Page 83 of A Promise so Bold and Broken

Her eyes didn’t leave his as he walked toward her, and she held her breath until dizziness made her vision blurry.

Shakily releasing it, she reached out a hand when Merrick halted before her.

When he glanced at it for a moment, she whispered, “I’m not making you dance, I promise.”

The low chuckle leaving him rumbled through her, and her body trembled when his warm hand wrapped around hers.

“But I am.”

Merrick’s gravelly response made her sway, and he had to steady her when she stared up at him.

“You… you’re what?” Lessia asked, that lightheadedness returning when Merrick tugged at her hand, turning her back toward the dance floor.

“Dancing.”

“But…” Lessia frowned at him, bringing them both to a halt. “You don’t dance.”

She must be drunker than she’d thought.

Merrick laughed, a rough, quiet laugh. “I’ll make an exception.”

She was about to ask why when the question stuck in her throat.

Something dangerous flashed in Merrick’s eyes.

And it wasn’t the danger of battle or even magic but… something even more perilous.

Something she wasn’t sure she was ready for.

So instead, she nodded, expecting him to drag her out to the other dancing couples.

But Merrick nudged her back to the spot by the wall where she’d rested after her first wild dance.

When her back was nearly touching it, he stilled and pulled her into his arms so gently her mouth would have fallen open if she hadn’t caught it.

Wrapping her own arms around his neck, she let him align their bodies so every inch touched the others, and when he began moving from side to side, the movement so slight it was barely making her shift her weight, she smiled into his shoulder.

It wasn’t the dancing her father had taught her growing up.

It wasn’t Loche’s elaborate moves.

It was Merrick.

It was trust.

It was assurance.

It was friendship.

It was…

Her breath hitched when Merrick’s cheek brushed hers, and she could feel his muscles growing taut as her heartbeat surged.

His stubble scratched against the sensitive skin just beneath her chin, and she tried to suck in a breath—tried to breathe, but it proved impossible.

She needed air.

That must be it.

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