She still looked confused. “You’re not making any sense. My work history proves I have had a great career.”
“But this is your chance to join a theater production. Something different. A challenge. I saw you on that stage, Kai, and you loved every minute of it. Take a leap.”
She let out a breathy laugh and shook her head. “I’ve taken plenty of leaps before. Take my decision to move to LA in the first place. I didn’t have the financial support like most of my peers did. I had very little savings from my side job when I was in college. There were no guarantees. Yet I did it. I’m successful. I just…” She wrung her hands together. “I just don’t feel very successful right now.”
“Because you’re going through a hard time. It’s not as easy as living your dreams. You need to find a way to make that dream work for you. Sometimes that means doing the things you don’t want to do. Like dancing on a cruise ship in the middle of the Pacific.”
She shot me a glare, but the corner of her mouth tipped up in a smile. “With a smart-mouthed Aussie, no less.”
My grin met hers. “You say that like it’s my dream to work with a prissy ballerina.” Her jaw dropped in mock horror, and I shrugged. “I care about this show more than you know. And, right, I may have some selfish reasons for wanting you to join the cast, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that you’re genuinely the best one for the job. Just take the gig, Kai. The rest will work itself out.”
She looked to be debating it. “What if it’s the day I’m supposed to board the ship, and I just can’t get on it? What happens then?”
Something inside me roared. I could feel her so close to giving in. I would do whatever it took to help make it happen. “If you promise to try, then I’ll sign a private contract with you that states if you can’t board that ship by the time you’re required to, then I’ll reap the consequences. I’ll pay the fine. I’ll write you an amazing recommendation. Hell, Kai, I’ll even help find you the best damn job out there. If you promise to try.”
Her curious stare revealed a bit more of her depths. Something new flashed behind those light-coffee eyes of hers. Beyond the fire that seemed to always burn within her, beyond the fear she’d just admitted to was a want, a need to break through whatever barrier was holding her back.
“Why do I feel like I’m making a deal with the devil?”
I raised a brow, locking my eyes on hers. “I’m surely no angel, sweetheart. But I need you, and it’s looking like you need me too.”
“Correction—I need the job. I need the money. I do not need you.” She flashed me another grin that caused a fire to roar in my chest.
I couldn’t help myself. She was so adamant to remind me that she hated me, and I was determined to change her mind. “We’ll see about that.”
She assessed me for a second then pulled her legs onto the platform and turned to face me. “Okay, then tell me this. Let’s say I accept the offer. Are you going to try to sleep with me?”
I pulled my legs from the edge and mirrored her position, staring her dead in the eye. “No.”
She coughed out a laugh. “Really?”
I quirked my brow. “I told you. You’re not my type. Just because I want you on my show doesn’t mean I’m going to try to strip off those pink tights of yours and pin you to the first wall I see.” I narrowed my eyes, quickly regretting the mental picture I’d just painted. “No, love. You couldn’t handle me.”
Her pink lips parted like she was struggling with a comeback. Maybe she had a mental picture of her own. Then she returned my glare. “You’ve underestimated me before.”
Amusement lifted my cheeks. “I have. You’re right. But I’m not wrong about this. You might be able to handle my cock with a little training, but I don’t fuck around with the talent. Let’s just say I’ve learned my lesson… the hard way.”
She made a disgusted sound with the back of her throat, which only broadened my smile. “You’re so gross.”
“You asked.”
“You didn’t have to be so crude about it.”
I let out a hearty chuckle and shook my head. “Next time, don’t ask me a question you don’t want to hear the honest answer to. Problem solved.”
“Has anyone ever told you that your maturity level is comparable to that of a toddler’s?” This time, a grin accompanied her insult, which somehow made her even hotter.
“Has anyone ever told you that throwing jabs is considered foreplay to some?”
She laughed. “It’s only considered foreplay if my jabs result in arousal.” She leaned in, her light eyes glimmering in the lights of the bridge. “Does it turn you on when I make fun of you, Sebastian Chase?”
My hardening dick was answering her question without hesitation. I glanced down pointedly then dragged my eyes back to hers, which were right where I wanted them to be. “Be careful, Pink Tights. You’ll need to lock up your ticker if you keep running that mouth.”
“Ticker?”
“Your heart, love.”
Even in the dim light of the bridge lamps, I could see her face turn pink as she pulled away. “I don’t need to put a lock on anything except maybe my cabin door at night to deter you from getting your hopes up… and other things.”
I smirked. “Should we make a deal? A pact of sorts to ease your fears?”
Her brows rose. “What did you have in mind?”
“We both agree not to make a move on each other. The first one to cross the line owes the other something of their choosing.”
She barked a laugh like she didn’t believe me, then her laughter died in her throat. “You’re serious?”
I nodded slowly.
She seemed struck with panic. “I don’t know what I would want.”
Chuckling, I leaned back against the pillar. “Oh, Kai. Sweet, innocent, Kai. I think it’s you underestimating me now. I’m not going to be the one to break. You are.”
Chapter 9
Kai
The night was pitch black by the time Sebastian dropped me off at Wayne’s house on the outskirts of LA. I used my last ounce of willpower to call it a night at the bridge, knowing that even one minute more alone with him would result in a string of bad decisions that couldn’t possibly end well. If I was sure of anything when it came to Sebastian Chase, it was that he was the definition of “smooth operator.”
Miraculously, I hadn’t thought about my eviction notice again since hopping onto Sebastian’s bike, but the adrenaline from our ride together was wearing thin. When I thought about the chain of events leading me to Wayne’s doorstep, anger began awakening within me, and I would eventually erupt.
I truly believed that the night’s events were just another nudge from the universe to take the job. Off Broadway might never have been in my grand plan, but that didn’t mean anything at the end of the day. Sometimes, the most beautiful journeys in life were the ones uncharted. And right then, every sign was pointing toward Angst and Grace, Sebastian Chase, and the deep, dark, open sea of mystery.