Sabrina took her turn, advancing toward Lorenzo. Their gloved hands touched, sending shivers coursing through her spine.
As they pivoted and changed lines, he murmured, “Mio angelo. My angel.”
All the air left her body. She couldn’t look away from him. The other couples in the ballroom disappeared in the background. It was as if they were in a ballroom solely belonging to them, the music timed to the beating of their hearts.
On their next exchange, he whispered, “Il mio cuore. My heart.”
The cravat above Lorenzo’s shirt shifted. She stared at the minute flash of tanned skin.
How risqué.
Beneath his shirt and jacket, she could picture his powerful bare shoulders, sculpted chest, and chiseled abdominal muscles glistening in a thin sheen of perspiration from dancing. Her throat grew dry.
“La mia pearla, my pearl, should we not have some sort of conversation? You could remark on the size of the room or even the number of people in attendance.”
She wracked her brain. What should she say back to him?
“If I weren’t a lady, I’d say I want to kiss you into blind oblivion. But being a lady, I’ll stick to saying that we’re lucky to have such clear weather this evening,” she sputtered.
Good job, Sabrina. You have the most handsome dancing partner in a grand, decorated ballroom, and that’s the best line you can come up with?
“For the record, I would be in full support of any activity a lady suggests.” He winked at her. “Yet as a gentleman, I’ll ask, how did you and Leonora find your carriage ride?”
She was aware of two other bodies completing the pattern to their left, marching in place before they weaved around one another.
Sabrina’s gloved hand clasped Lorenzo’s. An electric energy as strong as a maelstrom surged through her body, threatening to consume her. “Utterly magical.”
“Solo il meglio per te. Only the best for you. This evening is all about making your dreams come true. I wanted everything to be perfect,” he said.
Heat radiated off their bodies. Sabrina caught herself turning the opposite direction and quickly corrected herself.
Lorenzo slide-stepped to his left. “You’re being quiet again. What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking about how you magically know all the steps to the dance.”
“I studied every video I could find on the internet of Regency dances.”
Her ears burned. “I’m also counting down the moments until this dance is over. I want your lips to claim mine.”
The intensity of Lorenzo’s eyes grew, shifting from a cinnamon to a darker shade of toffee. She saw passion. She saw love. She saw desire.
“Patience, mio amore.”
Sabrina and Lorenzo completed one final change of lines. The music ended. A buzzing of clapping and excitement filled the air. From the corner of her eye, four couples to her left, Sabrina spied Nora and her Lord Malcolm slip out of sight.
“Lucas and my sister won’t miss us.” Lorenzo calmly whisked her out of the assembly rooms and past the cloakroom.
Sabrina’s mouth opened and closed. “That was Lucas?”
Lorenzo opened a heavy wooden door. The wet mist of the evening air brought a welcome relief to her burning body. Neat planter boxes on the outdoor patio held shrubs. A string of fairy lights glimmered above. Sabrina could hear the sound of groups shouting pub-quiz trivia answers over one another.
“Si. Lucas is the one who helped me secure access to areas of the Bath Assembly Rooms normally inaccessible to others. His being an earl comes with certain advantages.” Lorenzo firmly shut the door shut. “No one will bother us the rest of the evening.”
Within seconds, Lorenzo’s hands made quick work of removing his mask. Small red indentations formed the outline, shaped like a raccoon. Sabrina giggled. “I can’t wait for the reveal,” he said. “I want to gaze upon your angelic face, la mia ninfa.”
“You’ll have to help me take out some of these pins. My mask isn’t nearly as easy to remove as yours.” She reached behind her head, feeling for any bumps. “There is a velvet strap secured under my bun.”
Lorenzo’s lips curved upward. He methodically peeled his gloves off his hand, fingertip by fingertip. “Now you’re fulfillingmyfantasy. One of my favorite features of yours is your hair. It’s so soft and silky.” He sniffed it. “It smells like a garden. Pears and freesia.”
