Breaking Away (Assassins, #5)(63)

“I thought he was with Mallory?”

“No, they broke up. We started talking but Mallory freaked, and now we are keeping it on the down low.”

Reese was speechless. She always knew the ins and outs of the studio. How did this slip by her, and why did it bother her so much?

“Reese?”

“Yeah, sorry, I’m a little surprised by this all but yeah, call Brian and come on down.”

“Awesome! You won’t be disappointed!”

The line went dead, and Reese laid the phone on the floor. She had the urge to call Phillip and tell him, but she knew he would flip and that would end really badly. Instead, she sat back and closed her eyes, hoping that what Claire said was true.

That she wouldn’t disappoint.

In no way shape or form was Reese disappointed as she watched as Brian and Claire move across the floor as if they had been dancing together for centuries. Reese would have preferred a different song since “Use Somebody” was the very first song her and Kevin danced to, but this one was by Boyce Avenue and it honestly fit them. Skylar sat beside Reese, cheering them on, as Claire impressed and wowed Reese completely. It was crazy, but Claire made Brian a better dancer. He was stronger, and the chemistry between them was phenomenal. Breathtaking, even. They reminded her of Kevin and herself, but that could have been because of the song. But then Brian lifted Claire in the air and she wrapped herself completely around him and, instantly, Reese was taken back to a moment with Kevin.

“Tell me you love me.”

Reese laughed as she shook her head, trying to detangle herself from him. He had pinned her to the ground when they should have been dancing. “No way, maybe once we land this lift.”

“It’s your fault we aren’t landing it,” he accused, smacking her ass playfully. She glared as she smacked him back.

“Thank you, Captain Obvious. Tell me what I’m doing wrong.”

“Just let go. Just be you,” he said, his face so serious. He was always so intense, so serious about dance, and she loved that. She loved his work ethic. She also loved him, she just hadn’t told him yet. “Be beautiful, amazing, and just fling yourself at me. I’ll catch you… I’ll always catch you,” he said, getting closer to her, bringing her tight into his arms. “Because I love you.”

She smiled as she went up on her tippy toes, kissing him softly. Pulling away, she smiled as she walked away. “All right, let me try again.”

Going to the side of the room she needed, she pulled the remote from her pocket and hit play, the music starting. Both of them hit all the beats the way they were supposed to before Reese turned, running towards him and completely letting go. She landed perfectly, wrapping her legs around his waist as he dropped her down and then back up against his chest. Her face broke into a grin because she landed it and, when he looked up at her, pride and love shining in his eyes, she felt like she could fly. Her heart felt like it was going to explode, and she never wanted this moment to end. She never wanted to be apart from this man because he was it. He was her guy. Her forever.

“I love you,” she declared. “So much.”

He brought her down and kissed her hard before whispering, “Not as much as I love you.”

When the music stopped, Reese looked up, her eyes full of tears because of what a bunch of bull that moment was. It was moments like that, that just reiterated why falling in love was a load of shit. Taking in a deep breath, she looked out at Claire and Brian, nodding. “Perfect.”

Claire did a little hop of joy before wrapping her arms around Brian. He smiled, kissing the top of her head, before looking back at Reese. She stood up, coming over to them. “I want to fix a few things but after that, y’all are ready. This is going to win, and I am so freaking proud of you two.”

“It was all Claire. She did it all,” Brian said, squeezing her tightly.

Reese smiled, reaching out to squeeze Claire’s hand. “Completely blown away. Great job.”

Claire beamed up at her, but then away when her phone went off.

“It’s Phillip, he is wondering where we are,” Skylar said, reading the text message back.

Claire went over and grabbed her phone. She hit something and then said, “Hey, I had to come into the studio for a minute. Yeah, I’ll get a ride to the arena. I’ll be there, on time. I promise. Okay, cool, try scoring tonight, you’ve been sucking.” She laughed and then said, “Whatever, okay, good luck!”

She hung up the phone, turning back to Reese. “Can we come in tomorrow or maybe Monday? Phillip has a game I have to get to.”

“Sure,” Reese said, because she wanted to go upstairs and watch the game.

“Okay, cool. Brian, can you drop us off at the arena?”

“Yeah,” he said.

“Awesome. I guess we’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yup, y’all be safe,” she said as they gathered their things, and then they were gone. Reese stood in the same place, still trying to catch her breath. She usually kept those memories of Kevin locked up and hated when she let them out. It was like ripping old wounds open and pouring a jar of salt in them. It burned. Letting out a groan, and pushing thoughts of Kevin far, far away, she decided that she wanted to change, get a tub of Ben and Jerry’s, and cuddle up with… Oh fudge, she was about to say Phillip.