Page 31 of Trapped with the Earl of Sin

As they headed towards the dance floor, with Mary keeping a stoic expression on her face, Martin knew that he could not hold back any longer. He could not be on the sidelines anymore. Without even a moment of hesitation, he strode towards Susanna because there was no one else he wanted to dance with.

“May I have your hand for this dance?” he asked her in a pointed tone, with his hand outstretched towards her.

Susanna initially looked a little unsure, which was understandable because of everything that had occurred earlier.She likely wanted to keep her distance so she could sort through her feelings too, but when he nodded his head towards Mary, and she saw what was happening, she immediately agreed.

“Yes, I would love to dance with you.”

It was not until they were on the dance floor themselves that the nerves started to cling to Martin a little. How were they going to handle this?

“What happened?” Susanna asked curiously as Martin rested his hands on her hips.

But Martin could not help but notice that she shivered a little as soon as he touched her, which made his lips quirk up a little. It was good to know that he could still have that effect on her. She most certainly had a very powerful effect on him.

Could she see it though?

He could not tell.

“I just saw Edwin make a beeline for Mary, and she seemed compelled to agree to the dance.”

“She will be hating every moment of this,” Susanna murmured as the music started to play. “Poor Mary.”

The point of this dance was to keep an eye on Edwin, to try and work out what he was up to, but Martin found himself distracted once more. Being this close to Susanna was always going to get his attention, there did not seem to be anything that he could do about that.

Especially after their heated moment in the closet…

“Have you been enjoying the ball?” he asked mildly, but the question sounded a little accusatory as it fell out of his mouth. Like he was back to challenging her.

Susanna stiffened. “I have had an alright time, thank you very much.”

Martin cocked his head curiously. “Well, you have not looked like you have been having the best time. I have not seen you smile once.”

Susanna narrowed her eyes at him. “Have you been watching me? Looking out for a smile?”

“I am always looking out for your smile. It lights up the whole room.”

Martin loved the way this seemed to knock her off kilter. It was clear that Susanna was not quite sure what to make of his flirty remark.

“I… well, I am having a nice time now.”

“It is good to know thatIam the one you can have fun with.”

At least it was not awkward between them. Martin would have hated that. He had grown close to Susanna during their time at Standen Abbey, and not just because they were working together to figure out what Edwin was up to, but because he felt like he could talk to her about absolutely anything. Even, in a very roundabout way, how he was feeling.

He would have hated for their shared moment in the closet, where they threw caution to the wind, to ruin that. Much as he enjoyed kissing her, he did not want to lose their connection in the process. Otherwise, the lead-up to the wedding might drive him crazy.

“Well, I have not yet seen you on the dance floor at all,” Susanna commented with a cocked eyebrow. “Why is that?”

Martin chuckled. “So, you have been watching me too. That is very interesting.”

He held on to her a little tighter, wishing they did not have any eyes upon them. He would have loved to have pulled her closer to him so he could properly hold her again.

The sensation of this beautiful woman in his arms was utterly intoxicating.

Martin and Susanna swayed to the music, lost in their own little world despite the throngs of people around them. The warmth ofher body against his made his heart race, and he fought to keep his thoughts focused.

He had to remember why they were here, the danger that Edwin posed, and the potential fallout of their investigation. But with Susanna so close, it was a difficult task.

Susanna’s gaze softened as she looked up at him. “You are avoiding my question. Why have you not danced until now? I am sure that there are plenty of ladies here who would be overjoyed to be in your arms.”

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