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I turned, already smiling from the scent that tickled my senses like a breath of fresh air—cloves and spices with the sweet edge of sugar.
“May I have this dance, my lady?” Eli offered with a gentlemanly dip of his head.
A grin curled my lips even as apprehension sent a shot of adrenaline through my veins.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” I murmured, trying to keep the exchange solely between the two of us. We weren’t supposed to be seen together.
“Trust me?”
“Always.” I slid my hand into his and let him lead me onto the dance floor and away from the four Italian men I’d attracted by accident.
Strong arms closed around me, boxing me in as one hand held mine and the other wrapped securely around my back in a formal embrace. Before long, Eli and I were sweeping around the room, my dance training coming back to me with each step.
His arm tightened, drawing me closer. He kept his head tilted toward me and dipped downward, obscuring as much of his face as he possibly could. “You doing okay?”
“Honestly?”
His lips tipped in the corners. “Always,” he parroted my previous reply.
“I knew this would be difficult, but it’s way more nerve-racking than I expected.”
“Bloody hell, is that an understatement. The guys were about to lose their shit when Julia’s brothers descended.”
I huffed a laugh, some of my tension bleeding out of me. “You make them sound like vultures.”
“Every Alpha in this room has their eyes on you right now, Love. Wishing they were me. Wanting a taste of you.” His eyes darkened, and I licked my lips. Gaze falling to my mouth, he groaned quietly. “Don’t look at me like that,” he whispered harshly.
“Like what?”
An eyebrow rose toward his hairline. “Like you’re remembering what I did to you last night… with my tongue.”
Another burst of heat detonated inside me, and my chest heaved as my thoughts went fuzzy—doing exactly what he told me not to…remembering.
“Fuck, Demi.” His eyes grew comically wide. “You’re perfuming.”
He was right. My scent was growing thicker in the surrounding air.
Shit. This is bad. This is really bad.
I opened my mouth to say… what, I wasn’t sure. But Knox’s urgent voice cut through the melee of panic.
“Incoming!”
My fingers flexed in Eli’s hand, and then I was pulling away. “You need to go,” I ordered urgently.
Eli’s gaze went wild. “I know I approved of this plan, but I can’t just leave you here. Your skin is flushed and,” he reached for me, feeling my rising temperature. “Bloody hell, are you going intoheat?”
“No,” I spat far too quickly to be believable. “I’m fine. My scent will only taunt them further.”
“Demi—”
“Do you trust me?” I threw his words back at him.
He sucked in a breath, his eyes pinching in the corners. “Always,” he breathed.
“Then go,” I begged. “Let me finish this.”
He backed up two steps, holding my gaze for a long heartbeat before he turned and strode away. My eyes stayed fixated on his retreating form, wishing I could run after him and beg him to whisk me away from here.
