“Flynn, you shouldn’t have done that.”
He shrugged. “I’ll leave it for F. Scott to find.” She giggled, and he stopped her laugh with a kiss.
Without ending the kiss, he picked her up, holding her like a groom carrying his bride across the threshold, and she pulled back, yelping in delighted surprise. “What? I’m dressed for it,” he quipped.
She threw her head back and laughed before kissing him once more. She caressed his face and toyed with his hair as he carried her in the direction of her bungalow. “My pirate,” she murmured.
“My treasure,” he returned. He nipped at her earlobe andthen swirled his tongue around the spot behind her ear that he knew drove her wild. He was rewarded with the feel of her arching against him while he held her. “Do you think Judy will come back anytime soon?” he huffed out, growing breathless from their kisses. He squeezed her bottom with his hand, making the intentions behind his question clear.
Her eyes danced merrily in response. “I have a feeling she won’t be back for hours.”
“Good.” He grinned. “Then I can ravish you in every room.” He held her even more tightly and broke into a light run, with Livvy laughing all the way back to the apartment. Her laugh was his favorite sound in the world, and he would do everything in his power to ensure he could hear it multiple times a day, every day for the rest of his life. A pirate and his mate.
Chapter 32
One month later
Livvy stepped out of the dinghy and onto the dock, careful not to get the heel of her champagne-colored shoe caught between the wooden planks. She dropped the skirt of her shimmering dress, and it swirled like liquid gold around her knees and ankles as she reached for Flynn’s hand.
Behind them, in the purple light of dusk, loomed the Catalina Casino, the gem of Avalon Bay with its rounded structure. Its tall, scalloped archways were illuminated in shades of silver and gold for the New Year’s dance.
Flynn tucked her arm beneath his and straightened the fox fur stole she wore, leading her up the pier toward the walkway. In a few moments, they were at the front of the casino, and Livvy gasped at the beautiful mosaic tile that lined the entrance. A mermaid with blond hair, floating in a sea of teal tile, stretched high above them, surrounded by two panels that featured the curls of ocean waves, brightly colored fish, and adorable seahorses. It was even more impressive than the tile at Flynn’s home.
“It’s stunning,” she gasped in wonder.
“No, you are,” Flynn whispered into her ear, nuzzling her bare neck. She swatted at him and warmed. It was a terrible line, but it still made her go all squishy inside every time he told hershe was beautiful. “But if you think this is good, wait until we’re inside.”
Flynn wasn’t exaggerating. Every room held more wonders than the last. The art deco building was extraordinary, from the designs in its tiled entryway to its lush red ceilings and walnut-paneled hallways. She oohed and aahed as they made the climb to the twelfth floor and entered the enormous ballroom. An outdoor circular balcony granted them a three-hundred-sixty-degree view of the harbor and the ocean that separated them from the mainland in the distance. Around the edge of the ballroom were beautifully decorated tables and chairs, each with a spray of red roses at their center. The stage at the front of the room held a forty-piece band, currently playing “Stompin’ at the Savoy” while couples Lindy Hopped their way around the magnificent dance floor.
Livvy couldn’t help but swing her hips lightly in time to the music as she swiveled her head, trying to take it all in. The chestnut wood paneling continued across the back of the room, where a large bar was built into the wall. But the best feature was the room’s fan-vaulted ceiling with a gold metal chandelier and a large globe light at its center.
“Is it what you imagined?” Flynn leaned over and asked her.
She nodded. “So much more.”
The band concluded their song, and the couples on the floor broke out into a smattering of applause. It was early still, and she knew the floor would only get more crowded as the night went on. The band nodded on beat as the band leader counted off a quicker syncopation and they broke out into “Sing, Sing, Sing.”
Livvy couldn’t suppress a trill of excitement, and Flynn chuckled. “Would you like to dance?”
“God yes,” she answered, and he showed her over to a tablenext to the window where she could deposit her stole and the small clutch she was using as a handbag. He took her hand and they headed down three steps and out onto the floor, Flynn twirling her into his arms.
The music twinkled along, and he led her through a sequence of basic swing steps before turning her into a series of spins. By the time the song ended, she was gasping for air and smiling so wide her face hurt.
“Having fun?” Flynn asked, pulling her toward him.
All she could do was nod vigorously as she tried to catch her breath. That day when they’d won the regatta and stared at the casino in the distance, Flynn had promised to bring her here. She had thought it was a hollow pledge at the time, something he’d tossed off in the moment. But the reality of it now was so much more than she had dreamed. “I didn’t know you could dance like that,” she huffed out.
“When you’re a member of the British aristocracy, it comes with the territory.” He shrugged.
“A former member,” she corrected. Just after Christmas, Flynn had sent his brother a letter, renouncing any claim he had to the family title and fortune. As his mother’s bastard, he technically had no right to it anyway, but Edgar didn’t need to know that. He’d spare him that indignity at least. Better his brother just believe he’d forsaken his duty once and for all. Flynn had enough money here, and he had never wanted the strings his family legacy came with. So, he’d freed himself to enjoy his life with Livvy on his own terms. Just as his mother had done before him. “Besides, I doubt they teach the Lindy Hop to future dukes.”
He chuckled. “No, you’re right. That I learned how to do from a cigarette girl at the Palomar Ballroom. She was a rather, uh, vigorous girl.”
Livvy rolled her eyes. “Remind me to write her a thank-you note.”
Flynn laughed more loudly now. “I love it when you get a little jealous.”
“I’m not jealous,” Livvy teased. “I would’ve hated to teach you to dance. After all, I already had to teach you to fence.” She winked at him as his jaw dropped in mock outrage.
