Page 47 of You Only Love Twice
"You seem lost. May I assist you?" he asked in Russian.
"Pardon," she replied in French. "My Russian is a little rusty."
A blatant lie.
At least some of her wits were still with her.
"As is my French," he replied, in slightly accented English, and graced her with a smile that made a thrill run through her.
Good grief. Whoever he was, he mustn’t smile often, for the results would be catastrophic. Women all across the ballroom would swoon, and then there’d be bloodshed, as the Blood nobles looked to see who’d caught their eye. Hollis realized she was staring, and swiftly gathered herself.
You’ve seen handsome men before. Focus.
"You’re with the English delegation."
"Lady Hollis Beechworth," she replied, blushing at will.
"A dance, Lady Beechworth?"
Damn him. Hollis pasted a smile on her face, though she noted the sudden intensity in Sergey's eyes as he glanced at the way their hands interlocked. Instantly, she changed directions, her smile softening, becoming warmer as she stared up into those intense gray eyes. "I should be delighted.... Though I'm afraid I didn't quite catch your name."
"Captain Lieutenant Dmitri Zhukov." He lifted her gloved hand to his lips, a glint of humor warming the arctic depths of his irises. At the very last moment, he deftly turned her hand, his lips finding the inside of her wrist instead and his gaze boldly locked upon hers.
A faint fleeting gesture, but suddenly it sucked all the air out of the room.
She was well-versed in the art of court etiquette.
And the language of the blue blood world.
A kiss to the back of the hand?How lovely to make your acquaintance.
A kiss to the fingertips?I desire to make more of your acquaintance.
But a kiss to the inside of a woman's wrist?
I intend to make you mine, that gesture said, and while he wouldn't be the first man who'd ever tried to claim her thusly, the heated look in his eyes as he did it sent a lash of intrigued interested through her.
Dmitri Zhukov held a quiet sort of confidence about him she found intriguing. As Hollis swallowed, her gaze dropped to his lips. Every inch of this man moved with purpose and dominance. If he kissed her, it would not be a question.
If he kissed her, she would not be the one with the upper hand.
Don't you dare.You are here on a mission.
Sergey's the target.
Not... Not this man.
"Are you enjoying Russia?" he countered, as he swept her into theassah, a dance designed in England to display a thrall's assets most beautifully to her blue blood master.
Hollis had never been any man's prey, but the smoky allure of the exotic music stole over her, as Dmitri slid his left hand possessively over her waist, and captured her other hand. And she felt it strike a chord within her, as Dmitri took possession of her with purpose. Not a single ounce of hesitation filled him. He moved like captured lightning. Gripped her like a man who intended to never let her go.
"I'm enjoying it a little more now," she admitted huskily.
The faintest of smiles touched his mouth.
"You have a dangerous smile, Captain Lieutenant."
"I never smile."
