If The Ring Fits...: Ballroom to Bride and Groom / A Bride for the Maverick Millionaire / Promoted: Secretary to Bride!

But for once he found it hard to concentrate on the dancing. He kept thinking of Polly, the sweetness of her smile and the way her eyes had shone as she’d felt the magic of the dance. The way she’d been last night, when she’d finally relaxed with him and given herself over to the music. And he knew it could be oh, so good between them …

‘You,’ he told himself crossly, ‘need your head examined. Focus.’

The next morning, Liam was teaching Polly a more complicated turn when Amanda came in to the studio. ‘Liam, I know you never look at the show’s message boards, and he’s probably told you to ignore them, Polly, but I think you both really need to see this.’

‘See what?’ Polly asked.

Amanda produced a print-out with a flourish. ‘This,’ she said, ‘is the poll—no pun intended, Pol—showing who’s the most popular couple on the show. Have a look.’

The chart showed that Polly and Liam were top, by a long way.

‘Wow. I never expected that—that’s really …’ Polly shook her head, unable to think of the right word. ‘Well, it’s humbling. Especially as we came last on the judges’ scoresheets.’

‘They really didn’t like Tiki’s reaction,’ Amanda said. ‘I’ve read all the threads. Everyone’s backing you, Polly. Go for it.’

‘And this is the dance to do it,’ Liam said softly when Amanda left the studio again. ‘Tomorrow, we’ll start the routine. But I’m going to check the song with you first.’

He flicked a switch on his music system and an up-tempo song began; Polly recognised it as ‘Sway’.

‘I know that song. I’ve heard it on a film soundtrack.’

‘And you’re OK with it?’

‘I love it.’ She listened for a bit, then started cha-cha-chaing to the music.

He raised an eyebrow. ‘And you started dead in the right place. Good. I think this is definitely your dance, Pol.’

‘Well, maestro—or whatever you’re meant to call a dancer—let’s go for it.’

Polly found herself humming the song all the way home. And even having to deal with more admin from the cancelled wedding didn’t take the shine off her mood. She was still smiling the next morning, and this time she seemed to pick up the routine much more easily, not minding that Liam was bringing in more complicated underarm turns and mixing up dancing in hold with dancing side by side.

‘You’re doing well,’ he said, and the unexpected praise made her feel hot all over.

‘But?’ She knew there would be a but.

He spread his hands. ‘But I need to get you used to dancing the cha cha cha in something other than trousers. I’ll come with you to the wardrobe department tomorrow, because they’ll need to match my outfit to your dress.’ He looked thoughtful. ‘Something short and flirty, I think.’

That was bound to mean short sleeves. Panic flooded through her. ‘Can’t I have something floaty, like last week?’

‘You can’t do a Latin dance in a ballroom costume,’ Liam said. ‘And if Jane the comedienne can wear a short skirt, given that she’s a fair bit, um, curvier than you, then you’ll be fine.’ He patted her shoulder. ‘People will look at your feet and your smile, I promise.’

Obviously he thought she was panicking about her thighs. ‘I’m not worried about my legs,’ she said.

‘Then what’s wrong?’

She couldn’t bring herself to tell him. The words stuck in her throat. The easy way out would be to show him the scars, but she just couldn’t do that. ‘I don’t mind a short dress, but I’m used to long sleeves.’

‘Not for a cha cha cha.’

‘I’m superstitious,’ she said.

His expression told her that, given she’d picked a green dress last time, he didn’t believe a word of it. But, to her relief, he didn’t push her on the subject.

On Wednesday morning, their practice went well and Polly’s smile was genuine. But her smile faded when they went to the wardrobe department and she realised that none of the costumes on offer had long sleeves.

‘I really need long sleeves,’ she said to Rhoda, biting her lip. ‘Please.’

‘There aren’t any—not with the cha cha cha dresses.’

Polly thought back to costumes she’d seen on the show in previous years. ‘What about something with cuffs?’

‘Ah—now, cuffs we can do,’ Rhoda said.

The relief made Polly’s knees go weak. Rhoda came back with a blue sequinned dress, the same dark blue as Liam’s eyes; it had a fringed short skirt, a silver belt, and matching silver cuffs that Polly could see immediately would be deep enough to hide her scars. ‘Those silver shoes you had for the foxtrot—they’ll work for this, too,’ Rhoda said.

‘Thank you. That’s absolutely brilliant.’

