Dare to Dance: The Maxwell Series (11 page)

She locked her fingers together. “Why? What’s changed?”

“The butterflies for one.” I grinned. “They’re crazier than when I first met you at the academy.” Another truth.

She glanced away. “Don’t do that.”

I placed my forefinger under her chin. “Do what?”

She slowly peered up at me. “Flash me that dimple of yours.”

I frowned teasingly, my heart swelling with happiness that I still affected her.

“I’m homeless, Kross. I’m not beautiful like you think I am or like your girlfriend. I’ve only been sleeping at Alex’s place for three days. I’m not sure how much longer that will last. So don’t you dare feel sorry for me or offer me a place. I’m just laying out my cards. If you want to get to know me again, then you need to know empty, abandoned buildings are my home. Dark alleys are comforting to me. I walk miles around the city. I eat out of dumpsters. I beg for change. All that is part of my daily routine.”

A knife-like pain twisted several ways inside my chest. I hated that her life hadn’t turned out as she’d planned. “Then I’ll sleep in this warehouse with you. I’ll roam the streets with you.” I was so fucking serious. I couldn’t change who Ruby was, but I could show her how serious I was about rekindling our relationship.

Her mouth fell open briefly. “I’m not sure I believe you.” She studied me with caution.

“Okay, then pick a spot, and we’ll sleep there tonight. On one condition, though.”

“Ha, I knew it. What is it with deals? First Tommy and now you.”

I clenched my jaw. “Is he making you fight?”

“I’m fighting because I want to. So what’s your angle?”

It was my turn to study her and the trepidation glued to her face. It might have been too much to ask her to spend the afternoon with me. I had to take baby steps or else I would lose any chance of getting answers or building a friendship—two things I needed and wanted. More importantly, I had to give her some space. Hell, I had to give myself time to regroup. I’d been sick to my stomach during the last two weeks. I also had to trust that if there was a child, he was safe. Ruby didn’t strike me as a person who would be an irresponsible mother.

“I’d like for you to come down to the gym this week so I can show you some boxing moves. If you insist on fighting, then let me teach you a move or two.”

She pressed a finger to her lip. “Okay, but I’m there to learn, not for you to give me the third degree about my past.” She steeled her shoulders.

Another step in the right direction. “Do we shake on it?”
Or maybe kiss on it.

She edged back. “No touching.”

“Earlier, you had your arms around me,” I said playfully.

She gave me one of her shy looks that turned me on.
Fuck me.
She was making it hard for me to be a gentleman.

N
orma
and I were on our way to Crandall’s Gym. I’d filled her in on my conversation with Kross. I’d asked her to accompany me because I didn’t want to go alone. It wasn’t that I was afraid of Kross. I was more afraid that I would run the moment I walked through the gym doors. For the last three days, I’d been a nervous wreck, dropping drinks, biting my nails, tossing and turning at night. I’d replayed the conversation with Kross over and over again. I couldn’t get past his admission of how beautiful I was or how he still got butterflies when he was around me. Yet I had to guard my heart. I couldn’t let his charm, his blue eyes, or anything about him woo me into a spell that would lead to hurt and heartache. Until I knew what would happen when he learned about Raven, I wasn’t risking her heart, particularly if he got cold feet and ran again. Or worse, took Raven from me.

“I can’t stay long. I picked up a shift tonight,” Norma said in a tone cold enough to match the weather.

“You’re still mad because I’m fighting on Saturday.” It was more of a statement than a question. I promised her I wouldn’t fight—desperate times and all that. “I’m sorry I broke my promise, but we could use two thousand dollars.” If I didn’t fight, I could also lose my waitressing job.

She pulled her knitted hat down over her ears. “You’re not going to win, Ruby. You have no idea what the hell you’re doing. That girl you fought last time knocked you out. I can’t handle that.”

We drew to a stop in front of a pawnshop across the street from Crandall’s Gym.

