Page 71 of The Twilight Theft

I hadn’t had a man in my life.

It was too much of a risk.

He dragged his knuckles down my arm again—lighting my skin on fire—and took my hand. Not the same way we’d done it earlier. This wasn’t about communication. It was tender—he was actuallyholdingmy hand. “Think of it like this. You’ll be moving, we’ll spin around the dance floor slowly, and we’ll be able to watch everything going on in the main dining room. It’s nothing but cover.”

Scarlett hummed in assent over the line. “It’s standard practice when you’re working in the front.”

I wanted my shadows back. “Okay, but I warn you, it’s your toes that are going to pay the price.”

“I’ll keep it simple.” Drew maintained a tight grip on me, so firm I couldn’t escape. “Plus, from what I’ve heard, you have the best reaction time on the entire Reynolds team. I’d be willing to bet that means you’ll be a perfect dance partner.”

We threaded our way through the crowd of about thirty people on the dance floor. Half were women holding glasses of wine and dancing as a group, while the rest were couples. One couple glided across the floor as though they were professionals, but the rest were regular people—although to be here, they had to be incredibly wealthy, so not quite regular—enjoying the music and the evening.

Drew stopped at the far end, by the windows that overlooked the fountain. The sun was low in the sky, and the light display he’d told me about began outside. He shifted the way he held my hand, put the other at my waist, and we began to move.

Over my earpiece, Will’s voice caught my attention. “I’m here.”

Brie said, “How’s your mom?”

“They’re keeping her overnight, so I came home. I knew you’d need the backup.”

Brie laughed. She always laughed more when he was working the op with her. “Ashley’s here helping. She’s amazing.”

“Oh.” Will sounded pained.

I piped up, attempting to bolster his spirits. “Don’t worry, Will. No matter how good Ashley is, she’ll never replace you.”

“She’s right,” said Brie. “Two completely different skill sets. And speaking of which...”

They chatted about the photograph I’d taken, catching Will up on everything he’d missed, and talking about his mom. Life would have been easier if he’d brought her back to Halifax, instead of dealing with her health in London, far away from all of us. He had so much on his shoulders.

Drew pivoted us so I couldn’t see the fountain lights anymore. “His mom’s okay?”

I nodded. “Are you close with your mother?”

Drew’s face hardened.

Why did I ask that?

Scarlett, Emmett, and Brie worked for their mother. Will had sacrificed so much to help his mom when she needed it. Rav... Rav may have been chiseled out of rock instead of born from actual humans. Most of our other co-workers had positive relationships with their families, including our safe cracker, who had a strained but close relationship with his.

But me? I hadn’t talked to my mother in eight years.

There was no point.

“I don’t talk about that.” His jaw flexed, and he did exactly what he said he was going to do while we were on the dance floor—he checked the crowd.

That’s what I should have been doing. Instead, the warmth of his body and the scent of his cologne were all I could think about. Thursday night had started out so well.

Drew’s attention was stuck somewhere on the mezzanine.

I glanced up to where the second floor provided a view of the main dining area. Wyatt and Rav stood side by side, leaning on the railing, each holding a tumbler of amber liquid. “Rav, is everything all right?”

He grunted. That grunt meant he didn’t appreciate Wyatt’s company. And from the look on Wyatt’s face, the feeling was mutual.

Wyatt’s gaze locked with mine. There was something in it I hadn’t seen before. It wasn’t the predatory or even the flirtatious look, it was… sad?

Drew squeezed my hand, bringing my attention back to him and his rich brown eyes. “Tell me: What do you crave in a partner?”

---