Love Waltzes In (Dancing Under The Stars) (9 page)

He gently caressed her arm. Shyly, she took his hand. Their feet traced the floor, as if they were ice-skating. Their bodies rose together. Unable to resist any longer, they climaxed. For a fleeting moment, they experienced pure bliss. Then their bodies collapsed, with only the memory of their perfect moment remaining.

Selena curled up on the sofa in the houseboat. Though Bret had offered to take her back to the hotel, her eyes seemed so sad. Bret relented and invited her in. She hadn’t said much on the ride over the Golden Gate Bridge, but Bret had a suspicion that her state of mind had something to do with
Dima.

“I’m sorry, Bret. I shouldn’t have called you. I just didn’t want to be alone. Thanks for picking me up.”

Bret sat on his father’s leather recliner. She was vulnerable and he wanted to make sure he didn’t get too close to her. “Don’t worry about it. I’m always here for you.”

She started petting Banjo, who rolled over to get his belly rubbed. “I told
Dima that it was over between us personally. Forever. He said he didn’t want to have children. You were right. I want to have a family, no matter what.”

The hair on Bret’s arms stood up. Her relationship status shouldn’t matter to him. They were not right for each other and if
he let her get close, he knew she would break his heart again. “I’m sure it was just a fight. Tomorrow you guys will be back together, planning a wedding. Televised worldwide.” He watched her face, expecting her to look confused and lost. But she looked determined, the way she looked before she was about to win a competition.

“No, Bret. Never. We’ve been broken up for years. And even when we were together, there were rumors about other women. I didn’t believe them but I was never sure.
But none of that matters. Even if he came back tomorrow and said he wanted children, it wouldn’t be enough. Dima’s a great dancer, but I can’t see him as a father. He’s nothing like you. He hates noise, and messes and chaos. I want to marry a man who wants to be a dad—not just someone who will appease me so I’ll stay. But for some reason, I always thought Dima and I would end up back together. Not because we were soul mates or anything. Just because our lives are so intertwined. But you helped me realize that I deserve more than that.”

Her heart-shaped faced glowed in the reflection of the moo
nlight on the water. Bret’s heart beat strongly in his chest. Even after all these years, was it possible that he still loved her? Selena sometimes had her head in the clouds but her bright outlook on life softened him. It wasn’t just that he was attracted to her, he believed that she was the only one who ever really understood him. She was the one who had comforted him when his parents announced they were getting a divorce or when he had been taunted in school for dancing. In boot camp, picturing his future life with Selena had motivated him through the hard times. But he couldn’t, wouldn’t risk getting hurt.

“Selena, I just don’t think you and I could ever work out.”

“I love you, Bret. I always have. I was just so young back then. I wanted and needed to dance. I wasn’t ready to get married. Do you know how many times I’ve regretted that decision? Seeing you the other week was an answer to my prayers. We’re meant to be together. I’m sure of it.” She stood up and walked over to him.

He rose from his chair, his eyes tracing her body. He allowed himself to imagine her naked. He’d been pushing thoughts of her tight yet soft figure out of his mind. If she had been any other woman, he would’ve already taken her into his arms and kissed her.

“Sel, I just . . .”

Her soft lips interrupted his protest. Bret couldn’t resist her any longer. He pulled her toward him. Her mouth was moist and hot yet her lips were sweet and plump. She kissed his neck and ran her fingers through his hair. The scent of coconut drove him wild. How could she still smell the same after all these years?

“Bret, you don’t know how many times I’ve dreamt of this moment.”

Bret lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around him. He ca
rried her to the bedroom and lay her down on the bed. Her tan skin glistened in the light and he unbuttoned her shirt. A beautiful black lace bra covered her small breasts. Bret was so glad she had never succumbed to Hollywood and ruined her body with implants.

Selena took off Bret’s shirt, her hands running over every inch of his chest and exploring his muscles and tattoos. She found a scar on his back, from an explosion that had killed another one of his buddies. Bret had escaped relatively unscathed, except for some lacerations. Selena didn’t ask any details, and just kissed his skin.

The last time they had made love, Bret was just a kid, and though he’d loved her more than anything, he hadn’t had a clue what he was doing back then.

Not this time.

Bret took charge. Kissing her face, her neck, her ears. He was in no rush; all he wanted to do was please her. Exploring every inch of her soft stomach, licking her diamond belly ring. His hands cupped her breasts, and he unhooked her bra, flinging it across the room. It landed perfectly on Banjo’s face and they both let out a laugh.

“Guess we have an audience.” Bret shooed Banjo away.

His attention turned back to Selena, her rosy nipples waited for his lips. He took one into his mouth and she moaned. She arched her back and Bret kissed, suckled, and nibbled on her. Switching to the other nipple, he was so excited by the pleasure that had swept across her face.

