as he spun me to the music. He was so distractingly handsome that I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him either.
He hummed along to a song called “My Confession.”
Smiling, I admitted, “This song describes how I feel about you. It took a long time for me to confess how I feel about you, even to myself.”
He listened more carefully to the words then smiled. “I’ve known how you felt about me since that kiss before we left Kishkindha. The one you got really mad about.”
“Oh, the one you thought was enlightening?”
“It was enlightening because that’s when I knew. I knew that you felt as strongly about me as I did about you. You can’t kiss a man like that and not be in love with him, Kells.”
I reached up to play with the hair at the nape of his neck. “So that’s why you were so cocky and self-assured after that.”
“Yes. But all that bluster went away after you left.”
His expression became serious. He kissed my fingers, pressed my hand to his chest, and said intently, “Promise me you’ll never leave me like that again, Kelsey.”
I looked up into his cobalt blue eyes and said, “I promise. I’ll never leave you again.”
His lips brushed against mine lightly. Suddenly, he smiled mischievously, twirled me away, and then yanked me tightly against his chest. He slid his arm behind my back and lowered me slowly in a circular dip. Snapping me up quickly, we began moving to the tango music, and Ren maneuvered me smoothly along with the Latin rhythm of the song.
I knew people were probably watching us, but at that point, I didn’t care. He was able to sweep through the moves expertly, even though I didn’t know what I was doing. The dance was fiery and passionate, and I was quickly overwhelmed by him and the cadence of the melody. He wrapped me up in a blanket of mental and physical sensations, orchestrating the perfect seduction.
When the song was over, he had to hold me up because my legs had turned to gelatin. He laughed and nuzzled my neck, happy with my reaction.
The song changed back to a normal, slow one. After I had recovered enough from his tantalizing onslaught against my senses to speak, I said, “I thought that kind of dancing only happened in the movies.
Where did you learn to dance like that?”
“My mother taught me several traditional forms of dancing, and then I picked up a lot of moves over the years by watching. Mr. Kadam hooked me up with Nilima, who became my practice partner.”
I frowned. “I don’t really like the idea of you dancing with Nilima. If you want to practice, teach me.”
“Nilima is like a sister to me.”
“Still.”
“Alright, I promise to never dance with another woman.” He smiled. “Though, I still like it when you’re jealous.”
We started slow dancing again, and I put my head on his shoulder, closed my eyes, and just let myself enjoy the feeling of being held by him. The song was only halfway over when I felt him stiffen and saw him look behind me.
“Well . . . well . . . well,” a silky, familiar voice interrupted. “The shoe’s on the other foot this time. I believe this is my dance.”
I spun around. “Kishan? I’m so happy to see you!” I threw my arms around him.
The golden-eyed prince folded me in his arms, pressed his cheek against mine, and said, “I’m happy to see you too, bilauta.”
10
Hired Guns
Kishan pulled back to have a good look at me. “I missed you. Has my idiot brother been treating you well?” In a stage whisper, he asked, “Did you have to use the tiger repellant?”
I laughed. “Ren’s been treating me very well despite my giving him a pretty lame Valentine’s gift.”
“Ah. He doesn’t deserve one anyway. What did he give you?”
I reached up to finger an earring. “These. But, they’re much too extravagant for me.”
Kishan stretched out his hand and touched an earring lightly. His rakish pirate about-to-make-off-with-your-woman-and-what-do-you-think-you’re-gonna-do-about look melted away to a soft smile that turned up the corner of his mouth. He said quietly, “Mother would have approved.”
“Do you mean these belonged to your mother?” I asked Ren, who nodded briefly. “Ren, why didn’t you tell me?”
He responded lightly, “I didn’t want you to feel pressured to wear them if you didn’t like them. They’re a bit out of date now.”
“You should have told me they were your mother’s.” I slipped my arms around his neck and