Alinda felt the heat of his body, the promise of his words, but a sudden, sharp instinct warned her not to surrender so easily. If she gave him everything now, the fire might burn out before the night was over.
She slowly withdrew from the embrace, her fingers lingering on the fine fabric of his coat before dropping away. She stepped back into the moonlight, the white silk of her dress shimmering like a ghost.
"The stars are indeed bright, Apolio," she whispered, In a calm teasing voice that drifted in the night air. "But even the brightest stars must eventually fade into the dawn. I am not a creature of the dark to be claimed so quickly."Alinda.
Apolio reached out, his hand,His eyes, usually so full of seductive charm, flashed with a raw, genuine hunger. "You leave me in the shadows, Alinda. I am a man who gets what he desires, and right now, I desire to know the depths of your heart."
"Then you shall have to learn that some treasures are not found in your father's halls, nor bought with silver spoons."
Without another word, Alinda walked away, leaving Apolio standing in the moonlit shadows, her heart was racing, not from his charm, but from a memory that the night air had suddenly brought,her mind betraying her. Apolio's touch had been polished, but it lacked the raw, grounding heat she still remembered from her ex lover.
As Alinda moved through the gilded hall, trying to shake the heat of Apolio's gaze and the memories of her ex lover, she headed toward the refreshment area to catch her breath. The air inside was thick with expensive perfume and the smell of roasted meats.
She reached for a glass of wine from a passing tray, but as she took it, her fingers rubbed against the hand of the server It was a hand that knew labor, wide, warm, and familiar. Her breath hitched in her throat as she looked up.