“My turn,” Selena said, tugging at his pants.

“Not yet,” he grinned. He wasn’t done with her.

He took off her skirt and pulled down her matching black lace panties. Bret couldn’t wait to taste her. Kissing her thighs, he first teased her with his fingers. She raised her knees up. Her warmth excited him and he took her sweetness into his mouth, savoring every lick. Selena’s breath became short and rapid. Writhing on the bed, she placed her hand on the back of his head.

“Bret, oh my God. Please—don’t stop.”

Bret had no intention of stopping. Her groans and whimpers made the sexiest sounds. Her hips gyrated and she climaxed, screaming out Bret’s name.

After a moment of rest, Selena pushed Bret on his back and straddled him. “That was amazing,” she purred.

She kissed his chest, fondling his shoulders, and rubbing her breasts on his stomach. Undoing his belt, she took off his pants and boxers. Bret relaxed on the bed, and Selena hummed while she teased him with her mouth. She wrapped her lips around him and Bret wanted to explode but he held back. Her sweet mouth was so warm. After what seemed like an eternity, she released him and curled up by his side.

“Do you have a condom?”

“I thought you wanted kids?” he joked.

Selena laughed. “I do want to have your baby, just not tonight.”

Bret reached over to his nightstand and grabbed one, thanking himself for stashing some just in case. Selena took it from his hand, ripped it open, and rolled it on him.

“I need you, Bret.”

Bret flipped her over on her back. He paused to take in the beauty of Selena, completely naked, lying in front of him. He kissed her neck and slowly entered her, savoring the moment.

Selena gasped. Her heat clenched around him. She felt so tight, so perfect, so meant for him and him alone.

She grabbed his ass and pulled him toward her, until he was so deep that their bodies melted together. He took her harder and fas
ter as she screamed his name over and over.

She wrapped her legs tightly around him, still breathless, and he twisted her around so she could have more control. Selena climbed on top of him, pushing Bret back on the bed. He propped himself up with a pillow to enjoy the view. Relishing the sight of her riding him, he held her hips, rocking her in rhythm.

“You’re so beautiful, Sel. I love you.”

He sucked on her nipples, and they came together, staring into each other’s eyes, in perfect synch.

After she pulled away, Bret held her in his arms. “Selena,” he gazed into her eyes, mascara smeared all over her face, “don’t ever leave me again.”

“I won’t, babe. You’re it for me.”

Bret closed his eyes for a brief second, never wanting this moment to end.

Selena awoke the next morning, happier than she’d been in years. Sleeping next to Bret all night, wrapped in his strong arms, she wished they could stay on the houseboat forever and never have to return to
Hollyweird.

She slipped out of his embrace and peeked at Bret, who slept peacefully. Last night had been better than even her wildest fant
asies. Bret was so strong, so generous, so emotional, so masculine. But one night didn’t quell her hunger for him, she now wanted him more than ever, every day for the rest of her life.

Rolling out of bed, she snuck past Banjo, and threw on her clothes. Poor Bret had no idea what was in store for him once the tabloids found out that was now with Bret. Even if she told the truth, she feared that the magazines would twist the story into some salacious love triangle, and Bret would be hated as the other man. There was no way Bret would tolerate being on the cover of every magazine, his honorable reputation tarnished. He’d leave her for
sure. And she hadn’t been totally honest with him when they broke up many years ago. Selena had been with holding a secret from him—a secret that could ruin any chance they had to have a future together. Selena had to figure how to handle this, and fast, before she lost him forever.

She went into the kitchen and poured the ground coffee into the filter and longed for her espresso machine back home. She r
etrieved her phone from her purse; it blinked with seven missed calls and five texts. All from Dima.

She stepped on the deck and called him back.

“Hi, Dima,” she spoke quietly.

“
Selinchka, where are you? I’ve been calling to your hotel room.” His voice was very agitated.

What was she going to tell him? “
Uhm, I . . .”

His voiced sounded louder. “Are you there, Selena? I came by to your room last night and you were not there.”

“It doesn’t matter where I am, Dima. I didn’t want to drive home so I crashed at a friend’s house.”

“I love you,
Selenichka. Please, for you I will have the children.”

“That’s sweet,
Dima, I know you mean well. But I don’t want a man to have kids just to keep me. I want someone who wants to be a dad. You would never be happy.”             

Dima’s
voice turned from concerned to irritated. “Are you with Bret? Is this about being together with him?”

Selena didn’t want to lie to
Dima. And she knew Bret hated lying also. But if she told Dima the truth, she knew this story would hit the tabloids before the weekend was over. “No, I’m not.” A sinking feeling gripped her chest. “This isn’t about him. This is about us. It’s over. It has been for a while. We broke up three years ago! You’ve been with many women and I’ve never had more than a few dates with anyone. You made sure of that. How is that fair to me? The minute you decide you want me back, I’m just supposed to jump for joy and start planning our wedding? I’m sorry but I’m done.”

