The quartet transitioned seamlessly into a formal announcement. Soft strings gave way to a single, resonant chord from the conductor.
A voice over discreet speakers filled the ballroom: "Ladies and gentlemen, the Ravencroft family invites you to join the traditional opening waltz. Partners, please take the floor."
Guests shifted with practiced grace. Couples paired off, hands extended, smiles polite and performative.
The center of the marble expanse cleared; chandeliers dimmed slightly to cast golden pools of light across the polished surface.
Everett remained seated at the head table, watching like a king surveying his court. Marcus and Bianca moved to the edge of the floor, ready to lead by example.
Nyx had already left the bar; the third whiskey still burned low in his veins. He stood at the periphery of the gathering crowd, blazer sharp, hair wind-tossed from the terrace, eyes scanning with predatory patience.
Lexi and Jade flanked him at a distance: close enough to guard, far enough not to intrude.
They knew better than to speak Rowan's name aloud now. Nyx had shot them a look earlier that promised violence if they even breathed the word "doctor" again.
This obsession was his alone. No teasing. No commentary. No sharing.
Rowan stood near the exit she'd been aiming for minutes ago, posture rigid, arms crossed under her chest as though the waltz announcement was a personal affront.
She turned to leave. Black dress shifting, slit flashing thigh, auburn waves swaying with the motion. Clearly intending to slip out before the floor filled.
Nyx moved.
He crossed the space in long, purposeful strides. Oxfords silent on marble, crowd parting instinctively.
Before Rowan could reach the double doors, Nyx's arm snaked around her waist from behind: firm, possessive, fingers splaying wide across the silk-covered dip just above Rowan's hip.
He pulled Rowan back against his broad chest in one smooth, unyielding motion, halting her escape mid-step.
Rowan stiffened instantly; breath caught.
Nyx's mouth found the shell of Rowan's ear, close enough that his lips brushed skin when he spoke.
"Leaving so soon, Doctor?" he murmured, voice low velvet and edged with dark amusement.
"The family requests your presence on the floor. Wouldn't want to disappoint the hosts."
Rowan tried to twist free. Nyx's grip tightened: not painful, but immovable. His other hand came up, sliding to Rowan's wrist; thumb pressed lightly over the racing pulse there.
"Let go," Rowan hissed, voice barely above a whisper, eyes darting to the gathering couples who were now watching with veiled curiosity.
Nyx's lips curved against Rowan's ear. "Dance with me. One waltz. Or I make a scene right here … loud enough the whole room hears how the 'mature, responsible doctor' almost fell into my arms twice tonight."
Rowan's jaw clenched. She could feel Nyx's broad chest pressed to her back, the heat of his body seeping through blazer and silk, the faint whiskey-and-salt scent that clung to his skin. The arm around her waist held her like a claim: fingers splayed possessively, thumb brushing slow, deliberate circles over the silk just above her hipbone.
The music swelled: first slow notes of a Viennese waltz.
Nyx loosened his hold just enough to turn Rowan in his arms: smooth, controlled, forcing their bodies into proper dance position.
One hand settled at the small of Rowan's back; the other caught Rowan's right hand and lifted it to shoulder height.
Their bodies aligned: chest to chest, hips brushing, Rowan's full curves pressed against Nyx's tall, broad-shouldered frame in a way that made heat pool low in his belly.
Rowan's brown eyes blazed up at him: big, lashed, furious.
"You're insane," she whispered.
Nyx's smile was slow, dangerous, eyes locked on Rowan's lips for a heartbeat before flicking back up.
"Maybe," he murmured, beginning the first slow step forward, guiding Rowan effortlessly into the waltz. "But you're dancing with me anyway."
The floor filled around them. Couples glided in elegant circles, but Nyx and Rowan moved like a storm contained in silk and wool.
Every turn pressed them closer; every dip forced Rowan to arch into Nyx's hold.
Nyx's hand at Rowan's back slid lower: barely an inch, just enough to feel the heat through fabric, thumb tracing the line of her spine.
Rowan's breath hitched once, betrayingly.
Nyx leaned in again, lips brushing Rowan's temple as they turned.
"Feel that?" he whispered. "Your heart's racing. Not just from anger. Admit it … even if it's only to yourself. You hate me … but you don't want me to stop touching you."
Rowan's fingers tightened on Nyx's shoulder: nails digging in through blazer fabric. Not pushing away. Not pulling closer. Just … holding.
The waltz spun on.
And in the center of the glittering floor, under a hundred watching eyes, Nyx Ravencroft held Rowan Blackwood like he already owned her.
One week.
One dance.
And the fall had already begun.
The waltz spun on: slow, elegant circles under golden light, the quartet's strings rising and falling like breath.
Nyx guided Rowan with effortless command. One hand firm at the small of her back, the other clasping Rowan's fingers in a hold that was polite on the surface but possessive underneath.
Every turn pressed their bodies closer: Rowan's full breasts brushing Nyx's chest, hips aligning for a heartbeat before the next step pulled them apart just enough to tease.
Rowan's face was a mask of controlled fury, but her breathing had quickened; lashes fluttered once when Nyx's thumb traced a slow, deliberate arc along her spine through silk.
