Page 79 of That Prince is Mine
Thankfully, he didn’t have to wait long. She glided into the ballroom with her head held high and shoulders thrown back, self-assured and confident even in the midst of strangers. He froze to the spot, his jaw going slack. She was breathtaking in a black off-the-shoulder cocktail dress. He already knew those shoulders would drive him to distraction all evening, especially with her hair up in a loose knot that left the silky skin tantalizingly bare. Her dress hugged her slim curves in all the right places, and his body tightened with desire. He shook himself out of his momentary stupor and rushed to her side.
“Emma,” he said in a low, husky voice. When she smiled at him with her eyes glowing—like he was the best thing she’d seen all day—the lust thrumming in his veins dissolved into heart-wrenching affection. He couldn’t help but run the backs of his fingers down her cheek. “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you.” Her eyelashes fluttered as she ducked her head shyly.
Michel fought the urge to kiss her senseless in a room full of faculty and graduate students. After taking a calming breath, he tucked her hand in his arm and led her toward a secluded section along the wall by a tall potted plant. He needed a few moments to gather himself. But more importantly, he wasn’t ready to share Emma with anyone yet.
“How did your lesson go?” He wrapped a loose strand of her hair around his finger.
“It was so much fun.” She slid one hand beneath his jacket and pressed it possessively against his chest. His heart beat out a frantic rhythm in response. “We made hwayangjeok. Those little striped flags we had at the picnic?”
“Ah, yes. The perfect bite.” He covered her hand with his own lest she withdraw it. He needed her touch.
“Oh, you remembered. That makes me so happy.” She pushed up to her toes and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. “That’s your reward.”
She smelled so good—the warm floral note in her scent was stronger than the citrus tonight. He took a step closer and angled his body to hide her from the rest of the ballroom. “I think I deserve a little more than that.”
Before she could answer, he dipped his head and captured her parted lips. When she whimpered and opened wider for him, he deepened the kiss and pulled her flush against his body. His hands wrapped around her naked shoulders, and all rational thought flew out of his mind. He needed to taste her soft, warm skin…
“Cool it, Romeo,” Gabriel said from behind him.
Emma started—even though Gabriel had spoken very softly—and pulled away from Michel. His hands instinctively tightened around her in protest before he forced himself to take a step back.
“For you, my lady.” His cousin handed her a flute of pink, effervescent champagne with a smile that was strained around the edges. He was obviously torn up about Sophie, but he still had come to stop Michel from making a spectacle out of himself. He pushed a glass toward Michel, urging him back to stop towering over her. “Let’s put some space between you two. There. That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
Michel took his drink and clapped Gabriel on the shoulder. As he sipped his cold champagne, he took a quick glance around the ballroom. Thankfully, no one seemed to have noticed his lapse in judgment. Bloody hell. Forget the dignity of the crown. Making out with his girlfriend at a work function was inappropriate even for Professor Michel Chevalier—for any responsible adult.
Good God. He’d just failed to behave like a responsible adult. He suppressed the incredulous laughter that rose to his throat. But his mirth quickly died away at the realization that he might have embarrassed Emma. He ducked his head and whispered in her ear, “Sorry.”
She shivered and glanced briefly at his lips. Christ, have mercy. “That’s okay. I technically started it.”
“Will you kids be able to behave yourselves while I go top off my drink?” Gabriel crossed his arms over his chest, mischief fluttering just below his stern frown. He seemed to be doing a bit better.
“Fuck off.” Michel offered his cousin an affectionate grin.
Emma coughed to cover her laugh and said, “Now, now, boys. Be nice.”
“He started it.” Gabriel winked at her. Michel scowled when she blushed. Gabriel raised his hands. “I’m going. I’m going.”
“I like Gabriel,” Emma said with a little sigh that grated on Michel’s nerves.
“I can tell,” he grumbled unhappily, even though he had no reason to be jealous. Except that he happened to have a Greek god incarnate as his cousin.
“Are you jealous, Professor Chevalier?” She dimpled enchantingly at him. “I hope your students don’t know what a silly man you are.”
Before he could formulate a comeback for her saucy comment, Emma became distracted by something on the dance floor. She gasped, then clicked her tongue. When Michel followed her line of sight, he discovered Jeannie locked in a passionate embrace with a dark-haired young man. Even though he had no right to be scandalized—since he had nearly found himself in a similar situation moments before—he felt a tad scandalized. He would never have expected this from his quietly awkward and hardworking TA.
“Oh no. Poor Sarah,” Emma murmured under her breath.
“Is something the matter?” he asked, but she didn’t get a chance to respond as a train wreck unfolded before their eyes.
“Um… excuse me.” A pretty Asian woman stepped in front of Gabriel, who had been on his way back to them. Her eyes were shining with adoration or… tears. She looked familiar. Ah, yes. Sarah Bae was a graduate student in the philosophy department—his cousin’s TA and Emma’s friend. “Professor Laurent… I… would you like to dance?”
Merde alors. Michel tensed, knowing what Gabriel—no, the Sphinx—would do.
“Sarah?” Gabriel blinked in surprise before his features hardened into a stony façade. “Would I like to dance? With my own TA? You can’t be serious. That is quite possibly the last thing I would want to do. Surely you know me better than that.”
Knee-jerk reaction. His cousin’s sheepish expression from earlier flashed before Michel’s eyes.
