Breaking Away (Assassins, #5)(102)

Claire handed back his phone as she looked towards the center of the room where the guy stood. Phillip tucked his phone in his pocket and listened as he said, “As a lot of you know, Reese and I used to dance together in New York.” The place erupted with applause for Reese as she grinned widely at her students before walking to the middle of the floor with him. “Now we haven’t danced together in what, three years?” Reese nodded, not looking him in the eye as she bent her toes into the floor. “Yeah, three years. Today we trained for three hours, and I want to show you what we came up with.”

The room fell quiet as Reese turned to the guy, and he took her hips in his hand. Leaning back, Reese looked as if her back was broken and then the music started. It was a girl version to “When I was Your Man” by Bruno Mars, but Phillip couldn’t pay attention to it if he tried with all his might because watching Reese move across the floor was something short of magic. The guy was good, amazing even, but he couldn’t hold a candle to Reese. Her heart and soul showed while she danced, and if she weren’t careful, everyone in that room would know that Kevin and her had a history. There was so much emotion in their dance that jealousy bubbled inside Phillip as he watched. The douche’s hands were in spaces that only Phillip’s hands needed to be. When he held Reese’s face in his hand, his lips hovering over hers, it took everything for Phillip not to come off the wall and take the guy by his neck. He didn’t like the way they were dancing, but he sure did love watching Reese move.

He only wished it were with him and not the douchebag.

When the song picked up and Reese pushed Kevin away, he ran after her, holding her up as she did splits in the air before kicking away from him and rolling onto her back, where she arched her back before wrapping her arms around her legs. A stricken look was on her face as she got back to her feet, turning slowly before moving out of his reach. Phillip figured if he actually watched the guy, he would see the emotion from his side, but he couldn’t take his eyes off Reese.

She held his complete attention.

When dude fell to his knees and Reese turned her back to him, she let her shoulders fall before letting out a long breath as the music ended. When the place erupted again, Phillip didn’t realize how deafening a bunch of girls could be until that moment. Blown away, Phillip clapped loudly, whooping and hollering with Claire as Reese’s brown eyes shined the brightest he had ever seen them. When her eyes met his, she shrugged, shyly, and he threw her a wink, hoping that she knew how impressed he was with her. Yeah, he was jealous and hated the dude even more but, most of all, he was impressed and in awe of her talent.

Pushing off the wall, he decided he was going to tell her that, but everyone swarmed around her and the dude. Then the guy’s arm wrapped around Reese’s slim waist. Phillip paused mid-stride and his nails bit into his palms as he watched them together. They looked like they belonged and that bothered Phillip.

A lot.

“Let’s go, this place is a nut house,” Claire complained as she shook her head. “I got my time with Kevin, I’m good. I need to study, too.”

“Alright.”

“Unless you want to say bye to Reese, I can wait.”

Phillip shook his head. “No, I’m good, I’ll text her. Let’s go.”

He looked back one last time to see Reese grinning, and a knot formed in his stomach. He knew the thoughts he was having of the two of them getting back together was ludicrous, but he couldn’t help but think so and then he wondered if she had ever smiled at him like that.

And he couldn’t remember if she had.

Later that evening, Phillip lay on the couch, mindlessly flipping through channels, trying to keep his mind off Reese. She hadn’t texted him, and he wasn’t going to text her. She was busy… with… stuff. Not Kevin, though, he had to tell himself that or he was going to freak the hell out. Throwing the remote down when he found a game, he let out a breath.

“Jeez, what’s got your panties in a bunch?”

His eyes cut to Claire, who was sitting on the other side of the couch with her nose in her English book. All he could see was her piercing blue eyes with strands of red hair falling into them.

“Nothing,” he said before looking back at the TV.

“Whatever, you’ve been a boob since we left the studio.”

“A boob?” he asked.

“Yeah, you didn’t even talk to me during dinner, and now you’ve huffed and puffed for the last thirty minutes. It’s annoying, what’s wrong?”

He shook his head. “Nothing and I’m not being a boob, I’m tired.”

“Ooookay,” she drew out before rolling her eyes. He wanted to tell her to mind her own business but since he knew that would start a fight, he returned his attention to the Blues and Lightning game. The Blues were up by two and they were playing a good game, something to keep Phillip busy while he tried not to think of Reese… with Kevin.

It wasn’t working though.

“I know it’s about Reese.”

For f*ck’s sake.

Cutting a look back at Claire, he said, “What the hell are you talking about?”

She smiled as she shook her head. “Jeez, you have it bad for her, huh?”

“Shut up,” he muttered before reaching for the remote and turning the volume up.

“Why don’t you just call her?” she asked over the music.