From the shadowed edge of the dance floor, half-hidden behind a marble pillar and a cluster of champagne-sipping investors, Ryan Ravencroft watched.
He hadn't joined the floor. He never did for these formal openings; he preferred to observe, to calculate angles and alliances like a man already playing the long game for inheritance scraps.
Tonight, though, his usual cool detachment cracked.
His eyes, sharp, calculating, the same arctic gray as his father's, locked first on Nyx.
The way he moved: blazer sharp, hair wild, owning the floor like he owned everything else. Then they slid, slow, deliberate, to the woman in his arms.
Rowan Blackwood.
Ryan's breath caught, low and involuntary.
The black dress clung to her like sin made fabric: hugging the generous swell of her breasts, dipping at the waist, flaring over hips that begged to be gripped.
The high slit parted with every turn, flashing long, toned legs that moved with reluctant grace under Nyx's lead. Auburn waves cascaded down her back, catching light like molten copper.
And her face, when she turned just enough for Ryan to catch it: full lips pressed tight in anger, arched brows drawn, big hazel eyes flashing fire under thick lashes. Beautiful. Untouchable. Furious.
A hot, ugly twist coiled in Ryan's gut.
Jealousy: sharp, immediate, venomous.
Not just because Nyx had her. Not just because his stepbrother had claimed the one person in the room who looked like she could burn the entire Ravencroft legacy to ash and walk away untouched.
But because he wanted her.
Wanted Rowan Blackwood in a way that had nothing to do with boardrooms or inheritances.
He shifted against the pillar, adjusting himself discreetly, jaw clenched so tight it ached.
Nyx spun Rowan again, closer this time, bodies flush for a full beat. Rowan's hand tightened on Nyx's shoulder; Nyx's lips brushed Rowan's temple in a whisper only they could hear.
Ryan's fingers curled into fists at his sides.
He hated Nyx for having her first.
Hated Rowan for looking like she might… might… crack under that touch.
Hated himself for wanting what his stepbrother had already marked as his.
He pushed off the pillar, straightened his tuxedo jacket, and forced a practiced smile as he moved toward the edge of the floor. Not to interrupt. Not yet. But to watch. To wait.
Because if Nyx ever slipped, if he ever lost his grip on the doctor, Ryan would be there.
Ready to take what he wanted.
And make her forget the heir who'd dared to claim her first.
The waltz continued: beautiful, tense, electric.
And from the shadows, Ryan Ravencroft watched with hungry eyes, jealousy burning hotter than any spotlight in the room.
Nyx's hand at the small of Rowan's back slid lower with each measured step, fingers splaying wider until the heel of his palm rested just above the swell of Rowan's ass. Not obscene.
Not yet. Just enough to make Rowan's breath hitch every time they turned.
Rowan's hazel eyes stayed locked on Nyx's: big, furious, lashes casting shadows across flushed cheeks. Her full lips pressed into a thin line, but the color high on her cheekbones betrayed her.
She hated this. Hated the arm around her waist.
Hated the way Nyx's thumb kept tracing slow, lazy circles through silk, hated the heat of Nyx's tall, hard body so close it felt like invasion.
"You're enjoying this," Rowan whispered through gritted teeth as Nyx dipped her backward: deep, dramatic, forcing Rowan to arch, breasts pressing harder against Nyx's chest. "You're disgusting."
Nyx pulled her back up slowly, deliberately, lips brushing Rowan's ear on the way.
"Am I?" he murmured, voice velvet and low.
"Or are you just mad that your body's honest even when your mouth isn't?" He spun Rowan out: quick, elegant, then yanked her back in closer than before. Their hips collided.
"That's the part you can't control, Doctor."
Rowan's nails dug into Nyx's shoulder through the blazer: hard enough to leave crescent marks.
"I hate you," she hissed, voice shaking with fury.
"You're a spoiled, reckless child who thinks the world owes you everything. You nearly died, and you laughed. You treat people like disposable toys. You're …"
"… exactly what you can't stop thinking about," Nyx finished for her, cutting the insult off with another turn that pressed their bodies flush again. He leaned in until their foreheads nearly touched, breath mingling.
"Say it louder. Tell me how much you hate me while your nipples are hard against my chest and your thighs are trembling. Go on. I dare you."
Rowan's eyes flashed: pure fire. She tried to pull back. Nyx's grip at her waist tightened; fingers dug in just enough to bruise.
"You think this is a game?" Rowan whispered, voice cracking with rage. "You think you can just … touch me? Provoke me? Make me feel …"
"… something," Nyx finished softly, eyes locked on Rowan's mouth. "Anything. Even if it's hate. Even if it's disgust. As long as it's me making you feel it."
He dipped Rowan again: deeper this time, until Rowan's hair brushed the floor, throat exposed, pulse hammering visibly. Nyx leaned over her, lips hovering an inch above Rowan's collarbone.
"I could kiss you right here. Right now. In front of everyone. Just my mouth on your neck. Would you stop me, Doctor? Or would you arch into it and hate yourself later?"
Rowan's breath came in short, sharp pants. Her free hand fisted in Nyx's blazer lapel: half to shove, half to hold on.
"I would bite your tongue off," she snarled.
Nyx smiled: slow, feral, triumphant.
"Promise?"