She reached behind her and adjusted my hand lower until it rested at the small of her back. My fingers brushed softly against the silk of her gown, then pressed, until the space between us vanished.
She stiffened, just for a second, then fully relaxed, allowing the contact. My steps grew more confident. Our pace increased as we blended with the other dancers.
Marin peered up at me, her gaze exploring every inch of my face. From the top of my mask to my nose, stalling on my lips, then gliding back up to my eyes hidden beneath black satin.
“Why would you ask a woman to dance if you don’t know how?”
I swallowed thickly. The real answer was heavy in my chest. I forced myself to laugh softly, leaning in to whisper in her ear.
“Because I lost a bet.”
A musical laugh burst from her throat. She tensed, as if surprised by it, and it was my turn to steady her into the next count.
Marin went quiet for a moment, then wrinkled her nose. “I lost a bet once. A long time ago.”
“And was it this embarrassing?”
“Worse. It might surprise you to know I was quite the adventurer in another life, and I once bet a man I could match him drink for drink without so much as a hiccup.”
“What happened?”
She expelled a miffed breath as if still irritated by the memory. “I lost horribly and face-planted on the sticky table.”
My lips twitched.
I could still see it, Marin swaying in her chair, eyes half-mast as she covered her mouth, hiding the world’s daintiest hiccup. Then her eyes rolled, sliding shut as her head tipped forward. I caught her before she hit the table. She didn’t remember that part. Or how I carried her back to the inn, her head tucked beneath my chin, her arms wrapped loosely around my neck.
But I did.
I pressed her against my chest, and she tilted her head back, our gazes meeting behind the mask. Her breath hitched, just barely, but we were so close, I felt it.
She didn’t recognize me, and that was the problem. Dancing with Marin wasn’t part of my plan. This was supposed to be a reconnaissance mission, not a seduction. But with a grip that was now steady, and steps overruling rational thought, I led her away from the dance floor and deeper into the shadows.
Chapter 19
Marin
This was dangerous.
I should be at the vault by now, and Cass was probably wondering what was taking me so long. But instead of finishing our heist and stealing the seeds I needed to save my life, I was dancing with a stranger.
And enjoying it way more than I should.
I’d accepted his offer in a panic when the masked man had asked Atticus for the time. The last thing I needed was for Atticus to search his pockets and discover that his monocle was missing. But then, the oddest thing happened. While I was planning my escape, I felt the stranger falter. His toe grazed my slipper. A soft curse passed his lips.
Lips that were firm and enticing, framed beneath a black satin mask and the dark stubble covering his chin. I shouldn't have been staring at them while I had the literal key to my shot at freedom hidden in the seam at my waist. But I couldn’t deny my interest. Or the stunning realization that he didn’t know how to dance.
He was lost and fumbling, and I felt his desperation to get it right.
It was… charming.
And I hadn’t been charmed in years. Not since, well, not since Gavin Blackwood. And that had ended in ruin.
The ache that unfurled in my chest had me giving him a dancing lesson.Of all the ridiculous things for a woman with a death clock on her head to bother with.But the weight of his hand at my waist, pressing me close enough to feel the steady beat of his heart, was like gulping air after nearly drowning.
I’d been under so long, I forgot what that felt like or how much I missed it.
But now, instead of leading me in a dance, he was leading me through the moonlit garden and into a shadowed alcove. Stone pillars loomed overhead. Tapered candles were nestled upon small ledges, and creeping vines hung like a veil between us and the rest of the ball.
