Pointe of Breaking (22 page)

I slipped my hands under his shirt, savoring the way he felt. His body was hard. He was so strong, yet he melted under my touch. Pressing his hips against mine, he pulled back and removed his shirt. I didn’t know what was more true to perfection. The ripple of his stomach, or the lines of his back that caught my eye in the reflection of the mirrors around us.

He grabbed my legs, pulling them up against him and resting me on the Barre. “Tell me your secret,” he demanded.

“My secret?” I wrapped my arms around his shoulders.

“After your confessional ride with me on the motorcycle. You told me everything you wanted me to do to you and you to me, except for one thing…a secret.” He stared at me like my body was a piece of art. “Tell me.”

I couldn’t. I was too scared.

“Tell. Me.”

It was on the tip of my tongue. I wanted so desperately to be with him in a way I didn’t know if was still possible.

“I love you, Adeline.”

He loved me! Exhilaration and terror overcame me. I’d finally heard the words I’d dreamed to, but at the same time, his love cut me. Deeply.

Not having him at all was worse than all the heartache I’d endured by loving him back. Those words got caught in my throat. They refused to leave so I showed him how much I loved him with my body. I grabbed the sides of his face, sliding my hands back through his hair. Pressing my hips harder against his, I moved against him like it was a dance.

He slipped his hands up my side, pushing up my bra with it. Shivers trailed his touch as he slipped it up over my head. He pressed my back harder against the mirror, using the force to keep me still while he wiggled my bottoms off. My naked body reflected off every mirror in the room. It was an aphrodisiac, but not because of my sight, but because of his. He kept me there as he loosened his belt, letting gravity do the rest.

Before me was the specimen of perfection. He was so fucking gorgeous and the tenderness in his gaze made the hurt inside less painful. His confession of love was written in his eyes. Spoken with his kiss. And shown with his touch.

“Make love to me,” I whispered my secret.

Make love to me.

Those were the words I so desperately wanted to hear tumble from her mouth. Her secret. Her hope.
My
hope. I wanted so much more with Adeline. I wanted to make sweet, passionate, soul-quenching love to her. Hearing the word
love
tumble out of her beautiful, lush lips made me feel like she could be mine. All of her.

I could be what she deserved.

I lowered her down to the glossy wood floor and stood back, admiring my girl. Fuck. My girl was stunning. Her toned muscles glistened in the mid day sunlight streaming in. The studio windows were glazed so no one could see in.

Hearing Blake’s name on her lips earlier no longer infuriated me. Okay, it didn’t make me happy. It wasn’t particularly pleasant, but I was looking beyond that now. I was past Blake. I was past Ivan. I was done being the idiotic, immature, selfish asshole that I had been before.

Adeline deserved so much better. And no one was going to try harder to give that to her than me.

She cocked her head to the side and pulled her hair band out, letting her brown tresses tumble to the floor beneath her, fanning out all around her face. Her eyes heated with an urgent desire.

I bent over and grabbed her leg, pulling it up and slowly dragging her black leg warmer off. My fingers lingered over the silky satin of the laces tied up her sexy leg. I tossed the leg warmer aside and held her pointe shoe-covered foot in my hand. Fingering the edges where her satin shoe met her creamy skin, I leaned over and dropped a feather-light kiss on the exposed skin on the top of her foot. I dragged my cheek down to the very tip of her pointe. Her legs trembled in my grasp as I repeated the reverent worship to her other ballet shoe covered foot.

“
Please
,” she begged with that sexy as fuck raspy voice that I only heard when she was overcome with lust or sadness. Whether we were in bed or she was on the stage, that hoarse sound was reserved only for the most intense moments of her life.

I hated it. And I fucking loved it.

I loved her.

I reached down and pulled a condom out of the wallet in my jeans. I slid it on my throbbing length and glanced down at Adeline, and relished in the way she was infatuated by my every movement. I grinned, more than satisfied by her eagerness to connect with me in the most carnal way possible.

I lowered myself on top of her. A sudden flicker of shyness cascaded over her face. I clutched the side of her face with my hand and forced her clear blue eyes to meet mine.

“Don’t look away,” I demanded urgently. “Don’t take those sexy eyes off of me.”

Her expression softened and rawness blossomed in her pink cheeks and wide eyes. “As long as you don’t look away either,” she replied, biting her lip.

