Page 8 of Pretty

“Come on and dance with me. If I leave you alone too soon, I’m sure that he’ll dig his paws in again. He’s been watching you all night.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because I’ve been watching you all night.”

“Oh. Shouldn’t you have been focused on the artwork rather than me?”

“I focused on the only piece of art here that was worthy of my attention tonight.”

“I’m sure the artist would be honored to hear you say that,” I replied, snickering.

“I’m sure they would,” he stated with a nonchalant shrug as he led me onto the dance floor.

“Do you come to these things often?”

“Not hardly. I didn’t want to come tonight,” he confessed as he twirled me around the floor.

“You’re a grown man. I’m sure you could’ve found a suitable way out of this engagement if you wanted to.”

“I’m sure that I could have, too, but it wasn’t in my best interest.”

“Why not?”

“Let’s just say that it’s career related.”

I nodded. “That’s fair. It’s a masquerade ball after all. If you said anything more, I might know your identity.”

“Exactly.”

The masquerade gala had plenty of notable figures in attendance. At the start of the evening, there was a large auction for sculptures, pottery, photography, and other artists’ paintings. My showing was after that.

“He’s either obsessed with you, or he doesn’t believe we’re a couple,” the man declared as he spun me around and pulled me back again with my back to his front.

I spotted Mr. Nevels eyeing us closely, and I saw what the man saw. Mr. Nevels wore a look of doubt in his furrowed brows, pinched lips, and assessing gaze. The man twirled me away from him once more and then back again.

I slammed into his hard body, and we stopped momentarily, staring into each other’s eyes. I marveled at the fact that I wasn’t uncomfortable. My body hummed with physical attraction to him, and sexual energy buzzed between us. I hadn’t felt anything close to this since Cassius was alive. I hated the pang that thrummed in my heart at the memory of Cassius.

“What if I proposed we make him believe?” I challenged boldly.

“Then I would say I’m game.”

“Kiss me.”

It was crazy and so out of character for me, but there was an energy tonight that dared me to be bold and different. Maybe it was the costumes and the masks we wore, or maybe it was the desire to be free and purge Cassius from my heart and soul; whatever it was, I was giving in to it.

The man palmed the side of my face and stared into my eyes. He slowly tilted my head back, and his gaze traced the features of my face. If I didn’t know that we were performing for an audience, I would’ve sworn he was into it.

When his lips softly brushed mine, my heart froze in my chest—not from shock or changing my mind. It was the sweet realization of how long it had been since I’d been touched or cherished by a man. He gave me several sweet, slow pecks before he bit my bottom lip and elicited a startled gasp from me. The moment my mouth opened, he used his lips to deepen the kiss, and gradually, sensually, we introduced our tongues to one another.

When we pulled back, I couldn’t take my gaze from his, but eventually, he ripped his gaze away. “He just walked out of the door,” he remarked.

My chest heaved as if the breath had just been returned to my lungs. I bobbed my head and replied, “Good.”

We continued dancing before someone came and interrupted us. He was needed for pictures with some group. I didn’t pay attention to the details, because I needed to escape.

The feelings that flooded my body woke memories in me that I’d put to rest. The last time I attended a gala was the police ball with Cassius. I looked around to make sure no one was watching before I slipped outside.

Thunder roared dangerously overhead, and the sky was dark as the wind whipped through the buildings. A storm had been predicted for the night, and I could tell by the ominous feeling in the air that it was only moments away. I would escape inside soon, but I needed this moment.