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Chapter 3

 

"Mama! Someone's at the door!" Ainsley hollered from the living room where she was supposed to be doing her homework.

 

"Can you get it please? I'm cooking here!" Darien hollered back and took a quick glance in the mirror. She had pulled her hair into a messy bun and changed into a very baggy grey t-shirt and white yoga pants. Supper was almost ready and the table was set.

 

Ainsley sighed at her mother and walked to the door. She pulled it open and was surprised to see Kenny Wormald standing there. She hadn't expected him until later. "Hi. You must be my new instructor."

 

"And you must be my new student. Ainsley?" Kenny held his hand out. She shook it firmly and nodded. "I'm Kenny."

 

"I know who you are." Ainsley nodded and moved back to let him in. "I watched Footloose."

 

"Oh really?" He smiled and stepped into a spacious foyer. A staircase curved off to the right and a black baby grand piano was covered in boxes under a fancy chandelier.

 

"Yeah. I really want to learn how to do that line dance. I've about got it but there are a few parts I can't quite hit." She put her hands on her hips and stared at him. He looked much larger in person than he did on the TV.

 

"I can show it to you." He nodded. This girl was obviously Nick Carter's daughter. She was a spitting image of him. "I googled you after I met your mother earlier."

 

"What did you see?" Ainsley led him into a very messy living room. It was apparent they had just moved in. She shoved aside a box overflowing with scarves and held her hand out.

 

"I saw that you're extremely talented in all areas of dance." He sat and looked at her. "But I also saw that you've reached a plateau in the last few years. You don't seem to be doing anything different."

 

"I'm trying, but the instructor at Just Dance wouldn't let me choreograph routines. And Fatima was so set in her ways it was pointless to try to argue. I have a lot of ideas." Ainsley wasn't too young to realize this was her chance to try to get some control over her dancing.

 

"I would like to see your ideas. I hope we can work well together." Kenny truthfully said. This girl was the future and he wasn't too old to admit that. "Maybe you'd like to take me to your mother?"

 

"Alright." Ainsley nodded and sat back on the floor at the coffee table. "She's across the hall in the kitchen. I have to finish this homework before I can dance."

 

"Ok. Hurry so I can see what you've got." Kenny smiled at her before rushing back to the foyer and into the kitchen. Darien was bent over pulling something out of the oven. She looked delectable from the rear.

 

"Hey there." He said and crossed the room. She turned and smiled when she saw him.

 

"Hi. I hope you're hungry." She tilted her head to the side and frowned when he laughed heartily.

 

"You have no idea how hungry I am, Darien." He opened his arms and pulled her in for a hug. She set the potholders down and put her arms around his waist. She wondered why it felt like she was coming home when she settled into his arms. It was way too soon to be feeling that way.

 

"Well, I hope so. I made Italian. It's one of my favorites." She reluctantly pulled away and took the salad to the table.

 

"Mine too. It smells amazing." He watched her work in the kitchen, again surprised. She was quite adept at everything she was doing to get dinner ready.

 

"Thanks. Did you meet Ainsley?" She asked.

 

"Yeah, I did. She's pretty impressive." He nodded, his hands buried in the pockets of his pants.

 

"I like to think so." She laughed. "She's a little forward, but she grows on you."

 

"I don't mind. I like kids who know what they want and aren't afraid to go after it. They make the best students." He sat when she motioned to him the seat at the head of the table. His eyes never left her as she called Ainsley and took her seat at his left. Ainsley sat at his right and immediately jumped into the salad.

 

"Are you trying to kill me with all this pasta, Mama? I'm gonna have to work twice as hard to keep it off." Ainsley complained even as she loaded her plate with stuffed shells.

 

"I can't help it, Ains. It's comfort food and being in a new place makes me want comfort." Darien shrugged and motioned the shells to Kenny. "Help yourself."

 

"Thank you." Kenny tore his dirty mind away from thoughts of comforting Dare and piled his plate with dinner. He turned to Ainsley and started a conversation about dancing so he wouldn't do something stupid. The meal was incredibly good and Kenny knew that he could get used to eating like this. Darien kept quiet as he got to know to know her daughter and Kenny soon found himself liking Ainsley just as much. She was like a miniature version of her mother personality wise.

 

"I don't really know what my end goal is, but I know that I want to dance. I can't imagine going a day without it." Ainsley was saying. "That would be like losing an arm. It's my life."

