The fae all looked rather aloof and confused about the whole situation. They chose to partake of the food and drink being passed around rather than watching the drama unfold.
“I assure you,” Cassius said, “that all pertinent information will be revealed in due time, and our good friends the Laurents will see that this has been a huge misunderstanding.”
More confused murmurs and angry glares from my family, but before any more could be said, Cassius turned to the band and waved.
“Music,” he said. “Let’s have a song. Start the night with a dance, shall we?”
The band obliged, quickly striking up a slow, melodious tune. The song drowned out any residual angry mutterings.
“Let’s dance,” Aurelius said, nudging me toward the dance floor.
“What?” I gasped. “Dance?”
“Don’t you know how?” Aurelius asked, giving me a mischievous grin. “An honored noble lady like yourself?”
“I’m out of practice, okay?” I said, a little more defensively than necessary.
“I’ll go easy on you.” A dark and dangerous energy roiled in his eyes. “If you want me to go easy on you, that is?”
All the air left my lungs as I imagined other things besides dancing. His fingers digging into my waist, the slap of his hips against my ass as he thrust into me. All the delicious and dirty thoughts I’d been having about him the last few weeks came rushing forward, and heat pulsed between my legs.
“You…uh…” I cleared my throat. “You don’t have to be gentle.”
He cocked an eyebrow and grinned that sexy smile at me.
“That,” he said, running his thumb over the top of my hand, “is good information.”
Legs shaking, I allowed him to lead me onto the dance floor and usher me into a foreign but simple waltz. After no more than a minute, I stepped on his toe.
“Shit, sorry,” I muttered.
“It’s fine,” he said, still smirking at me. “I like it rough sometimes.”
Holy fucking hell.
This guy was something else.
“That,” I said, trying my best to give him some of his own medicine, “is good information.”
Aurelius threw his head back and laughed a surprisingly musical sound. It made me wonder if he had a good voice for singing. God, if he went up on stage and joined the band in a song, I’d have to go change my panties.
“Elle, has anyone told you how charming you are?” he asked as he swept me across the dance floor.
Eyes bored into us-hopeful dragon ladies watching this new and unknown woman with their prince; wolves casually sniffing the air and narrowing their eyes when they realized I was one of them. At that moment, none of them mattered. All I cared about was Aurelius and his hand on my lower back, the other in my left hand.
“I can’t think of anyone saying that to me. They’ve said I’m tall and strong for a woman. And curvaceous. I have a smart mouth sometimes, too. Guys really like to point that out,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“Well, all that may be true,” Aurelius said, swirling me around the floor. “But there’s a lot more to you than all that. There’s something inside you. A spark. I like that part of you the best.” He gave me a cocky smile. “As for your mouth? I think I’d enjoy anything it did.”
“Asshole.” I laughed as I poked him in the side.
Aurelius chuckled along, but after a few seconds he grew serious again. “I really do mean that,” he said. “I truly enjoy being around you.”
He looked into my eyes and seemed to hold me with nothing but his gaze. As we danced, my breasts brushed his chest, and that slight movement made my nipples so hard they ached. What would it feel like to have his hands on them, caressing, kneading, licking…
“I really like being with you, too,” I said, hoping the thoughts in my head weren’t written all over my face. God, this sexual attraction I felt for him was driving me insane. Two weeks living in the same building, and it had only grown stronger.
Aurelius slowed until we almost came to a stop on the dance floor. His face drew nearer, his eyes still on me. He was going to kiss me. It was finally going to happen. My breaths quickened until they were nothing but tiny gasps. I imagined what his lips would taste like, how his tongue would feel as it swept across mine.
“Let’s have a more upbeat number,” Cassius called out, his booming voice shattering the moment between Aurelius and me.
Aurelius blinked as if a spell had been broken. Before I could do more, the band struck up a quick jazz tune, and my free hand was snatched away from Aurelius. Turning, I found King Cassius grinning at me.
“You can’t hog the lovely lady all night, son,” he said, and laughed. “Old men deserve to enjoy the company of a lovely woman too.”
The king swept me across the room, away from Aurelius. When I glanced back, he was begrudgingly taking the hand of a dragon noblewoman and dancing, but he continued to throw looks through the crowd toward me and his father.
“I hope things are going well,” Cassius said.
“Quite,” I said.
Beside us, Rasp came sweeping through, dancing with a pretty young fae woman.
“Oh my god,” he shouted as they danced. “I’ve got to introduce you to my best friend. You and he would get along like crazy!”
“Who is that?” I asked the king as Rasp and the girl danced away. “The one with Rasp?”
The king looked over and nodded. “She’s part of the Hikshil tribe,” he said, then spun me around the floor and drew a laugh from me. “I met her earlier today. She came with the envoy group from their tribe. I’m not sure about her name. She’s…” He shook his head, his lips quirking into a smile. “A bit interesting. One of the others told me she’s called a likali. I think it basically means ‘one who is different’. Sweet girl, though.”
“Huh,” I said, watching Rasp dance with the pretty young woman across the room. I had to assume that he meant Vincent when he’d told her she should meet his best friend. Vince himself could be classified as one who is different, so maybe Rasp was on to something there.
“Are you having a good time so far?” Cassius asked, his jovial tone becoming more urgent and worried.
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