Jamie stepped in front of me. “May I have this dance?”
Not waiting for my response, he took my hand and pulled. I crashed against his hard chest, and blinked up at him. When he began to move, my body fell effortlessly into step with his. I’d imagined dancing in his arms multiple times—the reality was better than I’d imagined.
“I shall take that as a yes.” He raised a tawny eyebrow, his mouth quirking to the side as if to say, “Was there ever any doubt?”
As I turned away, he grabbed my arm and spun me back into his arms. All traces of amusement were gone, and the intensity radiating from his face stole the air from my lungs as he growled, “No’ so fast, lass.”
Decisively, he took my right hand in his large fingers, the heat of his palm pressed firmly against my lower back, guiding me, once again, into the dance. As we began to move, I was conscious of every muscle, every movement of his body against mine. He leaned close, his warm breath stirring the tiny hairs by my ear, sending a jolt down my spine. “If you’re no’ inclined to accept my invitation, then I’ll rescind it and make it a command, since you clearly dinna understand what you are refusing.”
His words splashed over me like ice water, cooling my over-zealous hormones. I’d had just about enough of his arrogant attitude—prince or no. Leaning back in his viselike arms, I watched a muscle in his jaw clench. Well, he wasn’t the only one who could get angry. Heat ran up my neck, flooding my cheeks. How dare he treat me like some scantily clad wench from a romance novel!
“Oh, I think I know exactly what I’m turning down,” I bit out.
As we turned in a waltz-like series of steps, I picked up my foot and slammed my heel down on top of his boot. He stumbled but recovered quickly. I had to admit I was impressed. Duncan was right; his brother was a strong dancer.
Jamie’s eyes widened in surprise. “You did that on purpose!”
He looked so dumbfounded—and so darned condescending—I couldn’t help sticking my tongue out at him in childish defiance.
To my great satisfaction, he stumbled again. Not wanting to go down with my partner, I grabbed onto his upper arms and gasped. The power I’d seen him wield in the tournament couldn’t compare to holding that strength beneath my hands. Giddy tingles pulled at my belly. In a desperate attempt to keep myself from turning into a spineless puddle of goo, I started talking.
“My good prince, what makes you think I’d ever bait you on purpose? I have the highest respect for you and your position, after all.” I batted my eyelashes up at him, smiling innocently. With a flash of white teeth, a long dimple appeared in his cheek. Momentarily staggered by the force of his blinding smile, it was my turn to stumble.
“You be a fair dancer, Verranica, but I might recommend a lesson or two to help with your ungainliness.”
It was a good comeback. I tried to stop the giggle rising up in my chest, but it was no use. Spinning and whirling, our bodies moving as one to the music, I felt lighter than air, and my laughter bubbled out.
Distracted by my own glee, I didn’t at first notice Jamie’s laugh—a deep infectious sound that lit up my heart. We smiled into each other’s eyes, and for a moment the room and everyone in it fell away.
Realizing that we’d stopped moving, the smile slipped from my face. The song ended but I remained sheltered in his arms. Hyperaware of the proximity of his body to mine, I became shivery and hot all at once. The heart-stoppingly beautiful boy from my visions had returned and as he searched my face, it felt as if we were having a conversation without uttering a single word. Feeling sure he could hear my heart as it hammered away in my chest, I took a steadying breath and caught my lower lip between my teeth. Slowly his gaze moved to my mouth. As he tilted his head, I leaned into the heat of his body, releasing my lip.
In the space of a heartbeat, Jamie’s eyes narrowed and he shook his head. He released me, stepping fluidly back into an elegant bow. When his eyes met mine again, they’d regained their aloof derision. “Thank you for the dance, m’ lady.”
I lowered into a brief curtsy as he turned away and walked back into the crowd. Immediately, he focused his blinding smile on Sofia Rosetti. Any hopes I had disappeared as I watched him escort her onto the floor.
Mentally kicking myself for thinking I could have been anything other than one of the masses to such an egotistical jerk, I inched my way into the crowd. From in between bodies, I watched my BFF in the arms of Jamie’s younger brother. Smiling and talking animatedly, Kenna seemed unaware that, despite her “two left feet,” she was dancing in perfect step with her partner. I wondered if Kenna would ever acknowledge Duncan was falling in love with her, or admit she had feelings in return. For anyone with eyes, it was more than obvious, but Kenna would most likely ignore the issue until it was forced upon her. Which, by the adoring look on Duncan’s face, might prove to be sooner rather than later.
A slow, soft song began, and Jamie continued to dance with Sofia. An infinite ache filled my chest as I noticed the tender way they looked at one another; the soft smiles, her huge eyes filled with open admiration. Soon the crowd fell back to form a ring around the perfectly matched couple.
As the dance ended, Kenna and Duncan made their way toward me. The sympathetic expression on my friend’s face was more than I could bear, and I spun away. She meant well, but any kindness would send me straight over the edge.
I picked my way through the endless crowd, intent on reaching fresh air. Once outside I found a spot along the battlement wall and gripped the cool stone, trying to calm my ragged breathing. Several feet away, a couple deep in conversation stopped to stare at me. It wasn’t long before the man grabbed the woman’s arm and they scurried away, casting nervous glances over their shoulders. Apparently being considered a sorceress’s minion had its advantages, because now I was blessedly alone.
Tears burned my throat, but I refused to allow them to escape my eyes. I swallowed hard and concentrated instead on the beauty of the moon reflecting on the clear surface of the lake, as well as the geese swimming lazily in and out of the incandescent-streaked water. A breeze began to cool my blazing skin, and I felt my raging emotions ebb away.
Jamie’s hot and cold act was draining. Every time he started to warm, to let me in the tiniest bit, he’d turn around and shut me out even harder. And why? What had I done? Except be nice to him and adore his kingdom. Even if he didn’t return my feelings—which I couldn’t determine one way or another—it didn’t explain why he treated me like I had a communicable disease.
The thought dropped into my mind like a hand grenade without the pin, the reverberations shaking me straight to my toes.
I lowered my face into my hands. So why was it when I looked at him, my heart said
“Vee? Sweetie, are you okay?”
I straightened at the sound of Kenna’s voice and wiped the wetness from my cheeks with my palms. “I’m fine.” I tried to smile, but the effort came out as a sob. She wrapped me in a hug, and I buried my face against her shoulder.
“I can see that you’re fine. Just tell me who I need to kill.” Kenna patted my back with enough force to pull me out of my self-centered musings. “I could put some serious hurt on Prince Not-So-Charming if I need to.”
In danger of being crushed, I extricated myself from her not-so-comforting embrace. Smiling for real this time, I shook my head at her, my voice not steady enough yet to explain.
“It’s not a big deal. Jamie can’t help it if I got the wrong idea simply because he showed up in my life.” I shrugged, turning back to look at the lake.
“The wrong idea? Wasn’t he asking you to come to the bridge?”
“Sort of …”
“Well, he obviously wanted you to come here. Why else would he have done the whole, ‘Come ta me, Verranica’ bit?” Kenna’s imitation of Jamie’s accent was so dead-on that I chuckled.
