19. Belle #2
"Then you're in luck," he replies, leading me toward the dance floor. "I happen to be excellent at it."
His hand is warm and strong as it closes around mine, and when he places his other hand at my waist, I feel a little jolt of electricity. Not the overwhelming, omega-heat reaction I had with Theo, but an attraction that makes me suddenly very conscious of how close we are.
"Just follow my lead," he murmurs as we take our position among the other dancers.
The music swells, and he begins to move, guiding me into the rhythm of the waltz. He wasn't lying about being excellent at it, and he moves with the confidence of someone who's been dancing since childhood, leading me so smoothly that even my inexperience can't trip us up.
"See?" he says after we've completed our first turn around the floor. "You're a natural."
I laugh, feeling more graceful than I ever have in my life. "I think you're just a very good teacher."
"Perhaps. Or perhaps you're simply allowing yourself to trust."
"So," I say as we navigate around another couple, "how's the library extension planning going? I know you've been working on the blueprints."
Felix laughs, and I can hear genuine amusement in his voice. "Does she ever stop? Even at a masquerade ball, Belle Hartwell is thinking about the library."
"Hey!" I protest, though I'm smiling.
"It's important work. That library means everything to our community."
"I know it does," he says, spinning me gracefully.
"And to answer your question, the plans are coming along beautifully. Though I have to ask…do you ever think about anything else besides books and community programs?"
I consider this as we move through another turn. "Well... yes, actually."
"Oh? And what might that be?" He asks.
"Chocolate," I admit, and he laughs so hard he nearly misses a step.
"Chocolate?"
"Don't laugh! It's a serious consideration.
There's dark chocolate for when I'm contemplating serious literature, milk chocolate for light romance novels, white chocolate for poetry.
.." I'm warming to my theme now. "And don't even get me started on chocolate chip cookies.
Those are essential for long research sessions. "
"You've given this considerable thought," Felix observes, clearly trying not to laugh.
"I have a whole system. Brownies for budget meetings, because they help me deal with the stress. Chocolate croissants for early morning inventory. Hot chocolate with whipped cream for winter evening programs... and chocolate fondant when I want to wrap my best friend around my little finger."
"Ah," Felix says, and there's something knowing in his voice. "So you're not a couple then? You and Adam?"
I shake my head automatically. "No, we're just... we're friends. Best friends."
"Good friends who come to balls together," he observes.
"Friends who fake date to avoid awkward questions from our families," I correct, then immediately clamp my mouth shut. Why am I confessing this? Why am I telling him the truth about everything?
Felix chuckles. "Well, that's refreshingly honest."
"God, I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm telling you all this." I feel heat rise in my cheeks. "Maybe it's the champagne, or the masks, or..."
"Or maybe you're just being yourself," Felix suggests gently.
But that's not it, and I know it. There's something about Felix, his scent, the way he listens that makes me want to tell him everything. Just like with Theo at the library, I seem incapable of controlling what comes out of my mouth when I'm with him.
Why can't I help myself when I'm with one of the Beast Pack alphas? The thought hits me suddenly, and I almost stumble mid-step. It's like they have some kind of effect on me that bypasses my usual filters entirely.
"I need to shut up," I mutter, more to myself than to him.
"Please don't," Felix says, and there's something almost urgent in his voice. "I like hearing what you really think about things."
"Even when I'm rambling about chocolate and fake dating?"
"Especially then," he says, spinning me again.
"It's real. You're real. Do you have any idea how rare that is?"
I look up at him, studying what I can see of his face behind the mask. "You make it sound like you're used to people being fake with you."
"Aren't most people? To some degree?" He asks.
I consider this as we continue to dance.
"I suppose. But I've never been good at being fake. I tend to say exactly what I'm thinking, usually at the worst possible moments."
"Like now?" He asks.
"Like always," I say with a laugh.
"It's gotten me into trouble more times than I can count."
"Well," Felix says, pulling me slightly closer, "for what it's worth, I hope you never change that about yourself. Then again, you need to stop talking about chocolate," Felix groans, though he's grinning. "You're making me hungry just listening to you."
"Oh, but I haven't told you about chocolate cake yet! There's the perfect chocolate birthday cake for staff celebrations, chocolate lava cake for when we get good news about funding, and chocolate mousse for when I need to bribe the mayor into approving new programs..."
"Belle," Felix says, shaking his head as we continue to waltz, "I'm putting on weight just talking about this with you."
I burst into laughter. "You asked what else I think about!"
"I was expecting maybe books, or community events, or..." He gestures helplessly.
"I don't know, normal things people think about."
"Chocolate is a perfectly normal thing to think about," I insist. "In fact, I bet half the people in this ballroom are thinking about the dessert table right now."
"The dessert table," Felix repeats thoughtfully.
"You know, now that you mention it..." "See? And I bet it's amazing. Probably chocolate éclairs, and petit fours, and maybe even a chocolate fountain..."
"You're absolutely right," he says, spinning me again.
"I can smell it from here. Chocolate and vanilla and... are those macarons?"
"Oh my god, yes! I love macarons. The way they're crispy on the outside but soft inside, and all those beautiful colors..."
As Felix spins me again, we accidentally bump into another couple. The alpha, a large man in an ornate gold mask, stumbles slightly and immediately turns toward us with a low, threatening snarl that makes my blood run cold.
"Watch where you're going," the alpha begins, his voice dangerous.
But Felix steps smoothly between us, his posture shifting into something protective yet respectful. "My deepest apologies," he says, offering a slight bow that somehow manages to be both deferential and commanding. "Entirely my fault. I was distracted by my partner's beauty."
The compliment makes warmth bloom in my chest even as Felix smoothly spins me away from the confrontation, putting distance between us and the alpha with such practiced ease that I barely feel the movement.
His hand on my waist is steady and sure, guiding me back into our dance as if nothing happened.
"That was smooth," I murmur, my heart still racing from the brief encounter.
"I've had practice navigating difficult personalities," Felix replies, but there's a tension in his shoulders that wasn't there before.
We're both laughing now, the formal atmosphere of the ball giving way to something warmer and more genuine.
"I can't believe we're discussing pastries while waltzing in a palace," Felix says.
"I can't believe you brought up the library first and then acted surprised when I wanted to talk about it," I counter.
"Fair point," he concedes.
"Though in my defense, watching you light up when you talk about things you love is... quite something."
The compliment makes heat rise in my cheeks, and I look up at him with new appreciation. Behind his mask, his eyes are warm and genuinely fond.
"You're not so bad yourself, Romano," I say softly.
"Even if you do tease me about my chocolate obsession."
"Who's teasing? I think I might have to revise my dessert preferences after this conversation."
And as the waltz continues, I find myself thinking that maybe this ball is turning out better than I expected.