Page 91 of Be With Me
“Sure.” We’d finished our drinks, though I was so distracted I couldn’t even remember drinking mine.
Maybe a dance would stop my mind from conjuring ghosts.
Erik’s hand was warm in mine as he led me onto the dance floor. He looked dapper in his damask jacket. A deep-red cravat was tied in an elaborate knot around his neck, resting over his high-collared shirt.
We stopped amidst the twirling couples, and Erik’s hands settled on my waist. He smiled at me. “So will you ever show me what’s under that mask?”
I blinked, caught off guard by the flirtatious note in his tone. Until now, he'd seemed friendly, but I hadn’t picked upthatkind of a vibe from him.
Then again, had I really been paying attention?
There was a spark in his gaze. Maybe the gin and tonic had emboldened him.
I forced a polite smile. “I’m not sure. The mystery of it is kind of fun, don’t you think?”
The way his smile faltered told me he’d expected a different response. He’d taken his own mask off a while ago.
I forced myself to study his features.
Handsome, yes, but…I felt nothing.
No acceleration in my pulse. No spark inside my belly. Nothing compared to the feverish heat I felt around Romolo.
It was depressing.
“Well, then,” Erik said lightly, “I’ll just have to see you unmasked some other time. Could I get your number?”
“Not if you value your ability to breathe without a respirator.”
A shiver tumbled down my spine at that familiar deep voice. There was no mistaking it.
Erik froze, confusion and then unease clear on his face. He stared at the man whose presence I could feel against my back. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me,” Romolo replied, his tone sharp. He stepped forward, appearing like a dark sentinel in my periphery. I refused to look at him, refused to acknowledge him even as every inch of my skin prickled with awareness.
“Ignore him,” I muttered.
Erik’s brow furrowed. “Do you know this guy?”
“Unfortunately, yes,” I said, my eyes locked on Erik’s cravat.
“You wound me.” Romolo’s voice dropped, like whatever he was about to say next was meant only for my ears. “And here I'd hoped you’d be happy to see me.”
My head snapped toward him. “Did you real?—“
My. Dear. Lord.
Like me, he was in black velvet. He wore a sexy, tailored Tom Ford that would have made him look like the perfect gentleman if it wasn’t for that arrogant smirk, the snake tattoo peering over the collar of his shirt, and the rude words coming out of his mouth. The look was understated, but he wore it so damn well that it didn’t matter.
Warmth pooled low in my belly. Those sparks I was just missing were back in full force.
My body was clearly happy to see him, but my mind knew better than that.
“You shouldn't set your hopes on things with a zero probability of happening,” I said, meeting his gaze.
His lips twitched beneath his mask, and I saw his gray eyes twinkling with dark amusement.
The fact that I'd recognized him in a split second from across the room wassoirritating. It was like my senses had somehow gotten attuned to him without my consent.
