I wouldn’t mind rendering you obsolete right now.
Glory’s brow pleated. “Just because a lady can take care of herself doesn’t mean that a gentleman will have no uses.”
“And here is such a use now,” Hadleigh said smoothly. He turned to his wife. “I do believe they are playing your favorite waltz, my love. Will you do me the honor?”
“You know you’re my favorite partner.” The duchess placed a hand on his arm, adding, “And I believe this is Glory’s favorite song as well.”
Wei saw Winslow open his mouth, but he beat the other to it.
“Lady Glory,” he said. “May I have this dance?”
She showed him those irresistible dimples, flooding his chest and his groin with desire. With longing greater than he had ever felt before.
“I thought you would never ask,” she said.
Thirty
Although Wei was a novice to dancing, he was the best partner Glory had ever had.
They started slowly, in time with the music. She shivered at his closeness and proprietary touch, the way his callused fingers rested gently on the exposed skin of her back. Unlike her other partners, Wei didn’t try to engage her in pointless chitchat. They stared into each other’s eyes, moving with a natural synchronicity that communicated far better than words. Glory felt the grace and joy of their pairing, and it was everything.
As the tempo of the music sped up, so did their steps. Wei spun her, then changed direction with a swiftness that made a laugh escape her like a bird from a cage. He was confidence and control personified; she didn’t have to wait for him, urge him along, or modulate her pace to his. She could simply be herself and dance.
Joy and desire thrummed as Wei spun her again, holding her close, a hairsbreadth separating them from scandal. In that instant, she burned with memories: the scorching claim of his lips, the hard friction of his body against hers, the way he’d touched her deep inside. The heat in his eyes told her he was remembering and burning too. As they completed the turn, he adjusted their bodies to the proper distance, leaving her breathless and tingling.
The rest of the dancers, the ball, even the world fell away. There was only Wei, and how alive she felt when she was with him. How right. As Glory floated in her beloved’s arms, she knew with certainty that they were born to do this. To be partners in the dance of life for as long as they both drew breath.
She gazed dreamily into Wei’s eyes as the music began to slow.
“I wish this dance didn’t have to end,” she whispered.
“There will be other dances.”
His heated promise sizzled through her.
“I brought you a birthday gift, but I think it must wait until we have privacy.”
Anticipation fluttered in her chest. “Meet me in the conservatory in half an hour.”
“Are you certain?” he said in a low voice. “I don’t want to risk your reputation. And how will you manage to get away from your parents?”
Looking around the ballroom, she searched out the Angels’ beaming faces. She lifted her hand from Wei’s shoulder to give them a little wave.
Smiling, she said, “That is what friends are for.”
As an anniversary gift, Papa had added the conservatory to the house several years ago so that Mama could cultivate flowers year-round. Glory had instantly adored the addition, which was a marvel of modern construction with its soaring glass walls and ceiling. Potted citrus scented the air, its lush foliage concealing cozy nooks. During the day, the room was bright and cheery, but tonight, illuminated by candles and moonlight, it had a sultry, romantic ambiance.
The perfect place for a lovers’ rendezvous.
My first tryst…well, planned tryst anyway. Delight bubbled through Glory. On her twenty-first birthday, she was finally grown up and meeting with a lover.
She gave a start when hands covered her eyes from behind.
Her pulse racing, she said, “When are you going to teach me how to do that?”
“To do what, little tigress?” Wei dropped his hands and turned her to face him.
Even in the dimness, she could see the smile in his eyes.
