from the frown still creasing Darius’s brow, that he was more than a little worried about his twin. ‘Look, something has obviously upset your brother, and I really don’t mind if you need to go and talk to him. I can easily get a taxi home.’
‘No,’ Darius bit out grimly as he straightened to look down at her through narrowed lids.
The truth was that Andy would have welcomed the excuse to leave; Darius’s concern for Xander apart, she had no idea how she was expected to spend the rest of the evening with Darius after the intimacies they had just shared. After she had allowed herself to be seduced by Darius’s kisses, and the pleasurable caress of his mouth and hands on her bared breasts.
‘Ready?’ Darius asked as he held out his arm for her to take.
The answer to that was a definite no!
Andy had a feeling she would never be ready for a man like Darius.
He really was just too much. Of everything. And Andy was far too inexperienced to even begin to know how to deal with a man like him.
So much so that all she wanted to do was make her excuses and flee into the night, back to the safety of her apartment and dance studio.
Instead she drew in a deep breath before answering him. ‘If you’re sure?’
Darius nodded tersely. ‘I’m very sure.’
Andy kept her lashes lowered as she placed her hand in the crook of Darius’s arm and allowed him to accompany her back into the ballroom.
All the time she was aware of the way the silky material of her gown moved caressingly across her sensitised nipples, a stark reminder that Darius had suckled and stroked them so pleasurably just minutes ago.
* * *
‘That wasn’t so bad, was it?’ Darius turned in his seat to look at Miranda once the tables, arranged about the dance floor for dinner, had been cleared at the end of the meal in readiness for the dancing to come later.
Most of the other guests had now left their tables in order to go and freshen up, or circulate and talk to other guests, while the orchestra prepared for the next part of the evening.
‘The food was very good,’ Miranda answered him stiltedly.
‘The food but not the company, hmm?’ He gave a grimace. ‘Once again my ego is shot down in flames!’
Andy felt the warmth of colour in her cheeks. ‘I didn’t mean to imply...’
‘Of course you did.’ Darius chuckled. ‘Admit it, Miranda, you enjoy shooting me down in flames.’
She did, yes. But only in an effort to hide the desire she knew she felt for him. Although after her undeniable response to Darius earlier, that was probably a complete waste of her time.
She still felt utterly mortified every time she so much as thought of those earlier intimacies. It had been absolute agony to sit beside him during dinner and pretend that she was relaxed, and everything was okay between the two of them; her senses were now so heightened towards Darius that she was totally aware of his every move.
For his part, Darius had seemed completely unaffected, by her or his earlier concern for his brother. He’d been totally at his ease as he’d introduced her to the other guests seated at their table, all of whom he appeared to know. He had also made a point of including her in the conversation, and he had been nothing but polite and attentive to her needs during the meal.
No, obviously Andy was the only one who was still totally unnerved by earlier.
As she had been unsettled, after glancing about the room earlier, to see that Xander had been seated next to Tia, of all people. As evidence, no doubt, that Catherine Latimer knew Tia was one of the country’s prima ballerinas, even if one of her sons, at least, didn’t.
The look of triumph Tia had shot in Andy’s direction didn’t bode well either. Not that there was anything Andy could do about that.
No, the reason for the return of her tension now could only be attributed to one thing: the orchestra was tuning up ready to start playing so that the dancing part of the evening could begin. Dancing that Andy had no intention of being a part of.
She straightened in her seat. ‘I think I’d like to leave now. I’m feeling rather tired, and no doubt, despite what you said earlier, you would like the opportunity to go and talk to your brother?’
Darius wasn’t fooled for a moment by Miranda’s excuse of tiredness, knew only too well that her intention was to avoid the possibility of his asking her to dance. Not only in public, this time, but in front of one of her ex-associates.
Miranda might have refused to satisfy his curiosity in that regard earlier, but Darius knew there was something else between Miranda and Tia Bellamy. And, before too much time had passed, he intended to discover exactly what that was.
His mouth firmed. ‘Xander isn’t in the mood to talk right now. And we aren’t leaving until after I’ve danced with you again.’
‘No.’
‘Yes.’
Her face paled at his insistence. ‘You can’t make me dance with you, Darius.’
He arched one dark eyebrow. ‘No?’
She glared. ‘No!’
‘Your always questionable charm doesn’t appear to be working right now, Darius,’ Xander taunted as he came to stand beside the table where the two of them sat quietly arguing. ‘Let’s see if I have any more luck.’
He turned to look down at Miranda with warm and teasing brown eyes, his bad mood of earlier seeming to have dissipated.
‘Would you do me the honour of dancing the first dance with me, Miranda?’ he invited huskily as the orchestra began to play and the elegantly dressed couples immediately began to take to the dance floor.
A part of Andy so wanted to say yes to Xander’s invitation, if only as a way of putting Darius and his damned arrogance firmly in their place.
But common sense warned her against doing that. For two reasons.
Firstly, she really didn’t want to dance, with either of the Sterne brothers.
Secondly, the challenging glitter in Darius’s eyes told her that she would undoubtedly pay a price if she were to accept and dance with Xander after having refused him.
A price, after her responses to Darius earlier, Andy was afraid she might be only too willing to pay, and damn the consequences!
She smiled up at Xander politely. ‘I would rather not, but thank you for asking.’
‘So much for your own charm being more effective than mine!’ Darius eyed his brother mockingly.
‘Hey, it was worth a try.’ Xander seemed unconcerned as he pulled out the empty chair on Andy’s other side before sitting down. ‘I have no idea who that woman was sitting next to me at dinner, and it took me a few minutes to realise she was actually talking about you, Miranda, because
