“You’re doing it already,” he said, that grin stretching his lips again.
It was powerful, all right, and gears and cogs went nuts in my stomach, but we wereup here,and the Great Clock was over our heads, and it was impossible to forget when I wasstanding.
“March, I want to sit down. Let’s just?—”
“No.” He held onto me tightly, squeezed my waist until I felt him all the way to my bones, and then pulled me closer. Just pulled a little bit, and I all but fell against his chest, my body at his command. “You figured out how to bring clockbeasts back to life. How to unmake an hour properly. How to create an incorrect working clock.” Well, when he put it like that…“Youcandance with me on a dance floor in the sky. You’re doing it right now.”
My mouth opened and closed, and he continued to move us with ease, and my feet followed his and my body was just…calm.My thoughts weren’t racing anymore, either. His words were stuck in my ears, and they somehow pushed everything else out, at least for a moment.
“Besides, I’m the handsomest guy up here. You should consider yourself lucky that I chose you.”
I knew he was kidding. It was evident in the way he was still grinning, but I still rolled my eyes and let go of his shoulders and turned to walk away.
March stopped me.
Grabbing both my hands before I could turn away, he pulled again, harder this time, and with the high heels, and with his strength, I had no chance of keeping myself away.
Well, I did. I just didn’t want to.
So, the next second found me with my chest against his again, and this time he wrapped his arm around my waisttightly, squeezed as if to show me that I wouldn’t be able to get away as easily a second time.
My toes curled, which was an odd reaction. My blood rushed and my heart hammered.
“I’m joking,Velvet,” March said under his breath, and I wanted to say something else to release this tension that had built up inside me so quickly, when he added, “I knowI’mthe lucky one.”
My mouth clamped shut and I had no comeback, only a failed attempt to stifle a smile before it took over my face completely.
“Relax. It’s not so bad. We’re safe,” March said after a moment. “They might not care aboutusas much as they want us to believe, but they do care about themselves. We’re safe.”
And, of course, he did have a point.
“We’re safe,” I repeated with a nod—and more than that. We weredancing.
I’d gone dancing at school and birthday parties before. I had friends. I’d had Jinx most of my life—but I’d never once danced with a guy likethisbefore. Not so close. Not soseamlessly.I never really knew my body could move until he guided it and my limbs followed so effortlessly. I never knew I could recognize a beat as well as I was doing now and keep up with it.
“See? You didn’t need to keep us glued to that chair all night,” March said.
“I didn’t keep you anywhere,” I said, but the way he was looking at me…
“Oh, so if I would have tried to stand up, you wouldn’t have ordered me tostayagain?”
My jaw hit the floor. “That wasonetime!” And I’d been panicked. I wasn’t in control.
He grinned again, and the sun must have been in lovewith him because it enhanced every single color on his face. I was close enough to see the difference clearly.
“I’m serious,” I said because he refused to say anything else. “I don’t want tokeepyou?—”
“You didn’t,” he cut me off and squeezed me once against his chest, emptying my lungs instantly. “I wanted to stay seated.”
Because of me.
Of course he did.
“Now, focus, Velvet.” His hand moved up my back, until half his finger touched my bare back over the fabric of my dress. “Focus on your ears.Listen.”
All at once I was remindedwhyMimi suggested we should be dancing. All at once the memory of that Club couple came back to me, together with their words.
Time’s Teeth, they hadreallysounded like they remembered. What was it that the man had said again?Fascinating how they’ve changed so much, but not at all.
