Page 44 of Prelude To You

I didn’t belong here. I should go home.

I whirled around, only to be blinded by headlights. There was no chance of finding Felix’s car; he was already lost in the chaos.

I turned back to my destination and thought of that kiss and the possibility that Stranger might be inside this hotel. So I stepped forward and started my impulsive journey down the lawn, barefoot and uncertain.

Halfway across the lawn, my nerves were twisting into grisly knots and it felt like an iron clamp was gripping my insides. I had to stand still for a moment and pull myself together.

Why the hell was I doing this to myself?

This nerve-wracking bullshit was swiftly becoming too much to deal with. I decided to call Felix and just go back home.

I fished around in my small evening bag, and it was immediately clear that there was no cell phone inside.Shit.Thinking back, I realized that after texting Meg, I put the phone down on the seat and left it there.

So I was slightly screwed, but nothing I couldn’t fix. All I had to do was ask someone at the front desk if I could make a call and then… Suddenly, I couldn’t complete that thoughtbecause—

A wave of carefree bliss breezed through my veins and I was buoyant, as if floating on air. I felt newly alive, like I’d been wrapped up in a cocoon and was just now released as a butterfly. It was a feeling of pure bliss, like I could flap my wings and fly away!

Somewhere in the back of my mind a few brain cells retained enough composure for me to realize the “Tic Tacs” must be to blame for my sudden devil-may-care euphoria. But naturally, or perhaps unnaturally, by that point I didn’t care. And what would a dancer do when there was boundless bliss?

Why, dance on the lawn with the moon as their spotlight, of course.

14

ROMAN

Iwas ten seconds away from turning into the hotel entrance. And still watching The Dancer walk barefoot across the lawn.

I felt like I’d been in a desert all my life, and she was the only oasis where I could quench my thirst. When had I ever been so goddamn lyrical about anything, let alone a woman I didn’t know? Or any woman for that matter.

Thirty-two years of strict, disciplined education and now overseeing a trust worth billions and here I was, about to put all that on the line just to hear her moan under my touch.

Reality was slipping away, and that was the last thing that needed to happen right now.

She was about halfway across the lawn when she took a dance step, followed by another, and then another. I, and everyone else in line, watched her dance her way to the hotel entrance, not giving a damn what anyone thought.

I might have gaped, and there might have been a moment when I thought she had to know I was here, that I was being set up or this was some kind of test I was miserably failing.

What the hell was she doing at the Belmont Hotel?

A small notion struck me.That black card. My invitation to the auction. Was it even possible that she was trying to find me here tonight? The hot pulse in my blood was steering my thoughts to the edge of absurdity. But suddenly it became extremely important to rush to the damsel’s side, in order to save her from the wrath of the hotel’s unforgiving security staff.

The Dancer was already nearing the end of the lawn when I finally turned up the driveway. Two men in black suits were waiting for her. The hotel took its protection very seriously.

I passed the line of cars dropping off guests at the entrance and stopped in an arbitrary spot, leaving the Rover running as I got out. Someone would take care of it, because someone always did. My only goal was to keep those men away from her.

My chest was tight with whatever was brewing inside, but I kept my cool.

The Dancer came to an abrupt halt when she saw the black-clad security men preparing to break her spirit. She seemed to realize she might be in trouble.

I drew close and she met my gaze. The most incredulous smile slightly parted those pouty lips, and those big emerald eyes glinted with pleasure. She was an absolute vision to my parched soul.

Focus, I told myself. Keep your eyes on the ball here. Make sure she’s okay. Then leave, if that was even possible at this point.

I intervened just as the two security men approached her. “Guys it’s fine, the lady is with me.” I couldn’t tell whether they were relieved or disappointed, but they backed off when they saw me. A short ways off, some of the guests streaming into the hotel paused to watch, curious to see what was happening.

The Dancer stood a few yards away, watching me and worrying her lower lip. I leaned against the back of a cast ironbench, making myself at home, waiting for her to come to me. Which she did.

Now I had a front-row seat to the visual sensation that had haunted me since last night. Her scent drifted toward me on the breeze, and I could feel my willpower slipping. How easy it would be to pull her close and feel the warmth of her skin beneath my fingertips.

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