“I was scared out of my mind when you didn’t wake up. Frankly, Kross shouldn’t let you do this.”

I mashed my lips together so hard it hurt. “First, I’m here to learn a few moves from a guy who boxes for a living,” I said as nicely as I could. She was worried. I got that. I didn’t want to fuel her fire. The more she got upset, the more I got upset, and I needed my head clear so I could put all my energy into winning the fight on Saturday. “Second, you’ve said yourself that women shouldn’t let men boss them around. You hated when your pimp told you what to do.”

“Kross isn’t a pimp,” she yelled above the brisk wind.

I tugged on my scarf. “He doesn’t own me. This is my life.” As screwed up as it was, I had to make my own decisions. For too long, my mom had made all the decisions while I took care of Raven. It was time for me to take control. Whether I made good or bad decisions, they were mine to own up to. While fighting might not have been the best decision, it was an opportunity to make money. “You’re supposed to be my friend.”

“I am your friend. Friends tell each other when they don’t agree with something. Damn it, Ruby. Think. Think about Raven. Not only could you get hurt badly, but Tommy’s fights are illegal. Do you want to do jail time like your parents?”

Screw trying to keep my anger at bay
. I narrowed my eyes into slits so small, I could barely see her. “I am thinking about my daughter. I am trying everything I can to get a steady job so I can find a place to live.” Norma was right, which was why I was so darn angry at myself more than I was at her. “I’m fighting. End of story.” I had to go through with the fight. I’d committed to it. Tommy said I could be good. More importantly, if I won, then I wouldn’t lose my job, which meant we could get an apartment, and in turn, I could get Raven back. Alex’s hospitality would only go so far.

“If you fight, I’ll tell Kross about Raven.”

My jaw came unhinged. “Why are you so insistent on Kross knowing about Raven? Why? Tell me now.” We’d only been friends for two months, and I didn’t know everything about Norma. I knew she ran away from home. I knew she’d been a hooker. She rarely talked about her family. When I’d asked her why she ran away, she’d said her parents were too strict.

A teardrop slid down her wind-burned cheek as she moved to lean against the pawnshop. Then she bent over to hold her stomach.

“What’s going on?” I asked gently. Norma hardly got emotional. She was the strong one in our friendship.

She straightened, sweeping her blond bangs to the side. Tears rushed out. “I ran away from home at fifteen because I was pregnant. I didn’t want anyone to know. I didn’t want my parents to look at me and be disappointed.” She sucked in her lip ring. “I lost the baby, Ruby. I was running from some creep who was chasing me one night. I turned down a dark street, and I didn’t see the stairs. I fell head first. Next thing I knew, I was bleeding.” She sobbed, crouching down until her butt met the pavement. “To this day, I haven’t told my parents.”

My chest tightened. “I’m sorry. I know the feeling.” Tears burned behind my eyelids, not only for Norma’s pain, but for mine.

“What do you mean?”

I grabbed hold of her hands. “I was pregnant with twins. Raven had a sister. But she didn’t make it. Riley was stillborn from a genetic defect, according to the doctors.”

She reached out and hugged me, practically tackling me to the ground. “If I hadn’t run away from home, if only I’d been brave enough to tell my parents, then the baby would still be alive.” She sobbed in my ear, drowning out the sounds of a passing car.

I focused on the closed sign in the window of the pawnshop and rubbed her back, much like my mom had done after the doctor took Riley away. “I’m here for you.” The pain of losing a baby, whether from a miscarriage or stillbirth, hurt. But when compounded with the
what-ifs,
it made healing an uphill battle. Sometimes, I thought God had punished me for not trying harder to find Kross and tell him I was pregnant. “I go through all the scenarios of what would’ve happened if Kross would’ve returned my calls, or if he would’ve been with me when Raven was born. I’m not sure my life would’ve turned out differently.”

Her sobs became sniffles. I eased back and wiped away a tear from her face.

