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Instead, he directed me forward, his gaze remaining on mine, and together, we waltzed out of the alcove, my head and my heels spinning.
Cait and Lachlan followed after us in their own version of a waltz, Lachlan’s hand holding Cait’s while his other arm rested in his sling. Even as a three-armed couple, they managed to move and blend into the rest of the dancers seamlessly, as if they’d been here all along.
I should’ve stayed alert and watched for Enforcers, but I couldn’t look away from Graham.
He studied me back with an expression I couldn’t read. It could’ve been anger, hatred even, if I took the furrow of his brow to be displeasure. But if I was honest with myself, it seemed as if he simply didn’t want to look away. And I didn’t want him to.
We spun to the sounds of the elegant orchestra, our bodies moving together fluidly across the dance floor. I feared Enforcers would soon flood the ballroom searching for us and we’d be swaying here, lost in each other’s gaze. But Graham was leading the way with a confident hand on my waist and I trusted him.
I held his hand more firmly, and he squeezed mine in return, pulling me closer, his other hand sliding around to the small of my back, the touch both gentle and eager.
My head grew dizzier at the sensation, and I started to wonder if he bore any of the feelings for me that I did for him, or if it was all an act. Either way, I leaned into it, finding calm and safety in the last place I expected—in the arms of Graham Brennin in the middle of a dance floor. We may have been pretending, but something about it felt more real than anything ever had. For one brief moment, both the internal and external chaos faded away.
We moved together and apart, our hands entwined in constant contact as we made our way to the entrance hall. Thefeel of his skin on mine was more than enough to keep me enraptured.
But then an unwelcome sight caught my eye, pulling me out of the dream I’d found myself living.
“Oh no,” I whispered.
“What is it?” he asked. “Enforcers?”
“Worse,” I said. “Your mother. She’s staring right at us.”
Graham glanced back, seeing Maeve Brennin standing near the wall with a curious look on her face.
“She certainly is,” he said.
“Do you think she’ll recognize me?”
“Not likely. My mother is nearsighted,” he said. “But trust me, she’s dying to know who you are.”
“Then let’s make sure she doesn’t find out,” I said.
Graham spun me around so my back was to Maeve instead, then pulled me back in, my rhythmic steps mirroring his. I was surprised at how well he could lead.
Cait and Lachlan danced nearby. Cait led their waltz rather than Lachlan, which didn’t surprise me.
“Fortunately, you look entirely different from your usual self,” said Graham, appraising me again from the top of my wig to the hem of my deep plum gown.
“But you said you knew it was me.”
He ducked his head, a shy gesture more befitting the old Graham. “Yes, I did recognize you, but . . . I don’t expect anyone else would. You and I, we went through a lot together. We almost died in a tempest, after all. That helps you remember a face, don’t you think?”
I laughed. “I do. I suppose I’d recognize you if you were wearing this wig and makeup too.”
“What a relief,” he said, slowing his steps and releasing my hand, his smile fading. A breath later, his other hand left mywaist, and his expression darkened. “We can stop dancing now. No more need to pretend.”
I looked around, surprised to see that we had already reached the arched doorway of the entrance hall.
I foolishly wished we didn’t have to stop.
Graham was no longer looking at me. I wondered if every look and even the pressing eagerness of his hands had been nothing but an act. He had said from the beginning that we had to look like we were enjoying ourselves, after all.
Was that all that had happened?
Or had it meant anything at all?
Cait and Lachlan arrived beside us, suppressing their laughter.
