The Ballerina & The Fighter (Book 1) (17 page)

Dante narrowed his eyes and
folded his arms across his chest. “Why the fuck do you care?”

I met him stare for stare. “I
care.”

He exhaled then finally said,
“She tore a couple tendons in her ankle.”

Something about the way his
shoulders deflated had me worried. “But she’s going to be okay, right. It will
heal.”

He glanced down then back up
at me before replying, “Yeah, she’ll heal.”

“Thanks.”

Dante’s eyes narrowed again.
“Now you know, so leave, she does not need to see you right now.”

He walked past me and I
relaxed back into the seat. I didn’t give a shit what Dante said or thought,
even though I knew he was right, but I had to see her. I was barely holding out
staying away from her. I needed her, and once before, when I knew she needed me
I stayed away. Even that night after Joe’s surgery I didn’t call her. I needed
her then but I managed not to call. She needs me now and I’m too weak to resist
any more. Dante walked past me again with a cup of coffee in his hands, we just
eyed each other like two dogs in a fight. He went through the doors again
without stopping or saying another word. The fact my ass was still planted on
the seat told him all he needed to know. He might be at Ivy’s side for now, but
I was not leaving until I’d seen her.

I stopped checking the time
after an hour had gone by, I knew it appeared I was watching the television
screen on the wall in front of me, but in reality my thoughts were about Joe
and Ivy. The door opened and it grabbed my attention, it wasn’t the first time
it had opened since Dante had returned to Ivy’s side, but this time it was Ivy.
In a frigging wheelchair. Her foot was in a bright pink cast and Dante walked
beside her holding crutches while a nurse pushed the wheelchair.

I read the look of surprise
in her features when she saw me, obviously the bastard didn’t bother to tell
her I was there. I stood up and she raised her hand for the nurse to stop when
they reached me. Her smile for me was one of pure pleasure. I didn’t have to
glance at Dante to know he was pissed at the look on her face at the sight of
me waiting for her.

While we talked all I could
think of was that I didn’t want to let her go. I wanted to keep her with me for
as long as I could. As long as she wanted to be with me, until she found out
the truth. God help me she never found out about my involvement with the
Triads.

When she offered for us to
share a cab I didn’t give a shit we were headed in different directions if it
meant we’d be together a little longer.

“Where to?” the driver asked.

Dante spoke up first and gave
him two addresses. I recognized them both, one was the theater where I’d seen
them perform and the other was their condo.

“What’s going on, why are you
going to the theater?” Ivy asked.

“I just got a text from Chloe
and Davis. They’re calling an emergency meeting. I called them earlier to let
them know you were okay.”

“You told them I’m in a
cast,” Ivy stated.

Dante turned to look at her.
“Yes. That’s why the meeting I’m sure.”

“Oh.”

“It will only be for this one
show, you know that. By the time we’re ready to begin rehearsals for the next
one you’ll be out of that cast.”

“Yes, but you and I both
know…”

Dante raised his hands and
placed them over her lips.

What
the fuck?
Why was he
touching her? I found my body tensing, my hands flexing, I was going to break
every fucking bone in his fingers. Jealousy the likes of which I’d never known
rose from the pit of my stomach and damned near choked me.
Have I lost her?
He was everything I wasn’t, and he could keep her
safe in her world. He was a part of her world. The dude didn’t even have
visible ink on him. She could take him home with her and not get narrow-eyed
looks from her parents. Shit!

It took me a second to get my
head to surface from the depression I wrapped myself in and realize Dante was
speaking. “You can do this Ivy. Don’t go quitting on me now. Partners,
remember.”

She shook her head and took
his hand.
She fucking took his hand.
I turned my head and stared out the window. The cab pulled up in front of the condo
first. I got out and then helped Ivy out. She leaned against the side of the
car while I took the crutches from Dante and gave them to her. “I’ll take her
up, man,” I said to Dante, not waiting to hear anything he had to say by
shutting the door in his face. Ivy hopped up onto the curb and the cab pulled
off. I walked silently beside her. The doorman opened the door for us nodding
at her then asking, “What happened to your foot?”

“Hello, Simon, torn tendons.”

“That’s too bad. You go on up
and rest it.”

We walked over to the
elevator and rode it up. Yet we hadn’t exchanged a word between us. Finally it
stopped on her floor and I followed her down the hall stopping in front of her
door. She leaned against the crutches and opened her purse strapped across her,
taking out her key. More than anything I wanted to go in with her, but I knew
it would be best for us both if I just turned around and left. When she pushed
the door open and walked in, she left it open. Who was I fooling? I stepped
over the threshold, shut and locked the door as she hobbled her way over to the
couch. She put the crutches on the floor and raised her leg onto the coffee
table and took off her jacket. I came over and sat down beside her.

“Got a pen?” I asked.

She stared at me for a moment
then opened her purse, which she’d taken off and placed on the other side of
her on the couch. She took out a black marker. “Here, the nurse gave me this.”

Grinning, I took it from her
and then leaning forward I wrote on her cast. Maze. I drew a heart around my
name. I almost added hers too but held myself back, instead I wrote the Chinese
characters for always. I saw the ballet shoes drawn on there with Dante’s
signature on it. Fucker. I knew he’d be pissed though when he saw the heart on
there with my name inside, and the Chinese characters he couldn’t read. The
thought satisfied me some.

