The polished suit that had been in pristine condition just hours ago was askew, the shirt beneath tugged open at the neck, exposing most of his chest where the laces had come untied.
Goddess above.
I placed a hand on his shoulder and traced the skin along his collarbone, down his chest, down to the exposed ab muscles that made my stomach do very, very naughty things.
“Rummy,” he warned.
Like this, in the middle of the crowd, we were hidden from the outside world. In our own little bubble of lust and dancing and euphoria and escape.
So when he guided his hand down to my ass and pulled my body taut against his, I let him.
“What?” I teased. “You’re the one who said you wanted to have fun tonight.”
His perfect, plump lips twitched as he held me there, swaying with the crowd, practically undressing me with his eyes.
This was the Jessiah I liked to see. Undone. Loose.
This was the Jessiah who didn’t run away from me in disgust. Who didn’t look at me like a sad, broken object.
He looked at me like he actually wanted me.
And I couldn’t look away from him either. The glistening skin, the broad shoulders, the luscious lips…
I could kiss him. I could pop up onto my toes and close what little space remained between us. I could run my tongue against his bottom lip and finally know what it felt like to?—
The music around us cut out.
People around us made sounds of confusion, even a few grunts of annoyance. That meant this wasn’t in my head. The music really had halted just as I was about to kiss the man who still gripped my ass.
It was real.
Jessiah tensed and quickly released me.
Straightening, I took a step back and scanned the room.
The lanterns around the ballroom grew brighter, illuminating the mess of sweaty bodies on the dance floor, making many dancers wince.
Notnice.
“Ladies and gentlemen of Pericius,” Cornelius said. He was standing on the stage with the musicians, looking just as put together as he had when I arrived. “I want to welcome you all personally. I hope you’ve been enjoying yourselves tonight. It certainly looks like you’re having a grand time!”
A handful of people in the crowd snickered at his comment. Me? My body heated uncomfortably, and I took another step away from Jessiah. I didn’t look at him. I couldn’t face him.
Cornelius’s voice was loud and clear as he continued. “I brought us all together tonight to celebrate one of my father’s favorite events. The Autumn Victorial.” That garnered quiet applause. “He insisted that we gather to reignite our passion for life. To come together and remember our greater purpose in this world!”
The crowd cheered louder this time. I clapped as well, blending in with the rest of the dancers.
“Many of you knew my father.”
That statement was followed by a long silence. The only sound my heart beating in my ears.
“He was never one to pass up a good party, I’ll say that much. He would have loved to see us all here tonight. Celebrating. Coming together to stand for what is important.”
A male in the back, surely drunk, yelled out, “Power to Pericius!”
A few others echoed the sentiment.
Cornelius smiled, waiting for the crowd to calm, then resumed his speech. “For many, many years, this kingdom stood idly by while others rose. While leaders in neighboring empires took power. While others told us how we could and could not behave on our own soil. But now? I’m putting a stop to that.”
