Chapter 184: Treacherous Body

Elara:

One second, I was trying to sneak away before another person could catch me for a dance, and the next, I was being pulled into a pair of arms that felt far too familiar.

A strong arm wrapped around my waist while my back collided with a hard, warm chest, rattling the delicate rhinestone chains dangling across my bare skin. A gasp escaped my lips, born equally from shock and the immediate, humiliating realization of exactly who had caught me.

Kairo Greymark.

Of course. Because apparently, the universe had decided that surviving my first public appearance as Starfall’s Crown Princess wasn’t enough of a challenge, I also had to survive being ambushed by the one man I had been actively trying to avoid for weeks. Thankfully, the ballroom was still crowded with dancing couples, and the dimmed lights offered enough shadows to conceal the sudden change in my evening.

Nobody seemed to notice the way I had stiffened in his arms, and I desperately hoped nobody had been watching me closely enough to recognize the man who had pulled me against him. The last thing I needed tonight was unnecessary drama, particularly with someone who had made it painfully clear how little my feelings meant to him.

Kairo’s warm breath fanned the side of my neck as he began swaying me to the music, his movements so smooth and unhurried that we blended effortlessly into the surrounding couples. I followed his lead because stopping would attract attention, and the last thing I wanted was half of Starfall’s nobility wondering why the Crown Princess had suddenly abandoned a dance.

My body, however, seemed determined to betray me in every possible way. His familiar scent surrounded me, his arm rested securely around my waist, and the warmth radiating from him brought back memories I had spent weeks trying to bury. Memories of whispered conversations, stolen kisses, his hands holding me as though I mattered, and one particular night when I had foolishly believed that whatever existed between us might become something real.

Heat curled low in my stomach, and I hated myself for it. I hated that even after everything he had done, even after watching him kiss Aria Cross as though I had never meant anything to him, some traitorous part of me still remembered how it felt to be wanted by him.

When I had chosen this gown from all the dresses Sera had prepared, revenge had been my only excuse. I wanted Kairo to see the dress he had designed, the one he had kept exclusive, and perhaps feel a fraction of the discomfort he had caused me. Yet from the moment I had stepped out of the limousine and entered the ballroom, another, far more embarrassing desire had accompanied me.

I wanted him to look at me. Just once. I wanted to know whether I could still make him feel something, whether he would recognize his own creation wrapped around my body and regret what he had thrown away. And despite my best efforts, my gaze had repeatedly wandered toward him throughout the evening, searching for evidence that he was watching me.

The worst part was that I had found him watching more than once. The even worse part was that I had also found him with Aria. Seeing her clinging to his arm had made me want to throw both of them from the nearest balcony, preferably one with a very long drop and no convenient bushes beneath it.

At least, watching Aria stomp away from him with an expression sour enough to curdle milk had improved my mood considerably. I still had no idea what had happened between them, and I refused to admit how satisfying it had been to see her leave alone.

Look at me, pretending I had moved on while keeping track of my former almost-something’s romantic disasters like an unpaid investigator. Absolutely pathetic.

I had a kingdom to learn about, political connections to build, and an entire future to secure, a revenge to fulfill, yet one man who had trampled on my feelings and dignity still managed to occupy far too much space in my head.

I drew a slow breath, straightened my shoulders, and forced myself to concentrate on the music instead of the man holding me. Whatever strange reactions his presence was causing in my body, I could ignore them. I had survived an entire term at Moonveil Academy, two near-death experiences, and an introduction to Starfall’s nobility. Surely, I could survive one dance with Kairo Greymark without losing what remained of my sanity.

"What exactly are you trying to do?" I asked, keeping my voice low enough that it wouldn’t carry beyond us.

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, his hand shifted at my waist, and before I could question him again, he turned me within the circle of his arms until I was facing him.

Both his hands settled against my bare back, his palms resting on the warm skin just above my waist. A shiver raced through me, and I nearly cursed aloud when my breath caught in my throat. We were so close that my breasts were barely a breath away from brushing against his chest, and looking anywhere other than his face suddenly became a dangerous undertaking.

He looked absolutely divine dressed in black, his tailored blazer framing his broad shoulders and revealing a glimpse of his chest beneath it. There was no shirt beneath the blazer, because apparently, the man had decided that being infuriatingly handsome wasn’t enough, he also needed to make every woman within a ten-mile radius question her ability to breathe.

My gaze betrayed me, dropping briefly to the exposed skin before I could stop it. When I hurriedly looked up, I discovered that he had caught me. A small curve tugged at the corners of his lips, and the knowing glint in his gray eyes made my fingers itch to slap that infuriating expression straight off his face. His touch might have been making my body forget every sensible decision I had made, but that face of his reminded me exactly why I needed to keep my distance.

"I’m curious about something, Princess," he finally murmured, his voice low enough to slip beneath the music. "Why did you wear my dress tonight?"

For one treacherous heartbeat, I forgot how to breathe. There it was, the question I had both anticipated and dreaded since I had chosen the gown. But whatever emotions threatened to surface, I buried them beneath the polished composure I had spent the past week practicing.

I tilted my head slightly, letting a faint smile touch my lips as though his question were nothing more than a passing curiosity. "You asked me to find a way to return the money for the gown to you in my own way, didn’t you?" I replied sweetly. "Well, after giving it some thought, I decided that the best way to do that was to let the dress see the world at least once before I burned it."