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“I meant the dignified young gentleman part,” I corrected, laughing as he spun us around until we were half in the shadows.
He winked, that smile finally reaching his lips. “See for yourself,” he repeated.
We fell silent as we continued to dance. It was an enjoyable sort of silence, though. It wasn't that we didn't have anything to say to each other, but rather that we were just enjoying each other's company. Or maybe he knew as well as I did that if we started talking, there were things we'd feel compelled to say, and it would ruin the moment.
So we didn't talk. I didn't know what was going on in his head, but in mine, I was focusing on the feel of his hand on the small of my back, heating my skin through the delicate silk of my dress. Or I was thinking about how perfect it felt to have his fingers wrapped around mine. Or that amazing scent of his.
Eventually, however, my heels got the better of me, and even the prospect of continuing to be held in Dorian's arms couldn't keep me on my feet. “I need to sit for a minute.”
He nodded and led me back to our table. I hadn't gone with my flats today since I could wear four-inch heels with Dorian and not tower over him, but now I wished I hadn't.
As we sat, I felt our little isolation bubble follow us. Even though I was enjoying myself, I didn't mind that it now all seemed separate from us, like we weren't really a part of it, like we were on the outside looking in. It felt like there was actually an us, that we were more than just two virtual strangers brought together by chance. I knew the feeling wouldn't last, that we'd have to go back to our normal lives, but I intended to enjoy it while I could.
The lights dimmed, and the songs slowed until the night began to draw to a close. I was exhausted, and it didn't look like I was the only one. All around the room, people were slowing down, loosening ties, and removing shoes. At first, I kept mine on since my hostess job had trained me to battle through the pain no matter what. But after a while, I quietly slipped them off under the table, feeling like a total rebel.
Dorian leaned closer, his voice low in my ear. “Giving up on your shoes?”
“Just for a little while,” I replied sheepishly. “They made my toes feel like they were broken. Much better now.”
“Does that mean you'd be good for another dance?”
I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to figure out if he was joking or not. But Dorian wasn't much of a joker.
“Okay,” I said and pointed a finger at him. “But if you step on my toes, there'll be hell to pay.”
He chuckled, and the sound went through me. “Duly noted.”
His hand closed over mine, and he led me back onto the floor. There were a few couples left swaying, but it was almost like we had the whole place to ourselves. He pulled me close, sliding his arms around my waist, and I wrapped mine around his neck, leaning my head on his chest. We swayed together lazily, and nothing else in the world existed but us. No matter what happened in the future, I would always have this perfect evening.
“Have you enjoyed your time here so far?” Dorian's breath tickled my neck.
“More than I thought I would, if I'm being honest.” I opened my eyes and looked up at him. He was smiling down at me, and my stomach did a happy flip. I didn't know if it was the music or the smile, but something made me add, “You're not at all what I expected when I first met you, you know.”
“Neither are you.”
He held my gaze, pupils so dark they ate up the majority of his irises. I wanted to ask if that was a bad thing, because I knew from my end, it definitely wasn't. I kept my mouth shut though, not wanting to take the risk that I wouldn't like what he had to say. I didn't want anything to ruin what we had right here.
“Let's go back to the table,” he said suddenly, taking a step back from me.
I tried not to let it bother me that his response when we were having a moment was to move away. “Yeah, sure.”
I reminded myself that he didn't owe me anything, that we'd made no promises to each other. Hell, we hadn't even had a date. Just a kiss and some looks, some easy-to-explain-away touches.
Back at the table, I sat down, but Dorian didn't.
“Don't go anywhere,” he instructed, stalking into the other room.
I watched him go and tried not to feel dejected. Had I done something wrong? Said something I shouldn't have? If I'd offended him or made him think that I expected something from him, I needed to know so I could make it right. I had more on the line here than a little bit of embarrassment for an unrequited crush.
The seats on either side of me didn't stay unoccupied for long. Before I had the time to feel conspicuous for sitting here alone, the seats were filled by two distant cousins. They weren't siblings, but cousins to each other as well. The woman with short, dark red curls was Charisma Nichols, the man was Kendall Myers. Kenny, he told me when we first met. I hadn't really talked to them much, but now they seemed eager to talk to me.
“It looks like both the Gianelli brothers are pretty sweet on you,” Charisma said, sky blue eyes twinkling. “You're a lucky girl.”
Something about these two didn’t sit right with me. I wasn't sure whether it was because they seemed like the types who were always in other people's business, or if it was just a bad vibe I got from them. Either way, I would have preferred if I'd been able to make an escape, but I didn't want to be rude.
“If you're interested in what your cousins are thinking, you should ask them,” I said.
Kenny laughed, but there wasn't any real humor in his blue eyes. “Is that why they like you? Because of your discretion? Or because you're...generous?”
I glared at him. It seemed my previous impression that he had a mean streak was an accurate one. He wasn't very subtle, but I wasn't sure if he was just crude, jealous, or trying to get a rise out of me. No matter the reason, I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of an over-the-top response.
“I don’t think it’s any of your business.” I kept my tone cool. “I don't know how things work in your family, but I don't think I'd take it too well if my cousins were trying to get information out of my date.”
Charisma chortled. “Hear that, Kenny? She doesn't want to talk to us.”
I gave them a tight smile. “I just think that a person's business is their own. If you want to talk about something else, I'm all for it.”
“We get it,” Kenny said, his tone deceptively light. “Just a word of advice, though, those guys are no good.”
I didn't know either man well enough to have a solid opinion on that particular statement, but I did trust my gut enough to know that Kenny and Charisma were up to no good.
