This woman and these questions were going to be the death of him. “Well, we haven’t known each other that long, and despite being on TV, I’m not a performer.”
Donna jumped on that. “Does that mean you weren’t acting when you and Gina were dancing last night?”
“I just mean I’m not used to this kind of stuff.” Stone rubbedthe back of his neck. “I want to be respectful, and I never want to make Gina feel uncomfortable. That’s all.”
“Let’s talk about next week,” Donna said, changing the subject. “The theme is Family History.”
This theme was something he’d prepared for with his producers before leaving Alaska, so he knew what he could and couldn’t say. He launched into the carefully crafted remarks. “My family means everything to me. Gina and I are focusing on the decision to start filmingLiving Wild.It was a big deal for us to open our lives in that way, and it brought us all closer together as a family.”
He expected Donna to call him out for sounding like a robot, like Miguel did, but she kept going.
“You must miss them a lot.”
Way to twist the knife, Donna.“I do.” Didn’t he? “Of course I miss them. I love my family, and I love Alaska.”
“What’s it like for you, living in LA for the time being?”
He blew out a breath and lifted his hands helplessly. “It’s different? Obviously. It’s weird being alone—you know, I’m used to having my family around, and being in nature. I get away to hike when I can.”
“Do you think you’ll ever live here?”
He started shaking his head before Donna had even finished the question. “Not a chance.”
Stone left the interview with a bad taste in his mouth. If Donna was asking him such pointed questions, how much worse must it be for Gina?
When he entered the rehearsal room, Gina, Jordy, and Aaliyah were waiting for him.
“Hey, partner.” Gina smiled at him from her seat on the edge of the stage. “How ’bout those scores last night?”
He gave her a high five. “And we weren’t in the bottom three.”
Keiko and Joel had been the first couple to be eliminated. The pretty young model had never gotten past her nerves, which tripped her up in her samba. According to Gina, Joel hadn’t been on the show long enough to build up a fan following that wouldkeep him there with low scores. It drove home how important fan engagement was. As Lauren had said on the plane, it wasn’t just about the dancing.
“I have our next dance.” Gina handed him a piece of cardstock before picking up the container of fruit salad beside her.
Stone flipped the card over and read it out loud. “The jive?”
“Have you heard of it?”
When he shook his head, she explained. “In ballroom, jive is considered a Latin dance. The type we’ll be doing derives from swing dancing and the jitterbug, and a few other styles. It’s lively, with lots of bouncing and bopping around. Very high-energy and upbeat.” She did a few moves with her upper body to demonstrate.
Stone set the card on the stage and took a seat beside her. “Where did you learn all this? At school?”
She shook her head as she pulled the foil off a Greek yogurt cup. “I had to learn about it for the show. Unlike many of the other pros, I didn’t start as a competitive ballroom dancer. Some of them—like Matteo, Danny, and Mila—were world champions.”
“Impressive. When did you decide you wanted to be a dancer?”
She paused with the spoon in her mouth, pulling it out slowly as she thought.
Killing him. She was fucking killing him. In bike shorts and an oversizedTEAM STONE COLDtank top, with a yogurt spoon, she was killing him.
“I don’t remember,” she finally answered.
“You don’t? That seems like it would be a big decision.”
She shook her head and set the yogurt aside, thank god. “No, I mean, I was so young, I can’t remember that far back. I’ve always wanted to be a dancer. My whole life.”
Her words rang with truth, and the determination in her gaze threatened to strike him down. Had he ever wanted anything that badly? Been that clear on something he desired?
