Chapter Five #3
Her eyes moved between each of his, trying to make him out.
Was he playing with her? Toying with her?
Seeing how far he could go, or was he being serious for once?
She was usually a good judge of character but somehow with Jack she was thrown into a whirlpool of confusion.
Or maybe that was because it was her who was sending him mixed signals.
She bit her lip and gently eased out of his hold, smoothing her hands down the voluminous tulle skirt of her dress.
‘How do I know if this is just a game you’re playing? ’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I get the feeling you see me as a challenge. A conquest to add to your long list of conquests.’
‘I’m attracted to you. Very attracted.’ His eyes glittered and he added in a husky tone, ‘We moved so well together when dancing it made me think how hot it would be—’
‘Stop.’ Sylvie put her index finger over his lips to stall his speech. Her finger tingled as her skin came in contact with the raspy dark shadow of stubble around and below his mouth.
He placed his hand over hers and gently eased it away from his mouth, holding it within the cage of his. ‘You say that with your lips but not with your eyes. I can see how much you want me. I could feel it when we were dancing together.’
‘It’s your imagination. Your overblown ego makes you think there isn’t a woman alive who wouldn’t fall into bed with you.’ Sylvie tried to keep her eyes away from his mouth but she felt an irresistible pull that no amount of willpower could withstand.
‘You’re doing it again.’
‘What am I doing?’
‘You’re looking at my mouth.’
‘Is that a crime?’ Sylvie asked. ‘What if I was checking if you had parsley in your teeth?’
His rich deep chuckle of amusement sent a shiver rolling down her spine. ‘Do I?’
‘No.’
‘Are you here with a partner?’ Jack asked.
‘No, I came by myself.’
‘Me too.’
Sylvie raised her eyebrows in surprise. ‘What? No leggy blonde supermodels available for you this evening? My heart bleeds.’
Jack gave a chuckle and leaned indolently against the balustrade, watching her with amusement through his wolf mask. ‘I’m hoping my luck will change by the end of the evening.’
‘I’d better go back inside…’ She took three steps before his deep voice stopped her.
‘Sylvie?’
She turned to look at him standing in the shadows of the balcony, his mask concealing his expression. ‘Yes?’
‘Save the last dance for me.’ It wasn’t a request but a statement of command, and though she wanted to say no—knew she should say no—she somehow couldn’t find the willpower to do it.
She wanted to feel his arms around her once more.
She wanted to be held close against his firm body and feel the stirring of his blood against her.
And foolish as it was, she wanted to feel his sensual-looking mouth on hers.
It was like she was under some sort of spell; some superpower was commanding her to do things she would never normally do, not with her arch-enemy Jack Wilde.
Sylvie left him on the balcony without giving him a reply.
Jack was about to go back into the ballroom when he felt the vibration of his phone in his jacket pocket.
He reached for it and glanced at the screen to decide whether or not to answer it.
His eyes widened as he saw his brother Jonas’s name, and relief flooded through him in a rush that made him feel light-headed.
‘Jonas? Where the hell have you been? We’ve been trying to contact you for months. ’
‘Sorry, but I had important business to see to. I told you I’d be in contact as soon as I could.’
‘Surely you could’ve pinged us an email or something from time to time,’ Jack said. ‘I had to cover for you for Gran’s birthday. She had a fall a couple of weeks before. She could have died and you’d only be finding out about it now.’
‘Is she okay?’ A note of concern rang in Jonas’s voice.
‘More than okay. She’s ecstatic about Jago and Mollie getting married as soon as you get back to be a groomsman.’
‘Jago and Mollie? But I thought—’
‘It’s a long story but they got back together and are desperate to get married. I’ll leave it to Jago to explain it all. When will you be back?’
‘I just have a few loose ends to sort out here and I’ll be home. Early July at the latest.’
Jack blew out a long breath, releasing months of tension he had got so used to holding in his body over his brother’s absence, that he felt almost limbless without it. ‘Have you told Maxwell and Gran?’
‘I’ll call them tomorrow. It’s a bit late now, they’ll be in bed, or at least Gran will.’
Jack turned to look at the view of London at night. There was too much light pollution to see anything but three or four stars. ‘Mate, I was really worried about you. I was about to hire a private investigator to track you down.’ Jack didn’t bother disguising the gravitas in his tone.
There was a lengthy silence.
Jonas released a whooshing breath. ‘Yeah, I guess you would’ve been but I can’t always reveal my whereabouts when I’m away. This was a serious project. More serious than anything I’ve faced before.’
‘You didn’t even send Gran a birthday card.’
Another silence.
‘I’ll make it up to her,’ Jonas said.
‘Can you talk about your mission?’ Jack asked.
‘No, not yet. When I get home, okay?’
‘Fine. But you’d better call Jago and give him a firm return date so he and Mollie can get their wedding plans under way.’
‘What about you, Jack? Have you acquired any plans to settle down since I’ve been away?’
Jack gave a laugh that sounded slightly off-key. ‘You know me. Footloose and fancy-free, although I’ve finally moved into my new house.’
‘I’ll look forward to seeing it.’
‘Safe travels, man.’
‘Thanks. See you soon.’
Jack slipped his phone back in his pocket and headed back inside the ballroom to find Sylvie.
The revelry had kicked up a notch and the dancing had moved from ballads to rock and roll.
He searched the dance floor and the tables but he couldn’t find Sylvie anywhere.
He waited another half an hour in case she had gone to the bathroom or met up with a friend or colleague and was chatting somewhere, but eventually he had to accept she wasn’t there.
Cinderella had left the ball and he hadn’t even seen her go.
The acute sense of disappointment that assailed him was both unexpected and deeply unsettling.
Ever since he had danced with her, he had longed to do it again.
He could still feel her petite form in his arms, moving across the dance floor in perfect time with him.
He had wanted to kiss her outside on the balcony but while he sensed her attraction to him, he knew she was holding him at bay due to his playboy reputation.
A young women wearing a Cleopatra mask and gold close-fitting dress shimmied over to him, holding out her hand. ‘Hey, handsome. Come and dance with me.’
Jack gave a smile that made his face ache. ‘Sorry, but I have to leave.’ He didn’t wait for the woman’s reply, simply turned and walked out of the nearest exit.