Kissing the Debutant (The Dangers of Dating a Diva Book 3) Read online

  With his free hand, he grabbed hers and brought it to his shoulder.

  It wasn’t any kind of dancing they were used to, but it held freedom all the same.

  Her hand slipped around his neck, her fingers tangling with the wet hair at his nape. He wondered if she even knew she was doing it.

  “Just move with the music.” This was what they needed, a way to get used to each other’s bodies, to get used to each other’s touch. The next sequence he’d teach her of their dance required closeness in a way ballet rarely did.

  Her hips swayed back and forth. “That’s it.” He brushed the hair away from her ear and leaned in. “No fancy moves.”

  Lillian was built for jumps, to spin until she couldn’t anymore. It was who she was. She needed challenge, but maybe standing still was the biggest challenge of all.

  His hand skimmed the ridges of her spine, bared to him. He’d never been more appreciative of a shirt than hers with its open back. She shivered under his touch, but she didn’t pull away.

  A new song started, this one slower. Jack pulled her flush against him, his hands floating over her slight curves. In dancing, touch didn’t mean the same thing as it did other times. Well, that was wrong. It did mean the same, but no one admitted that. Dancers used touch to tell a story much like actors kissing their on-screen love interests.

  It didn’t have meaning.

  Until it did.

  Jack told himself he did this to get her used to him, that it was for his video and the emotion they’d need to portray. But the video was supposed to show love and hate, and he wondered if he’d already lost the second.

  He’d never hated Lillian, not really, and he told himself she’d never hated him either. She saw him the way she saw the rest of the world, as something not worth her time. It wasn’t as bad as it sounded. One thing he knew about her was she didn’t consider anything other than dance worth her time.

  And yet, here she was.

  She’d agreed to his video, to a night out at a club. The ballerina snuck off campus at her high security school and now pressed a hand to his chest. Could she feel the heart hammering in his chest?

  “I thought you said you didn’t know how to do this.” He pulled back to look down at her.

  Her lips drew down, and he worried he’d said the wrong thing. “I…” The Lillian he’d seen tonight retreated back into her impenetrable shell, and the crowd came back into focus, dancing around them.

  Though, maybe her shell wasn’t so impenetrable after all. “I like this outfit.”

  A grimace flashed across her face. “It’s Wylder’s.”

  A laugh burst out of him. “Not surprised. And what would you have worn tonight?”

  “Slacks and a sweater.” She looked away.

  Jack put a finger under her chin and turned her face so she had to meet his eyes. “I’d have liked that too.”

  Her cheeks flushed, and she ducked her head again. He wanted to say more, but a very excited Mia pushed through dancers, shoving a couple out of her way as she ran toward them when the song changed.

  “Jack,” she yelled. “It’s our song!”

  He laughed as he realized she was right.

  Lillian pulled away from him as Mia joined them. He wanted to yank her back, to return to the bubble of the last few minutes when he’d held her in his arms.

  But as the real world crashed in around them and the crowd separated them further, he realized it was too late. Lillian became the cold ballerina he’d come to respect, not the shy blushing girl he… what? He didn’t even know.

  His eyes followed Lillian as she found Wylder at the edge of the dance floor. Wylder lifted a hand to wave goodbye, and all Jack could do was watch them go.

  Mia nudged him. “Dude, it’s our song, and you’re not dancing.”

  He turned to her and ran a hand through his hair, but he didn’t say anything.

  She released a sigh and grabbed his arm to drag him from the dance floor and shove him into an empty booth before sliding in next to him. “I totally just messed that up for you, didn’t I?” She slammed a hand on the table. “I’m such an idiot.”

  “Hey.” He elbowed her. “You’re not an idiot. At least, most of the time you’re not.” He smirked.

  “I’m going to ignore that comment because I’m your best friend, and you’ve been holding out on me.” She poked him in the chest with one finger. “You like her.” There was accusation in her voice.

