He looked down at me for a long second while music rolled around us in slow waves. Shadows moved across the room behind him. Gold light caught against the black leather of his mask and slid across the sharp line of his jaw.
Around us, people kept talking. Kept laughing. Kept moving. I barely noticed any of it. Because I had become very aware of the fact that I had chased him down. Absolutely humiliating.
"Another bet," he repeated slowly.
I crossed my arms, mostly because I needed something to do with my hands. "Yes."
He stared. I stared back. Then one corner of his mouth moved beneath the mask. "Oh, this is interesting."
I narrowed my eyes. "Why are you saying it like that?"
"Because ten minutes ago you looked at me like I was a contagious disease,” he reminded me.
"I still don’t like you,” I reminded him.
"Mm." He took one lazy step closer. Not enough to crowd me. Just enough that I caught the scent of expensive cologne and something darker beneath it. Just enough that I noticed how unfairly tall he was. Just enough that I noticed I'd tilted my head upward slightly.
"And what exactly are we betting for this time, little troublemaker?" he asked quietly.
I opened my mouth. Closed it. Because my brain had chosen this exact moment to stop functioning. Because the truth was, I hadn't thought that far. I just hadn't wanted him to leave. And somehow that felt significantly more dangerous than any game we'd played tonight.
My brain, the same brain that had confidently escaped my bodyguard, accidentally wandered into a secret club for sinners, and chased down a man wearing a devil mask, had completely abandoned me.
He waited. Didn't help. Didn't say anything. Just stood there watching me with infuriating patience. Smug bastard.
"You don't have anything, do you?" Amusement slid into his voice.
"I do,” I insisted, my stubbornness taking over. I narrowed my eyes. Then, before common sense could tackle me to the floor and drag me away screaming, I lifted my chin.
"If you win..." I said slowly, "I’ll let you kiss me."
Silence. Absolute silence. Then his entire body went still. Not the strange stillness from before. Not the one with shadows behind his eyes. No. This was dramatic offense. He put a hand over his chest. Actually put a hand over his chest. His head snapped toward me like I'd personally insulted generations of his ancestors.
“You’llletme kiss you?" he repeated.
I blinked. "...Yes?"
He stared in visible horror.
"Little troublemaker." He looked genuinely appalled. "What kind of scandalous woman have I met tonight?"
My mouth fell open. "Scandalous?!"
He looked around us dramatically.
"Did everyone hear that?" he asked the room. "I'm being preyed upon."
I gaped at him. Actually gaped. "You are unbelievable."
"No, no." He shook his head sadly. "I was raised with values."
Then I saw it. That tiny movement beneath the mask. The smile he was trying to hide. Oh, I was going to kill him.
"You are enjoying this entirely too much,” I reminded him.
"Immensely."
I crossed my arms. "You know what? Forget it."