Rival: A Feuds Novella (The Feuds Series) Read online

  They both covered their mouths for the dozenth time when they heard an attendant step into the main room and utter a horrified cry, something along the lines of, “Oh, lordy!”

  “She’s going to find us!” Davis’s voice was a hushed whisper, drowned out in part by the hissing steam surrounding them in the tiny room. The steam seemed like it was coming from everywhere at once: the vents across the ceiling, floor, and walls. Davis felt faint, so she sat down on the edge of the long wooden bench that lined the room. She could hardly sort out her thoughts, she was so weak, she realized—a result of days of dancing, the impromptu spa fight, and the resulting adrenaline rush.

  “The Apex is literally never going to invite me back,” she said.

  “Relax,” Vera said, giggling, her face flushed red. “It’s all going to work out. Just enjoy. They’re not going to do anything … it’s not like being a member’s daughter doesn’t have its perks.”

  “Perks like … not getting caught for destroying the spa and using at least a week’s worth of massage oil?” Suddenly it was all striking Davis as hilarious all over again. She giggled, high from the steam and the absurdity of their situation.

  “Check it out,” Vera said, scooting closer to a glass panel that provided a number of lit options in all colors of the rainbow. “ ‘Purple for Paradise.’ Ohhh. No, wait. ‘Blue for Bliss’! Or. Ah! Help me decide. There’s ‘Green for Gorgeous,’ too.” Her hand hovered over the bars before she finally reached over and gave the purple choice a confident pull. Almost immediately a stream of subtle, sweet, tropical-smelling steam filled the room. Somehow it cleared Davis’s head, leaving her less woozy than before. She patted down her body, allowing the massage oil to absorb into her skin as the steam wafted over her. “It’s a cooling scent,” Vera explained. “So our skin absorbs optimal steam levels, but we don’t overheat.”

  Davis lay back, enjoying the scented steam. If only her father weren’t a politician—and scrutinized by the media for his spending habits, among literally every other part of their lives—she’d push harder for stuff like this. And … if only her dad weren’t so busy figuring out the conflicts between Imps and Priors, maybe he’d be a little more attuned to her life in general.

  “You know what would really be paradise?” Vera broke in. Davis was silent. It sounded rhetorical. Vera would talk for hours if given the chance. “If, say, that automated hydrotherapy voice would turn into a sexy hydrotherapy man and join us in here.”

  “Scandalous,” Davis commented. “Shall I tell Oscar you thought of that?” Vera had been with her boyfriend, Oscar, for years, practically since puberty.

  “Oh, Oscar.” Vera rolled her eyes. “What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

  “I don’t think Oscar needs any help with the ego,” Davis mentioned. “Might not hurt to take him down a few pegs.”

  “His ego is off the charts,” Vera agreed. “I should probably stop telling him how big his—”

  “Ver! Stop.” Davis swatted her with the end of her towel.

  “What?! I meant his biceps. You’ve got one dirty mind, my friend. And you say you don’t want a boyfriend….” Vera winked, and Davis burst into a fit of giggles. Historically, Vera was pretty much the queen of TMI. Oscar’s biceps were usually the last topic of discussion. Davis knew more about that boy’s anatomy than she cared to.

  She was still giddy, all of it going to her head—the steam, the moment—when she heard Vera catch her breath, then felt her carefully manicured nails dig into her forearm.

  “What?” Davis asked. “Did you remember something about Oscar’s biceps?”

  But then Davis followed Vera’s intent gaze, which was directed just outside the steam room. Davis squinted, tensing. The windows were all fogged up from the steam; she assumed it was the attendant, coming to bust them. Then a fist knocked on the window. Startled, Davis moved back and wrapped the towel tightly around her. To her shock, Vera wiped some of the steam away from the window, exposing their faces.

  “What are you doing?” Davis snapped. “You’re going to get us caught!”

  Then she peered closer and realized that it wasn’t an attendant at all.

  It was Seth. Towel Seth. Tall, muscled, sexy Seth. A wave of light-headedness overcame her. Seth pushed his face closer to the glass door and Vera eagerly wiped away enough fog to frame his perfect abs. Davis finally looked up to see Seth waggling his eyebrows at them.

