Page 40 of Throne Off Course

Alexander finally looked at her. “So are you.”

Her fingers curled lightly around the stem of her glass. “Hey, speak for yourself. I actually don’t mind parties.”

“No?”

She shook her head. “I like watching people, how they move in and out of conversations, the politics of it all. It’s like a game.”

Alexander turned to look at her. “And are you winning?”

Emilia turned to face him fully, her smile slow and knowing. “Always.”

Alexander’s gaze flickered downward, just for a second—just long enough for her breath to hitch. The moment suddenly felt sharper. The way the terrace lights cast a soft glow against his skin. The way his eyes had darkened just a fraction. The way the space between them suddenly felt smaller than it had seconds ago. Emilia should have stepped away. Instead, she tilted her head, her voice softer than before. “And what about you?”

Alexander’s brow lifted, but there was something different in his expression now—something unreadable, something unguarded. “What about me?”

She let the moment stretch, just enough to make it dangerous. “Are you winning?”

Alexander held her gaze, and this time, he didn’t answer right away. The silence between them tightened, thickened. His hand brushed against hers, just a whisper of contact, barely there, but it sent a spark rushing up her spine. She felt the shift before she even realized she was leaning in—just a fraction, just enough that her breath mingled with his in the cool night air. Alexander’s fingers ghosted along the edge of her wrist, his touch so light it might have been imagined. There was a flicker of hesitation as Alexander’s eyes searched hers, his grip tightening ever so slightly. For one second, she thought he might close the distance.

And then—

The terrace doors swung open. A tipsy voice broke through the charged air. “Oh! Sorry—am I interrupting?”

Emilia blinked, stepping back as if reality had just snapped her back into place. Alexander shifted, his entire posture snapping back into something composed, neutral—guarded.

A man Emilia vaguely recognized as someone Sebastian had introduced her to earlier hovered in the doorway, blinking between the two of them, clearly picking up on the fact that he’d interrupted some kind of moment.

Alexander spoke first. “No, not at all.”

The man hesitated for a second, as if he wanted to say something, then shrugged and disappeared back inside, the terrace doors clicking shut behind him. Emilia let out a slow breath. The moment was gone.

Alexander hesitated for half a second, but then—with a glance at her, a knowing look passing between them—they stepped back into the noise, leaving whatever that had been behind them.

Almost immediately, Sebastian pressed a glass of punch into Emilia’s hand and steered her toward two impeccably dressed women with a knowing smile.

Sebastian grinned, gesturing between them with effortless charm. “Emilia, meet Lavinia and Allegra. Two of society’s most brilliant minds masquerading as gossips.” He winked. “Try not to scandalize them too much.” With that, he disappeared into the crowd—dragging Alexander along with him.

Emilia barely had time to react before the two women turned their attention to her, their eyes bright with intelligence and curiosity that went far deeper than their polished exteriors suggested.

“So,” Lavinia mused, swirling her drink with the ease of someone who had never been rushed a day in her life. “You’re the one working with the prince.”

It wasn’t a question.

Emilia raised a brow. “Guilty as charged.”

Allegra, tall and elegant with an air of quiet mischief, leaned in conspiratorially. “We’ve been watching him pace the terrace for the past hour like a caged lion.” Her eyes sparkled. “Until you arrived, that is.”

Lavinia tapped her glass thoughtfully. “Yes, quite the transformation for Mr. Darcy.”

Emilia blinked. “Mr. Darcy?”

Allegra smiled, a slow, knowing thing. “Oh, that’s just our nickname for Alexander. Brooding stares, impeccable manners, allergic to unnecessary conversation…” She gestured vaguely with her glass. “The resemblance is rather striking, don’t you think?”

Lavinia nodded sagely. “Though I must say, in all the yearsI’ve known him, I’ve never seen him quite so…” She paused, searching for the right word. “Attentive.”

Emilia felt heat creep up her neck. “We work together. That’s all.”

Allegra’s laugh was melodic and knowing. “Darling, I’ve known Alexander for years. I know the difference between his professional interest in someone and…” She glanced meaningfully toward the terrace. “Whatever that was.”