“If you need a few days to calm down, I understand. Once you are back together with me in L.A., we will work it out.”

How could he just ignore what she just said? She raised her voice. “Dammit Dima. I don’t need more time. I told you. We’re through. Trust me, this is for the best.”

A sharp noise came over the receiver.
Dima must’ve slammed his fist into something. “Fine, Selena. If this is how you want it. Don’t ever think you can come back to me. I made you and this is how you repay to me?”

“We are partners,
Dima, or so I thought. It isn’t all you. I am your partner. We can still dance together. Forever.”

Dima
let out a cocky laugh. “Selenichka,
Zaika
. You are confused if you think I would still dance together with you. I can get any partner in the world. You want this to be over. You think you are too good for me? You knew I would always come back to you. We both needed just a break. Now you don’t want me? Okay. It is over. Dancing, too.” The receiver slammed and the dial tone beeped in her ear.

It was over. Ten years of sacrifice and in just an instant, her dance career had imploded. No hope of ever winning
Blackpool. She could never get a partner like Dima again She was an amazing dancer, she was very confident about her abilities. But in ballroom there were a hundred girls for every guy. And very few guys were the caliber of dancer that Dima was. All of the professional men in the Blackpool Latin final already had partners. If any of them did become available, they would pick a younger girl, not start over with a twenty-eight-year-old woman who only had a few good dancing years left. The tears started falling down Selena’s face. Her career—her life—was over.

Bret emerged from the bedroom and walked onto the balcony. “Hey babe, what’s wrong?” He put his arms around her waist.

Selena didn’t want to tell him. He wouldn’t understand. “Nothing Bret, just hold me.”             

Bret hugged her. “You can tell me anything.”

She looked up in his big blue eyes. When they were kids, they were each other’s best friends. They knew each other’s every secret until the end. She longed for that closeness again but was afraid to let him in again.

“
Uhm, that was Dima. He thought we would get back together, like we’ve done many times before. I told him it was over. He said that our partnership was over.”

Bret released her and looked away. “What did you expect?
Dima’s probably the best male dancer in the world. Once you shut that door for good, he decided he’s done. You may have thought you were broken up, but it was on his terms. As long as you would jump back into his arms whenever he decided the time was right. You know how he works. He’s always been involved with his partners. When Carrie left him, that’s why he went after you. Carrie wanted to still dance with him.”

Selena knew all too well. Carrie had an affair with Giorgio, a gorgeous Italian dancer. When
Dima found out, he dumped her even though she begged him to still compete with her.

Her lip quivered. It hadn’t crossed her mind that he was going to end their partnership. “I know. I just thought that we were so
close to winning he’d stick it out for another few years. Why would he want to start over?”

“This is his life. Why wouldn’t he want to start over? If you guys had stuck together, at some point you would’ve had to quit dancing – either because of your age or to start a family. He can dance with a girl in her early twenties and compete for the next ten years. And he will win
Blackpool.”

Wow, Bret understood
Dima better than she did. Maybe it was just because he was a guy.

Bret glared at her. “You aren’t regretting leaving him, are you? I don’t want you to resent me. This was your choice.”

She placed her hand on Bret’s face. “No, Bret. I don’t. This was the best decision I ever made. I love you. I just need to find my way again. All I’ve ever done is dance and compete.”

“Well it’s time to find you a new hobby. You love teaching. Military kids would love to learn dancing. I promise I’ll do ever
ything to make you happy. But you have to trust me.”

She gave him a half-hearted smile. While she loved all her charity work, she still needed to stimulate herself creatively. But she did trust him. Completely. As she looked out across the bay, her heart raced. Bret scooped her up and started kissing her. He carried her to the bed and they made love. And Selena was happier than if she had won the world’s most prestigious competition.

…………….

An hour later, Bret hit the shower and Selena headed back to the kitchen to finish making the coffee she started earlier.
She texted Jenny to give her a call.

Bret emerged from the bathroom dressed. He wrapped his arms around her and the smell of cedar made her giddy.

Bret gazed into her eyes. “I can’t tell you how many times I thought of you while I was deployed. You were always on my mind. Of course, it didn’t help me that you were on the cover of every magazine.”

Over the years, Selena had received fan mail from many men in the military. She was gracious and would send them an aut
ographed picture and a note back. But she always wondered if any of them served with Bret and somehow they’d be able to connect again. “Well, I hoped you would see my pictures time to time and think of me. I did a few USO shows and always scanned the audience for your face. And when I dressed up in that Marine Corps Pin Up costume, I was thinking of you. Did you see it?”

