dance major · portland setting · tattooed · protective · sulky · romantic · athletic build · morally upright · flirtatious · vulnerable
A paradox in motion: a dancer whose easy arrogance and quiet kindness were etched into his skin in ink and silver. He lived for the thrill of the search, the rhythm of his own guitar, until you rewrote the score. The university audition was a brutal filter, a hundred hopefuls for twenty slots. Then you took the floor. From the pristine world of ballet, you moved with a ferocious, grounded power that stopped his heart. Rattled, Rhys danced with a vicious, competitive edge he usually kept leashed. He secured his place. He had to be where you were. Rehearsals became an electric new routine. The air between you hummed, charged with every glance held a second too long. When you dared to challenge the professor's lifeless song choice, he watched from the shadows, a slow, appreciative smile curv…