I smiled warmly meeting her gaze and thrust into her, pausing and aching with an uncontrollable need.
Fuuuuck she felt so good.
So tight, wet and ready. Like she was tailored just for me.

Her eyes went wide as she accepted me…all of me. She shook and trembled beneath me with her lips parted in a sexy O. Her body gripped every single inch of me, stretching and contracting, ebbing and flowing. Once she relaxed, I rocked into her again. Smooth. Steady.

She let out a gloriously sexy moan just as our eyes locked. It took all I had not to close mine and cry out in pure unadulterated pleasure. She twined her fingers with mine and squeezed our hands against her chest as she too struggled to keep her eyes open.

“You’re so fucking beautiful, Adeline,” I said. Her eyes widened in surprise. When was this girl going to get that fact straight? “On the stage and in my arms, you’re never more beautiful. I’m going to tell you that forever, baby.”

My heart clenched at the mention of forever. Forever with her sounded pretty fucking perfect. Our breathing became ragged as I continued my steady, mind blowing thrusts. I finally got her where I wanted her, so I was going to take my sweet time.

She dropped my hand and drummed her fingers along my triceps. I could tell she was growing needy and desperate for release. Having both of my arms free to hold myself over her, I pulled back and powered into her deep and hard and then stilled, feeling her muscles clench around me.

“Yes, Leo. God, yes!” she cried out. Her hands were restless as they flitted across my back, unable to still on any one spot for very long.

She bucked her hips upwards, trying to take me deeper inside of her. Her face contorted the longer we went and the longer I denied us the joy of our runaway orgasms.

Smirking, I broke my eye contact to pay homage to her exquisite breasts. I sucked an erect nipple into my mouth, and she cried out and grabbed my hair roughly. I chuckled silently at her obvious lack of control.

I had her right where I wanted her.

I blew cool air over her breast and watched her nipple peak even further. I paid equal attention to the other until she jerked my head up to her eyes again.

The look of desperate wanting fleeting across her gaze was overwhelming. I put that there. I affected her this way. I wanted to memorize every single bit of this girl. Every sound, every inflection, every freckle, every curve. Her red swollen lips were from me. I had marked her with my passionate love and she’d never looked more gorgeous. She gave herself to me, just waiting and begging for me to give her the finale we both craved so passionately.

“I love you,” I whispered shakily.

Her hungry stare turned emotional as a tear slipped out of her eyes and down her temple. Unable to hold control a second longer, I picked up speed and she threw her head back. Arching her back, she wrapped her pointe-covered feet around me and squeezed.

God yes, baby. Pull me into you. Pull me in and let me live inside you for days. I’ll want for nothing.

Just as I felt her core tighten around me, I gripped her ass in a hard punishing embrace. I dropped my head and watched my wet dick slide in and out of her at a heady pace. It was erotic as fuck. She scraped her nails down my back and my gaze was ripped from our bodies as we both let out earth-shattering screams.

She clung to me with her arms and legs so reverently, so tightly, it was as if her life depended on it.

Maybe it did.

Gasping for a huge gulp of air, I realized for the first time that I had been holding my breath for God knows how long. Slowly, her body relaxed as my panting eased. My head still downcast, I burrowed my face between her breasts, relishing in the delicious smell and feel of her soft skin. I rubbed my face up to her damp with sweat neck and over her cheeks, capturing her lips with mine in a warm, wet kiss.

She broke the kiss on a pant. “Again?” she asked, surprising me. Her dilated pupils were alight with a passionate fire.

I grinned lazily and kissed her on her nose. “Oh Adeline, we’re not yet finished with our first.”

She bit her lip in excitement and my chest rumbled with laughter.

“God you are so beautiful.” Suddenly my chest tightened with nervousness.

My smile dropped, and her brow furrowed in confusion as she registered my sudden change in mood. Taking a big gulp of air, I found the courage to say the devotion that I had said before, but so far had not been reciprocated.

“Adeline, I really do love you.” My gaze was gentle as it flitted across every one of her features searching, begging, pleading for any signs that she felt the same. I could feel it when I moved inside of her. I could feel it in her touch. Her eyes. I could feel her love. It was right there. But until she said the words, it wasn’t real. It was torture. Torture I probably deserved.

