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“This is quite the crowd.”
“The rich, the powerful, the social climbers,” Kolya says. “They’re all here. Ravil certainly knows how to fill out a ballroom.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“Not for us.”
“Because you want it out there that… I’m your—”
“Woman.”
I wrinkle my nose up in distaste. “Do you have to say it like that? Like I’m your possession, not your partner.”
He is unfazed. “That’s how it works in this world.”
“Well, maybe your world needs to change a little bit.”
He looks at me as though I’ve just grown an extra limb. “This is the Bratva, June. It doesn’t change for anyone.”
“Not even you?”
“Not even me,” he says in a hard voice. “Come on.”
“Where are we going?”
“To the dance floor.”
“The—wait, the what?”
In answer, he sashays me onto the dance floor and pulls me flush against his body. I feel winded already and we haven’t even started dancing.
I watch the other couples move, and for a moment, I forget that I’m a dancer by trade and that this really shouldn’t be such a big deal.
“June.”
I look up at those exhilarating blue eyes. “Mhmm?”
“Breathe. This is one area where you can outdo me.”
It’s all the reminder I need. His grip tightens around my waist as we start moving to the beat of the music. I find myself loosening up with every passing second, relaxing into the melody.
Once I’ve swallowed the ball of unease in my throat, I realize that Kolya is holding his own. I may be able to outdance him, even with my injuries, but he’s no slouch on the dance floor.
“You can dance,” I say in surprise.
He smirks. “I don’t embarrass myself.”
“I must say, you’re a surprising man, Kolya. I mean, first the piano. Then the dancing. Next, you’re gonna tell me that you can sing.”
“Like a drowning cat,” he promises me.
I laugh loudly enough that a few of the couples around us turn to look. Is this what it’s like to have fun? It’s been so long that I’ve forgotten the feeling.
And I’m starting to associate this feeling with the scent of vanilla. With the musk of rich oak and pine that makes up the foundation notes of whatever aftershave Kolya is wearing.
“If your ankle is—”
“It’s not,” I say firmly. “In any case, I’ve danced with a sprained ankle before.” Of course, that was before The Accident, but I choose not to mention that.
