pinched in hurt. “I’ve been such a fool.”
He gave his head a quick shake. “No. Don’t say that. We all make mistakes.”
Her head snapped up then and with his bent so low, she nearly clocked him in the chin, but he jerked back in the nick to time. “What did you say?”
He started moving then as the first strains of music filtered through the ballroom. Effortlessly, he led her through the intricate steps and turns as their bodies moved as one.
His shoes were perfectly safe.
His heart possibly less so.
Because something else was shining in her eyes. Appreciation? Respect? “I said that we all make mistakes.” He turned her again, moving through the dancers. “I myself made a few very similar ones a few years back.”
Her eyes widened as a tremulous smile graced her lips. His chest swelled with pride again.
She leaned closer, her heat radiating through his jacket. “I must hear more.”
He grinned then. Not because he didn’t wish to tell her. For the first time in a long time, the memories didn’t hold their usual sting. “It’s a story for another time. It’s too long to tell on the dance floor.”
“After,” she said, her fingers sliding across his shoulder with an intimacy that made his muscles tighten. “I must hear this.”
“I don’t think—”
“Please,” she dropped her voice even as she cast her gaze down. “It will make me feel better after what I just went through. To know I’m not alone.” She drew in a shuddering breath. “And honestly, it will distract me from my own sad and sorry state.”
How could he deny that?
He wished he could graze her temple with a kiss, hold her close in comfort and in compassion. And perhaps just because she felt so good against him.
He thought back to yesterday morning, the way their bodies fit together when she’d saved him from tripping over that crate.
He’d like to hold her like that again.
He drew in a shuddering breath. Stallworth might have hurt Sarah, but she’d been in love with another man just this morning. Now was not the time for him to develop feelings.
And besides, he didn’t do that sort of thing anyhow.
Not anymore.
Which he’d explain as soon as this dance ended.
Not that he wanted it to. They moved together, weaving through the crowd with an effortlessness that felt so...right.
They’d swayed closer so that their bodies nearly touched even as he maneuvered them closer to the terrace doors.
Being December, the terrace would be nearly empty, too cold for many partygoers. It would be the perfect place for Sarah to collect herself and for him to share a bit about his past.
Which he’d never done with anyone before.
But how he could he deny Sarah now?
The last strains of music filtered through the ballroom even as they reached the door. Only two were parted open to keep the room from becoming overly warm and with a quick glance over his shoulder, Theo slipped through one, his hand reaching for Sarah’s to pull her through as well.
Her gown came just off her shoulders, exposing her creamy skin but he knew she’d quickly grow cold and so, once again, he unbuttoned his coat and placed the heavy fabric about her shoulders.
He hated to cover up such beauty, but he also wanted her to be comfortable. Slipping into the shadows, he pulled her into his arms.
It wasn’t a planned gesture. He simply wished to keep them both warm. But as the silk of her dress brushed against his clothes, he held back a groan of pleasure.
She willingly stepped into his embrace, her forehead settling on his shoulder.
They stood like that for a minute. Maybe longer as the quiet of the night wrapped about him.
With Evelyn, each interaction in the garden had been a whirlwind of feelings.
But this...this was different.
No less...exciting. The feel of Sarah was unparalleled. She fit like his missing puzzle piece. But it was calmer…centered. There was emotion, excitement, but also...understanding and acceptance.
Her sigh seemed to echo his thoughts as she settled even closer. “You know,” she started. “This is the part where you tell me what happened to you.”
He chuckled. “Must I?”
“You must,” she answered back, tipping up her face to look at him. “Because right now, I feel like the biggest fool of all. To think I wasted eighteen months thinking about him.” She shook her head. “I was so sure that I was going to prove to my family that I was mature—” She stopped, her body growing more rigid. “I’m a complete ninny.”
In