 

"Neither can I. I've been doing it since I was a child." Kenny laughed. "My parents have these horrible videos of me dancing that they like to pull out when I come home. It's so embarrassing."

 

"Mine too. I'm surprised Mama hasn't shown you any yet." Ainsley laughed. "But I think most of my greatest hits are on youtube."

 

"I looked through them earlier." Kenny nodded. He wiped his mouth off and looked over at Darien. She had been quiet through the whole meal. "Alright?" He asked her, a concerned look in her eye.

 

"I'm fine, of course." She nodded and smiled at him. It was nice to see him getting along with Ainsley so well.

 

"Dinner was amazing, Darien. Thank you so much for inviting me over." Kenny complimented when they were finished.

 

"Thank you, Kenny. It was no problem." Darien stood up and started clearing plates. "Ainsley, why don't you take Kenny to the studio and show him what you've been working on? I'll clean this up and join you."

 

"We can help you clean the kitchen, Darien. It's the least I can do for a home cooked meal." He stood up.

 

"No. I've got it. You go with Ainsley." She shook her head at him and turned away. He frowned at her back but followed Ainsley's chattering figure down the stairs. Darien leaned against the counter and tried to figure out what was wrong with her. Her body was acting like she was a sex starved cougar waiting to devour the younger man. What the hell?

 

She angrily began rinsing the plates before shoving them into the dishwasher. Listening to them talk about giving dance up had gotten to Darien. She had given up a part of herself. Rochelle was right. She did have to take that job. For her sanity, if nothing else. She had to let go of Darien Carter and be Darien Bradshaw again.

 

 

 

Kenny was amazed when he walked into Ainsley's studio in the basement. Where the rest of the house was in just moved chaos, the studio was perfect. Pictures of Ainsley and her father were plastered over the three walls that weren't a mirror. A long barre ran along the mirror and the floor was made for dancing.

 

"This is great." He slid off his gray and white striped hoodie and tossed it on a chair. He moved to the center of floor and did a pseudo Michael Jackson kick and grab. "How do you get anything done?"

 

"If my grades slip, I can't dance. So this is my reward." Ainsley pushed play and a hip hop beat sounded through the built in speakers. "Let's dance."

 

"Alright." Kenny agreed and stepped back. "You lead." Ainsley nodded and began doing some of the new stuff she had been working on. It wasn't long before Kenny was following along. Kenny was pleasantly surprised at the talent Ainsley was showing. She was giving him a workout and he was glad when he saw Darien step into the room and lean against the wall. She cupped a mug in her hands and smiled proudly as she watched her daughter dance. Kenny danced over to her and collapsed on the floor at her feet.

 

"What do you think?" Darien asked, looking down at him with a smirk.

 

"You know what I think. She's amazing. Just like her mama." Kenny winked at her before looking back out at Ainsley. "I want her, Darien. I want her in my studio. I can do so much with her. Teach her new stuff and give her a lot of opportunites."

 

"She's yours, Kenny. I already signed her up. Just keep in mind, I want her to do good in school. She's not gonna dance for the rest of her life. I want her to have something to fall back on." Darien said with seriousness.

 

"I understand." He nodded and pulled himself to his feet. "You ever dance with her down here?"

 

"We danced occasionally together in Tampa, but Nick frowned on it. He didn't want me teaching her things that the instructors hadn't gone over yet. We haven't danced together in years." Darien shrugged.

 

"Maybe you should start. Since you'll be one of her instructors soon, right?" Kenny elbowed her and smiled.

 

"If I take the job, I don't want to do her class. I don't think a parent has any business coaching their child." Darien said.

 

"Ok. I can respect that." He nodded. "But you're not working for me yet. So dance with her." He motioned to where Ainsley was doing some complicated ballet moves.

 

"I can't." She shook her head.

 

"It sounds to me like you say of lot of I can't. Why can't you? What's stopping you? She's not gonna be little forever, Darien. It won't be long before she's dancing on a tour somewhere or performing in a show. Enjoy the little moments while you still have them." Kenny didn't mean to lecture, but he hated seeing Darien acting this way. Nick Carter had really done a number on his wife.