  “What? No. Of course not. We’re just dance partners.”

  She shook her head. “Whatever, Jack. You can’t lie to me. I know you too well. Don’t worry, she likes you too.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because you’re Jack. Everyone who isn’t me can’t help but love you.”

  “Lillian Preston isn’t like anyone else.”

  She laughed. “You got that right.” Patting his shoulder, her face twisted in disgust. “What is on your shirt?”

  Jack leaned his head back against the booth, a grin playing on his lips. “Soda.”

  “Why do you look so happy about that?”

  “Because, Mia, it changed everything.” He’d have to find the man who spilled on him and thank him. That single act changed the entire night, and he wouldn’t go back. Not even for a dry shirt.

  14

  Lillian

  They weren’t caught.

  Lillian Preston, good girl, rule follower extraordinaire, broke the number one rule at Defiance Academy, and there would be no repercussions.

  She’d always imagined rule breakers and rebels getting what they deserved for disobeying orders, for deciding their judgment was better than that of the adults trying to keep them safe.

  Wylder was one such rebel. All year, Lillian watched her neighbor flaunt her rebellions, from the dreadlocks on her head to her constant sneaking out. Everyone at the academy knew Wylder wasn’t one of them, not really. A fact she held on to like a trophy. She didn’t want to be one of them, but she also didn’t openly disdain them either.

  Her parents weren’t wealthy, they didn’t design apps that saved the world, or negotiate peace deals in foreign countries, or star in the latest Hollywood films.

  Instead, they owned the local hardware store.

  She wouldn’t even be at the academy if she hadn’t been kicked out of Twin Rivers High and if her country star brother didn’t get her in and pay her tuition.

  Why was she proud of it?

  Lillian understood her just a tiny bit more after the night before. Not because she knew Wylder better, but because she felt it too. That exhilaration that came with rebellion.

  Long after she’d made it to her dorm, she lay grinning into the dark, wondering if this was how Wylder felt every day of her life. The girl who cut class and threw parties in empty school buildings during the summer. She was a legend.

  And Lillian couldn’t hide from one simple fact any longer. She wanted to be friends with her.

  But why would Wylder pick her? Why, when her friends at school consisted of popular hockey jocks and some of the smartest kids in school?

  That was a question that haunted Lillian as she sat watching Wylder scroll through Facebook on her phone. “Do you think I should cut all my hair off?” Wylder asked the question like the answer wouldn’t matter to her, like that kind of decision was as big as what to eat for breakfast.

  Lillian leaned over the side of her bed to stare down at the girl lounging on her floor. “Um… no?”

  “Really? Because I think it could be fun. I could pull off the short pixie look. I think.” She shrugged and changed the subject. “I wish I was graduating this year.” She turned her phone so Lillian could see the picture of her brother and his equally well-known boyfriend. “Look at them. They even tagged me and said they wished I was there. Do you know where they are?”

  Lillian shook her head.

  “Rome.” Wylder groaned dramatically. “My brother is on tour in Rome, and I have to do a fifth year of high school. I�
��ve already done my penance. I don’t see why I should have to do an extra year.”

  Ah, the consequences of rebellion. Wylder was expelled for cheating in a desperate attempt to pass her junior year, which she ultimately had to repeat at the academy. Maybe the exhilaration of rule breaking wasn’t worth it.

  Lillian focused back on her phone and the conversation she was following on Facebook. The competition was coming soon, and she didn’t feel any more prepared than before taking Jack on as choreographer. And here were the girls she’d met at orientation bragging about how they couldn’t wait.

  Luckily, Lillian’s sort-of friends, sort-of competitors weren’t in her category. They wouldn’t be going head to head, but she imagined the kinds of dancers she’d be up against as she read the chat.

  Jenna: I am so ready to get this over with.

  Rose: I heard they had a record number of sign-ups.

  Lola: Does it matter? They won’t beat us.

