Chapter 2

The air in the private alcove was thick, heavy with the scent of aged velvet, expensive perfume, and the lingering sweetness of champagne that clung to my skin like a second layer. I had slipped away from the main ballroom, leaving behind the clatter of silverware, the orchestrated laughter of the elite, and the blinding glare of the crystal chandeliers that hung like frozen tears from the high, frescoed ceilings. Here, in the shadowed recess of a marble colonnade, the noise was merely a dull hum, a distant ocean of sound that felt worlds away from the sudden, electric stillness between us. I had shed the heavy silk of my initial gown, the one that had been so restrictive, so formal. In its place, I wore a darker, more intimate garment—a slip of midnight blue satin that clung to every curve, the fabric cool against my heated skin. The heels were gone, replaced by the bare soles of my feet against the polished stone, though I kept my stockings for a fleeting sense of security. I leaned back against the cool plaster wall, my chest rising and falling in rapid, shallow breaths, watching him. He hadn’t moved far. He remained