“You’re one hell of a dancer.”
The beat increased, and we parted ways, holding hands as we moved our feet, copying each other’s moves.
The music continued to change, and we must have danced for a good two hours straight before we escaped to the bar to get two sodas. I was so fucking thirsty. I finished mine in a few gulps.
“Wow,” Sian said.
“There is more where that came from.” I licked my lips, sated.
Sian took a more lady-like approach, sipping hers through a thin straw.
I wiped a hand down my face, feeling at peace.
“This is fun,” Sian said.
“Good. The best date so far?”
“I don’t make comparisons. You don’t need to either.”
I laughed. “That’s where you’re wrong. We’re going to make comparisons. It’s what we do.” I leaned against the wall Billy had around the edge of his bar. We’d moved a good distance away from all the noise. Couples were around the garden, making out, having fun. This was what I loved about Billy’s. There was no bullshit here. It all felt … real. I liked the normalcy of everything.
Life back home and at All Saints, it didn’t feel right all the time. Like the selection and the initiation. I wasn’t particularly comfortable with owning a woman of any kind. Sian was a beautiful woman, no doubt about it, but this wasn’t right. I knew that.
Also, the particulars of the past and the gaps that had opened up with the information Mateo had discovered, it didn’t exactly breed comfort.
“You’re lost in thought,” she said.
“Nah, I’m thinking it’s nice to get away from all of that crap every once in a while.”
“I get that. Drew told me it’s why she never embraced the wealthy lifestyle. She had prospects.”
“Did she ever tell you about them?”
“No. She always said it wasn’t good to look back into the past.”
“Your nanny might be onto something.” I sighed. There was so much I wanted to tell her and yet there was not a single thing could I tell her.
Running a hand down my face, I felt the perspiration at my back as it covered my skin. The night was still young, and I wasn’t going to let it go.
“Can I do something?” Sian asked.
“You can do whatever the hell you like.”
She put her drink down on the table and turned to me. I did the same, giving her my full attention. She placed her hands on my face and I stared down at her. Her pretty brown eyes filled my dreams.
“What do you want to do?”
“I’m not going to tell you.”
“You want to be all mysterious?” I asked.
She laughed. “It’s not so mysterious. Close your eyes.”
Sliding my eyes closed, I waited.
Letting go of her hand, I followed Mateo, Gideon, William, and Dante up the five steps leading to the large door.
Mateo entered as a butler arrived. “Master. Robinson.”
“Steve, it’s so good to see you.” He pulled Steve into a hug. “It has been a long time no see. Did you make the bedrooms I asked you to?”
“Everything has been done and pressed to perfection. He works for me, Mateo, not you.” An older man who Mateo looked like, just a younger version, came down the hall.
“Yeah, but when you croak, I get to inherit all of this.”