She broke her gaze from mine and looked off to the side, still and unmoving. My heart was going to rip straight out of my damn chest. She had to love me. She had to! I wasn’t here alone. There was no way!

Suddenly, her chest started shaking violently with silent sobs. Her composed expression cracked and she brought her hand up and covered her face in an ugly cry that stole my breath.

“Adeline, baby. What? God, what is it?” I asked, dread washing over me. “Do you…” My voice cracked. “Do you really not…” I couldn’t finish the words.

She stopped sobbing and dropped her hand looking directly at me, her eyes swimming with tears. “I do, Leo. I love you.”

I exhaled a sigh and rested my head against her forehead. The relief of her sentiment said aloud was salve on the burning ache beneath my chest. Her hands clasped my face tightly and pulled me back to look me in the eyes again.

“But it’s not that simple,” she said. “I’ve done things. Promised things. Things that could ruin me if I don’t follow through with them. Things that could ruin you! I can’t do that to you. I do love you, Leo, but I can’t drag you down with this. There’s no way we can make this work.”

“I know all about your deal with Blake, baby. We’ll figure a way out of it.”

“How?”

I grumbled beneath my breath, annoyed that that prick’s name was once again coming between me and my girl. The fucker was slick, I’d give him that. But I had a plan for dealing with him, one that I wasn’t going to be able to accomplish alone.

I kissed Adeline’s lips softly, closing my eyes and breathing in her sweet scent. “Blake isn’t the only one with connections,” I whispered.

She pulled away and looked at me quizzically.

“I’m going to take care of you, Adeline. I’m not going to fuck this up again. And I’m not going to let Blake Rossi come between us.”

She smiled sadly up at me. Her long lashes fanned her creamy cheeks every time she blinked. “So much for a romantic first time,” she giggled and residual tears slipped out.

“You should know better than anyone,” I paused kissing her nose. “Practice makes perfect.”

Leo broke my rule.

One rule that he had promised to always do! And as soon as I spread my legs for him, he forgot all about it.

How dare he!

I was positively pissed. Livid.

I bunched
his
shirt in my hands and held it behind my back. All the while, I repeated to myself over and over:
staring at the v-line was not worth losing the article of clothing.
His waistline, his bare stomach, and his perfectly carved chest was a work of art, yet he stared at me like I was some goddamn angel in an oversized T-shirt and a pair of shorts.

He was forbidden to wear a shirt in my studio apartment.
Forbidden
, I mouthed and held the wadded up shirt like it was a trophy.

He retaliated by giving me the full force of his sexy-ass smirk. “I literally walked in the door,” he said, setting his backpack down on my table.

“That’s a
you
problem.”

“It’s going to become
your
problem.” In two steps, he closed the gap between us and reached behind me to pry his shirt out of my hands.

I held it behind my back and shook my head, refusing to give him what he wanted
oh, so bad.
Towering over me, he grabbed at the shirt, trying to snatch it back. After attempt number three, he frowned and got this devilish look in his eyes.

“You’re going to wrinkle it and then I’m going to have to drive back to the House to get something else to wear. I’ll miss your performance.”

“You’ve seen it three times now.”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re hiding me.”

“I am.” I laughed.

He blew out a forced breath like what I’d said actually stung. Then he pounced. Moving faster than expected, he grabbed my thighs and threw me over his shoulder in one fluid movement. I yelped and was rewarded with his satisfying moan.

He carried me over to my futon. Before tossing me onto the cushion that we’d been pounding on for the better part of a week, he slid his hand up the back of my leg. Finding the spot behind my knee that made me come fucking unglued, he flicked it with his tongue.

God! That spot was like a direct line to my freaking g-spot. It tugged at all the right places. He tightened his grip as I wiggled. Hanging over his shoulder, I slapped his ass…his tight, rounded ass. I shuddered, thinking about him taking me from behind as we watched through the studio mirrors.

“You’re not playing fair!” I moaned.

He sighed like I’d just completely stressed him out, but when he spoke all I heard was pure, untainted infatuation. “What you do to me isn’t fair, Adeline.”

He tossed me down on the sheets that were fragranced with his scent—our essence. The past week, falling peacefully asleep had been impossible, unless vigorous activity was involved beforehand. And when the morning sun woke us, I’d be entangled around him and my sheets. Wrapped up in his arms like he was bound and determined to protect me from anything, even my nightmares. My heart ached in an entirely different way.

