“Anyway,” she went on, trying to lighten the mood, “I have a fun concept for this dance.”
“Oh yeah?” Stone scrubbed a hand over his face, sounding not the least bit excited to hear her idea. “What’s that?”
“We have Little Red Riding Hood as our fairy tale.”
Stone held his index fingers up on the sides of his head like ears. “Am I the Big Bad Wolf?”
Even his attempt at humor sounded tired and quiet. Any other day, it would have held the sexy growl that drove her crazy. Gina forced a giggle, since he was making an effort. “No, I am.”
“Explain.”
“You’ll be a combination of Red and the Woodcutter. I’m going to be the wolf.”
He nodded, but his gaze was distracted. “Sounds good.”
Jackson came over to say goodnight, and Gina chewed on her lower lip while the guys chatted. Stone’s movements were slow and restrained, his head bowed. Shit. He was really bummed. Between their low jive score and the surprise interview with his ex, she couldn’t really blame him. Still, their dance was going to be weak if he couldn’t get his head back in the game. It was up to her to help him reignite his competitive spirit. The paso doble was the perfect dance for him, and she needed him in top form.
In a flash of insight, she came up with an idea to cheer him up. After Jackson walked away, she spoke in a low, rushed voice.
“We’re going to break early tomorrow.”
Stone raised his eyebrows. “Why? After tonight, I probably needmorepractice, not less.”
“You’ve been working really hard. I want to do something nice for you.”
The corner of his mouth quirked up. “Another salsa club?”
Her cheeks warmed at the memory. “Ha. No.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“Since our last attempt to get you a home-cooked Puerto Rican meal was thwarted, you’re coming over to my place for dinner.” Her stomach flip-flopped at the thought of being completely alone with him, but she grinned. “I hope you like pork.”
Fifteen
The door to Gina’s apartment was ajar. Stone knocked anyway, even though she’d just buzzed him into the building a minute earlier.
“Come on in,” she called from inside, so he pushed the door open and entered. He was greeted with the mouth-watering aroma of garlic, spices, and slow-roasting pork, and the even more appetizing image of Gina in a crop top and cutoff jean shorts chopping vegetables in the kitchen. Pop music played softly in the background.
The floor was covered in pale beige carpeting, so he removed his boots and placed them next to the neat row of women’s shoes by the door.
“Good timing,” Gina said as he shut the door behind him. “The meat will be ready soon.”
“You did say it would take a few hours to cook.”
“It does, if you do it right.” She tossed cucumber slices into a large salad bowl. “Are those for me?”
He held up the plastic-and-paper-wrapped bundle of peach tulips in his hand. “Ah, yeah.”
“They’re so pretty. Thank you.” She lifted her face so he couldgive her a peck on the cheek, and then nodded her head at the fridge. “Can you take down the vase from up there and put them in water?”
Once he was done with the flowers, Stone set them on the kitchen counter and looked around for something else to do. “How can I help?”
Gina jerked her chin toward the pile of dishes on the counter. “You can take those over to the coffee table. We have chairs at the kitchen bar, but Tash and I always eat in front of the TV. Bad habit, I know. If you’re more comfortable at the counter, we can sit there instead.”
“Coffee table is fine.” He did as she asked, taking in the apartment. It was smaller than he’d expected, but cozy. The kitchen was separated from the living room by a bar, and the living room had tall windows that led onto a tiny patio and revealed a view of the building behind hers.
The furniture, like the carpet, was beige or white. Above the sofa was a large framed print of the New York City skyline at sunset. A low bookcase sported an array of framed photographs on top.
