Not Your Match (26 page)

She left the post office without a backward glance.

On Tuesday, Andi spent the afternoon in court, so she texted Ben that she’d meet him at the studio for class. They hadn’t talked since the awkward end to their not-a-date on Saturday night, and she hoped the new dance shoes would be a good apology.

Court got out earlier than Andi had anticipated, and she arrived at the studio with time to spare. Elle wasn’t at the front desk, but the person there told Andi she could use one of the bathrooms to change.

The common room was crowded with teens playing ping-pong and doing homework. Andi waved to a girl she recognized from class, feeling oddly at home here. When she shut the door to the studio, all sounds faded away. Andi plugged in her phone, set it to her favorite playlist, and started stretching. Her muscles sighed with pleasure as she flexed her feet, grabbing them with her hands.

Footsteps echoed across the laminate and she tensed. They stopped right behind her, and Ben’s deep voice said, “Hey.”

Andi looked up, giving him a tentative smile. “Hi.”

He set his gym bag on the ground and slowly sank to the floor, eyebrow raised as though waiting for her to stop him. “You’re here early.”

“Court got out sooner than expected.” She spread her legs into the splits and leaned forward, her body almost perpendicular to the ground. “How was class today?”

“Great. I gave my students another assessment and they’re all improving. How was court?”

She hated the careful way they now spoke to each other, the polite distance between them.

“Mostly boring.” She sat up, pulling an arm behind her head. “I did see someone rush the judge in one of the cases before mine, and the bailiff had to cuff him. That was interesting.”

“You call that a boring day at court?”

Andi shrugged. “Nothing surprises me anymore.” She rose, going over to her gym bag, and withdrew the box of shoes. She’d even taken the time to wrap them. She stared at the box, then took a deep breath and handed it to Ben. “I got you a present.”

“What for?”

She sank onto the floor next to him, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Because I felt like it, silly.”

Ben tore away a strip of wrapping paper. He glanced up at Andi, a sideways grin on his face that made her ache. “New dance shoes? Awesome.” He ripped away the rest of the wrapping paper and yanked open the box.

“I noticed last week your shoes were almost in as bad of shape as mine.” Andi pulled out her own new shoes and slipped them on, then wiggled her feet. “We’ll probably both have blisters by the end of class.”

“Worth it.” He gave her a one-armed hug and she leaned into him, closing her eyes and breathing deeply. “Thanks, Andi. Want to try them out? Students won’t show up for another ten minutes or so.”

“Absolutely.” She took his hand and let him pull her into a standing position. Quivers of longing racing up her arm from his touch, and she felt like she would fly into pieces at any moment.

He pulled her close. “This is perfect for the foxtrot,” he said. His lips brushed her ear, his breath tickling her hair. Andi shivered. He pushed her backward, the pressure on her hand acting as a guide. She couldn’t take her eyes off his. They were a startling green today, maybe because of the green shirt he wore, and there was a fire in their depths Andi longed to explore.

His hand pressed against her waist and slid up her side as she dropped to the floor in the splits, trailing lava with each touch. He pulled her back up, pressing her body against his as he whirled them around the room. Her heart thudded in her ears, drowning out the music with its rushing beat.

She felt more chemistry with Ben in seven seconds than she had with Mark in seven years.

Her mind whirled though the countless moments they’d spent like this in high school. How had she not really seen him then? She’d spent her entire day waiting for the bell to ring so she could rush off to practice with Ben. He’d made her laugh in a way no one else could, and she’d craved his presence even then.

He spun her in a circle, pressing her back against his chest and wrapping his arms around her. Andi leaned into him, her eyes closing as she felt the racing beat of his heart through his shirt. She twirled back out, spinning in circles and using his intense gaze for spotting. But she still felt dizzy, like the entire world was spinning.

The song ended, and another one began. Ben held Andi close, his breath hot on her face, his hand burning through her shirt to light a fire she’d never before experienced. “This is stupid,” he whispered, his lips brushing her hair.

“What is?” Her words were breathy, barely loud enough to reach his ears. Her heart thundered in her chest.

“Staying apart from each other. Don’t you feel it?”

She wanted so badly to give in, to tell Ben she felt it too.

But she couldn’t. Not yet.

“What about Whitney?”

He rubbed his hand up and down Andi’s back, sending pinpricks of pleasure throughout her body. “I don’t love Whitney anymore. I can’t make her leave California, but that doesn’t change how I feel about you.”

The words echoed through her head, crashing like waves. “And how is that?” Andi whispered, her throat catching as she pushed out the words.

“Like for the first time in my life, I’m finally alive.”

She pressed herself closer to him, burying her face in his neck. His fingers gently grasped her chin, forcing her to look at him. His eyes searched hers, as though asking for permission.

Andi pushed her fingers into his thick hair, relishing the silky texture, and smiled.