‘My pleasure, love.’ Though Rhoda looked concerned, and Polly had the nasty feeling she was going to be the centre of backstage … not gossip, exactly, but conversation.

She’d just have to hope that they’d find a more interesting topic.

Liam’s outfit consisted of dark trousers, and a sheer dark blue shirt, shot through with silver and navy blue sequins.

‘Flashy,’ she teased.

But the shirt also brought out the beautiful colour of his eyes; it really suited him. And she loved the swishy skirt of her dress.

‘You know I’m going to ask—’ Liam began when they’d left the studio.

‘No.’ In panic, she pressed the tip of her finger over his mouth. And then she wished she hadn’t. His lips were warm. Soft. And the contact with her skin made her tingle all over.

‘Please don’t. It’s something I don’t want to talk about, OK?’ Her voice was shaky, and not just because of dredging up her past. Touching Liam made her knees go weak.

‘Is it something that’s going to affect your dancing?’

‘No.’ Not unless she had to wear short sleeves. ‘If you promise not to ask me, I’ll cook you a pizza for dinner tonight.’ The second she stopped speaking, she panicked again. Now he’d think she was asking him out on a date. And she wasn’t—was she?

‘That is, to say thanks for how much you’ve taught me this week,’ she added swiftly.

‘It’s my job,’ he reminded her.

‘And good work gets a bonus. In this case, pizza.’

‘Home made?’ he asked.

‘Well—no. But I make a mean brownie.’

‘Cake.’ His eyes glittered. ‘Done. What time?’

‘Seven?’

‘Great. See you then.’

Liam rang the doorbell at seven precisely; a few seconds later, Polly opened the door and her eyes widened as he handed her a bunch of bright pink gerbera.

‘How lovely.’ She beamed at him. ‘Though you didn’t have to do that.’

‘Hostess gift,’ he said. Just in case she thought there were strings attached.

‘Thank you. Come in, and I’ll put these in water.’

She rummaged through a cupboard in her kitchen. ‘No vase. Stupid. I’ll get one tomorrow.’ She found a measuring jug, filled it with water and put the flowers in it.

Her smile had turned super-bright again, and guilt flooded through him. ‘Sorry. I wouldn’t have brought them if I’d known they’d upset you.’

‘No, I love them. But they’re the first flowers since …’ Her voice tailed off.

He filled in the gap. Since her wedding-that-wasn’t. ‘I used to buy flowers for Bianca every Friday,’ he said, and could’ve kicked himself. Why was he telling her that and making it worse?

‘Harry wasn’t one for flowers. I used to buy them for myself. Ones like this, that make everything look bright and happy. I must’ve left my vases at his place. Not that I want them back now.’ She flapped a dismissive hand. ‘I knew you’d be dead on time. The pizza will be here in ten minutes. Let me get you a drink. Wine?’

He handed her a bottle. ‘My contribution. It should still be chilled.’

‘Thank you.’ She poured them both a glass. ‘Do you want the grand tour? It’ll take all of two minutes.’

She was talking way too much and way too fast, Liam thought. Nervous. Yeah. So was he. Which he really hadn’t expected, because he was fine when he was teaching her. But being here, in her space—that shifted the balance. Changed things. ‘The grand tour will be great.’

‘Obviously this is the kitchen,’ she said. ‘Bathroom. My room.’ He noticed that she kept that particular door closed. ‘Living room.’

There were photographs and knick-knacks on every windowsill and shelf, along with plenty of books and films. Too busy for his taste, though it was spotlessly clean.

She’d clearly noticed him scanning the room. ‘You think it’s cluttered, don’t you?’

‘I’d put everything in cupboards,’ he admitted. ‘But each to their own.’

He followed her back to the kitchen, and looked at the photographs on her fridge. ‘I assume these are the Monday Mash-up boys?’

‘Yes. And this is Fliss, my very best friend, and Shelley and Carrie. They’re the chick-flick chicks—their husbands all hate the kind of girly films we love, so we go without them and eat a ton of ice cream afterwards.’

There were plenty of photos of her with friends, he noticed, but not with anyone who looked enough like her to be a sibling or cousin, and none of her with anyone older. She hadn’t mentioned her family at all.

And there was the fact that she insisted on wearing long sleeves. Had there been some terrible car accident or something where she’d lost her family, and maybe she had scars on her arms from the accident that reminded her of what she’d lost? He hadn’t seen any scars today, but then again the cuffs that went with her dress were quite deep.

But she’d asked him specifically to steer clear of the subject. He couldn’t push her any further. Not just now.