“I love that you’re worried about Raven. I am too. But she’s with a good family.” I’d met them briefly on my last supervised visit two weeks before. The couple had smiled and waved at me. Sure, outward appearances could be deceiving, but Raven had seemed happy, talking about the dolls her foster mom had bought her, and the books they’d read to her before bed. Tears stung. I wanted to be the one reading to my daughter.
Damn it.
I squeezed my eyes shut, collecting my emotions. I couldn’t go into the gym with red eyes and a splotchy face. Kross would probably think Tommy had done something to hurt me, then Tommy and Kross would scuffle. Then Tommy would fire me for sure. “You’re right. I shouldn’t fight. But Tommy thinks I’m good. Maybe Kross can help me get better. Maybe I can make fighting a career.”

She scrunched her red nose. “Do you like getting hit?”

“I like the adrenaline rush.” I would rather dance, but that door had closed a long time ago. Ballet dancers usually peaked somewhere in their mid-twenties, and those were the ones who had been practicing consistently since they were kids. If I couldn’t be a dancer, I would love to maybe teach ballet someday.

“Ruby, I regret what I did. I don’t want you—”

“Nothing is going to happen to me. Except some cuts and bruises.”

“If something did, then Raven would be without a mom, and Kross wouldn’t know his daughter.”

I cocked my head and grinned. “I’m sure you’ll be the first one to tell him.” I had no doubt that Norma wouldn’t hesitate to introduce Kross to Raven.

She gave me a tentative smile and a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry for getting all emotional. I’ve kept that secret to myself all these years.”

“I’m glad you told me. But maybe it’s time your parents knew.”

She shook her head vigorously. “No effing way. I don’t want to see the pity on their faces or take the chance they don’t want to see me. They probably hate me.”

I lifted my eyebrows. If that was how she felt, then I wanted to tell her not to be so insistent on telling me to inform Kross about Raven. Instead, I said, “I bet they would love to see you. Maybe it’s time to put the past to rest.”

She wiped her hand underneath her nose. “Tell you what. You come clean with Kross, then I’ll reach out to my parents.”

I looked at her for a long moment. “I’m late. I should get inside.” I dashed across the quiet street.

“You’re avoiding me,” she said, following closely on my heels.

I opened the door to the gym and smacked right into a Kross look-a-like. He wasn’t Kross because he didn’t have the large muscular arms. Sure, he was buff with a gray Harvard T-shirt stretched across his toned chest, but he didn’t have a snake inked on his forearm like his brother.

His blue gaze sized me up as he moved out of the way to let me enter. “Ruby, right?”

Okay, so he wasn’t Kody either since Kody and I had met at Firefly, and he would’ve remembered me.

The man in front of me sported a cocky grin as he eyed Norma, who glided in and stood beside me. “I’m Kelton. Do you remember me?”

I wanted to laugh hysterically. Their unabashed attitudes and their arrogance at the academy were hard to forget. Girls had followed them around school, trying to get their attention. They had made a name for themselves, not only because of their good looks, but they’d been in the principal’s office on a daily basis for acting out in class, telling a teacher off, or getting into fights.

“Norma, this is Kelton Maxwell. The other triplet.” I punctuated the last three words in a snooty tone. Kelton and I didn’t get along back then. He’d sat behind me in two of my classes and tried to play with my hair every chance he had. But when he’d outright sniffed my hair, I’d whirled around in my seat and slapped him. He’d laughed. I’d gotten detention.

“You still hate me. It’s been four years, Ruby.” His grin screamed arrogance. “I see you still have long hair.”

I clenched my fists.

“Hi,” Norma said.

Kelton laughed. I walked away.

“Nice to see you again, Ruby,” he said to my back.

“He’s a bit pompous,” Norma said at my side. “But really hot.”

A potent smell of sweat and man penetrated my nostrils as we stood at the empty check-in desk. Grunts, shouts, and clangs sounded. Men and women worked out on weights, rowing machines, and treadmills. I squinted at the bright lights as nostalgia swept me from the room.