  Lillian’s cheeks warmed at being included in that ‘us’. Through all her dance classes, other dancers had only seen her as someone to best or someone to revere. Never an us.

  Wylder pushed herself from the floor and jumped onto the bed, jostling Lillian and knocking the phone from her hands. “Whatcha doing?”

  Lillian’s shoulders stiffened. “Were you really that bored that you wanted to come do nothing in my room?”

  “Lil.” She bumped her shoulder. “This is what people do in the dorms on the weekend. Haven’t you ever just… hung out?”

  Lately her weekends had been filled with debutant events and dance, but even before that, she couldn’t remember ever just sitting with someone. “Uh.”

  “This is why you need me.”

  Yes, but why did Wylder need her? “Is the hockey team out of town or something?”

  “No.” Wylder lifted a brow. “Why? Did you want to go to tonight’s game?”

  “No, I just… figured you’d hang out with them.”

  “But I’m hanging out with you.” She said it so simply like it didn’t confuse Lillian even more. Wylder shook her head with a laugh and yelled. “Dev!”

  Devyn was almost as quiet as Lillian. She didn’t fit as Wylder’s roommate, but she didn’t seem to mind. She poked her head around the door. “Yes?”

  “Come hang with us,” Wylder whined.

  Devyn flashed them a quick smile. “Can’t. I need to get to the stables. You guys have fun though.” And she was gone.

  Wylder sighed. “I need to find less motivated friends. The guys are always at hockey practice, Devyn practically sleeps in the stables, and you… you’re going to leave me soon to go dance, aren’t you?”

  Lillian checked the time on her phone, realizing Wylder was right. She had to meet Jack when his shift at the studio ended in an hour. “But I’m here now.”

  “Except I’m going to lose you to a boy when I only just found you.” Wylder flopped onto her back. Everything about her screamed drama, and Lillian couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Why would you lose me to a boy? Dance practice will be over in a couple hours, then I can eat dinner with you.”

  Wylder closed her eyes. “Totally not what I meant, but sure, go ahead and ignore the giant elephant sitting on your heart.”

  “Isn’t it supposed to be the elephant in the room?”

  “Sure, if you’re boring.” She lifted herself onto one elbow and fixed Lillian with a stare. “Have I ever told you I’m a love guru?”

  Lillian couldn’t help but laugh. “A what?”

  “My brother fell in love with my best friend, and now they’re in that sickening forever kind of love phase. I have helped three people at this school find love.”

  Lillian knew all about Wylder’s friends. Those three people? All guys who fell in love with other guys. She wore a rainbow dress to the winter formal in an enthusiastic show of LGBTQ support. People talked about her, analyzed her.

  “I’m not sure what that has to do with me.” Lillian crossed her arms.

  “I can’t just wave my magic wand, Lil. You have to do some of the work too. Think about it.”

  About what? She still didn’t understand.

  “Oh my gosh, you’re oblivious.” The words rushed out of Wylder as she sat up and threw her arms in the air. “I saw you.”

  “When?”

  “When,” she scoffed. “Last night. What happened in that bathroom?”

  Bathroom? Lillian shook her head. She’d only cleaned soda off Jack as any nice person would do. “His shirt was sticky. I was only helping him.”

  “Helping him.” She tapped one finger against her lips. “Hmm… and let me guess. He couldn’t do it himself?”

  Lillian froze. She guessed he could have, but instinct had taken over. She’d wanted to help him, to take care of him. “I… erm…”

  “Exactly. And then you two came out onto the dance floor, and I had to fan myself to keep from getting overheated.”

  “Why would you have been overheated? I guess it was a little warm in there and—”

  “Quiet.” Wylder clapped a hand over Lillian’s mouth. “Just quiet. I’m going to talk now. I’ve known Jack for years. We went to the same school. He’s a nice guy, a truly nice guy. There aren’t many of those out there. And he likes you.”