He lowered his head, and she had to remind herself to breath. His lips hovered above hers, a hair’s breath away. She couldn’t stop staring at them and he smiled, as though he enjoyed teasing her. She dug her fingers deeper into his hair, pressing his head toward hers. Her body hummed, and her eyes fluttered closed, relishing the feel of his fingers running through her curls.

“Oh! Sorry. I’ll come back later.”

Andi pushed Ben back, jumping out of his arms. “Elle.” She quickly ran a hand through her hair, her face on fire with the passion of the moment and the embarrassment of getting caught.

She’d almost kissed Ben.

She’d almost.

Kissed.

Ben.

Elle hugged the door frame and shifted from foot to foot, her cheeks stained pink. She clutched a folder to her chest like a shield.

Andi ran a hand through her hair, sure it looked a mess. “What can I help you with?” She cleared her throat, trying to sound professional and not like a teenager caught with her first boyfriend.

Elle’s eyes flicked to Ben, then back to Andi. “I had a legal question for you.”

“I think I’ll go get a drink from the fountain.” Andi shivered as Ben’s voice cascaded over her like warm water. She looked at him for the first time since Elle had interrupted them. His eyes were liquid with longing and her stomach flipped to realize he felt as strongly as she did. He squeezed Andi’s hand, then left the room.

Elle’s shoulders relaxed, and she strode across the studio, her heels clicking against the laminate floor. “We have a bit of a problem,” Elle said. “Last week, a fourteen-year-old sought refuge here and spent the night. She didn’t say much, just that her step-father was drunk and she didn’t feel safe at home. A few hours later, the step-father showed up, totally wasted, and demanded the girl come home. We refused to force her into his custody and he left after we threatened to call the police. The girl spoke with one of our counselors, and it appears a lot more than excessive drinking has been going on. I found out today he’s accusing us of kidnapping and threatening to close the center down.”

Andi’s mind switched over to lawyer mode, and she mentally filed through all the possible ramifications of this situation. “I can see why you’re worried.”

Elle nodded. “I don’t think he has a leg to stand on, but we need to be sure. The problem is funds are tight, and the board is reluctant to hire a lawyer when it’s unlikely he’ll even follow through on his threats.”

Andi motioned to the file. “Do you want me to look through the reports and let you know if there’s anything to worry about?”

Elle’s shoulders relaxed, and she handed over the file. “That would be a huge help. I feel bad asking, but I didn’t know who else to turn to.”

“I don’t mind. Footsteps for Change is important to me now, too.” Andi flipped through the file, her eyes lingered on a few paragraphs describing the incident.

Elle chewed on a nail, her eyes bright with anxiety. “If he follows through, the bad publicity could ruin us whether he has a case or not.”

Andi pursed her lips, all too aware that Elle was right. “I didn’t realize the foundation was struggling.”

“We try to keep it quiet so we don’t worry the kids. If it weren’t for generous volunteers, we’d already have shut this place down.”

“We’re not going to let that happen. In just a couple of weeks I’ve seen how much this program helps these kids. They all love it here.” Andi tapped the folder against her chin, thinking. She would do the legal work pro bono if it came to that, but what about the bad publicity if this man took his story to the press? And how would the center survive long-term?

Andi slapped the folder against her leg, the answer hitting him. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of it immediately.”

“Think of what?” Elle asked.

“Luke Ryder can help.”

Elle pursed her lips, motioning toward the dance floor. “If you two are still dating, what was that about with Ben?”

Andi sighed, running a hand through her hair. She wished she knew. Did this mean he was ready to put Whitney behind him and move forward? Was
she
ready to take that leap and trust him with her heart?

“It’s complicated,” Andi said. “But I promise, I’m not cheating on Luke. He’s in love with someone else, and our relationship is mostly for the papers.”

Elle’s eyes widened. “I guess it’s true what they say—you really can’t trust anything you read online.”

“You can’t tell anyone. Even if Luke isn’t really my boyfriend, we are friends. He can make a donation to Footsteps for Change, or his company can. We’ll get the press to cover it and you’ll get lots of good publicity.”

“He would do that?”

“I think so, if I asked him to.”

“Oh, Andi.” Elle’s eyes glistened with tears and she hugged Andi. “You have no idea how much that would help. This program is so amazing, and I know if we could get the word out, people would want to help.”

“I’ll talk to Luke tonight and see what we can arrange.” Andi held up the file. “I’ll go over this as well and let you know in a couple of days if there’s anything you should be concerned about.”

“You’re a lifesaver.” A student entered the room, and Elle’s face transformed into a happy smile. “Hi, Sara. How did your Spanish test go today?”

Andi tucked the folder into her gym bag and listened to Sara talk about school. A few more students filtered in, along with Ben.

“We’ll be in touch,” Elle said.

Andi gave a wave of acknowledgment. She turned, her eyes catching Ben’s. The heat in his gaze hadn’t dissipated at all.

“Everything okay?” he asked. Andi knew he was talking about more than her conversation with Elle.

Is it okay?
Did she want to go down this road?

Slowly, Andi nodded. “Yeah. Everything’s great.”