Page 96 of The King's Maiden

I stepped to his side and looped my arm through his, unprepared for his response and the way it caught my breath in my throat.

“As you wish.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

QUINN

Even though we arrived on time, the party was in full swing when we walked through the doors of the Round Tableau building.

Couples danced on the dance floor, their bodies pressed together so tightly I couldn’t tell where they ended and began. It seemed training was going well for the eleven other pairs.

A few had sequestered themselves in the dark alcoves around the room, and I couldn’t help the way my attention pulled there again.

Landon slipped his hand in mine to lead me through the crowded room, and when he saw where my eyes had wandered, his grip tightened on my hand. My breathing hitched as I stared up at him. Asking a question I couldn’t bring myself to voice, I stared transfixed at his lips as they curved into a smile.

“Let’s dance.” He tugged me out into the center of the room, nodding at his fellow Knights as they danced with their Maidens.

I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

Under the chandelier, he stopped and pulled me into his arms, swaying to the music.

The heavy and fast beat drowned out everything around me—except for him, and the way it felt when his hand came around my back, sliding over my hip.

He slipped his leg between my thighs, grazing my clit and snapping me out of the trance I’d fallen into watching him move.

“I wouldn’t have pegged you as a dancer.” I raised my voice so he could hear me, enjoying the way his eyes lit up under the strobing lights.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Maiden.”

Before I could point out why, he spun me around, plastering his chest to my back and pulling my hips against him. He rolled his hips from side to side, taking mine with them, and even though I could dance circles around him, I liked letting him lead.

I dropped my head back on his chest, one arm reaching up to loop around his neck.

He trailed his hand down my arm, fingers running along the curve of my side before finding my hip again. Squeezing lightly, he held me steady as he ground his hips against me. His erection dug into my ass, and the proof that he was as affected by this as I was invigorated me.

I wanted to drop to my knees or pull him into one of those dark alcoves.

The longer we danced, the deeper that desire became.

My breathing tightened, too. The crowded dance floor, combined with the scent of sweat and sex, made me dizzy.

The last thing I wanted was to pull away from him, but I needed to sneak away to the bathroom and use my inhaler before I passed out. Turning around in his arms, I looped mine around his neck and leaned up toward his ear.

“Ladies room,” I said quickly, stifling a cough.

He released me and let me head in that direction, but I sensed him following me off the dance floor. When I reached therestroom, he posted up outside the door. I couldn’t help but run my eyes over him before I went inside.

Desire rushed through me when he did the same.

But it evaporated when two girls I recognized stood in front of the bathroom mirrors.

“Oh look.” Vivian smirked at her reflection, reapplying her bright red lipstick. “I thought I smelled something cheap.”

I ignored her, pushing into one of the private stalls.

One of the perks at a Camelot Court party was the bathrooms. Each stall had a full-length door, and when I closed it, the sound of Vivian’s voice muffled slightly.

Since it made sense to multitask, I used the restroom while I pulled my inhaler from the small clutch slung over my body. I waited until the door closed and the girls’ voices disappeared before taking a puff from my inhaler.

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