  Lillian pushed Wylder’s hand away. “No. You’re not a dancer, so you don’t understand the connection we have to fake.”

  “There was nothing fake in the way he looked at you.”

  Was that the truth? Lillian tried to think back on their dance and got lost in the memory of his hands on her bare back, his breath on her ear. But he’d only wanted her to grow comfortable with him. “He can’t… I mean, why would he?”

  “Because you’re hot.” Wylder shrugged.

  Lillian scooted away from her. “No, I’m not… just no.”

  A grin tugged at Wylder’s lips. “You’re like a new puppy I get to train. Okay, I’m going to lay it on you. You, Lillian Preston, turn heads wherever you go. I’ve seen it here at school.”

  “They’re just scared of me.” Of her intensity.

  “Yes, they are. But you’re also smoking.”

  “I don’t smoke.”

  Wylder’s grin widened. “You’re beautiful, but I don’t think that’s why Jack likes you. I mean, he could have a lot of beautiful girls. There’s something in you he’s drawn to.”

  “He probably just feels bad for me.” He’d seen how her mom treated her. He was the only person who knew how conflicted she was about dance.

  “Hate to break it to you, Lil, but no one feels bad for the rich girl who can have anything she wants. Least of all the Jack Butlers of the world.”

  “Why least of all him?”

  “Not my story to tell, babe. But I can guarantee that if he’s drawn to you, it’s despite the life you live, not because of it.”

  Lillian picked at the edges of her comforter. “What about Mia?”

  “What about her?”

  “I don’t think she’d like her boyfriend crushing on me.”

  Wylder laughed so hard she had to hold her stomach. “You keep saying they’re dating, but yikes, Lil. That would be ridiculous. Mia and Jack have been best friends forever. I used to think differently, but now I see it. They’re like siblings.”

  Warmth flooded Lillian at this new knowledge, as if thinking Jack had a girlfriend was the only thing keeping her from noticing the adorable dimples when he smiled or the way his eyes lit up when he danced.

  Okay, so maybe she still didn’t believe Jack wanted her as anything more than a dance partner.

  But as she finally let herself really think about last night, she realized she wasn’t sure she felt the same.

  15

  Jack

  “She’s going to nail it this time.” Mia’s camera lens followed Lillian’s graceful footwork. After weeks of arguing, she’d finally adapted to the subtle modern influence of the choreography Jack had developed for her competition.

 
“Don’t jinx her.” Jack drew his knees up to his chest from his seat on the floor, as Lillian worked up to the apex of the routine they’d worked tirelessly to perfect.

  “She’s totally going to win this thing,” Mia said.

  “Just let her finish.” A sense of pride filled Jack as he watched Lillian absolutely crush it on the main studio floor. They were treating this practice as a dress rehearsal of sorts. Today she wasn’t a classically trained prima ballerina—she was just a talented dancer pushing at the boundaries of her classical roots, blurring the lines with her newly acquired modern skills. Dressed in black joggers and a sports bra, she danced barefoot, her hair up in its customary bun with long wispy strands trailing behind her.

  Lillian was awesome.

  And now that she’d learned the routine and could execute it from start to finish without a single hitch, they would finally move on to Jack’s school project, which would push her boundaries even further.

  As the final beats of the contemporary music escalated, Lillian’s feet barely touched the ground as she whirled into a classic pirouette, finishing with a kick, and rocking her hips to the music before she dropped to her knees, sliding across the floor and throwing her arms back.

  Mia held up her hand to keep him quiet as she finished the last few seconds of the video. His pulse pounded in his ears. He was so proud of Lillian. He’d pushed her out of her comfort zone, and she’d risen to the challenge.

  A breathtaking smile spread across Lillian’s face, her chest heaving with the effort to catch her breath.

  “Cut,” Mia called. “That was so perfect, Lil.” She clapped. “I can’t wait to get the final edits done on this demo.” She started packing her equipment.