at a fundraiser in a couple weeks.”

“What? And you’re just now telling me? God, are you ever going to stop treating me like a child? I’m your sister, Jade. You can tell me stuff like this. I had no idea you could dance well enough Han would want you to perform with him.”

“You’ve got enough going on right now, and I didn’t want to bother you with my junk.”

“And that is exactly what I mean by your treating me like a child. Sisters bother each other with their junk. They have each other’s backs. It’s not a one way street. You deserve someone to talk to, too. Did it ever occur to you that I want to be there for you in the same way you are for me? But you never let me, and you’ve got it so together, most of the time I feel like I have nothing to offer anyway.”

“Lexi, I never knew…”

“Probably because you’re so busy taking care of me, you never thought I’d like to take care of you, too. Don’t get me wrong, you’ve done an amazing job stepping in after Mom was gone. I don’t think I can ever repay you, but did you ever think about the fact I lost a sister when it happened? I miss having a big sister, Jade.” She dropped down on the couch next to her and took her hand. “God, I’m so glad I got that off my chest. I’ve been wanting to say it for so long.”

Jade squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry. I can’t believe I never thought of it like that. Now that you’ve brought it to my attention, though, I rather miss having a sister, too. Although I’m not sure I know how to be one after all this time.”

“Easy peasy. First of all, tell me all about this performance you’re doing and how that happened. When is it? There’s no way I’m missing it, no matter what I have to cancel. My God, Jade, you’re dancing with Alejandro Rivera on stage! Is he as sexy to dance with as it looks on TV?”

Jade laughed. She may not be ready to talk with her sister about how sexy Han was, but she was definitely going to like this sister thing.

****

Her mind was completely blank and her heart pounded so hard she was sure everyone around her heard it. She thought the costume—a red dress with a floaty, shimmery skirt and a tight sequin-covered bodice—made her look horribly skinny. Everyone else, including Han, said it made her look sexy. No matter who was right, it wasn’t a look she wanted to put on display for a theater full of people. Mostly it compounded the dread she felt at going on stage in a real theater where thousands of eyes would be watching her. The fact her mind had gone blank helped in that regard, but it posed a problem for doing the dance routine.

Han’s hands descended on her shoulders and turned her to face him as they waited in the wings for their cue. He moved his hands to either side of her neck and tilted her head up with his thumbs under her chin.

“Jade, you’re going to do fine. Just keep your eyes on mine. I will guide you, and if you mess up, I can fix it. Stop worrying about them.” He tilted his head towards the audience. “Remember what this is for. You’re helping Cat. As well as the many other kids who could use a break. Who just need someone to give them a chance. Focus on that.”

She nodded her head slightly, then his lips were on hers and gone before she had a chance to respond. Absently she wiped the red lipstick off his lips with her thumb. “How can you be so calm? Aren’t you nervous at all?”

He shook his head, and his eyes sparkled, rivaling the sequins on his red shirt for brightness. A shirt that was only buttoned halfway up his chest. She had to force herself to not look at or think about that.

“I grew up on this, chica. It feels like home to me. Makes me feel alive. I am excited for the world to see what I see when you dance. You are going to bring down the house.”

“Now you’re just flattering me so I’ll do a good job of it. I’m too much of a novice to get that kind of reaction.”

“I already told you, I only flatter girls I want to sleep with.”

She raised her brows at him. “If I remember correctly, I’m one of those girls…”

He rolled his eyes. “Ai ai ai! You are such a piece of work.” He tilted his head back, looked at the ceiling for a moment then returned his attention to her. “That’s our cue. Let’s go.”

He’d done such a good job distracting her that when they went out on stage and started their number, habit took over and she automatically danced the routine. The music coursed through her as she moved. Han’s confidence rubbed off on her, and she forgot where they were. It was the thunderous applause as they left the stage that reminded her.

“Was I right, or was I right?”

Before she could say anything, he took her in his arms and kissed her so thoroughly the noise of the audience, as well as the chaos of backstage, faded away. It took her a moment to regain her equilibrium when he raised his head and focused his bubbly, champagne-gaze on her.

“I’m pretty sure that’s the standard audience response after watching Alejandro Rivera dance.”

“That is for us, Jade. Whether you wish to believe it or not.” He put his hands on her hips and pulled her close, pressing his hips into hers, holding her there for several long beats. The fire smoldering deep within her, kept at bay and ignored while she was shimmying against him on stage, roared to life and left her quivering.

Made her ache for things she knew she could never have. She closed her eyes for a moment, savoring the sensations, the closeness, the power she had over a man like him. The strength he’d shown by not acting on the way she made him feel. She took a deep shaky breath in an effort to stifle a desire she couldn’t do anything about and opened her eyes.

“Watching you out there did this to me, and no doubt to plenty of other men in the audience as they watched your sexy dance moves. And I’m sorry if it freaks you out, but it’s a good thing. You made the audience feel good, just as much as I did. And you know what happens when people feel good?”

She mutely shook her head. She was pretty sure she couldn’t speak to save her life.