  “Let him in!” Vera whispered to Davis.

  “I … I don’t think I can,” Davis said. It was true. Her feet were so heavy and her head so light that she couldn’t tell anymore whether it was the boy at the door or the amount of time spent in the heat. Or both. Vera laughed again and rose to her feet, opening the door for Seth and letting in a gust of fresh air. Davis drank it in, trying to compose herself.

  “Are you girls going to sleep here tonight? Looks like you’ve really settled in,” Seth asked, cocking his head. Davis shook her head, mute.

  “Lost track of time,” Vera told him. “Speaking of which, I’ve got a cello lesson in a bit. I mean, right now.”

  Davis winced. Subtlety was not one of Vera’s best qualities.

  “I thought someone in here needed medical attention,” Seth said, his voice casual. “I’m no expert—just a trainer—but I know a thing or two about curing giggle fits.”

  “Oh god, were we that loud?” Davis let it slip out before she could think.

  “Just a little.” Seth measured an inch of space between his fingers.

  “I’m Vera,” Vera said, extending her hand. “Going now!”

  “Seth,” Seth told her. “Right. Cello?”

  “That’s the one. Good memory. Anyway, gotta scoot.”

  “I should go, too.” Davis quickly stood.

  “Why?” Vera said, giving her a look. “I have your schedule synced up with my tablet—not as creepy as it sounds, we’re besties-since-birth,” she said as an aside to Seth. “You have literally nothing else going on today. Nothing. That skin needs a good steam, girl. So do those muscles. Stick around. She works tirelessly,” Vera informed Seth. “Never met a dancer like this one.” She gave Davis a little shove, practically pushing off her towel to reveal her skimpy silver bikini beneath it. Davis, glaring at Vera, stumbled backward and readjusted. “I’ll give you a call later on,” Vera chirped, hitting the red color on the digital mood strip on her way out.

  Seth slipped in and closed the door just as the smell of rose petals filled the air. Davis cringed, the butterflies in her stomach nearly causing her to pass out. Vera must have hit “Red for Romance.” Ugh. Could she have been any more obvious?

  “You don’t mind if I join you, do you?” Seth wanted to know. “I like sticking around late here. It’s hard, you know? To find privacy, I mean. This is sort of my space. The rest of it … I don’t know. The Apex is great, but it’s not as ‘exclusive’ as you might think.”

  “I should probably let you alone, then,” Davis said, her cheeks burning. She wasn’t a real member. Did he know that? Davis was surprised to feel a small pang of disappointment. She wasn’t allowed to have him … and yet something about his golden eyes was holding her captive.

  “No! Stay. I didn’t mean it like that,” he said, as if he knew what she was thinking. Still, she had one foot out the door. “Honestly. It’s nice to have company. I just … you know. Getting away from the crowd is nice sometimes. The dance moms.” He winked. “But you don’t seem to have one of those.”

  Davis bit her lip, looking down. “She passed away when I was born.”

  “I’m sorry,” Seth told her. “Truly. I didn’t know. Please, sit down.”

  Chapter 4

  Davis sat next to him on the wooden bench, fully aware of his body, still clad in just a towel, next to her.

  “I’m not a member, you know,” she said, leaning toward him. “I’m just here on a guest pass.”

  “All the more reason to enjoy the Apex,” he told her. She crossed her legs, and her
knee brushed his. He smiled a little, but she pushed away, embarrassed that she’d let herself become so vulnerable. “I didn’t mean you,” he said. “When I was talking about the crowd. I just meant … being a trainer, I’m here all the time. There are so few places to be at peace. It’s the others I wanted to avoid. They’re all so … cutthroat. You seem different. You practice alone. Do your own thing.”

  “You’ve seen me?”

  “Of course.” He seemed surprised that she’d asked. “It’s my job to see you. I’m a trainer. I’ve wanted to work with you.”

  “Me?” She wished her voice didn’t convey so much surprise.

  “Yes, you.”

