Chapter 31 #2
She stiffened slightly. “I'd rather not.”
“That wasn't a request.”
Her jaw tightened, but before she could respond, another voice cut in.
“May I have this dance?”
A man stepped up beside her—tall, well-dressed, blond hair neatly combed back. His attention was solely on Lily, his hand extended.
Lily turned to him with a pleasant smile. “Of course.”
She took his hand without hesitation, rising from her chair with practiced grace. I leaned back, keeping my expression neutral as I watched her let another man lead her onto the dance floor.
Garrick let out a low whistle beside me. “That's got to sting.”
Adeline hid a smirk behind her wine glass. “You did say it wasn't a request, August. Perhaps she prefers to be asked nicely.”
I didn't respond. My gaze stayed locked on the dance floor, on the way Lily moved with surprising ease, slipping into the waltz as if she'd been doing it her whole life.
As if it wasn't me who had asked her first.
The waltz slowed into something softer, a melody meant to coax bodies closer.
His hand lingered at the small of her back as he leaned in, murmuring near her ear.
When his fingers drifted a shade lower, the pulse in her throat fluttered—something quick and betraying beneath all that practiced composure.
My grip tightened around the glass in my hand, the delicate stem creaking under the force.
Lily didn't pull away. She didn't shove his hand higher or step back to remind him of his place.
No, she only smiled—smiled—up at him, letting him twirl her in time with the music, her laughter light and effortless.
I had seen her sharp-tongued and unyielding, bristling like a cornered thing whenever I so much as breathed in her direction. Now, she was something else entirely—smooth, alluring, weaving herself into the moment as if she belonged there. And he believed it.
Garrick let out a low chuckle beside me. “I do believe I'm enjoying this.”
I flicked him a warning glance, but he only smirked into his drink.
Adeline, on the other hand, didn't even bother hiding her amusement. “You ought to have been quicker, August. She is rather captivating, isn't she?”
I didn't realize I had pushed to my feet until Garrick murmured, “Oh, this should be interesting.” I didn't give him the satisfaction of a response.
Instead, I strode toward the dance floor, weaving through the bodies with precise steps, ignoring the eyes that flicked toward me in curiosity. I reached them just as he spun her back into place, her breath catching on a quiet exhale.
Without thinking, I stepped in, caught her wrist, and drew her to me. For the briefest flash—real or imagined—something hot sparked beneath my fingers, as if a live wire ran through her pulse.
Her partner stared, affronted.
“Excuse me,” he began. “I don’t believe—”
“You’ve had your turn,” I said, polite but immovable.
He wilted under the unspoken warning and backed away.
“August,” Lily hissed, pushing at my chest. “That was incredibly rude.”
My jaw worked, thumb brushing the inside of her wrist where that strange jolt still seemed to hum. “He was getting too familiar.”
Her eyes flashed. “I was handling it.”
“Were you?” My gaze locked with hers. “Because from where I was sitting, you looked rather comfortable in his arms.”
She let out a tight breath, her fingers flexing against my shoulder. “I was enjoying myself.”
The admission stung more than it should have.
I pulled her closer—closer than was strictly proper. Her breath hitched, and her body softened against mine—the shift from resistance to surrender unmistakable.
“You wanted to dance, Lily.” I guided her into a turn. “So, dance with me.”
“You're doing this to prove a point.”
“Am I?” I let my hand slide just slightly lower on her back.
“And what point would that be?”
“That you always get what you want.”
“No.” I leaned in, close enough that my lips nearly brushed her ear. “That you always end up exactly where you're meant to be.”
“And where's that?”
“Here.” I pulled back just enough to meet her eyes. “With me.”
The words hung between us—too honest, too raw. Something shifted in her expression—surprise melting into something softer, more dangerous.
“Three days ago, you kissed me and ran,” she said quietly. “You can't do this now. Can't act like you want me.”
“I do want you.” The admission escaped before I could stop it. “That's the problem.”
Her breath caught. Then the music swelled, and I swept her back into the dance. Her resistance melted degree by degree until she was following my lead without thinking. Her body responding to mine in ways that had nothing to do with the waltz.
“You're infuriating,” she whispered.
“So are you.”
“And you're going to make this so much harder than it needs to be, aren't you?”
“Probably.”
I let myself smile—a real smile, not the calculated mask I usually wore.
“But then, you've never made anything easy for me.”
“Good.” Her lips curved slightly. “I wouldn't want you getting bored.”
“With you, Lily?” I pulled her closer as the music began its final crescendo. “Never.”
The waltz ended, but I didn't release her. Couldn't quite make myself let go.
“August. What are we doing?”
“I don't know.” The admission left me exposed. “But I know I'm not letting anyone else dance with you tonight.”
“Possessive.”
“Absolutely.”
Something flickered in her eyes that looked almost like satisfaction.
“Then I suppose,” she said slowly, “you'd better not let me go.”
So I didn't.