The love we had, even at its infancy, was as fragile as it was strong. That was the thing about love, wasn’t it? It was unpredictable. It could take you by surprise. It could take you slow. By the time you realized what had happened, it was too late. It didn’t play by the rules. Sometimes, it caught people in moments of weakness. Other times, it would come out more strongly when they were fighting so terribly against each other. However they’d fought so hard because they were ultimately fighting for the same thing. Each other. Love fought dirty.

I’d fight for it, for him, against him—I’d challenge the whole damn world if it meant that I could wake up next to him. To feel his breath on my skin as he slept, to bear the intensity of his gaze, to hear him speak my name while I forgot everything he’d said because his voice was so captivating. That was love, and totally worth fighting for.

So when he looked at me with a never-ending appetite, I wasn’t about to refuse his cravings. I’d meet them and show him just how deep my desires for him went. I walked my toes up his leg, covering his khakis square inch-by-inch. I drew small circles with my toes higher and higher up the inside of his leg.

“You never tire, do you.” He grabbed my ankle and kneeled at the edge of the futon. He placed a quick kiss on my ankle and worked his way down my leg until his knees were on either side of my hips.

“Is that a bad thing?” I asked, leaning back on my elbows.

His eyes lit up, yet there was a vein of confusion to his expression. Shit. What was bothering him?

“Tell me,” I said.

“It’s nothing.”

“So then why not tell me?” I wished my voice hadn’t cracked. I was done asking. We weren’t going to keep secrets anymore. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

Sighing, he lay down beside me, propping his head on his elbow. He traced his finger alongside my face. “You make me want to be a better man is all.”

My fingers tingled as he slipped his between them. I loved that mine were so small in his. It felt right. He felt right. Even though our world wasn’t perfect, it didn’t seem so hard when he looked at me like I was his reason for living. He brought our hands up to his mouth and placed the sweetest kiss on my second finger. I wished we could stay in bed forever. But, we couldn’t. I had a show in a few hours and would need to leave sooner than later.

He caught me glancing at my alarm clock and stood up. “Oh, I have something for you.”

He walked over to his backpack and pulled out a white box the size of my hand. A light blue ribbon was tied in a bow on the top. I panicked. I didn’t know what to do. What if there was some kind of jewelry in there? I mean, it wasn’t like I didn’t like pretty things like that, but I hoped he knew that I didn’t need polished rocks to be happy. So when he me the small box, I didn’t know what to say.

“You don’t have to buy me things,” I said as he rejoined me on the futon.

He kissed me on the nose. “I sorta had to.”

He didn’t elaborate so I pulled the ribbon off and prepared myself for a haze of sparkling gems. However, it wasn’t so unoriginal.

He’d replaced my phone.

“I got you a case too, in case some dickhead throws it on the floor again.”

I laughed. “It’s perfect!”

I turned it on and went to import his contact when I saw that it was already there, along with a few others I didn’t have before. His father’s number. His mother’s. Chase’s was in there as well. I scrolled through them, loving that he was opening up to me.

I laughed. “Why are there…like seven numbers for pizza places, a Mexican restaurant. Is that a Greek diner?”

He grinned. His smile reached his eyes. “I figured you should know my favorite places to eat. I’d love to take you to all of them…if you like that sorta food. And I’m dying to know what you like.”

“Well, I sort of despise humus, so I’m not all about Greek food, but my guilty pleasure is pepperoni pizza.”

“Pepperoni? I swear you’re gunnin’ for my heart,” he said with a grin. “I can live off of pizza for weeks.”

“If all I ate was pizza I wouldn’t fit into my leotard!” I laughed.

The phone was perfect. “Thank you, Richards.”

“Well, to be honest it was getting rather annoying not being able to get a hold of my girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend?” I grinned and set the phone down so that I could run my fingers through his hair and cover him with my kiss.

“I was going to program your contacts in as well, but I don’t know them all.” Leo aimlessly traced his finger up and down my arm.

“That’s okay. I’ll program my parents and the others.”

“The others?”

My heart hammered in my chest. I couldn’t believe that I’d just let that slip! “Just friends and stuff.”

“What stuff?” Leo gave me a hard look. “Tell me.”

“I can’t.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s…” Anytime I thought about my sister, tears threatened to spill over. “You’ll think I’m a horrible person.”