A lustful smile broke across Bret’s face. “Yeah, I saw it.
Everyone of my men had it plastered on their rack. Honestly, I got sick of looking at it.”

It has never occurred to Selena how hard it must’ve been for Bret to see her dressed like that. He’d always been so protective of her. She changed the subject. “What do you want to do today? I’m so excited we have the next full week off since Xavier and Robyn are out of town.” She had planned to spend the week with
Dima in San Francisco but was thrilled to spend some quality time alone with Bret.

“Well, I’d wanted to go camping in China Camp with Banjo. But you probably want something more high end. You want to go to Sonoma?”

Selena loved the wine country! Wine, cheese, good olives, antiques. Maybe they could go to a spa. She knew it wasn’t exactly Bret’s idea of a vacation so it meant even more to her that he would suggest it.

“Oh yes! I’d love, love to. Are you sure you don’t want to go camping?” She poured two cups of coffee.

“It’s fine. I just want to make you happy. We need to make a lot of decisions, Sel. Let’s just go there and relax and try to think through everything. Our future. How we can make this work.” He turned her to him and placed his hands on her shoulders. “But I already told you—I’m not leaving the Marine Corps.”

Selena shuddered. She knew Bret loved her and prayed they could find a way to build a life together. A life that allowed her to still dance and have him.

“We’ll figure something out. I can make reservations.”

“Fine, just make sure they take dogs. We’re taking Banjo.”

Selena took one sip of the coffee, and spat it out. “This coffee is horrible, Bret. Can you go to Bayside Café really quick and get some while I get ready.”

“Sure. Banjo needs a walk anyway.” He kissed her, leashed up Banjo, and left the houseboat.

Selena figured Bayside Café would be packed with the weekend breakfast crowd so she’d have time to take a relaxing bath. She took a wine bottle and a glass, went into the bathroom and drew herself a bubble bath.  Just as she was about to jump in, the phone rang. “Pardon me, bubbles,” she said giddily, “I’m being summoned.” Having a day off was rough—normally she’d already be by Dima’s side teaching students for the competition.

She went out to the kitchen and grabbed her phone on the third ring. “
Hola
?”             

“Hey, Sel.”

She jerked the receiver away from her ear. Jenny talked loud even on the phone. “Hey girl.” She moved the phone a tad closer. “I’m so glad you called. You won’t
believe
what happened yesterday. Dima wanted to get back together and get married. But I told him it was over forever!”

“Shut up. You did not.”

“Yes, I did. He said he never wanted kids. And he’s been hooking up with every celebrity partner on the show for the past few years. How could he expect me to wait around?” She leaned into the bathroom to see if her bubbles were going down. Nope. The queen’s bath was still royal.             

“Are you serious?” Jenny’s voice changed from her girlfriend friendly into her professional nagging tone. “What about the stud
ios? Your endorsements? Selena—are you thinking at all?”

“Yes, I’m thinking.” She stopped ogling the bubbles. “But I called
Dima this morning and he doesn’t want to dance with me anymore.”

“I can’t believe this. Are you sure this has nothing to do with Bret? Don’t lie to me Selena.”

“Oh, c’mon. This had nothing to do with Bret at all.” She poured herself a glass of Chardonnay. “But we did hook up last night.”

“Hooked up? Selena! Did you sleep with him?”

Selena nearly dropped the Chardonnay bottle. “Yes! It was amazing. He’s incredible.”

“You are such a tart,” she finally said. “Just kidding. Oh My God—I need details! What are you going to do now?

“I don’t know. You can’t tell a soul until I figure this out. No one can know. I don’t want the tabloids to find this out and ruin Bret’s life.”

There was a big sigh on the other end of the phone. Selena tightened her towel and looked longingly at her bath.

“Are you going to tell Bret about the miscarriage?”

It was Selena’s turn to sigh. “Yes, of course I am. I just need to find the right time.”

There was no talking Jenny down a tree once she’d climbed it high enough. “Fine, Selena. But you need to tell him soon if you want this to work out.”

“I know. I’ll figure it out.” Jenny,
Dima, and Selena’s mom were the only people who knew that Selena found out she was pregnant weeks after Bret went to boot camp. Selena was unable to call him. She could’ve written him a later but had decided to wait to tell him in person at his graduation. She had every intention of turning down Dima’s offer to dance with her and starting a life with Bret. Then she miscarried. She was devastated over the loss of their child. Her mom convinced her that the tragedy was an opportunity to began a new life with Dima and achieve her dancing goals. Maybe the situation would’ve been different had she been able to talk to Bret but his communication with her was limited to a scripted phone call the day he arrived at boot camp and a weekly letter. She had promised him that she would wait for him but she thought seeing him would remind her of their loss. Dima dumped his partner and offered her a chance to dance with him, one of the best professionals in the world. She didn’t have the strength to say no.