He let her go, took a step back and treated her to a killer, Alejandro Rivera smile. “They spend money. And they will be spending it on Let’s Dance.” His expression sobered, became serious. “How can I ever pay you back for that, Jade?” He grabbed her hand and started pulling her behind him, away from the stage, to make room for the people waiting for their cue to go on next and headed to the dressing rooms.

“You don’t owe me anything,” she told him when they paused outside the women’s dressing room. “You took on a lot more than you bargained for when you offered Beck and Lexi dance lessons as a wedding present.”

She looked down at her feet and swallowed the lump in her throat. One more week and her time with Han would be over. She thought two months was going to be an eternity, but instead, it flew by. She blinked away sudden tears at the thought she’d rarely, if ever, see him after next weekend. “I’m the one indebted to you. You were the final piece to setting me free, Han. I can never pay you back for that.”

He ran a finger down her cheek, his eyes dark and unreadable. “I don’t want to be paid back, mi amiga. It’s not about that. It was never about that.” He gave her a half smile. “You better change your clothes while it’s not so crowded in there.” He nodded his head, gave her a wink before he turned away and walked down the hall, disappearing behind the door of his private dressing room.

Jade shook her head to rid herself of the vision of him stripping off his clothes behind that door and entered the dressing room.

A week from now, Lexi would be married, no longer in need of her, Beck’s responsibility instead, and suddenly her life looked very lonely. She sighed as she undid the zipper on her dress. It wasn’t Lexi she’d be missing. What kind of cruel joke was it that the one man whose touch made her feel alive was the one man she could never have?

Grateful for the emptiness of the dressing room and the opportunity to be alone, she slowly started removing her costume. She wasn’t going to cry. She’d cried plenty since her mother died, and she didn’t indulge in it anymore. She should be thankful. Her sister was marrying a wonderful man. Lexi was a happy, well-grounded adult, and Jade was now free to go anywhere and do anything she wanted without the financial or emotional responsibility of her younger sister. And thanks to Han, she now knew she could handle a romantic relationship of her own. She no longer cringed at the thought of a man getting close to her. She wasn’t tied to her locket like she used to be. She was sure, if she loved the guy, the last of her barriers would crumble.

She sniffed at the tickle in her nose. Things were looking up. She had absolutely no reason to be sad. She was just crashing from the adrenaline rush of performing.

She jumped at the knock on the dressing room door. Since she’d changed out of her costume and was ready to leave, she grabbed her purse as she went to answer it. Whoever it was wasn’t looking for her, and all she wanted was to go home and savor the solitude. It was a shock to see Han standing there.

“I hope you weren’t planning on leaving? You are going to stay for the rest of the show, right?”

She bit her lip. “Actually…” She swallowed. As much as she wanted to go home, she didn’t want to miss Cat’s performance.

“I’d like you to stay, but if you need to leave…” He shrugged a shoulder as though it didn’t matter to him one way or the other, which solidified her desire to go home. “I’m sure as the maid of honor the week before the wedding you’ve got a lot to do. We do have to figure out our practice schedule for this week, though. Walk with me while we talk about it? I need to hunt through the costume closet for a head-piece. One of the little girls who’s performing misplaced the original. Typical kind of show-time catastrophe.” He smiled.

“Sure. But don’t they have people here to take care of things like that? You’re the star of the show.”

He chuckled. “Comes with the territory sometimes, especially in a performance like this one with a significantly smaller budget. Everyone pitches in, and since my act is done, I’m free to be the errand boy. Come on, we need to be quick.”

She stepped out of the room, closed the door behind her, and they headed down the hall. It was one of the few times she was grateful for long legs that made it easy for her to keep up with him.

“So we have the final rehearsal on Thursday night for our dance, as well as Lexi and Beck’s. They’ve worked hard, and I’m happy with the results. How comfortable are you with our routine? Lexi wants one more lesson for both dances before the final run-through, and I was wondering about you.” He stopped at the door to a closet and unlocked it, then swung it open and looked at her over his shoulder. “What do you think you’ll need?”

“After today’s performance, the wedding seems like a piece of cake, but I would like to do one more practice session. How about Wednesday? We have the bachelor and bachelorette parties that evening, but I’m only working on Monday, so I can come in sometime earlier in the day, before I do the last minute party stuff.”

Han nodded his head and flicked on the closet light. It was rather spacious for a closet but was jam-packed with props and every kind of accessory imaginable. And totally unorganized. Which baffled Jade as well as bugged her. Wouldn’t it be so much easier to have it organized so people could quickly find what they needed when they needed it?

“Damn, what a mess! Come in here and help me, would you?”

“Sure. What are we looking for?” She stepped in the closet with him, closing the door partially behind her.

“Don’t you dare close that door.”

“Chill out, Han. I’m just getting it out of the way. It opens into the hall and people run down it like maniacs. I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”

“Right, sorry. Momentary panic.”

“What are we looking for?”

“Something pink and flowery for a little girl to wear on her head. It can be a clip, a headband, a crown. As long as it’s pink and not too big for a child to wear.”

