Charlotte gasped softly. “I did no such thing and…”
“You practically glowed every time he spoke,” he spat the words out as if they were poison.
Her eyes widened with outrage. “You cannot accuse a woman of glowing.”
“I just did,” he said as he turned her in his arms.
“Well then you are ridiculous,” she said with a huff and moved into the next steps that took her away from him before returning to him.
Victor pulled her slightly closer during the next step of the dance than strictly necessary. “Morgan enjoys seducing women.”
Charlotte arched a brow. “Unlike you, naturally.”
“That is not the point,” he said is sternly feeling embarrassed that he knew exactly that her words accused him of being no better than Morgan.
“It appears precisely the point,” she said.
Victor exhaled slowly through his nose as several nearby couples began pretending very badly not to overhear them. He should stop speaking immediately before he revealed exactly how irrationally furious he felt. Unfortunately, Charlotte’s stubborn expression only aggravated him further.
“You ought to be more careful around men like him,” Victor muttered.
Her eyes flashed. “Men like him?”
“And me,” he muttered.
Charlotte looked momentarily startled by the bluntness of that answer. Victor instantly regretted saying it aloud. The orchestra swelled around them while they moved together across the crowded ballroom in dangerous silence for several moments. Victor remained acutely aware of every inch separating their bodies. Her waist beneath his hand felt soft and warm, and the faint scent of roses clung to her skin distractingly.
He hated himself for noticing.
“You behaved abominably,” Charlotte finally informed him.
“I am aware.”
“You interrupted a dance.”
“Yes,” he said.
“You threatened your friend, why?” she asked.
“He will survive,” he replied.
Charlotte looked scandalized. “Victor.”
“Do not say my name in that tone,” he said. His eyes darkened with lust.
“What tone?”
“The one that makes me sound like a misbehaving schoolboy.”
“You are misbehaving,” she whispered.
Victor leaned slightly closer. “And you like it.”
Her breath caught faintly. That tiny reaction shot straight through him like fire. Victor immediately cursed himself internally. This was exactly the sort of reckless behaviour he hadspent years avoiding. Women were supposed to be entertaining distractions, nothing more. They were not supposed to unsettle him simply by breathing too closely.
Charlotte looked away first, which satisfied him far more than it should have.
“You are impossible,” she murmured.
