Chapter 19 #2
When the final notes faded and the tempo shifted, we remained still for one extra heartbeat, reluctant to break the moment. Then Dominic pressed a kiss to my forehead—lingering, reverent—and guided me off the dance floor toward the sidelines.
“Stay here,” he commanded gently as I settled into a metal chair with a thin cushion. “I’ll get you some punch. You need to hydrate.”
“I’m pregnant, not fragile,” I protested, but I gave him an indulgent smile.
“Humor me,” he said, already moving toward the refreshment table with that fluid, purposeful grace that never failed to make my stomach flip.
I watched him go, admiring the way his slacks fit, the breadth of his shoulders under the black shirt, the confident way he moved through the crowd. Several women and male omegas turned to watch him pass, and I felt a surge of possessive pride.
Mine. My alpha. My mate.
The music shifted again. This time, “Boogie Shoes” by KC and the Sunshine Band exploded through the speakers with infectious energy. The dance floor transformed instantly, couples separating as the upbeat disco rhythm demanded more space, more movement, more abandon.
And there, near the center of it all, I spotted Penny.
He wore a silk shirt in brilliant azure blue that caught the disco ball’s light like water, the fabric flowing with his movements.
The shirt was open at the collar, sleeves rolled to his elbows, fitted enough to show off his slender frame.
Paired with high-waisted white pants and platform shoes, he looked gorgeous and confident and utterly in his element.
Sebastian danced beside him. He wore all black—fitted slacks, a silk shirt with subtle patterns that revealed themselves only when light hit at the right angle, a thin gold chain at his throat.
His amber eyes were bright with laughter as he moved with Penny, their bodies responding to the music and to each other.
They looked good together—really good. The kind of natural synchronization that comes from genuine chemistry.
I watched Sebastian spin Penny away. When they came back together, there was a moment—just a flash—where Sebastian’s hand rested on my friend’s hip while Penny’s fingers trailed across Sebastian’s shoulder.
Both touches lasted just a heartbeat too long to be purely friendly.
Then Sebastian, in a move that was unmistakably deliberate to my eye, spun Penny outward with enough force to send him stumbling—laughing, dizzy, arms windmilling for balance.
Straight into Victor’s arms.
Victor had been standing at the edge of the dance floor watching them—I hadn’t noticed him before. He wore cream-colored slacks and a burgundy silk shirt. Bold choice for his ice-blond coloring, but it worked.
Penny stumbled directly into Victor’s chest. Victor caught him automatically, hands steadying Penny’s waist, and for one moment they both went perfectly still—Penny looking up at Victor with surprised laughter, Victor looking down with an expression I couldn’t quite read from this distance.
Then Penny’s smile shifted into something playful and inviting. He grabbed Victor’s hand without hesitation and pulled the alpha onto the dance floor.
Victor resisted for maybe half a second. Then Sebastian appeared on Victor’s other side, his amber eyes dancing with mischief, and between the two of them—Penny pulling, Sebastian pushing—Victor surrendered.
The three of them dancing together should have been awkward.
Should have looked forced or uncomfortable.
But it was the farthest thing from awkward—Penny in the middle, Sebastian and Victor on either side, the three of them moving to the lively disco beat in such perfect synchronization that it looked choreographed. Intimate.
The song was winding down, fading into the final chorus.
I watched as Sebastian leaned in close to Victor, close enough that their bodies were nearly touching, and murmured something in his husband’s ear.
Penny was sandwiched between them and I saw his brow furrow slightly, though whatever was said seemed lost on him.
I watched Victor go completely still. Not the fluid freeze of someone caught off-guard, but the rigid lock of someone who’d just been struck. His body went taut in a way that was visible even from across the room, every muscle tensing beneath his burgundy silk shirt.
Then Victor’s hands moved, gripping Penny’s waist and pushing him directly into Sebastian’s arms. He turned and stalked off the dance floor.
Penny stood frozen in Sebastian’s arms, his wide eyes darting between Sebastian’s face and Victor’s retreating back, clearly trying to understand what he’d done wrong, what had just happened.
Sebastian’s expression was complicated in the fractured disco light—pain and frustration and something that looked like self-loathing.
His amber eyes tracked Victor’s departure with an anguish that made my chest tighten, but his hands remained on Penny’s waist, holding him in place even as a new song started.
