He then gazed back at Kylie and held out his hand. “Hello, I’m Chance Steele. And you’re…?”
Kylie wondered what game Chance was playing, but at the moment decided to go along with him. “Kylie Hagan.”
“Well, Ms. Hagan, it’s nice meeting you. And I’d like to introduce my brother, Morgan.” He then proceeded to introduce Morgan Steele to both her and Lena. It was only then that she noted that he’d given Derek no more than a cursory glance. Kylie immediately felt the tension that surrounded the three men and was bewildered by it.
“Derek,” Chance acknowledged.
“Chance. Morgan. I thought you guys ran in packs. Where’re the other two?”
Chance’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Bas and Donovan are around here somewhere. Why? Are you looking for them?”
“No.” Derek then turned his attention to Kylie. “It was nice meeting you, Ms. Hagan, but I’m being beckoned elsewhere.”
“And it was nice meeting you, as well, Dr. Peterson.” The man quickly left. Once he was no longer in sight, Kylie turned to Chance to inquire what that had been about, but found her hand enveloped in the warmth of his when the orchestra began playing.
She met his gaze and all thoughts of Derek Peterson were forgotten as she was immediately swept away by the intensity in Chance’s dark eyes and the warmth of the smile that spread across his features. “Would you dance with me?” he asked quietly.
She wondered if he could sense her inner turmoil. Did he know the emotions she was feeling were real and far exceeded the ones she’d assumed she had felt for Sam all those years ago? What she’d felt then was the passion of a young, naive girl. What she was experiencing now was the passion of an adult woman who had discovered love for the first time and knew there was no place for her to run, and no place for her to hide. There was nothing she could do but accept her fate.
Love was staring her in the face in the form of Chance Marcus Steele.
“Yes, I’ll dance with you.” His hand on hers tightened gently and she felt the warm strength of his touch as he led her toward the dance floor.
Once there he pulled her into his arms, close to the solidness of his form, the heat of his body. She wondered how long she could continue to stand and not melt at his feet with all the sensations overtaking her. Finding out at thirty-one that you had the ability to love again was definitely a shocker.
“You look beautiful tonight, Kylie,” Chance said, claiming her absolute attention. “Without a doubt you are the most gorgeous woman here.”
Kylie lowered her gaze to study the Rolex watch on his wrist. “Your date might have a problem with you thinking that.”
“I didn’t bring a date.”
She raised surprised eyes to his. “You didn’t?”
“No. What made you think I did? Or even more important, what made you think I would?”
“Your brother’s fiancée mentioned to Lena that some woman in her family was coming to town and that you would be bringing her to the ball.”
He shrugged. “Cassandra did call and try convincing me to escort her cousin tonight but I refused.”
“Why?” she asked swiftly, then regretted doing so. It was really none of her business.
“Because the only woman I want to be with tonight was going to be here, although she didn’t ask me to be her date.”
Kylie couldn’t help but smile, elated he’d come alone. “Oh, what a pity,” she commented teasingly.
“Yes, I thought so, as well. But now that she’s here, right where I want her to be, which is in my arms, I’m declaring myself her date for the rest of the night.”
Kylie didn’t have a problem with that. “Are you?”
“Yes. That’s one sure way to protect you from the Derek Petersons of the world.”
The contempt she heard in his voice proved her earlier assumption had been correct. There was no love lost between Derek, Chance and Morgan. “You and Morgan don’t like him,” she said, stating what had been so obvious. “Why?”