A few seconds later, she appears on the other side, and then races again into the darkness. There’s another cheer, and the servers begin rotating trays of a select vintage through the crowd as the guests watch eagerly for the headless phantom to reappear. But Livvie keeps them in anticipation as she gallops close enough to be heard but not seen, the eerie sound of her ghostly cry fading into the night air.
“Everyone’s going to be talking about that for months.” Dante comes up behind me and gives a salute with his wine glass in Livvie’s direction. “Should I be worried at how well she pulls off being a specter?”
I grab his glass and take a sip. “She can pull off anything as long as she’s on the back of a horse.”
“She’s talented, like her sister.” Dante kisses me on the temple.
“You mean,sisters. Charlie did a hell of a job.”
“Agreed. She’s about to become very popular, and very busy. I’ve already had several inquiries into who planned the Gala.”
Looping my hands around his neck, I push up on my tiptoes for a kiss. “You can’t imagine how happy that makes me. I’d love for Charlie to be overrun with clients.”
His arms wrap around me. He looks amazing in his custom suit with long tails, and a crisp, high-collared shirt with small pearl buttons. He tucked his mask into his pocket earlier and I’m glad, because it means I have an unobstructed view of his perfect face.
“You know what I want?” he asks in a husky whisper that sends liquid heat straight between my legs.
“No, but I have a pretty good guess.”
“I bet you do. And as soon as the midnight toast is over, I intend to show you exactly what I have in mind.”
“Promises, promises.” I tap the tip of his nose with my finger. “Promises I expect you to keep, sir.”
“Anything for you, madam,” he says, giving me a sweeping, low bow.
After kissing the back of my hand, he straightens to his full height. Adjusting his top hat, he blows me a kiss and disappears into the crowd. A moment later, he appears on the stage beneath a canopy of crisscrossed strings of twinkling fairy lights with a microphone in his hand.
He addresses the crowd and asks them to please grab a champagne flute as the servers move through the group. While that’s being accomplished, he calls Charlie’s name.
“I’d like to introduce the incredibly talented event planner who is responsible for every aspect of tonight’s Gala. Well, everything but the wine, of course.”
I smile at the tone of his voice, teasingly light, as if he’s finally getting the hang of telling jokes. Charlie makes her way through the crowd as they clap and cheer for her. She takes her place beside Dante on the stage and he sings her praises. My heart swells with gratitude and love for them both.
Once all the champagne has been passed around, Dante makes a toast to our guests, the winery, and the success of the harvest season. Everyone drinks to that and the band resumes playing. Cradling my glass in my hand, I sit at the edge of the crowd and take it all in. This night has been truly magical. I can’t think of one thing that would have made it better.
Looking up, I spy Dante walking toward me, his expression intense and striking. My breath hitches, my nipples perking instantly at the lust on his face. Oh, yes. His promise.
His delicious promise.
Reaching for my hand, he lifts me to my feet. “Follow me, please.”
I twine my fingers with his and do a double take when I realize he’s leading me away from the party. “Should we be leaving now?”
“The party will be raging on until the wee hours, I’m sure, but Charlie and the rest of the staff have everything well in hand. No one will notice that we’ve slipped away. Besides, if they knew what I had in mind, they wouldn’t blame us.”
My heart flutters as he leads me to the main house, up the stairs, and out on the balcony off of his room. We can’t see the band or any of the festivities up here, but the music floats up toward us, as if from an invisible band, punctuated by the faint sounds of laughter. Dante spins me across the balcony, then gathers me against him tight and begins a slow dance in time to the music. His body feels so good, so comforting as he easily moves me around the small space.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment all night,” he whispers huskily against my ear.
He tenderly caresses the bare skin on my back where the dress dips low. Resting my cheek against his solid chest, I breathe peacefully with the thought that this is my life now. This man, once so cold and rigid, has learned how to open up to me. We’ve struggled and clashed, separated and reunited, but somehow we ended up exactly where we were supposed to be.
Our dancing becomes closer, tighter, his teeth gently worrying my earlobe. I suck in a breath, letting my head fall back as I drink in the sensation. His lips move to cruise my cheek, my jaw, my neck. Chills race over me.
“Do you trust me?” he whispers.
A soft moan works from my throat. “With my life.”
He slowly backs me up until the balcony’s balustrade presses into my lower back. Gripping my hips, he lifts me and sets me onto the wide railing. I know I’m secure, but with nothing to break my fall, the yawning blackness behind me drives my pulse to the moon. Yet even as my heart jacks, I’m not afraid. Dante won’t let anything happen to me.