The pizza arrived; he cut it into slices while she got the salad out of the fridge. Funny how easy it was to be with her, he thought.

‘Have you put that proposal together yet?’ he asked when they were both sitting at her tiny kitchen table.

‘Nearly. Have you heard anything from any producers?’

‘I’m waiting for a few call backs.’ He stopped abruptly.

She seemed to guess why, immediately. ‘I’m not going to leak anything, Liam. I wouldn’t want to ruin any potential deals for you.’

‘No, of course not. Sorry. I guess I’m a bit touchy about it.’

‘Building your career up again from nothing, when you’re used to being at the top—that’s not easy. Especially when you know the whole world’s watching you.’

He wasn’t sure whether she was talking about him or her. Both, maybe. And that knowledge made him admit, ‘I’m not dealing too well with that. I know I should be grateful for having a second chance, but at the same time I really resent having to start all over again, as if everything I achieved before just doesn’t count.’

‘People are rooting for you, Liam. They want you back on top again.’

‘Maybe. But the media’s fickle. One day you’re a darling, the next you’re a scapegoat.’ He shrugged. ‘There are a few people out there who’d like to see me fail.’

‘You won’t fail.’

The sincerity on her face touched him. She really did believe in him. Probably more than he believed in himself.

‘It’s just a shame you’ve been paired with the contestant who can’t dance.’

He shook his head. ‘You can dance, Polly.’

‘Liam, don’t flannel me. I know I’m hopeless. I wanted ballet lessons when I was little, and my dad wouldn’t let me. He said there was no point because I was too clumsy.’

He could see the hurt flicker in her eyes. She hid it quickly, but her smile went a touch brighter. ‘I promise I’ll try my hardest not to let you down, Liam.’

‘Maybe the foxtrot didn’t suit you. You’re doing a lot better with the cha cha cha.’

She gave him a wry smile. ‘I wasn’t fishing for a compliment.’

‘I know. You wouldn’t have got one if you had been.’ He raised an eyebrow. ‘Nobody puts Polly in a corner.’

This time, she laughed. ‘Yeah, yeah.’

It was easy to relax with Polly. Her warmth and sweetness made him feel different, tempting him to let his barriers down and let himself fall for her. Yet at the same time he knew she was vulnerable. She might be feeling the same way as he was right now, but she was the kind who wanted a settled forever, and he had no idea what his future held or whether, in a couple of months, he’d be living thousands of miles away. So he’d have to be careful not to step over the line. For both their sakes.

‘It’d be pretty stupid to ask a cake fiend if he’d like some brownies,’ Polly said, clearing their plates away. ‘So I’ll just say help yourself.’ She put the plate on the table, and made coffee.

The brownies were surprisingly good. ‘A hidden talent, Ms Adams?’ he asked.

She shrugged. ‘I like baking. I used to make these on Thursday nights for the team—Fridays were our day for shooting the pre-recorded stuff, so we always had Chocolate Fridays.’ Her smile turned super-bright again, and he knew she was missing her old team. But then she gave him a wicked grin. ‘That was your fourth. I thought dancers were leery of scoffing too many carbs?’

‘You were counting? Right. I’ll make you work hard for the rest of the week to burn them off.’

‘Yeah, yeah.’ She took another brownie.

So did he.

When Liam had finished his coffee, he kissed Polly on the cheek. ‘Goodnight. Thanks for dinner.’

‘Pleasure.’

He really wanted to linger. But it wouldn’t be fair to either of them. ‘See you in the morning for training.’

CHAPTER SEVEN

ON THURSDAY, they were halfway through training when the door opened.

‘You have visitors,’ Amanda announced.

Danny, Mike and Charlie rushed over to Polly and hugged her in turn.

‘We’ve missed you, Pol,’ Danny said, giving her another hug. He looked at Liam. ‘Sorry for bursting in on your training session, but this woman’s impossible to pin down.’

‘We get all these lovely chirpy texts from her,’ Charlie said, ‘and we have no idea if she’s faking it or not, because you can’t really tell from a text, and she never answers her phone.’

‘Because I’ve been busy,’ Polly protested. ‘And I’m fine.’

‘We needed to see that for ourselves, Pol,’ Mike said.

‘I’m fine. Really. You all obviously know Liam.’ She introduced the crew swiftly. ‘Liam, this is Danny—now, if you were dancing with him, you’d win, because he’s great—this is Mike, and this is Charlie.’

