When I glance at Mila, she’s already looking at me, seeming too satisfied for her own good. She’s absolutely unapologetic about this, and that quiet spark of defiance in her nearly pushes me over the edge.
I hate how easily the thought of anyone touching her makes me want to lose my mind, even when that person is my brother, and one who hasn’t shown any sign of interest in her.
And God, I hate how gorgeous she looks right now, knowing exactly what she has done.
After a brief and awkward pause, Nikolai clears his throat, already moving. “I’m going to get a drink…or leave.”
Without another word, he disappears, but all I see now is her. Mustering as much poise and calm as I can, I take his place without asking, hand settling on her waist while the other claims her free one.
I watch her for a long moment, then I murmur, “Enjoy yourself?”
“Very much so,” she says, so goddamn smug while she moves with me, slowly and almost sensually.
“That was clever.”
“Dancing?” She asks, lifting an innocent brow at me.
“With my brother,” I add, jaw tense while her skin feels so impossibly warm under my palm. “To provoke me.”
Her lips pull just enough to let me know I hit the mark, then she hums, and her hand on my shoulder just barely grazes my neck with her fingers. “Did it work?”
Ignoring her question, I pull in a calming breath, eyes still hard. “You could’ve asked me to.”
She shrugs. “I didn’t think you’d say yes. You seemed…preoccupied.”
The words are subtle, yet loaded. She means Naomi, and that makes my chest tighten.
“You didn’t like what you saw,” I murmur, watching her expression closely.
“I wasn’t going to stand there and feel small while another woman touched you,” she replies, calm and cool.
“You didn’t have to play games. I wanted out of that conversation anyway. You should’ve come over.”
At that, she looks me over for any lies, but seems satisfied by the response, even if she won’t admit it. “I didn’t make a scene, and I didn’t sulk. I danced instead.”
“With my brother.”
“He was the closest available option,” Mila says simply.
I narrow my eyes at her slightly, but I can’t deny that she handled it with far more class than most would’ve. “You liked it.”
“Dancing with Nikolai? Yeah, I did. He’s surprisingly good at it.”
“Careful,” I mutter, pulling her a touch closer until our bodies brush each time we shift in place. I lean in, speaking closer to her ear now. “You’re treading through dangerous territory.”
Regardless of my hold on her or the warning in my words, Mila doesn’t pull away. Instead, I catch the amusement in her voice, soft and knowing. “Maybe I’m right where I want to be.”
The words send a jolt of need right through me, and I tighten my grip on her fractionally as we dance idly, more focused on our back and forth than our movements. I can feel her through the dress, and I’m more than aware of every point of contact we make.
I don’t give a damn about the event unfolding around us. Instead, my entire focus narrows to her and the way she makesmy blood burn. I’m trying to get a grip, but my control is fraying at the edges.
Then, when her eyes slide down to my lips, I can’t take any more.
“Come on,” I murmur, reaching for her hand as I guide her away without waiting for her response.
With decisive ease, I steer us through the crowd and down a side corridor leading to an empty, quiet portion of the building. The noise of the event dulls behind us, instead overshadowed by the sound of our footsteps.
“Where are we going?” She asks, not sounding overly resistant.
