A muscle in his jaw ticked. “I am sorry, all right?”
Were my ears deceiving me, or did Robert Trench just apologize?
Keelynn’s lips lifted as she turned, her eyes giving away the extent of her happiness. “Do you mind if I dance with Robert?”
“Of course not.” When I let her go, I shot Robert a warning glare.
He swept her into his arms, and they were off, waltzing as if they belonged together. Robert appeared to only have eyes for Keelynn—for the moment, anyway.
He had this uncanny ability to make a woman believe she was the only woman in the room. Keelynn would forgive him, although I wasn’t convinced he deserved it.
A warm hand caught mine, and I found myself drawn toward a toned chest. I looked up into piercing cerulean eyes.
10
Rían heldmy hand in his, slipping the other onto his shoulder. A shoulder that felt incredibly toned beneath his fine black jacket.
“What do you think you’re doing?” His vicelike grip kept me from pulling away.
“Ambassador Flirt and his fitted breeches are dancing with you,” he drawled, leading me with feline grace between waltzing couples.
Dammit. I knew he’d been listening. “And if I don’t want to dance with a drunken wastrel?”
Despite the amount of drink he’d consumed, his eyes were no longer bloodshot but clear. And trained on my mouth. “First, I’m far from drunk. Second . . . Actually, there is no second point. I am the worst of wastrels.” There wasn’t an ounce of remorse in his cocky smile. And why would there be? Rían was a prince who did as he pleased.
He adjusted his grip, pressing me closer with the hand on my lower back. “This party is boring.”
“Then perhaps you should leave.”
We reached the corner of the dance floor. He turned me, leading us back to the center.
“Ah, here now. You’re going to hurt my feelings.”
“I wasn’t aware you had feelings.”
He chuckled, but he was too close for me to see his smile. How had we gotten so close? One deep breath away from brushing chests.
“Speaking of feelings,” he said, low against the shell of my ear, “your sister looks awfully cozy with your lover. I hope you’re not too jealous.”
My entire body went rigid. “Robert and I aren’t . . .”
He’d caught Robert leaving my bedroom. What was he supposed to think?
“Keelynn loves him, not me,” I amended.
Light from the glittering crystal chandeliers reflected in his rolling eyes. “Love is for fools and simpletons.”
A fellow cynic. How refreshing. “Does that mean you’ve never been in love?”
He drew away, brows arching toward dark curls. “Have you?”
Always answering a question with another question. What was he trying to hide?
“No. I haven’t.” True love from the storybooks was patient and kind. It weathered storms. It wasn’t hurtful or selfish.It didn’t use you and cast you aside.
The song ended, then rose into another waltz. Instead of releasing me, Rían brought me closer. I hated the way he made me feel. Powerless. Weak. Not in control of my own body.
My erratic heartbeat. My flushed cheeks. My light head.