I sat back and returned the
pen to her.

She stared at what I’d done
and smiled. “What does it say?”

“Always. I should be going,”
I said.

“No. Don’t go.”

“What about Dante?” I had to
know. Were they together now? When I left her alone did he move in? Get her on
the rebound. I knew she cared about me and I knew my silence hurt her. I
sighed. “Sorry, not my business.”

She stared at me for a
moment, then ran her hand over her hair. She had it pulled back and into an
untidy bun, tendrils of her hair framed her face. So beautiful.

“You’re right, it’s not. But
Dante and I are roommates and he’s my best friend.”

“What if I told you I wanted
to be your best friend?”

She laughed. “Then you have a
funny way of showing it.”

I took her hand and kissed
it. “I’m sorry. So sorry. But please believe me when I say I had no choice.”

She frowned. “Is this about
those guys that jumped us in the alley?”

I nodded.

“And you can’t go to the police.
I know you’ve told them nothing. I called them.”

Shit. “No. Please stay out of
it.”

“So why are you here?”

Good question, but I didn’t
blink. I let her see everything I felt for her in my eyes. I hoped she
understood what I couldn’t quite say. “Because I can’t stay away from you. Even
though I know I should.”

Chapter Eighteen

Ivy

How could I not react to
that? I’d be lying if I said Maze hadn’t always scared me a little. Ever since
that night I watched him fight on the beach, knowing it’s what he did for a
living, and after what happened in Little Italy, I should run away from him. He
had that dangerous look going for him as a kid but as a man, if he could bottle
those vibes he’d make a fortune. He was nothing like the boys and now men I was
used to. And yet…I kept trying to understand him more, looking for answers,
wanting to be closer to him. Wanting him to let me into his heart. For a small
moment in time when we’d made love, I thought he had. Virgin or not, I knew he
held me with tenderness; I caught a glimpse of his soul that night. The fighter
in that outer shell was only part of who he was. I wanted all of him and I
didn’t want him hiding himself from me. Still he owed me.

“Are you going to leave me in
the morning without so much as a goodbye?”

He moved closer to me and
placed his hand on my thigh. “No. Not this time. Not ever.”

I looked at his hand rubbing
up and down on my thigh, then back up into his beautiful face. “So next time
you’ll say goodbye?”

He didn’t say anything just
continued to look at me.

I sighed. “I don’t know if I
can do this again, you hurt me.”

He never let me finish he
leaned forward and placed his hand on my chin and covered my mouth with his. I
breathed him in. I think I groaned his name into his mouth. God, I missed him
so much. His tongue reached for mine and we tangled them together, both joyous
for the reunion after being apart for so long. He stopped kissing me on the
lips then moved to kiss my forehead before resting his against mine.

He took my hand. “Ivy, there
are things about me that I can’t talk about. It’s best that you don’t know. I
tried to walk away from you, stay away from you, but I…I can’t. I need you too
much, but I’m not good enough for you. You need to tell me to go away and stay
the hell away from you.”

I took a deep breath, my lips
trembled. On one level I knew he was right, that we lived in two different
worlds. His was one of violence, mine one of music and dance. But for whatever
reason fate decided we needed each other. I’d only been going through the
motions since he left me. My heart didn’t begin to fully beat again until I saw
him waiting for me at the hospital. I had no idea what he was involved in but I
knew he’d keep me safe. And yes, while part of me wanted to tell him to go I
wanted no part of his world. The other part, stronger part, would not let him
go. Could not.

I said the only thing I
could, “You’re perfect for me. Don’t go.”

He pulled back and shifted.
“Put your arms around my neck.”

I did and then he placed his
hand around me and under my legs, picking me up, he took me to my bedroom. He
used his foot to close the door. It was late afternoon and my blinds were
slanted open bathing the room in light. He placed me on the bedcovers and
reached for my waistband. I raised my hips so he could pull my pants down.
Luckily I’d worn flared yoga pants so it was easy to get them over my cast. I
still had on my leotard and he took that off, too. I had nothing on underneath
it so I lay there completely naked but for the stupid cast on my foot.

He straightened up and just
stared down at me. “Jesus, you are so beautiful,” he said.

I smiled believing him,
because to him I was. He quickly took his jacket and t-shirt off, then toed off
his boots but he left his jeans on. Then he leaned over and kissed my belly
button, his tongue swirling around the indentation causing my stomach muscles
to clench.

“Your clothes,” I managed to
gasp out.

“Sorry babe, no condom.”

“What you mean you don’t
carry them around with you?” Jeeze stupid question much? But I was glad he
didn’t, it meant he wasn’t constantly thinking about getting action, it meant
since we’d been together maybe he hadn’t been having sex with anyone else. My
sense of euphoria didn’t last long because fast on that thought I realized it
could also mean something else, like he was irresponsible. I frowned.

He stopped kissing me but
knelt before me. “Actually no. Contrary to what you may think men don’t always
have sex on the brain or are just waiting for an opportunity to get some.
Mostly. And yes I always use a condom when I have sex, and I wasn’t planning on
it anytime soon. But I just need to make you feel good right now, make up for
not saying goodbye to you last time when I left.” He paused, “Unless you want
me to go get some. On second thought that’s a good idea.” He bent down and
picked up his shirt.