Free Boarded by Love by Toni Aleo Page A

nod and do the same, holding up my paddle. I see the girl’s face fall and then I notice that it’s April. I’ve slept with her. Well shit, guess I’ve burned that easy bridge, which really, I never planned on crossing again anyway. Looking over at my grinning brother, I say, “You couldn’t tell me it was April? I was with her like two weeks ago.”
    Jayden laughs. “Dude, I can’t keep up with who you sleep with, and I actually plan to judge these girls on their talent.”
    Rolling my eyes, I look back toward Claire. She’s hugging the brunette, but then her name is called, and she slowly backs away, saying something, and I want to know what it is. I’m sorta disgusted with myself. I mean, why do I care? Why am I so hung up on this girl? She won’t even give me the time of day. She’s playing this hard to get shit, and I don’t play those games. If I want attention, all I gotta do is stand up and snap my fingers, and three girls will be on me quick. So I should do that. I should ignore this attraction, this stalkerish tendency, and fuck someone who will give it to me easy.
    The only problem is that I don’t want them.
    I want her, and when she struts to the middle of the floor, I know that I’ll play whatever game she wants just for another taste of that delectable, red glossed-up mouth. When she purses those lips like she’s about to give me a kiss that will shatter my world, I hold on to the end of the bleachers as “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” by Whitney Houston blares over the audio system.
    And as soon as the music starts, time stands still for me.
    She’s shockingly amazing. I’ve watched girls dance, and then I’ve watched girls murder the dance floor, and Claire is murdering the hell out of the gym floor. Her body moves with such attention to the music – as if it is the music – and it’s breathtaking to watch. The music is fun and she’s grinning and having a good time, but like me, everyone is stunned. Each move is on point, no fumbles, no second-guessing; she knows what she’s doing, and I can’t help but admire her. When she goes into a series of turns that seem to go on forever, I want to stand and applaud her, but before I can, she stops, running her hands up her body and then she winks at me.
    Fucking winks.
    It is probably the fucking hottest thing I’ve ever seen in my life, but then she drops into the splits, and I swear I just came in my pants. She ends the dance with a leg stretch while doing a turn. It looks painful, but it seems like second nature to her. When the music ends, the girls to the side all clap and cheer, and I notice that Rachael and her clan are all impressed. That pleases me, and before I’m even asked for my paddle, I stand, holding up my ten.
    Because Claire Anderson just blew away everyone around her with that dance.
    Looking around, I see that everyone else thought what I did, because all I see are tens. When Rachael looks back at us, she glares before writing down the numbers. She then clears her throat and everyone quiets down, and she sets Claire with a look. “That was very impressive.”
    Placing her hands on her hips, Claire smiles before nodding. “Thank you.”
    “Watching you dance, I remember you from the competition circuit. You won everything.”
    “Well, when you train with the best, you tend to be the best.”
    “Touché, and let me just say that you are the first girl in my dance team history to get all tens from the hockey team.”
    Her eyes meet mine again, and she smiles before she says in a very low, sexy voice, “Well, thanks, boys.”
    Yup, my mind is mush. I can’t speak, hell, none of us can. She is just so damn hot.
    Claire then looks back at Rachael and says, “Thank you for allowing me to try out. I hope I get the opportunity to dance with y’all.”
    “I’m sure you will,” Rachael says, and then she calls Skylar’s name. I watch Claire walk back to the brunette, hugging her tightly and smiling so big her face is