  By then the steam room was thick with warm fog, thankfully disguising her blush, and Davis began to feel like her limbs were made of rubber. She leaned back against the bench behind her, relaxing. She could hardly see Seth anymore, so when she spoke it felt almost as if she were thinking aloud.

  “Tell me about your career,” she said to him. “You’re so talented as a dancer. But now you’re a trainer. Why did you make the change?”

  “It’s not much of a change,” he corrected. “I’ve been dancing since I was three. This is what’s right for me now. But tell me more about you,” he said, angling his body toward hers. He was so close now that his knee brushed hers briefly, sending tingles down her spine. “Those routines I saw you working on … very impressive. I’m not surprised you were invited to the showcase.” He tilted his head to the side, waiting for her response.

  “How did you know?” She felt her cheeks burning, and despite herself, she smiled. She ducked her head, hoping he couldn’t detect her pleasure at being noticed by him.

  “I’m on the committee,” he said. “We’ve been watching you since you came.”

  “Oh?” She hoped Seth didn’t notice how many octaves her voice shot up. “Well, you’re full of secrets.”

  Davis wished she had paid more attention any of the multiple times Vera had tried to teach her how to flirt.

  “Here’s another secret. Don’t tell anyone I told you—you’re not supposed to know it. Every single person voted you in. It’s usually just about the majority. You were the only one to get a unanimous vote.”

  “Really?” Davis was shocked. For a fleeting moment she wondered why he was telling her this, but she was so stunned that it hardly registered. “Wow. That’s … I’m so flattered. It’s weird, I didn’t know anyone was watching me at all. I know it’s not a pre-trial or anything. Not like the Pre-qualifiers. But I was planning on debuting one of the routines I’ve been practicing for the Olympiads.”

  “The piece from Giselle,” Seth said, nodding. Davis’s palms gripped the bench under her. He’d been paying that much attention? She was always really absorbed in her routines when she practiced, but it was strange that she’d never once noticed him watching her. “Why not show me a move now?” he asked.

  “It’s a little too foggy for that,” she said. “Plus, um …” She gestured toward her towel.

  “A very graceful dancer—much like yourself—could definitely do her entire routine in a towel. Or the bikini that’s underneath. Just something small,” he pressed, his look suddenly serious. “I think your temps de fleche might need a minor adjustment.”

  “Okay.” The steam must have been getting to her head, because Davis found herself standing, abandoning her towel, and performing an easy temps de fleche in her bikini. When she grabbed for her top, however—it had started loosening—her foot slid against the floor, which was slick with steam. She reached out to catch herself but fell, twisting her ankle.

  “Dammit,” said Seth, jumping up and moving to help her. “I never should have asked you to do that. I’m so sorry. Here, let me check it.” He put one arm under Davis’s shoulders and lifted her back on the bench.

  “I’m okay,” she insisted. “Really. It was just a twist.” But she had to grit her teeth to hide her pain. She rarely felt any pain at all—that was a perk of being a Prior. You didn’t get hurt, or if you did it was so minor and healed so quickly that you felt almost nothing at all. The image of Gabrielle Rydell and her two beautiful, untwisted ankles doing perfect temps de fleche passed through her head. She groaned.

  “I’m a trainer,” he reminded her, a playfully serious expression lighting up his eyes. “This is my job. Just let me check it.”

  Davis hesitated, pulling back, and he laughed.

  “Listen, this is the second time you’ve fallen—or almost fallen—today because of me. Let me at least make it up to you. There’s nothing to be shy about. After all, you apparently know everything about me and I’ve been spying on you all week. We’re practically … besties-since-birth.”

  He said that last bit in a mock-Vera tone so accurate, Davis couldn’t help but laugh. “Fine. Examine the ankle.”

  “Relax,” he told her. “You won’t regret it.” He ran his hands up her ankle, and she winced as he hit the sore spot. But the more she eased into it the better it felt, and he moved his hand up her calf, kneading that muscle, too. She couldn’t help it; she let a moan escape her lips. She’d been working so hard, and this was even better than the hydromassage she’d had earlier. Noticing her pleasure, Seth worked farther up her leg to her knee and then switched to the other leg.