“That’s going to get significantly more complicated,” Dominic’s voice said from beside me. I hadn’t heard him return. He handed me a cup of sparkling cider, his eyes fixed on the scene unfolding across the dance floor. “If it wasn’t complicated enough already.”
I watched as Sebastian pulled Penny close as a new song started, their bodies swaying to the slower rhythm. Penny moved with him uncertainly, still glancing toward where Victor had disappeared into the crowd.
“I’m worried about Penny,” I admitted. “He’s going to get hurt.”
“I could put a stop to it,” Dominic offered, his tone completely serious. “If you want me to.”
I turned to look at him, surprised. “How would you—” I stopped, reading his expression. The cold calculation there, the ruthless businessman who’d once planned to seduce me as a business strategy. “You know what, on second thought, I don’t want to know.”
“Probably best,” Dominic agreed without apology.
“It’s not right to intervene,” I said firmly. “Penny’s an adult. They all are. Whatever happens between them—good or bad—they need to figure it out themselves. All we can do is be there for Penny if and when he needs us.”
Dominic studied me for a moment, then nodded. “You’re a better person than I am. More forgiving, more willing to let people make their own mistakes.”
“I just hope I’m not watching him walk into heartbreak,” I murmured.
“Or maybe we’re watching something complicated work itself out.” Dominic said thoughtfully. “Either way, you’re right—it’s not our place to stop it.” His fingers pressed into my shoulder, warm and steady through the fabric. “But if anyone hurts him, all bets are off.”
Mrs. Henderson’s voice suddenly boomed over the microphone, cutting through the music.
“Ladies and gentlemen! As we approach midnight and prepare for tomorrow’s closing ceremony, we have a special tradition to mark the occasion—a romantic scavenger hunt!”
“Come collect your envelopes at the checkpoint stand,” she continued. “You can’t miss it—look right under that twinkling disco ball. White envelopes for couples, red ones for our singles!”
The crowd laughed and applauded, several people whooping with enthusiasm. I looked around for Penny, but he’d been swallowed by the crowd.
“Each envelope has clues leading to a romantic location in the mansion,” Mrs. Henderson continued, her voice bright with delight. “Your match will receive their own envelopes! Follow the clues—first couple to find each other wins a romantic dinner for two at Giardino Segreto!”
Volunteers began circulating through the crowd with small white and red envelopes. I saw several people already opening theirs, reading clues with varying expressions of amusement and confusion.
Dominic accepted his envelope from a volunteer, immediately opening it and scanning the contents. His brow furrowed slightly as he read. His eyes met mine, a flirtatious smile playing across his lips as he held up the card with a subtle wink.
A different volunteer approached me with an envelope. “Mr. Sterling-Hart?”
I nodded, accepting the envelope with my name sprawled across the front. Dominic’s name curled beneath mine in delicate calligraphic script, linking us together.
I opened it, finding a single card inside:
Where winter blooms in glass and green, find me where the lovers dream.
The greenhouse.
The greenhouse was where Richard had cultivated those rare winter trillium flowers—the ones that bloomed even in winter’s cold, persisting against all odds.
I caught his eye across the small distance between us and smiled, holding up the card. The crowd was already moving, couples separating with laughter and playful arguments about who would find whom first. The music shifted lower, creating ambiance for the hunt.
“I’ll meet you there,” I called to Dominic over the noise, pointing toward the west corridor.
He started toward me immediately, clearly intending to accompany me, but was intercepted by a volunteer. I saw his frustration, the way he obviously wanted to extract himself, but the volunteer was insistent.
I caught his eye and mouthed it’s fine, go, gesturing for him to play fairly. We’d meet in the greenhouse in a few minutes anyway.
Through our bond, I felt his reluctance, but he nodded and turned to follow the crowd being ushered toward the mudroom.
I slipped away from the ballroom, following vaguely familiar corridors toward the back of the mansion.
The fashion exhibition was in the east gallery—I’d been through this area several times during the week helping Penny with last-minute arrangements.
The greenhouse was accessible through the west wing, past Richard’s study.
The mansion was quieter away from the party.
My footsteps echoed on polished floors, passing portraits of Fairfax ancestors who stared down with stern expressions.
Occasional staff members moved through the corridors, carrying supplies or managing last-minute details, but no one stopped me or questioned where I was going.
The greenhouse entrance was marked by an ornate door with frosted glass panels etched in Victorian patterns. I tried the handle—unlocked, as I expected for the scavenger hunt. I pushed it open and stepped inside.