“I’ll go with you. Well, until Alan’s second dance. I’m in the opening bit.”
Gina hid in the green room, but before long, it was time to return to the stage for the elimination.
Stone gave Gina a look that managed to be both wary and full of heat. Her twisted-up emotions couldn’t take it. She swallowed hard and looked away.
They took their places on the stage with the four other remaining couples—Jackson and Lori, Lauren and Kevin, Alan and Rhianne, and Farrah and Danny.
Juan Carlos talked. Gina tuned most of it out.
Lauren and Kevin were safe. Ugh.
Jackson and Lori were safe. Good for them. Jackson was a great dancer, and Lori’s choreography pushed the boundaries of ballroom into performance art.
It was down to the last three celebrities: Stone, Farrah, and Alan.
Gina held her breath. From his spot behind her, Stone wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her head.
How could his touch make her feel so secure when he’d betrayed her like this? And why did her stupid heart yearn to wiggle even closer into his embrace? If anything, she should pull away. There was only one week left. Better to start the separation process now.
“The last couple whowillbe going to the finals is…”
Juan Carlos paused. Drew it out. The tension built while the low, percussive music played.
“Stone and Gina!”
Stone whooped and spun her around, lifting her into his arms. Gina clung to his neck and burst into tears.
Everything was fucked up and confusing and she shouldn’t be hugging him butdamn itshe was going to the finals! For the first time ever! And her job was safe!
That thought pulled her back a step. Her job, here atThe Dance Off,with a producer who went behind her back to dig up dirt and air it on TV. Hell, they’d done it to Stone, too, airing an interview with his ex in the third episode.
Gina slapped a lid on her compassion. The interview with his ex-girlfriend was all the more reason for him to have told Gina what he’d known. He’d experienced the betrayal and humiliation firsthand, and he still let it be done to her.
All night, she’d kept it in. And now, with the knowledge that they were safe, that they would dance another day, she lost it. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes, and her chest heaved.
Stone put her down but didn’t let go.
“God, Gina, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you. Donna said—”
“Shut up,” she whispered. “Don’t do this here.”
Hiding in his embrace, she wiped the tears from her face before turning around. She headed straight backstage, skipping the portion of the night where she took selfies with the fans. She wanted to get out of this costume, wash her face, get the fake hair off her head, and sink into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Except Donna was waiting for her backstage, wearing a self-satisfied smirk.
Gina wanted to strangle her, but there were cameras everywhere.
“Gina, I have someone who wants to meet you.” Donna gestured to the man next to her. He had medium brown skin, a slight build, and short salt-and-pepper hair. “This is Hector Oquendo.”
Hector gave Gina a big smile and shook her hand. “Very nice to meet you, Gina.”
With a nod, Donna backed away and disappeared. Coward. Stone stayed by Gina’s side.
“Thank you,” Gina said. She’d never heard of a Hector Oquendo. Should she know him? “Were you in the audience tonight?”
“I was. You two were fantastic.” He extended his grin to Stone. “I was waiting to see if you were going on to the finals before I gave you the invitation.”
Gina frowned. “For?”