 

"I know." She nodded and set her mug down. Making an impulse decision, she grabbed Kenny's hand and pulled him in front of the mirror. Ainsley looked up surprised and then just joined in. The three of them spent an enjoyable hour dancing together before Ainsley decided she was ready for bed.

 

"School in the morning, you know?" She frowned. "Thanks for coming over, Kenny. It's been fun. Good night, Mama." And with that, she disappeared upstairs.

 

 

 

Kenny and Darien stared at each other for a few moments before moving into each others arms. The hip hop music had segued into a slow ballad and both were glad. Kenny bent Darien over his arm, her body arching to his demands. Her arms went out behind her and swept the floor as he turned her in a slow circle. He pulled her up and she wrapped her body around his and held on as he drug her across the floor. With a strangled moan, she tore away from him and twirled the other way. Kenny leaped after her.

 

Darien hadn't danced like this in a long time. She cleared her mind and let all the training come back to her. Kenny was content to let her lead and just be her prop, an extension of her dance. They connected eyes right before she threw herself at him. He caught her in his arms and felt her legs wrap around his waist. Her arms clung tightly around his neck and her face was inches from his. Kenny slowly came to a stop, his eyes never leaving hers.

 

"I'm gonna kiss you now." He murmured in a muffled voice, his head dropping lower. He read acceptance in her eyes and lightly touched his lips to hers. He felt like he was sinking into her, as if he had been walking on solid ground that suddenly turned to water. As he drowned in her, a thousand impressions flitted by. The drugging scent of her perfume, the warm burn of her skin on his, the silky slide of their tongues, her hands buried in his hair. Before he could seperate any of them, she eased back with a satisfied smile on her face.

 

"I had a feeling we'd be good at that." She whispered, and licked her lips. Kenny's insides came undone. He couldn't stop himself from leaning forward and tasting her again. He felt the amused curve of her lips under his and burying his hands in her hair, let himself sink again.

 

Darien couldn't stop the word uh oh from bouncing through her head as she felt herself slip. His tongue was patient, but she could feel the hunger he was holding back. His arms were gentle around her waist, but held her firmly in place. The taste of him, like an addiction half remembered, seeped into her soul. Fire boiled her blood, so the hand buried in his hair tightened and held on for dear life.

 

Kenny finally pulled back an inch and gasped for breath. "Easy." He could barely get the word out, wished desperately that he didn't feel the need to. He was shaken as much as she and he knew that if he didn't get some control back he was going to take her exactly where they stood. "Easy." He murmured again and pressed her head to his shoulder so he wouldn't be tempted to devour her again.

 

She shook against him, nerves and sensations humming through her body. Wants and needs swirled through her system and she wanted nothing more at this moment than to take Kenny upstairs to her bed. "It's never been like that before."

 

"Never." He agreed and pushed away before he did something they would both regret. Darien flinched at his tone.

 

"You're angry." Darien observed. She slowly walked across the room on shaky legs and sat on a chair.

 

"No." He denied, tracking his hand through his hair. He looked around, located his hat, and settled it back on his head. "Maybe a little with myself. I pushed the buttons." He turned around and studied her. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her body, her lips kiss swollen and her hair was in a ratty mess hanging half off her head. She looked absolutely defenseless. "Let's get this out okay?" He leaned against the far wall to keep his distance. "I felt the click the moment you stepped into my studio. I've never felt like that before, like my body was screaming this one. There she is. The one you've been waiting for." He sank to the floor, his hands resting on his knees. His fingers were still tingling from where they had touched her. She stared at him with great attention, her face accepting. "I want to get to know you, Darien. I want to be your friend, your lover, your confidante. I want to start a dance partnership with you and I want to train your daughter. But that's not all. I want to make love with you, so slow that every seconds an hour. And when you're lying under me, naked and limp and sated, I want to do it all over again."

 

She clenched her arms together tighter, to keep her heart from beating out of her chest. "Oh." Was all she could manage to get out.

 

"And that's what we'll do. Eventually. I don't want to rush this with you. Good things come to those who wait, and I'm pretty sure you're a good thing." Kenny smiled at her.

 

"Ok." She nodded slowly. She was still taking in the making love to her part. It had been a long time since anyone had said words that sensual to her. She had missed the power of being wanted. "Would you like some coffee?"

 

"I would love some." Kenny laughed and with that, all the tension was gone. He followed her upstairs and thought about how right this all was. He felt like she could be the rest of his life.