Lincoln and Octavia waltz up to our side. “How’s the world’s slowest dancer treating you?” asks Octavia.
Connor eyes her from head to toe. A slight blush crawls into Octavia’s cheeks. “You look lovely tonight, my Queen.”
Octavia steps aside from Lincoln, straightening the folds of her black velvet gown with silver silk overlay. With a simple, bell-shaped skirt and long loopy sleeves, her dress perfectly frames her lovely face and figure. “Wait until you see the bill from the royal tailor.”
“However much we paid, it’s gold well spent.” Connor stops dancing with me and offers his hands to Octavia. “Still the loveliest girl in the room.”
“Flatterer,” she replies.
He tilts his head to one side. “Ah, but is it working?”
“Always.” Octavia wraps her arm around his. Together, they dance off.
Lincoln offers me his hands as well; I slide my palms against his. We stand a few feet apart, looking gawky and definitely not moving. I keep thinking about earlier tonight, when all we were supposed to do was meet some Earls and make small talk. Instead, Lincoln finds a way to get my lust demon all lusty. I don’t even want to know what he’ll do on the dance floor.
Well, I do want to know. I just don’t want an audience of thrax to know, too. I’m not ready for their nobility to see my eyes red with demonic lust.
The Prince raises his brows. “What’s with all the space between us?” His full mouth rounds into a sly grin. “Can I come closer by two inches?”
“Absolutely not. You stay over there.”
“You didn’t mind me touching you when I introduced you to the Earls.”
“That was before.”
“Before what?”
“Before, well…” I want to say, before I knew you could get my lust demon all riled up simply by standing around making small talk. But I don’t. “Look, I don’t want my eyes to flash in front of your people.”
“That is an inevitability.” He slides his palms up my arms, and then over to my waist. I contemplate batting his hands away, but decide against it. His touch is very yummy, after all. It doesn’t hurt to enjoy it a little bit.
We stand on the ballroom floor, closer now, but not moving. Lincoln’s eyes sparkle with held-in laughter. “This is the part where you put your hands on my shoulders and we dance.”
He has a point. Standing on the dance floor like two statues is mighty odd.
“Fine. No funny business.”
“Never.”
I slowly wrap my arms around his neck, and we start to sway to the mellow tune. Without consciously willing it, my fingers play in his silky hair. My body moves even closer to his. Warmth spreads through my veins. The music hits a slow crescendo, and I move nearer until my breasts barely brush his chest. Okay, that’s reeeeeeeeeeally nice. Suddenly, touching the bare skin at the Prince’s neck isn’t enough. Like the day in my room, I can’t wait until there’s far less clothing between us. As in, none at all. Fire begins to build up behind my eyes.
I quickly pull back, careful to ensure there’s at least two inches of airspace between us at all times. Note to self: keep hormones in check.
Lincoln keeps his grip on my waist, his thumbs arcing up and down my belly. “You’re doing it again.”
“What?”
“Stopping her.”
I’m so snagged. “Her who?”
“Your lust demon. Ever since the hedgerow maze, you’ve been holding back. I like her, you know.”
I up the airspace quota between us to four inches. “We shouldn’t talk about that here.”
“If you say so.” But he says that in a growly-sexy voice that makes the extra airspace between us totally useless. Grrrrr.
Once again, Octavia and Connor dance up to our side, their faces the definition of ‘up to something’. The Queen scrunches up her features in mock-confusion. “What did you say, my son?”
“I said not a word and you know it, Mother.”
“You didn’t?”
“Nope.”
Octavia turns to Connor. “I heard something.”
“I did, too.” Connor loops his arm through Octavia’s. “Let’s help the kids get started.”
Lincoln sets his palms onto his eyes. “I don’t know why I tell you two anything.”
Octavia speeds to the edge of the dance floor and claps her hands in a rapid rhythm. “Everyone! Quiet now.” The crowd instantly turns silent. Octavia gestures to Lincoln. “My son has an important announcement to make.”
The air couldn’t have gotten knocked out of me faster if I’d been hit with a choke-slam. With Adair gone, the Rixa betrothal jewels must finally have resurfaced. Happiness percolates through me. Betrothal time, yeah!
Octavia launches into a cute speech about how much she loves her son. I use the opportunity to whisper to Lincoln.
“Found the jewels, did they?”
He leans in close, looking at me out of his left eye. “Maybe.”