His mouth curved slightly. Not quite a smile. But close.
Then he did something that made my heart stumble. He extended his hand.
I froze, staring at it. His hand was large, steady, his palm broad. My own hand suddenly felt impossibly small. My pulse thundered in my ears.
I shouldn't. God, I shouldn't.
But I did.
My fingers slid into his, and warmth shot up my arm like fire. His skin was warm, rough, and the contact sent my heart into a frenzy.
"Dominic," he said simply, introducing himself as though I didn't already know him better than most of the women in this room.
I smirked, hiding the tremor in my voice. "My name? Why should I tell you that? Isn't the point of a masquerade to stay hidden?"
His eyes narrowed slightly, studying me. "You're serious?"
"Do I look like I'm playing around?" I teased, tilting my head. "Just because you swooped in like some knight in a tux doesn't mean I owe you my name."
He chuckled, the sound low and rich, and it nearly undid me. "Fair enough. Keep your name, if that's what you want. But even without it, I'd still like to know you."
The way his gaze swept over me then—slow, deliberate, lingering—made heat crawl up my neck. It wasn't lewd. It wasn't crude. It was worse. It was careful. Attentive. Like he was actually seeing me.
Not Emily's friend. Not some awkward girl at his dinner table years ago.
Me.
---
The orchestra shifted, applause rippling as the next song began—a sweeping waltz that rolled through the air like silk.
Dominic extended his hand again, this time with intent. "Dancing," he said. "Always the best way to get to know someone."
My breath caught. This was the moment. My last chance to stop. If I refused, I could still salvage this, still walk away before I drowned in something I couldn't undo.
But my hand betrayed me.
I placed it in his.
In one motion, he drew me close, his arm wrapping around my waist, pulling me against him. His body was firm, solid, every inch of him radiating a strength that made me weak. My pulse hammered so hard I was certain he could feel it.
The world narrowed to the steady beat of the music and the heat of his body. The other dancers blurred, the chandeliers dimmed, and all I could sense was him.
---
He moved with ease, leading me effortlessly, his steps confident, practiced. My body fell into rhythm before my mind caught up. I had never danced with him before, but it felt as though I always had.
"Now," he murmured, his voice brushing against my ear, intimate and low. "You can keep your name hidden. But I still want to know…" His eyes caught mine, sharp and unyielding. "What brings you here tonight?"
I swallowed hard, fighting the urge to spill everything—my career, my desperation, my forbidden crush, my secret.
What brought me here? Fate.
And the dangerous, impossible longing for the one man I could never have.