Page 30 of Royally Ruined

All of us startled. He’d remained silent, so him speaking up just to compliment me was as good as him shouting at the top of his lungs. Thorne covered his mouth, muttering, “Ah, fucking hell, brother.” Kain just smirked.

A voice booming over the microphone saved me from any more awkwardness. “Could the bride and groom please come to the dance floor?”

“That’s our cue,” Sammy said, her dress gliding over the rough floorboards. The pair approached the cleared section of the room. Music tinkled through the air. The lights dimmed romantically, everyone shushing one another. Sammy and Kain took each other’s hands, moving in a gentle circle.

I sucked at dancing, so I was impressed by how easily they swayed together. They reminded me of synchronized dancers. Kain swept her up and turned it into a deep back bend. Grinning, he kissed her neck and her mouth, and the room thundered with applause and whistles.

Their first dance over, the vibe shifted as a song with more energy blasted from the speakers. Couples moved into place, jumping and laughing as they showed off their skills.

Their love for each other.

My neck burned; Mama Badd was watching me. She kept flicking her fingers, a sort of “Go on, get going” gesture. She made her intentions obvious, and I appreciated that, because if I was honest with myself, I wanted to get on that dance floor. I wanted to be as close to Costello as Sammy had been with Kain.

It was an entirely stupid urge. Thanks, third glass of wine.

“Come on,” I said, reaching out for Costello with a half smile. “Let’s dance. Everyone expects us to.”

He’d been staring out over the crowd. We were alone; Thorne had slid off at some point to bump and grind with a redhead in the corner. “You’re sure?” he asked, still not looking at me.

Shrugging sheepishly, I said, “I mean, unless you don’t want to.”

He set his glass down on the snack table. That was when I realized it was empty. Had he been pretending to drink this whole time? My wonderment was renewed when he linked his fingers with my own. “Okay,” he said to me. “Let’s go.”

My heart flickered like a candle with a new wick. He pulled me onto the dance floor ... he spun me against his body ... and I became a bonfire. Within seconds of his holding me as he moved over the hardwood floor, I realized our skills were unevenly matched. “Wait,” I laughed nervously, “I’m not actually good at dancing. Let’s just do that lazy rock-together move, you know?”

“Shh,” he whispered, fixing me with a look that had me swallowing my tongue. At least it tasted good—like red wine. How would Costello taste? “Let me lead.”

I’d been letting him lead me since last night. What an easy request.

He spun us around the crowd, a man who moved like he was dodging bullets. I went along, his strength half carrying me through the steps and making me look way better at this than I’d ever look on my own.

He’s so warm,I thought, staring up into his eyes. When he smiled, my stomach did a cartwheel. All day my goal had been to bury these crazy feelings. I was lusting for a man who kept giving me mixed signals ... but his words had been clear.

Last night was an accident.

And what if, this time, the accident was bigger between us?

And what if I didn’t care?

“You’re very red,” he whispered into my ear.

That only made my body flush more. “It’s the lighting,” I lied. “That’s all.”

“Mn.” It was a simple sound. The agility of his fingers down my spine was anything but simple. He touched me with ease, possessive and free-flowing, until I lost my sense of direction.

I didn’t care which way I went.

As long as it was down. With him.

He’s not smiling anymore.I’d been transfixed by his lips. The corners were all shadow, as mysterious as him. They moved, the single shape not anHfor Heather but anSfor Scotch. He never said either name, because I’d stood up enough to close the gap and finally feel his mouth.

He tasted like water; he hadn’t had a drop of anything stronger all night. Costello was sober and straight in his decisions. He knew exactly what he was doing. His hands caught me around my middle, feeling up the dress he’d bought for me.

Around us came enthusiastic applause. Someone whistled sharply; I pulled away enough to see it was Kain. Every single person in that barn was smiling.

All but Thorne.

He stared at us from the open bar. I was sure his cup didn’t contain water.He knows what we’re doing is drawing too much attention.The hands on me went slack—had Costello realized what his brother had? Just as I expected him to break away, Costello dug back in.

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