Perhaps he wasn’t an ignorant weed, after all. Eying the breadth of his shoulders, I recalled the calluses on his palms. “Are you in Aric’s army?”
“No, but I have engaged in disputes before. I train so that if I’m ever needed, I’m not a useless fool whose only value is his jewels.”
An inkling of respect rose—something I never thought I would feel toward a nobleman. “That’s unusual among your kind,” I stated honestly.
He huffed a short laugh before leaning closer. “Just because many go about things a certain way does not mean that way is right.”
This close, his perfume filled my nose. It wasn’t entirely unpleasant, nor was the curve of muscle that appeared beneath the open vee of his tunic. “No, it does not,” I agreed.
“Thoughyouare one of a kind,” he said, blue eyes twinkling as they flicked between mine. “You don’t even have to think about the way others go about things. You get to set the standard yourself. How—” he exhaled wistfully— “freeing.”
His words gave me pause. I’d never viewed my situation like that before.
My tongue chased after something to say, and I found my gaze drifting to the stubble across his jaw. His face was rounder than the one I was so familiar with, but not in a displeasing way.
Matthias was handsome.
He cleared his throat. “I’m apparently tripping over my tongue today. I didn’t mean to strike a chord.”
“You didn’t,” I quickly reassured, though I couldn’t blame him for thinking that. I’d left his statement dangling in the air, unanswered. “I, um—just a lot on my mind.”
Really eloquent there, Etarla.
“I have been there myself, many a time.” He took a long pull from his goblet and set it down. “Fortunately, this means I’ve learned a few trustworthy methods for shutting the mind off.”
When he winked, I understood where this conversation might be going. Then my attention shifted to his mouth, which was tilted up in a pleasant grin, and I became more certain.
In a shocking display of tact, I asked, “Would you like to share them?”
He swiped his thumb across the side of his mouth. “The thing is, there is some value to these methods. It’s taken me years to acquire them, so as I’m sure you can understand, I can’t give them all away freely.”
A more practiced woman would know how to match his coy response with something equally demure. Knowing my limitations, I simply lifted a brow.
Better than saying something stupid.
It may have been better than saying anything at all, because Matthias’ lips widened, revealing a flash of straight, white teeth. “I’ll show you one,” he acquiesced, winking. “A gift, in celebration of this alliance.”
In my periphery, the man speaking with Harthon abruptly departed. It took every ounce of willpower not to glance his way and see if he watched. But nothing ever occurred in Harthon’s surroundings that he wasn’t aware of. And even if he wasn’t paying us mind, I would still carry through with this, because Matthias’ attention…
It wasn’t the worst thing.
He gracefully offered his palm, and I took it.
“A dance without music?” I asked as I stood. He took the goblet from my hand, placing it on a small table.
It was Aric who answered my question. “There are many types of dances in life.” His gaze flashed to Harthon for a moment, his lips twitching as he murmured, “Not all require music.”
Missing Aric’s meaning, Matthias added, “None of them do, in fact. You can either play the melody in your mind, or make it with your feet.”
With a delicate grip on my hand, he led me to a small, empty space beside the chairs, opposite where Harthon stood. His free arm skirted behind my back, fingers splaying at my waist, but not so low as to be familiar. In fact, everything about his hold was polite, from the space between our chests to the way his warm gaze remained on my face.
My shoulders slowly relaxed. “I must warn you, I am not very good at dancing, and that is with audible music.”
His soft grin was disarming. “Allow me to lead.” He dipped his chin to bring his eyes more level with mine. “This is to clear your mind, remember?”
I nodded, and he began to move. With sure movements and light pressure, he guided me effortlessly, the combination of steps easy. Elementary, really.
“When you said you were not very good, you were lying,” he remarked.
