“What kind of dance?” A country dance was lively, or so she had read.
“A waltz.”
It was what she had feared. “I have read it is a scandalous dance,” she whispered as one must do, she supposed, when speaking wicked matters.
Orion chuckled. “It used to be viewed as such, but the Lady Proprietresses of Almack’s allowed it last Season, so it is now perfectly respectable.”
Orion stood there, holding his hand out to her, his light brown eyes beckoning.
Would it really be wrong to dance with her friend? She could waltz and still guard her heart.
She must.
Tentatively she lifted her hand and placed it in his and then Orion led her to the center of the temple. “Have you read how the dance is done?”
She smiled. “Yes. I once studied a book of dances and practiced by myself.”
“It is much more enjoyable with a partner.” He then placed his hand on her waist and Nina placed hers on his shoulder, all the while staring into his eyes. Her heartbeat grew even heavier, pounding against her breastbone and her chest was so tight that she wasn’t certain she could take a deep breath. Then he stepped, and she followed. He was right, it was more pleasurable than dancing alone.
He hummed a tune she did not recognize, but it did not matter, nor was it necessary. She followed smoothly, as if they’d waltzed a dozen times before. And the longer they danced, the closer he brought her to him. Her body heated as her bodice tightened. Such strange sensations filtered through her body, and none of them unpleasant. Perhaps they were simply normal responses, and this was what everyone experienced when they danced, but she’d had such little physical contact with anyone that Nina had no way of knowing if this was typical.
Except, she knew that she must keep a respectable distance between them, but no matter how much she willed her body to retreat, it ignored her until Nina was pressed to Orion as their steps slowed.
This was wrong. So very wrong and she opened her mouth to tell Orion so, but before she could speak, he leaned forward and kissed her.
Goodness!
She’d read of this too, but she’d not expected to become dizzy or her body to become even more heated than before. As her knees threatened to give out, she grasped both of Orion’s shoulders for support just as his arms wrapped around and pulled her tightly against him.
This was wrong and had to stop.
Nina broke away and stepped back, nearly tripping. “You should not have kissed me.”
“Why?” he asked with a lopsided grin. “Did you not find it enjoyable?”
“It does not matter.” Nina was not going to admit to him how much she had enjoyed the encounter. She wasn’t even certain she wanted to admit to herself how much she wished that she could be back in his arms. But friends did not kiss. At least not in such a manner. If he would have placed his lips briefly on her cheek, that would have been acceptable, but his lips had been on hers and that wasn’t all. He had gently invaded her mouth and she had wanted to open further to the exploration as she wished to do the same, except it had produced the oddest aches within her body from her breasts to her nether regions.
Nina wasn’t certain what she was more frightened of, her heart breaking or the transformation within her physical being.
“We are friends,” she finally said. “Friends do not carry on in such a manner.”
Humor twinkled in his brown eyes and heat rushed to her cheeks. He must think her so naïve when it was likely that several ladies and misses had allowed him to kiss them each Season. He had refused to give her a number, but Nina suspected it was high.
Nina sucked in a breath. How many women had he truly kissed? “Are you a rake?”
She had not expected him to snort and then laugh.
He placed a hand over his heart. “It is not a reputation I hold.”
“Then how many women do you kiss each year? You never did give me an answer earlier.”
Orion’s eyes grew wide, and he stared at her slack-jawed.
“It may be an impolite question, but I have never been kissed before and wish to know if you go around kissing misses often.”
He took a step toward her, then frowned and looked down.
She glanced to where he was looking. Vines had grown from the ground, over the steps to the temple and one had wound around Orion’s ankle.