“Let me make that decision, Adeline.”

He wanted me to trust him, share everything with him, but I knew he would use the information as verbal ammunition like Blake had when he commented about my weight loss at Cuppa and my sister going to food pantries. The other part of me knew that if I was going to give this relationship a real chance, I had to be open with him.

“I have an identical twin sister, Zoey.” I took a deep breath. “Growing up in Chicago, we used to do everything together, even dance. The only reason our instructors could tell us apart was because I was better on pointe and she rocked it free style. It didn’t matter that my parents couldn’t afford much because we were best friends. We did everything together. Then she fell in love with this guy Drew and got married.”

“So what happened?”

How could I explain Zoey’s situation delicately? I set my phone down and rolled onto my side to face him. He waited patiently for me to explain myself but I could see the questions burning in his eyes. “Leotards don’t hide much so when I saw the bruises…” My voice caught. I looked down.

Leo cupped my face and directed my attention upward. His touch was gentle against my face, but his body was tense like he was going to lose it. “Drew hit her?”

I clenched my teeth and nodded. I didn’t bother going into detail of all the bruises I saw on my sister. I didn’t want to remember any of them.

“I tried everything to convince Zoey to leave her husband. But she claimed it was all an accident. I tried to convince myself of Zoey’s lie…that Drew loved her. But then she had to quit dancing because she
accidently
broke her ankle by falling down the stairs. Zoey had been dancing her whole life. She wasn’t a clumsy person and suddenly after they got married she started having all these accidents? She lied to our parents, saying that her bones were weak from all the ballet training and it was only a matter of time before an injury put her out.”

“They believed her?”

“They didn’t want to believe that their baby girl was getting abused.” I fought back the tears. I explained how I argued with them, begging them to open their eyes and see what was going on…“I couldn’t just sit around and watch her life cripple. So I took pictures of Zoey’s injuries when she wasn’t looking. I documented everything I could and then…and then I made the mistake of confronting Drew. I blackmailed him to leave. Go anywhere just as long as it was far away from my sister. I told him that I’d go to the police and impersonate Zoey if I had to as long as it meant that he was out of her life.”

Leo was making a fist with his hand, over and over again. His face grew red and his eyes were so dark…so dangerously dark I could hardly speak when I stared into them.

“He refused to listen.” The adrenaline surged. “But he did me a favor, even though it hurt like hell…he made my face look just like my sister’s.”

Leo pushed off of the bed and paced around the room, unable to control himself. “What is Drew’s last name? I’m going to make sure—”

I stood up and placed my hands on his shoulders. “He’s in jail. I filed battery and assault charges against him.”

“Where did he hit you?”

I smiled weakly. “Enough places that the court had no trouble rendering a verdict, especially since I’d documented all the assaults he had done to my sister…But each one was worth it. I’d stand up to him every day if it meant my sister was safe from his fist because I love her, even if she hates me because of it.”

“Why does she hate you?”

I pulled him back down on my futon with me. “She loved Drew. I knew she did and I’d publicly outted them. I destroyed their marriage. He filed for a divorce shortly after the trial ended. I thought that Zoey would have a better life because of what I did…but she…remember when you asked me if I’d ever slept on a park bench?”

“Yes,” Leo scrutinized every inch of my face, searching for evidence of Drew’s fist.

“I hadn’t…but my sister has. Her career was ruined from the broken bones. She was depressed and turned to drugs sometime after she started going to shelter homes. I’m not saying they aren’t good, but she started running with bad people she met there. I searched for her every second I got, I met some really wonderful people…and some people that scared me. I think it terrified my parents that they were going to lose another daughter, so when Joffrey’s showed interest in me, my parents pushed me hard to come here. They sacrificed everything because they wanted at least one daughter to live their dreams. And I think they wanted me as far away as possible from my life in Chicago. They wanted to give me a fresh start, no matter what the cost.”

“You shouldn’t feel guilty for coming here and dancing, Adeline.”

“I’m living my dreams and my sister is rotting away in some street. It’s not fair. And I am reminded of it every time I look in the mirror because she looks exactly like me.”

He cupped my face and kissed me. “You had no way of knowing what your sister would do, but getting her out of that relationship was the right thing to do.”

I held my hand against his. “Deep down, I know I wouldn’t have done anything different, but I wish that it would have ended better for Zoey. She deserves better.”