She was different with them, Liam thought. Relaxed. And she was clearly fond of all of them, because she seemed happy to be hugged and have her hair ruffled by them all. Hadn’t she said that they were like the brothers she didn’t have? Liam couldn’t remember the last time he’d been that close to someone. Since the accident, he hadn’t let anyone close—even family. And maybe that wasn’t such a good idea, keeping himself separate and pushing people away. Being close to people made Polly sparkle.

‘Sounds like a challenge,’ Liam said. ‘Show me what you’ve got, Danny?’

‘Can I put some music on?’ Danny asked.

Liam gestured to his stereo system. ‘Help yourself.’

A few seconds later, a chart hit started pounding through the studio, and Danny gave them a demo of a street dance.

‘Not bad,’ Liam said when Danny had finished.

‘A challenge, you said. Can you do that?’ Danny put the track on again, and Liam mimicked what he’d seen.

‘Not bad,’ Danny said.

‘I think we should record this for the Step by Step show,’ Polly said. ‘Are you up for it, Danny-boy?’

‘It should be you doing the dancing, not me.’

‘We can mix it up a bit,’ she said with a smile. She glanced at her watch. ‘The cameras are going to be here in half an hour or so. If you don’t have to be elsewhere, I could make us some coffee.’

‘Polly, put the kettle on?’ Charlie teased. ‘Great. I’ll give you a hand.’

Polly made coffee for all of them, including Amanda, who was thrilled to meet the rest of the Monday Mash-up crew. Especially when Danny promised signed photos for her children.

‘We brought you this.’ Danny handed her a bag of fan mail. ‘I know we could’ve sent it to Shona, but we wanted an excuse to see you.’ He looked at Liam. ‘We weren’t coming to check you out.’

‘No?’ Liam asked, knowing full well they were and raising an eyebrow.

Danny gave him a rueful smile. ‘OK. A bit. Fliss—Polly’s bestest friend—can’t, because she’s a teacher and she can’t get the time off during the day.’

‘Did she put you up to this?’ Polly asked.

‘Not answering that one, Pol.’ Danny ruffled her hair and turned back to Liam. ‘We saw the way you stuck up for her on the show, so we know you’re good to her.’

Mike ruffled her hair. ‘I like the hair, Shrimp. It suits you.’

‘We really miss you on the set. It isn’t the same without you,’ Charlie added.

Polly grimaced. ‘I couldn’t stay, in the circumstances.’

‘I know. We’re all so angry with Harry. He’s such an idiot,’ Danny said.

‘Don’t give him a hard time. He couldn’t help falling in love with her.’ Polly couldn’t quite bring herself to say Grace’s name.

‘I can’t believe you’re taking this so calmly,’ Charlie said. ‘Well, he’s not putting her in your place.’

Polly flinched. ‘Is that what he’s suggesting?’

‘We said we’d leave if he even thought about it,’ Mike said. ‘At the moment we have a series of guest presenters. People have auditioned for your job, but none of them’s been like you.’

‘Give them a chance,’ Polly said. ‘You need time to build the chemistry.’

Chemistry, Liam thought. He had a nasty feeling that was happening with him and Polly. And it rattled him. She was making him think differently. Making him feel again.

‘We want you back, Pol,’ Danny said, looking serious.

She shook her head. ‘Not going to happen.’

‘New job?’ Charlie asked.

‘Not even the sniff of an audition, right now,’ she admitted. ‘But I can’t work on Monday Mash-up again.’

The boys stayed there for long enough to do some dancing for the cameras on Step by Step, and to tell all the viewers to vote for Polly.

‘We’d better let you get on,’ Danny said when the camera crew had gone, and the three of them gave her a hug and kiss goodbye.

‘They’re nice lads. I can see why you miss them,’ Liam said. ‘But come on, you, back to work.’

She knew he’d seen the glimmer of tears in her eyes and guessed exactly why they were there. But there was also an additional guilty layer: the fact that she was missing the crew, but she wasn’t missing Harry. And shouldn’t she be missing the man she’d been going to marry?

On Friday, Polly was enjoying their last real practice of the routine. She loved the music. She’d always thought of herself as the girl-next-door type; but the way she was dancing with Liam made her feel sexy. More attractive than she’d felt in years. She lost herself in the dance, to the point where she ended up overbalancing on a spin. Liam caught her before she fell and pulled her against his body to steady her. ‘OK?’

‘OK,’ she whispered.

