Dance with the Devil

ARIA

After dinner, we were directed to the huge ballroom in the next room, where a live orchestra was set up.

Chad spun me in his arms and onto the dance floor, making sure he had a firm grip on my arms in case I toppled to the floor in my precarious shoes. I threw my head back and laughed at his antics.

I had my right hand in his left and the other firmly on his shoulder, while his hands settled lightly on my waist. We swayed in time to the music, our bodies barely brushing.

“This is fun,” he told me with a wink.

In my heels, we were practically at eye level.

“You need to go out more, Ari.”

I sighed. “I go out with you all the time. That’s enough for me right now.”

“I’m not talking about me,” he said, his voice serious. “The business is giving you gray hair. You’re only twenty-six for crying out loud.”

“I’m doing the best I can,” I said softly, my shoulders drooping a little.

I felt his hand tighten at my waist. “I’m sorry, hun.” He was immediately contrite. “I know you are. I just want to see you happy.”

I kissed his cheek then.

The song ended, and we faced the orchestra and clapped.

Another song started up, and I fell back into Chad’s arms as we’d done many times before. I saw him glance over my shoulder, and his eyes widened.

“Whitcombe.”

The deep voice was husky, and I shivered down to my toes. I turned my head and had to look up to meet the assessing ice-blue eyes.

I felt like I’d been punched in the stomach. This man had been gorgeous from far away. He was practically devastating up close.

“Lucian,” Chad responded, letting me go to shake the hand of my tormentor.

Those blue eyes flickered briefly over Chad before settling back on my green ones as I faced him squarely.

“Aria Cassidy, meet Lucian De Angelis,” Chad said, his voice rising above the music, bringing me back to the moment.

“Would you mind if I had this dance?”

I wasn’t sure if I’d heard him correctly or who that question was directed at. I was both shocked and rooted to the spot at the mere fact that he’d asked it in the first place.

I thought I saw Chad wink at me from the corner of my eye. I blinked. I must be dreaming.

Lucian took a step toward me and took me in his arms, and I was immediately engulfed by his scent.

I love cologne on a man; it is my kryptonite. Lucian didn’t just smell amazing. He smelled like sin, and I was completely mesmerized by him.

“Take care of my girl, De Angelis,” I heard Chad murmur at my side. The two exchanged a look, and I felt like those words meant something entirely different to me than it did to them.

Chad walked away, then, and I suddenly felt a little afraid. Lucian seemed to just take over.

I didn’t know this man. Clearly, he was a good guy in Chad’s books for him to have just left me with him. I trusted my best friend with that.

As if sensing my unease, Lucian bent his head toward my bare neck. “Relax. It’s just a dance.”

His breath brushed over my ear, and I shivered in response.

“You looked like such a beautiful mermaid from across the room that I had to come and see for myself if you were real.”

Was he kidding? This whole thing seemed unreal to me.

He was over six feet tall, so I had to tilt my head back to meet his eyes. I eyed him warily.

His lips curved as if he was amused. They looked utterly tempting; his lower lip was full, inviting me to bite it. I tried not to focus on them for too long.

It shocked me how attracted I was to this complete stranger, and that, suddenly, made me very defensive.

“Isn’t it rude to just waltz over here and take someone’s date while they’re dancing?”

Instead of being insulted, he threw his head back and laughed. He pulled me closer, and my body brushed his hard one with every sway. Awareness bloomed through me, hot and heavy.

“That was a serious question.” I was annoyed now. I contemplated stomping on his foot and leaving, but he held my hand firmly in his while the other lay possessively on my hip.

He smells amazing.

He shook his head at me, eyes still alight with laughter. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh. It’s just that’s not what I expected you to say.”

“Oh? What did you expect then?”

He shrugged his broad shoulders and bent forward again as he moved his body against mine to the music. “Hello? Nice to meet you maybe.” I felt his lips on my hair just above my ear again.

The man was definitely a charmer.

“‘Nice to meet you?'” I raised an eyebrow. “I’m still trying to figure out who you are exactly.” My face was practically against his chest. I couldn’t help taking a deep breath, inhaling his scent.

His hand swept up my back, raising goosebumps in its wake. “I’m sure Whitcombe told you all about me when he saw me looking at you.”

I stiffened and swallowed at his accurate assumption. “Why would you say that?”

He pulled away to look at me and tucked a loose strand behind my ear. Those eyes. I swore those eyes were looking into my very soul.

