Page 75 of Salto

Even in my dream, I was cautious of the motorcycle.

"I probably shouldn't."

I turned toward the stairs, but he reached out and caught my wrist.

"Red..."

His fingers slid from my wrist to my hand before he stepped closer.

"Only this once," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "You understand?"

I nodded, even though I didn't think I understood anything anymore.

My heart sped up, and I felt the same thrilling drop in my stomach I always got right before performing a skill.

He lifted one hand and gently cupped my cheek.

Every nerve in my body seemed to come alive beneath his touch.

Slowly, he leaned in.

But just before our mouths could meet, I woke up.

I jolted awake, my alarm blaring. Light stabbed my eyes. With a groan, I dropped my head into my hands.

“Absolutely not,” I muttered, scrubbing a hand over my face.

Dreaming about Rove trying to kiss me?

What was wrong with me?

Groggily, I crawled out of bed, got dressed, took some ibuprofen and my birth control with a small piece of toast, then hurried out to my car.

When I pulled up, only one vehicle sat in the lot.

Rove's motorcycle.

The same motorcycle I'd just seen in my dream.

“Only this once.”

I shivered and cursed under my breath. “No, no, no. Stop it.”

I forced the images of dream Rove out of my head and told myself to get it together.

I hurried past the bike without looking at it again. It was just a motorcycle.

Instead of going straight to the dance room like usual, I stopped in the locker room for a moment to use the restroom before meeting Rove upstairs.

The second I settled into the bathroom stall, I knew something was wrong.

The moment I looked down, dread filled me.

Blood.

"Seriously?" I muttered.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the stall wall.