Han started rummaging through things, haphazardly moving stuff out of the way, and she appreciated how the closet came to be in such disarray. There was no time to keep things neat when you needed something immediately.

Both of them picked up several items and discarded them as too big, and they were back in the depths of the closet when Jade finally came across something she thought would work. As she did so, the heavy metal door closed with a resounding thunk. Han smothered a curse but quickly pulled himself together.

“Someone must be in a hurry,” Jade said in an effort to ease the tension and held up a barrette with a sparkly pink rose on it. “What do you think of this?”

“Perfect.” He took it and strode over to the door. “We have about two minutes to get it to her and put it on.” He turned to face her. “So Wednesday morning work for you?”

She nodded. “That’s fine. With the party that day, I haven’t scheduled anything other than my usual workout.”

He rested his hand on the door knob and looked over his shoulder at her. “Ten o’clock?”

“That should be fine.”

She jumped when he rattled off a string of Spanish expletives and banged a fist on the door. “Please tell me we’re not locked in here.”

He hammered on the door again then turned around, leaned against it and covered his eyes with a hand for a moment.

“Door locks from the outside and whoever shut it didn’t bother to make sure no one was inside first.” He made a frustrated noise. “You have your cell phone in your purse? Mine is in my dressing room.”

“I do.” She opened her bag and started rummaging around for it. “I hope you know what number to call.”

“De nada. I can call the main office and they should be able to get a hold of someone. Though somebody may come looking for me here since they’re waiting on me for what they need. Let’s give it a few minutes before I make the call. Otherwise, they’ll be doing the number without the hair decoration.” He set it on a nearby shelf, trying to appear careless, but she saw him clench and unclench his hand.

“Hope the little girl doesn’t take it too hard if that’s the case.” She grabbed her cell phone and pulled it out, ready if he decided to use it.

“Yeah. That was the main reason I offered to find her something. She was pretty worked up about losing the one she was supposed to wear. It’s not that big of a deal. This sort of thing is par for the course.”

He leaned back against the door and crossed his arms. Suddenly he chuckled. Considering they were locked in a closet and he was claustrophobic, it caught her by surprise. Her eyes flew to his face. He wasn’t fooling her. The tightness around his eyes and mouth gave him away. Still, she admired his control.

“I hope our getting stuck in small places isn’t going to become a habit.”

Jade laughed. It was rather funny that in the space of a couple months she found herself trapped with Alejandro Rivera twice. “What are the odds? Are you going to flip out on me again?”

He groaned. “Used to be, I’d have no problem, but after that elevator episode…” He shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal, but Jade suspected otherwise. “I’ve regressed so this is good for me, actually. I can practice my coping skills.” He cleared his throat and uncrossed his arms. “I need a distraction, I think. Focusing on where I’m at makes it worse.” He pushed himself away from the door and took a step towards her. “You care to help me think about other things? You did a pretty good job of it last time.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m not sure what you mean by that.”

“Exactly what you’re afraid I mean.”

His hands landed on her hips, and he pulled her up against him. “This time there’s no personal space bubble to worry about, so you can distract me the way I wanted you to in the elevator.”

He wrapped his arms around her, put a hand in the small of her back, and threaded the fingers of his other one through her hair. Then he kissed her like he needed it to survive, creating an ache in her so deep and strong she moaned from the intensity of it, her heart pounding so hard and fast it left her light-headed.

How was it possible for one man to have so much power over her? It was thrilling, it was mind-blowing, it was everything she needed and wanted in a kiss. And it scared the crap out of her. There was no future in this. She wasn’t going to be one of a long list of Alejandro Rivera’s ex-lovers. As glorious, as right as it felt to be held like this, be kissed like this, the only outcome of giving in to the momentary pleasure was pain when he moved on. And she didn’t need any more pain, certainly not when she had the power to avoid it.

She wriggled, trying to move out of his arms, but it didn’t get the reaction she hoped for. Han removed his lips with a groan, his accent thick and so sexy she momentarily forgot her intentions.

“Ai ai ai , do that some more, chica.” He mimicked her movements and started kissing her neck. Her head spun, and she forced herself back to reality. She may be ready for a relationship, but she wasn’t ready for a fling. In fact, she was pretty sure a fling was something she’d never be ready for. And definitely not in the storage closet of a theater.

“Han, you have to stop. I’m not the kind of girl to have a quickie in a closet. I’ll never be that kind of girl. Your kind of girl.”

He stiffened like she’d dumped a bucket of cold water on him before he dropped his arms and stepped away from her. His hands fisted at his sides, and his jaw clenched and unclenched as he looked at her in silence.

He drew in a long breath through his nose. “You are right. I am a love-them-and-leave-them kind of guy, and the women I hook up with not only know it but want the same. It’s the only sort of relationship I want. Ever.” He unclenched his hands and raked his fingers through his hair, then turned and banged a fist on the door several times.

“Hey! Someone open this door!” Her ears rang as his voice boomed around the small room. He hammered on the door again. “Anyone out there? We’re stuck in here!”