Spotlights had shone down as I danced to music of Tchaikovsky, practicing for my role in the Sleeping Beauty performance.

“Cut the music,” Ms. March shouted, her voice echoing throughout the auditorium.

I stopped. “Am I doing something wrong?” She’d been riding me for two solid months about my form, my attitude, and my smile.

“Head up and shoulders back,” Ms. March said.

I wanted to tell her I was exhausted, but that would only fuel her ire. Then she would have made me practice another two hours. I understood her strict teaching. If I looked good in front of an auditorium of people, then so did she. Above everything, I didn’t want to disappoint myself. I had to be perfect. The artistic director of Joffrey Ballet School in New York would be present for my performance.

“Can we take a break?” I had desperately needed some water.

An elbow pushed into my side, startling me back to the present. “Kross is over there.” Norma’s voice registered as Ms. March’s waned. Norma tipped her chin to the left.

Kross was sparring with a young brown-haired boy, who looked to be in high school. I watched in quiet fascination at the lithe way Kross danced around his opponent. I was mentally taking notes for my bout on Saturday.

“Look at him move,” Norma said in awe, or maybe she was drooling.

I couldn’t blame her. Kross’s body was covered in a sheen of sweat, highlighting the way his muscles rippled every time he jabbed. He was so much bigger now than when we were in school.
Hey, idiot, he’s a man now. A very large and sexy man.
Actually, he was more like a sexy beast. My stomach fluttered as I licked my lips. “Maybe I should go.” I couldn’t take boxing lessons from him. I could, however, take kissing lessons or something more.

“You afraid you might give in to him?” Norma’s voice held giddiness.

I would have loved to have given him every inch of me. “Not a chance.”

She giggled. “Liar.”

I bit my lip as I willed the tornado in my stomach to calm the heck down.

A short, bald man who had his back to us threw up his hands. “God damn it, Kross. Get your fucking act together. Hit Liam like you mean it. Reggie is going to pummel you into oblivion.”

Kross stretched his neck one way then the other. Liam bounced on his feet before throwing a punch. His gloved fist landed square in Kross’s jaw.

“Your footwork is lacking, Kross,” a guy with a ponytail next to the coach said.

Kross growled before he lunged at Liam. One fist hit Liam’s nose. The next one hit his mouth. Liam raised his forearms as Kross let loose a series of jabs and hooks.

“That’s it. Keep that footwork going,” the coach said with pride in his voice.

“Liam, fight back,” I shouted. As soon as the words left me, I slapped a hand over my mouth. I should have been rooting for Kross, but I always liked to root for the underdog.

Kross whipped his head in my direction. When he did, Liam landed a left hook into Kross’s face. Kross stumbled backward into the ropes. Ponytail guy and the coach shot fiery glares at me. All the sounds in the gym died. I scanned the room and found that all eyes were on me. Suddenly, I wanted to crawl into a dark hole.

“Isn’t that the ponytail guy who was with Kross at your fight? Dillon, right?” Norma asked with way too much excitement in her voice. “Alex likes him. Maybe he’s the one she’s been spending time with. I’m not one to step into a girl’s territory, but for him, I might have to.”

“I’m leaving.”

“No, you’re not.” Norma blocked me with her body. “Two thousand dollars.”

I briefly closed my eyes.
Money. Lots of money. You can do this.
At the moment, I hated my subconscious and Norma.

“One minute, you don’t want me to fight. The next, you’re encouraging me. Is it because you’re foaming at the mouth for Dillon?”

“In all honesty,” she said, “no. Sure, he’s hot, but if you’re in that ring with Kross, then you have a chance to win.”

Kross held his jaw as he glanced my way with a blank expression. Dillon, on the other hand, swaggered over with a gym bag in his hand. His brown gaze appraised Norma and me. “I didn’t think you would show.” His voice was husky. “I’m Dillon Hart. I was at your fight with Kross. We never officially met, though.”