Page 80 of Duke of Wickedness
“Come,” he urged her, beckoning but not quite daring to reach out a hand to her, not until they were out of this private space which was so dense with emotion. He handed her the mask that went with the dress without looking at her. He didn’t want to see her covering her face, as necessary as it was. “Make certain that your mask is secure. It’s time for us to go. The party is beginning.”
CHAPTER 21
Ariadne couldn’t stop touching her gown. The top was a verdant silk, a little greener than the shade she’d worn the other night, though there were a few of those nefarious little strips that were a touch bluer than the others, creating an effect that would have been like rippling water if not for the unmistakable bird motif.
Maybe it should have seemed silly, this loyalty to the nickname he had given her, but she was…charmed.
And the skirts were lighter than air. They were a cascade of wide strips that were like ribbons. They were close enough together that they looked like a cohesive skirt, but when she moved, each step threatened to reveal bare leg.
Threatened to reveal it, but never did.
“This is a very pretty dress, David,” she said, almost shyly. “I really, really love it.”
“It scarcely does you justice, Ari,” he murmured to her as he led her over to a balcony. “Nobody will be able to keep your eyes off of you.”
She looked down over the balcony, where people were milling, laughing, sipping champagne.
He guided Ariadne to stand pressed against the railing, then came up behind her, his warmth a steady presence at her back.
“I am being a terrible host by not going down to welcome everyone,” he admitted. “But I find that I do not care in the least. This party isn’t for them, my sweet.” He pressed a kiss to the curve of her shoulder. The cut of the gown let the faintest hint of the lace on her undergarments peek out, and his breath ruffled the threads, making them tickle her skin. “It’s for you. All of it.”
It was a nice sentiment. A lovely sentiment. He’d gone to so much trouble just to give her what she wanted.
So why did she feel like she might cry?
She shook aside that thought and focused on the milling crowd below.
“Here is what is going to happen,” he said, resting his chin on her shoulder, touching his cheek to her cheek as he wove the spell for her. “We are going to go down to the party. And you… You are going to have whatever you want. If you want someone to touch you, they touch you. If you don’t, they don’t.”
She sucked in a breath. She hadn’t prepared for the idea of someone else touching her. She wasn’t certain how she felt about it.
But maybe that was the answer. Maybe that would help her get David out of her head.
She had to at least consider.
But…
“They might not want me,” she said. She knew, without question, that nobody here would be asked to do something they didn’t want.
But David only laughed, low and deep enough that she felt the rumble where he was pressed against her.
“Trust me, little bird,” he said. “That will not be a problem. The choice is yours. All yours.”
He let her sit with this notion for a moment. They both watched as two ladies flirted with a man who looked simply delighted to be between them, his head moving from one to the other as they bantered and teased.
“Are you ready?” he asked her after a moment.
She took a deep breath, then nodded. She still wasn’t certain what she wanted—no, that wasn’t true, shedidknow what she wanted, she was just afraid that she oughtn’t want it, or that wanting it would cause her more trouble than she was prepared to take on—but shewasbrave enough to descend into the joyous chaos below.
“Yes,” she said. “Let’s go.”
Just as David had predicted, heads turned in Ariadne’s direction as they descended the stairs, and more than one appreciative glance was shot her way.
“You know, mate, it isn’t fair that you get to have such a beautiful lady on your arm just because you’re the host,” a gentleman quipped as they passed where he was lounging against another man, who wasalsoadmiring Ariadne.
“It’s the lady’s choice, as you well know,” David returned. “If you want to charm her, you’ll just have to try harder.”
“When you tire of this scoundrel, come to us,” the gentleman said without missing a beat. “You might look at my hair and think that I am too old for such a pretty lady, but consider, miss, that I am gifted withwisdom.”