“Did he warn you against me, Aria?”

I closed my eyes. The way he said my name made me shiver. I reopened them, and his gaze was heated, as if he knew the effect he was having on me.

“Why would he do that, Lucian?” I emphasized his name, wondering if it had the same effect on him as it did on me.

His hand tightened on my hip, and his breath hitched.

Clearly, it did. Was this Adonis really attracted to me?

“Do I need to be warned?” I was playing with fire and I knew it. Who was this seductress that had taken over my body? It wasn’t like me to flirt with a guy. Far less, a guy I didn’t even know.

He gave me a wicked smile, clearly loving this game.

“You definitely need to be warned. If you could read the thoughts going through my head right now, you would run screaming.”

My eyes widened, and I swallowed again. His words suddenly made me feel vulnerable.

I hadn’t realized the music had stopped. Lucian and I were the only ones still on the dance floor, but he didn’t seem to mind.

“I-I need to go,” I stammered.

His eyes scanned my face, resting a long moment on my lips, before meeting my eyes again. “Have dinner with me tomorrow night.” It seemed more like a demand than an actual question.

“I can’t.”

I tried to step back, away from him, but he held me close. I needed to get away from him. I couldn’t seem to think with him so close.

“Why not? It can’t be because of Whitcombe.”

I stopped struggling to glare at him. “Excuse me? What does Chad have to do with anything?”

“I know you’re not involved with him. So, why the protests? Are you seeing someone else?”

“Oh, you know, do you?”

My anger was rising fast. Did he think I wasn’t good enough for Chad? Sure, Chad was a successful surgeon, and I was a nobody. Was that it? Who was he to be so judgmental?

Once I got started, I couldn’t seem to stop myself.

“I know he’s gay, Aria,” Lucian stated as if sensing my inner turmoil.

Shock poured through me at his unexpected words. How did he know that? Very few people did.

“What’s your excuse now?” he taunted.

I opened my mouth, ready to give him a piece of my mind.

“Aria.” Chad’s voice made us turn in his direction. “Is everything okay?” He glanced back and forth between Lucian and me.

Lucian’s arms dropped from around me as he frowned at the interruption.

“Yes.” I didn’t even bother to glance at Lucian as I took Chad’s arm.

He walked me off the dance floor, and I could feel Lucian’s eyes boring into me the entire time.

***

I told Chad I was ready to leave, and he called up the limo.

“Want to tell me what that was all about?” he asked when we were seated and on our way. “You looked ready to commit murder.”

“Me?” I threw him a look. “You were the one that sauntered off and left me with him.”

Chad waved a hand in the air. “Come on, Aria, you’re attracted to him, and he definitely is to you. I was trying to help you out.

“Lucian is gorgeous and he’s rich. You could do a lot worse than have him fawning all over you.”

I sighed heavily, leaning my head back against the plush seat. “He knows you’re gay.”

“Really?” Chad seemed pleased by the fact, rather than annoyed, as I was.

“You’re ridiculous!” I threw up my hands. “Why are you still hiding when there are people out there that already know?”

“Firstly, Lucian De Angelis is not just ‘people.’ He’s a high-profile lawyer. I doubt he’s telling anyone about my sexual orientation,” Chad explained. “Besides, I am flattered that he noticed.”

I rolled my eyes at him.

“He doesn’t want me though. He wants you, girl. Bad,” Chad said with a smile in my direction.

“I don’t know why.”

“Now who’s being ridiculous?” He leaned toward me, and I turned to face him. “Aria, come on. You’re beautiful and you’re intelligent. He doesn’t know the last part yet but he will, if he’s smart.”

“He asked me out.”

Chad was suddenly in my face. “What?” He was excited. For a minute, he appeared as young as he was, instead of looking like a serious doctor.

“Calm down. I told him no.”

“Aria,” Chad whined, “why did you do that?”

“You know why! We already had this conversation,” I told him, exasperated. “Besides, I don’t know anything about him.”

“I’ll tell you whatever you need to know. Anything else, you can find out from him when you go out.”

I leaned back again and puffed out a breath. “I’m not sure I’m ready to start dating anyone again.”

Chad took my hand. “You won’t know until you give it a shot.”

“Anyway, like you said, he’s not the dating type. Going out with him would be a waste of my time.”

“I think it would be a great distraction for you,” Chad offered. “A man like Lucian could be exactly what you need.”