  “How about a back massage?” he suggested. “It’ll only help you. Everything’s connected.”

  “Okay,” she whispered, which was all she could manage with Seth’s hands on her. At that point, he could have said nearly anything. She was totally pliable. So when he pulled her close to him on the steam-room bench, she didn’t resist. She turned over on her stomach, feeling his hands push her towel lower. She felt completely exposed, but not in a bad way.

  Then he was kneading her shoulders.

  Then the middle of her spine.

  Then farther down to the small of her back, just along her bikini line.

  He was leaning so close she could feel his breath on her skin.

  Davis craned her neck, looking behind her to see what he was doing. He was sitting within inches of her on the wooden bench. Did he even realize how bad this would look if someone walked in? It felt good to have him close. But it wasn’t okay. She knew that.

  Yet she couldn’t bring herself to push him away. She met his eyes, and he leaned toward her. She rolled over onto her back, looking up at him.

  He trailed his fingers along her side, and she felt all of her skin burning and tingling where he touched. When his hand got to her shoulder, he leaned in …

  An inch, another inch … until their lips were almost grazing and his breath was hot on her cheek. He lowered his eyelids, leaning closer toward her. One last millimeter and they’d kiss. Her heart was going crazy, and her skin was on fire; she’d never felt so attracted to anyone before. It was as if her body was being pulled toward his with the force of a magnet. His naked torso was practically on top of her, with her towel pushed completely off.

  Davis wiggled from under him, gasping. Kissing a trainer would ruin her chances at the Olympiads, if anyone found out. And the Olympiads meant everything. More than whatever this was.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, his eyes wide and searching.

  She breathed heavily but didn’t bother to respond. She couldn’t. What if someone had seen them?

  The air was heavy around her, and she suddenly wanted to push her way out of the room, away from Seth and everything he represented—temptation and lust and her future, all rolled up into one. She was thankful she couldn’t see his face through the thick steam from where she sat now, at the opposite end of the bench.

  “Davis?” he asked quietly. She tried to ignore the hurt in his voice.

  Then there was a knock on the door, and the handle began to move.

  Chapter 5

  The spa attendant poked her head into the room, frowning at Davis, who instinctively stood up from the bench. How could she have forgotten about the attendant? The spa fight with Vera seemed like years ago. />
  “I’ve been cleaning up the mess you and your little friend made for the past twenty minutes,” the attendant said with a sniff. “This is the Apex. We’re not used to this kind of wanton disrespect.”

  “I’m sorry,” Davis said, and she was. She’d never have gone crazy like that if she’d been thinking about someone else having to clean up her and Vera’s mess. Davis had just been so caught up in the moment, the fun of it all. Sometimes dancing took over and she forgot how to have fun. That was where Vera came in … along with the repercussions.

  The attendant’s voice was stiff. “I’ve consulted with the director of the facility, and you’ll have to do something to show that you’re willing to make up for it. This weekend we’re sponsoring a children’s event; you’ll be expected to provide free dance lessons, and your friend will provide music lessons.”

  “Oh.” Davis nodded. “Of course. Sure. Yes. We’d be happy to,” she said, acutely aware of Seth behind her, listening to her getting chastised. She’d planned to practice all weekend.

  “I’ll just leave this door open and you two can see yourselves out,” said the attendant, scanning Seth and then Davis, her eyes projecting her obvious disapproval. Davis nodded, her face burning.

  “I’ll see you later,” Davis mumbled toward Seth, moving past the threshold.

  “Wait a sec,” he said, laying a hand on her arm. “I want to see you again. Maybe when you’re not so busy cleaning up your messes.” He winked, but Davis was mortified.

  “Yeah, maybe,” she said, grabbing her clothes and stepping out into the main locker room. She headed for the ladies’ changing room, Seth a few steps behind her. He was definitely persistent; she had to give him that. But she had made too much of a mess of things already—there was no way she was going to risk getting caught kissing a trainer again.

  She rounded the corner and nearly collided with Vera.