Except she was aware of every drop of blood thudding through her veins, the way Liam was just that little bit too close, to the point where she could feel the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. She could feel the moment that his breathing changed, became faster and shallower, and glanced up at him to see that he was staring at her mouth. A moment later, she was staring at his. Thinking. Wondering.

They were a whisper away from kissing. Just as they’d been at the club.

She felt hot all over. Maybe it was the music or the dancing, she tried to tell herself, but she knew that wasn’t strictly true. It was Liam making her feel all hot and bothered. And she couldn’t drag her gaze away.

But then Amanda opened the studio door. ‘Sorry to interrupt. There’s a phone call for you, Liam. It’s Barney, that guy from the Broadway show.’

Liam set Polly on her feet. ‘I’ll be as quick as I can.’

‘No worries. It sounds important.’ Hadn’t he said he wanted to work with a Broadway cast?

‘It is, a bit. Thanks.’

Polly took advantage of the moment to splash her face with cold water. Yes, Liam Flynn was gorgeousness personified, and a really nice guy to boot, but she couldn’t get involved with him. Even if it wasn’t too soon after Harry, there were other things in the way. Liam wanted to work on Broadway when Ballroom Glitz had finished; this phone call sounded as if he was well on his way to making that happen.

She intended to stay in London. Long-distance relationships didn’t work—she’d seen too many showbiz couples break up because of it. She wouldn’t expect Liam to give up his dreams for her; but she wouldn’t want to give up the security of her life in London for him, either.

So she just had to forget about that near-kiss. They couldn’t get involved.

To her relief, Liam acted as if nothing had been about to happen when he came back into the studio, and they finished polishing the routine.

On Saturday, just before the dress rehearsal, Liam was waiting in the Green Room. He did a double take when Polly walked in. She looked stunning. OK, so he’d been there when she’d chosen the costume, but he hadn’t actually seen her try it on. The tomboyish kids’ TV presenter had morphed into a gorgeous, kittenish flirt. Especially when she practised one of the cha cha cha steps as she walked, making her hips sway. It was sultry and sexy as hell. The movement ruffled her swishy skirt, but it ruffled his composure even more.

‘I had no idea you had such fantastic legs.’ Annoyance with himself at the way he was letting her get to him made him snippy. ‘Why do you always dress in awful clothes?’

‘I don’t dress in awful clothes,’ Polly protested.

‘Yes, you do. You have those shapeless long-sleeved T-shirts—and if you’re not in baggy jeans, you’re in shapeless black trousers.’

She lifted her chin. ‘So you’re saying I’m unfeminine?’

‘No, I’m saying that you hide yourself and I don’t understand why.’ He lifted both his hands in a gesture of surrender. ‘It’s none of my business, I know, and if you’re doing a kids’ show I guess you need to dress the part.’

She sighed. ‘Grace was feminine. That’s what gave Harry the kaboom.’

If he didn’t have such a tight rein on his emotions, he had a nasty feeling that she’d be giving him the kaboom. ‘If Harry saw you wearing what you’re wearing now, you’d give him the kaboom.’

‘Three weeks ago, I would’ve wanted to hear that,’ Polly said.

‘And now?’ Liam asked, his throat feeling scratchy.

‘Now,’ she said, ‘it doesn’t matter. I’ve had time to think. And you’re right. I can’t let my happiness rely on someone else. Only on me.’

This time, they were on third on the show. And Polly started smiling as soon as the music started. This time, the dance was over far too quickly.

The applause astounded her. As did the praise from the judges.

At the end of the show, they were in sixth place on the judges’ leader board. Millie came over to her with a microphone. ‘How do you feel, Polly?’

‘Utterly thrilled that we’re not bottom this week!’ Polly said, beaming. ‘I loved learning the cha cha cha.’

‘And you hope that you’ll be here next week?’

She nodded. ‘I really want to stay in, because next week is the waltz. I’ve always wanted to do that—whenever I’ve watched the show, the dancers looked so romantic in those floaty dresses.’

‘If you want to see Polly Anna and Liam doing the waltz next week, phone up and vote for them!’ Millie ordered the audience.

While they were waiting for the phone lines to close, the professional dancers did two numbers, and there was a chart act playing their last hit and the newest single.

Polly tried not to let her nerves get the better of her. This week was the first elimination. Even though they’d managed to stay out of the bottom two on the leader board, if the public hadn’t responded to them and they ended up in the bottom two once the votes were taken into account they would be in the dance off.

‘And now, the moment you’ve been waiting for—the results,’ Millie intoned.