Chapter 4: The Dance They Never Finished

Applause rose around the ballroom.

Rosalie looked at Adrian’s outstretched hand and, after a brief hesitation, placed hers in it.

He led her onto the dance floor as the lights dimmed, leaving them beneath a single spotlight.

The first notes began, and the smile on Rosalie’s lips faltered. It was the song they had chosen for their wedding.

Back then, they had lived in an apartment near campus and hired an instructor to choreograph their first dance.

Rosalie had stepped on Adrian’s shoes so often during the first few lessons that he threatened to make her practice barefoot.

Eventually, she learned every signal in his hands. The smallest shift of pressure told her where he wanted her to turn.

She had managed to stay composed when she saw his ring.

The music proved harder. Memories she had buried for five years came rushing back, and for one dangerous moment, she forgot why she had returned.

Adrian’s right hand settled at her waist while his left held hers. On the first beat, he guided her forward.

Rosalie moved with him, stepping back and turning as her smoky-blue skirt swept around her ankles.

Five years apart had done nothing to erase the dance from their bodies. She followed every quiet cue; when he sent her into a turn, she came back against his chest at exactly the right moment.

Even their breathing found the old rhythm.

Adrian lowered his head, his breath warm against her ear. “Finally decided to come back?”

She turned beneath his arm, and he caught her again.

“You don’t sound happy to see me.”

His hand pressed more firmly against her waist as he guided her through another half turn. “How long are you staying?”

“I haven’t decided.”

His arm tightened without warning, bringing her against his chest. Through his shirt, she could feel the heavy beat of his heart.

“Why not?”

Because she would leave as soon as she got what she came for. How soon that happened depended largely on him, and she had no intention of telling him that.

Her fingers drifted over the shoulder of his suit. “Depends on how well you behave.”

His hold eased, but the look he gave her sharpened.

Did she honestly think he was still young enough to be distracted by a smile?

The tie, the teasing touch during their photograph, and now that carefully suggestive answer—everything she had done tonight felt planned.

She was using every opportunity to tempt him.

She should have known she didn’t need to try this hard.

The ring he had worn for five years made his position clear.

If Rosalie wanted to stay, the place beside him was still hers.

If she was seducing him instead of simply coming home, then she wanted something else.

The music swelled. Rosalie leaned into a deep dip, her gown following the curve of her body. Adrian supported her at the waist and drew her upright, bringing them close again.

She caught his tie between her fingers. Her hand traveled slowly down the smoky-blue silk until it rested over the silver rose.

Adrian’s grip tightened. On the next beat, he spun her away, putting space between them.

Rosalie’s smile deepened. He was retreating. This might be easier than she had expected.

She used the next turn to close the distance, winding one arm around his neck as her body settled against his.

This time, Adrian didn’t pull away. His hand closed around her waist so hard that she drew a quick breath.

“Trying to seduce me?” His voice had turned rough. “You want something, Rosalie.”

The certainty in his tone sent a jolt through her, but she recovered before her expression could betray her.

She followed him back, then let him pull her into his arms again.

“What could I possibly want?” She looked up at him. “I missed you. That’s all.”

She had meant it as another line to soften him. Once spoken, it felt more honest than she intended.

Heat gathered behind her eyes, and Adrian saw it.

As the music slowed, he turned so his body shielded her from most of the room. Then he bent and brushed his lips over the corner of her eye, tasting salt.

Rosalie’s lashes fluttered. Adrian stayed close, their noses almost touching, their breaths mingling between them.

“Promise me you won’t leave again.” She couldn’t answer.

At last, she understood why he had changed the evening’s program.

The ring made for their wedding. The tie chosen to match her dress. The first dance they had never gotten to share.

He had brought every unfinished piece of their past into this ballroom and was waiting for her to choose him again. But Rosalie had come with another purpose.

If she stayed in his arms much longer, she might forget it.

She stopped teasing him and followed his lead in silence, willing the song to end.

When the final notes arrived, Adrian sent her through one last turn and caught her against him. Applause filled the ballroom, but his arm remained locked around her waist.

To everyone watching, it was simply the final pose. Rosalie knew better.

Adrian leaned toward her ear. “When the auction ends, wait for me in the second-floor lounge.”

His voice still carried the strain she had put there.

“Did you hear me?”

The ache in Rosalie’s chest began to give way to a very different kind of hope. Alone in an upstairs lounge after the auction? So there would be more tonight after all.

Of course there would. Adrian had never been very good at letting her go.

She looked up at him, her eyes bright once more.

“I’ll be waiting.”