When I'm with You (Because You Are Mine #2)(33)
Elise removed her high-heeled sandals and took Caden’s hand. As she walked over to the designated dance floor—an open area behind the outdoor furniture—she noticed Lucien’s eyes gleaming in the firelit darkness as he watched her. A thrill went through her for some reason. He’d been ignoring her all night—well, not ignoring exactly. She’d sensed his attention sporadically, his alert focus as he observed her. Why was he stretching things out now that she no longer officially worked for him and they’d both completed their medical exams? He was driving her mad with his elusiveness.
She definitely had Lucien’s attention now, though, and she gloried in that fact. Caden was a good dancer. She hadn’t danced since her nightclub days and wasn’t really sure if she still had what it took. Turns out, she found her rhythm just fine, if Caden’s admiring grin and increasingly sexy moves in reaction to hers were any indication. She danced with Francesca’s handsome friend, but she danced for Lucien. Even though she refused to look in his direction, she was acutely aware of his focus on her . . . of his increasing tension, like a powerful storm brewing in the distance. She laughed at Caden’s comments and gyrated her hips, giving him a seductive look that turned his eyes hot. She glanced over her shoulder at Lucien and transferred the gaze to him, thrilling to see his stare trained directly on her.
She’d known it would be.
She’d stayed under the radar for the past year or so, but tonight, she felt the wild girl in her rattling at her cage.
When the dance came to an end, she and Caden shared a quick hug, both of them laughing and overheated. They began to walk back over to the seating area to join Jacob, Mrs. Hanson, Lin, and Anara.
“Aren’t you going to dance, Lucien?” Ian asked pointedly as Elise and Caden passed their little circle, which consisted of Ian, Lucien, and Davie. Elise’s cheeks grew even warmer than they had from the dance when she noticed Ian nodded in her direction, an infinitesimal smile on his sculpted lips. She realized Ian was teasing Lucien. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you dance before,” Ian prodded.
“And you never will, if I have my way about it,” Lucien said shortly. Caden and Elise drifted over to their group.
“Ah. As good at it as I am, I’ll wager,” Ian said, taking a sip of champagne.
“Lucien is a fabulous dancer.”
Three pairs of eyes flickered over to her when she spoke; one pair flashed a disbelieving glance that seemed to burn right through her. She bit her lip.
Oops.
Ian lowered his glass. “When have you seen Lucien dance?” he asked, amusement tingeing his features. “I thought you two had just met recently.”
“We did,” Lucien said at the same time she did.
“What . . . does Lucien break into dance after last call every night at Fusion? I can’t quite picture it,” Caden asked, joking and doing a couple subdued dance moves, immediately stilling when noticing Lucien’s impassive expression and glacial stare. She got the distinct impression that while easygoing Caden and Justin might have partially broken through Ian’s reserve due to their friendship with his fiancée, Lucien was still considered a bit intimidating. Lucien transferred his gaze back to Elise, his manner seemingly calm, only his slightly flared nostrils betraying the fact that his hands were likely itching to stretch around her neck.
“Oh no, it’s nothing like that. Sharon Aiken and a couple of the waitresses told me that Lucien stepped out for a few at the Fusion Christmas party last year,” Elise sidestepped with a verbal sleight of hand to hide her error.
“I was at that party,” Ian mused. “I don’t recall seeing Lucien dance.”
Lucien quirked a brow up at her calmly, as if to say, I’ll let you handle the lying, since you’re the unquestioned champion.
“You have to wait until the bitter end for the good stuff—or so rumor has it. Thank you,” she told Mrs. Hanson warmly when the elderly lady brought Caden and her their drinks.
“Well, you learn something new every day,” Caden said. Elise took a long drink. She felt a little light-headed, but she didn’t think it was from the champagne. She pointedly ignored Lucien’s stare.
Ian received a call and disappeared on the other side of the wet bar to take it. Lucien walked away to get another drink. Francesca begged off from Justin’s manic dancing and went to follow Ian. Elise glanced over a few minutes later in the midst of conversation with Davie, Caden, and Justin and saw Francesca in Ian’s arms at the far corner of the deck, her face reflecting in the moonlight as she looked up at him and they talked, their manner subdued . . . intense. Francesca nodded, as if in reassurance, and Ian leaned down to kiss her, his head lingering.
As a particularly boisterous song came to an end, she saw Ian walking toward the door to the penthouse while Francesca busied herself refilling guests’ glasses, passing hors d’oeuvres, and chatting with Jacob. Elise watched from the corner of her eye, her curiosity mounting, as Lucien set his glass on the bar. His tall form melted into the shadows in the direction Ian had just taken.
Lucien stood with his back next to the wall, listening intently through the partially opened mahogany door.
“Those are my only two options?” he heard Ian’s deep voice resonate from inside the library office. Lucien knew from his many visits to the penthouse that it was the room Ian used for business while he was working at home. He’d hoped that since Ian made the call inside, he’d use the house phone—Lucien could have more easily eavesdropped on the conversation then. Although Ian had sought out the privacy of his office, however, he still used his cell phone. There was a pause as Ian listened to whoever was on the other end of the phone speaking.