Page 47 of Their Property
Nathan finally released me to pull a high-backed chair out for me, which I accepted with my best gracious smile. He took the seat next to me and held a hand out toward the center of the table. “Champagne?”
I blinked, surprised to see the bottle sitting in a metal bucket filled with ice. “I thought alcohol was illegal?”
He grinned. “Not for those who have the right connections.”
It shouldn’t have surprised me, but it turned my stomach regardless. People of this territory had to pay premiums, find underground cellars, and risk jail time to enjoy a drink, but government officials could do the exact same thing without a care in the world.
Nathan didn’t ask me again but snapped his fingers. A white-gloved waiter hurried over to open and pour the bottle for the two of us.
“Thank you,” I murmured to the young man who looked roughly my age and held out a 5-Sevier note to him for a tip.
He startled for a moment before accepting it quickly with a bow of his head. “Thank you, ma’am. Please wave me down if I can do anything else for you.”
“Have another bottle ready for when this one’s done,” Nathan said, slouching in his seat. When the waiter disappeared, his attention returned to me. “Charitable little thing, aren’t you?”
I took my champagne flute and downed half of it, not giving one fuck if it wasn’t ladylike. “Everyone deserves to earn a living wage. As things are now, he probably works three jobs to make ends meet.”
“Let’s not talk politics tonight,” Nathan groaned. “But I hope he’s incentivized to be quick with the service. The first course should be coming out once everyone is settled.”
Our generously-sized table seated four, so thankfully I wouldn’t be stuck with only his company all evening. An older gentleman and his wife joined us a few moments later, and the first course, a small plate of green salad, was brought out shortly after.
I leaned all the way into my governor’s daughter role throughout the meal, keeping the topic of conversation polite and eating my courses as I’d been taught in etiquette lessons. All the while, I remained aware of Dyno standing behind me and wished I could relax into a couch next to him while sipping beer and eating French fries.
Halfway through our ten-course meal, Governor Perry went out to the empty floor to deliver a speech about Sevier independence and the future of the territory. I barely listened and just clapped and toasted along when prompted to.
“We’ll now have an hour for dancing before the rest of the meal is served,” Perry said at the end of his speech. “Move around and make room in there, people! Or sit back and digest, whichever suits you.”
He had barely finished talking before Nathan reached across the table and clasped my hand. “Dance with me.” It wasn’t a question, or an invitation, but a command. The next thing I knew, he was standing and pulling me along with him.
I had enough sense to know that I couldn’t refuse him, but our table had made it through the second bottle of champagne and it was getting harder to keep up my mask of politeness and poise. I glanced at Dyno while Nathan practically dragged me out to the dance floor and made an obvious show of rolling my eyes.
I turned back around before I could see his reaction. Some sleepy part of me, buried under the champagne bubbles, scolded myself for doing that. Multiple people probably saw. But I couldn’t bring myself to care anymore. I was fucking tired of projecting a certain image for the so-called greater good.
“What’s going on with you? Two left feet?” Nathan whipped around to face me, pressing his palms unashamedly to my bare back as he drew me close.
“I’m in four-inch heels, in case you didn’t notice.” I yanked my hand from his hold and braced both hands against his chest. “And stop touching me like that. You’re doing too much.”
He removed his hands from my back, transferring his grip to my upper arms instead. My breath stilled as he brought his face down even closer, forehead brushing mine. No way. He wouldn’t kiss me here, would he?
“I like your fire, Miss Vance. I really do,” he whispered, breath ghosting over my lips. “But there is a time and a place. And right now, while every important figure in the territory is watching, youwilllet me lead.”
“I have no problem with that,” I answered. “But you will not drag me around like a pet and put your hands all over me like you own me. I’m not your property.”
Nathan huffed and rolled his eyes, like what I just said was the most ridiculous notion in the world and not exactly how he saw me. “Fine. Can we just dance?”
“Yes,” I said in the exact same tone, like I didn’t want to be there at all.
We placed our hands at the proper positions, but that was as far as it went. Nathan saw something over my shoulder and did a double-take, his hands dropping and body going stiff. I turned around and could have jumped for joy at the sight of a smug Dyno behind me.
“Mind if I cut in?”
I could have kissed him.Saved by the biker!
Nathan let out an indignant huff, then turned and walked away without another word. He couldn’t even be bothered to fight for the dance when threatened by a better man. Dyno and I looked at each other and I could feel how hard it was for both of us to not burst out laughing.
“Now that was a little mean,” I said, my body instinctively swaying toward him.
He shrugged nonchalantly and held out his hand. “Dance with me?”
