Dahlia Aldridge
I wasn’t positive at what point in my life I’d gotten used to events like this, or maybe ‘used to’ wasn’t the correct phrase. When had it become routine to go to galas? To wear thousands of dollars worth of clothing and jewelry? To have spent the past few hours having a team fuss over me while I got ready for an event? I suppose it had always been this way, but I still felt detached from it in an odd way, as if it wasn’t really me experiencing it.
Looking around the grand ballroom, I smiled, taking in the moment of beauty and grace. The setting sun filled the space with golden light, and from where I stood, it felt like the world was just pausing and filling my mind with a stunning image that I could never hope to properly capture in a photograph.
This was a moment you just had to experience.
“Dahlia?” Lincoln’s voice sounded over my shoulder as I looked up at him, my chest warming. After listening to music and taking a nap, I felt better about earlier. Sure, I was still uncomfortable with feeling out of the loop, but I had settled on just asking King when I had some time. I felt like that was the first step to take, and if I still felt like there was an issue… well, I’d go from there.
“Is this a new tux?” I asked curiously, running my fingers over the expensive material.
He flashed a smile, taking off his glasses for a moment before readjusting them. “Yeah, both Sterling and I had to purchase new ones after training all summer.”
My eyes moved to his arm muscles as I made a noncommittal sound that had him chuckling. What? As if I hadn’t noticed how muscular and cut they’d gotten over the summer. Any possible ‘baby face’ they had from high school was completely gone.
“I like it.” I nodded. “Where is your brother?”
“Dancing with our mom.” He pointed to them as I followed his line of sight. His fingers gently pressed to my back as the hot, rough, texture nearly had my body shuddering. Maybe I shouldn’t have worn this dress. Don’t get me wrong, it was absolutely stunning, but it left far too much skin for him to touch.
Because this was an international event, not only was it extremely formal, but there were dresses from all over the country, and enough media to capture it all. Normally, my mom was okay with us wearing whatever we wanted, but we had been specifically contacted by a designer for this event, and I couldn’t lie, the dress they’d chosen for me… was gorgeous. Actually, ‘gorgeous’ wasn’t the right word for it.
Almost unreal. Ethereal?
The nude bodice that was fitted against my torso and hips made it look like the sky blue tulle that twisted across it clung to my naked form. Embedded in the tulle from my cleavage down to where the skirt flared out below my hips were clusters of diamonds. Legit diamonds. The back was open, and in front of one thigh, the material split to show off a pair of delicate wrap-up stilettos. It was almost Greek goddess-inspired and only enhanced by the deep back that fell to right above my butt and the sleeves that flowed past my fingers, diamonds sparkling against the nearly transparent fabric. I was essentially covered in tulle and diamonds.
Even my hair, the dark mass pulled back from my face and done in loose waves, was intertwined with diamond-like crystals that glinted in the light. I wouldn’t have normally picked something so… attention catching, but I also was loving how I felt in it. For the first time in a while, I felt good about myself, and I didn’t want that to end anytime soon.
“You look absolutely gorgeous,” Lincoln murmured, as if reading my mind.
Looking up into his azure eyes, I saw honesty there, and my cheeks flushed. “I couldn’t say no to something with this many sparkles in it.”
He chuckled and intertwined our fingers, leading me towards the dance floor. I didn’t think twice about him wrapping his arms around me. All of my boys could dance. After all, we’d literally had private lessons up until our junior year of high school, and it showed as Lincoln easily twirled me around the dance floor, allowing me to forget about all the eyes on us for just a few minutes. It was something that I needed, considering the attention that was being paid to us would normally make me more uncomfortable than they probably realized.
Although, I didn’t mind that I could feel my boys’ eyes on us. Including Dermot, who I was officially adopting into my mental friend radius. The man had told me I looked stunning in his cute accent! I couldn’tnotofficially like him after that.
“King is coming over here,” Lincoln grumbled after almost a half an hour of dancing and talking, my body pressed against his.
I let out a small laugh. “That’s far longer than I pinned him for lasting.”
“What about me lasting?” Kingston’s voice was edged with a darker humor, and my cheeks heated, realizing what he was alluding to.
Lincoln shook his head and turned me into Kingston’s arms, leaving me to explain. I pressed my lips together. “Just said I figured you wouldn’t last that long without coming... over here.”
I totally knew what I was saying.
Kingston’s eyes jumped with amusement, and a rumble broke from his throat. “Don’t you worry, princess, I last plenty long enough.”
“Mmmm,” I hummed, tilting my head as he turned me slightly and I locked my arms around him. “Undetermined.”
What the heck was I doing? Also, I was going to ignore the odd surge of jealousy at the concept of him lasting long for anyone that wasn’t me. The mere idea of him kissing another woman had me seething.
Attractive. Very attractive, Dahlia.
King offered me a heated look. “Yeah, princess? You sure you want to play this game?”
“What game?” My breath caught as he dipped his head slightly, his eyes darkening as his voice smoothed over my ears.
“The one where you push me,” he explained softly.