This must be the dark prince everyone had been whispering about tonight.
And there was no denying who he was staring at.
Fuck, I’m turned on.
And scared shitless.
My dance partner stepped away from me and I mindlessly waited for him. I felt on display, like a wounded animal being stalked by the lion about to pounce on its jugular. He was headed right for me, his beautiful blue eyes encasing the whole of me as he slowly strode across the floor. His eyes burned into me, penetrating my very soul. It was as if all my secrets and mistakes and imperfections were on display for him and I felt my hands beginning to tremble, even as my eyes stayed attached to his.
I was frozen in my spot as he stood in front of me, moving himself between the man I was dancing with and my body.
Without his eyes dropping my stare, I felt his hand reach over to take mine. He lifted it into the air and stepped toward me, his free arm grazing my lower back as he pulled my body close to his. I could feel the whole of his strength against my skin. I could feel the beating of his heart against my body. I could feel the way he held me tightly, daring me to fall into him just to see if he would catch me.
I let out the breath I was holding as his hand pressed deeper into my back and, soon, he began gliding me across the floor to the beat of the music.
He was a wonderful dancer. Fluid. Attuned to my body. He guided me in all the ways I could understand, all while his eyes stayed connected with mine. My neck was craned back to keep him in my view, trying to read the few facial features I could see while we twisted and turned around the dance floor.
His presence was almost overwhelming. The way he gripped my hand, the way he held me tightly, the way his body pressed into mine and invaded all the spaces I didn’t take up. The way his gaze pierced through my walls, and the way I suddenly felt comfortable in his arms.
The tension was overpowering and I suddenly found myself short of breath.
The song started to fade, and I could feel my chest rising and falling rapidly. There was a spark of worry that started in my chest. I didn’t know if I could catch my breath. I broke my stare with him as the song slowly switched into another one, but I felt him tug me to the edge of the room as everyone started to trickle back onto the dance floor.
I followed him without a second thought and I didn’t even understand why.
He took my hand protectively, but not forcefully. He was leading me, not tugging me like Crystal had been all day today. I studied the back of his body, the way his broad shoulders quickly tapered into his hips. I studied the long lines of his legs and the way his black shoes glistened with the colors of the strobe lights flickering across the room.
By the time I turned my attention to what was in front of us, I was being led into a part of the building that was partitioned off by a large, black, velvet piece of cloth.
We stopped in the dimly lit hallway and he quickly turned in my direction. I gasped, backing myself into the wall as he took a small step toward me. His hands reached out for my mask, trying to lift it from my head and I grasped his wrist. The point of tonight was for no one to see me. No one was supposed to know who I was. If he saw my face, it would be easy for him to know I was lying about my name. I didn’t even plan on giving anyone my name, honestly. The plan was to stick close to Crystal and Eli and just witness.
Digest.
Experience.
His eyes connected with mine and there was an odd sort of softness behind them. His body was chiseled underneath his clothes, but there was a slight hint of something else. Not sadness and not weakness. Softness wasn’t really the word, either.
Patience.
He was waiting for me to give him consent and there was something about that idea that made me oddly comfortable.
I slid my hand from his wrist and swallowed hard. He proceeded to remove my mask slowly. Intimately. Almost as if he were unwrapping a present. My face came into view as I looked up at him and the patience behind his eyes vanished. Now, I was looking into the eyes of a man who considered me his prey. His eyes grew steely as his hand cupped my chin and he slowly twisted my face from side to side, like he was studying me.