CHAPTER 14

Their dance ended,and he drew her to the side, into an empty alcove partly shielded by a set of potted palms. For a wild moment, she thought he meant to kiss her, and her heart ricocheted with excitement. But when he lowered his head to hers, instead of heated lips on hers, what she felt was his whisper near her ear.

“Do you see the blond woman in the red dress standing by the opposite wall?”

After a discreet look, she frowned. “Yes?”

“I want to scan her. I think she could be an excellent study subject.”

Kalli’s heart dropped. The woman exuded charm and sex appeal while conversing with several men. And she was gorgeous. Tall, blond, generously endowed. Everything Dariux liked in a female, if one was to judge based on the appearance of his parbot. Everything she was not.

She wanted to refuse. An ugly emotion she had not felt in a long time flooded her heart. “Why?”

“Why, what?” Dariux asked, all innocent incomprehension.

“Why do you want to study her in particular?”

He shrugged, implying the subject was trivial. But she knew better. He had brought up the subject. He must be interested in the bombshell blond. “Why not? I think she would be an interesting subject.”

“Why do you think that? Are you interested in her?” she asked point blank. She had never been good at subtleties.

He looked at her wide-eyed. His eyebrows rising. “Not at all. At least, not in that way. Her husband approached me when I went out earlier. He’s the one who mentioned the ball to me. She was demure and stoic while he was there, then acted all flirtatious with me when her husband excused himself for a moment. But I wasn’t moved in the least. In fact, I found her approach downright off putting. There was something forced and desperate about her wiles. That’s what I found interesting. I don’t think she is how she appears to be.”

“Fine. I’ll turn the scanner on her,” Kalli grumbled, slightly mollified, but still unconvinced.

Jealousy left her feeling more than a little rattled. Jealousy over a man she had no claim on. He desired no emotional attachments and viewed sex as a physical need or sport.

“Thank you. Trust me, I think we’ll find something interesting. Now let’s mingle, shall we?” With a cocky grin and a wink, he was gone. Leaving her staring after him like a lovesick girl.

She admitted to being foolish where men were concerned. But this was the height of idiocy.

***

SHE KEPT TRACK OF HIMfrom the corner of her eye. Her mind had an intuitive sense of his whereabouts in the ballroom. He danced every dance. Thankfully, not with the blond bombshell. He dazzled every woman he partnered. Which wasn’t difficult. With his dancing skill and his wild good looks, he looked like a lion among alley cats. He was irresistible when he turned on the charm.

He had dressed in the same somber clothes as every other gentleman in attendance. Black suit, black waistcoat, and white shirt. But somehow, he looked different. Untamed. Maybe it was his bronzed skin, or the way he wore his hair, a little longer than was fashionable. Even the pomade couldn’t entirely placate his unruly locks. Or maybe it was the way he carried himself. With predatory confidence.

She knew she wasn’t the only female in this ballroom fantasizing about him. But she was the one he would go to bed with after the ball. She kept reminding herself of that. The private knowledge gave her a warm glow of pride and something else in her belly. Something like latent arousal.

She had not lacked partners either. She had danced every dance except for a few she had refused in order to catch her breath or drink some champagne. No partner compared to the exhilaration of dancing with Dariux. He made her feel the music, ignited some awareness inside her.

As if summoned by his thoughts, he appeared at her side.

“Are you promised for the next dance?”

“No. I declined the request of the last gentleman, claiming exhaustion.”

“Oh, in that case, you can’t dance it with me, either. It would be a breach of etiquette.”

“Exactly so. Glad to hear you memorized the etiquette lessons, as boring as I know you found them.”

He shrugged. “It’s a mission-specific knowledge that has no practical application in my everyday life.”

Just as she was. Kalli repressed the worthless thought. “Want some champagne?”

“Sure. I could use a respite and a drink, too,” he said, plucking two champagne glasses from a passing server’s tray and handing one to her.

“I bet. You have danced every dance. And seemed to be a favorite among the ladies,” she said, taking a sip of her drink. It was cool and delicious.

He grinned, unashamed. “You noticed?”

“Impossible not to. You sort of stand out; you know.”

He shrugged. “The ladies like me because I flatter them. And I make sure they look graceful and show to their advantage while dancing. Even when they are not superb dancers.”

“Hmm, you seem to know the way to a lady’s heart.”

“Goodness’ sake, no. I have no interest in finding my way into any lady’s heart. I just want to have a bit of fun dancing, that’s all.”

It was another unwelcome reminder that he was not interested in love. Fair enough. She could match his cool approach.

“You enjoy dancing. Tell me, is the waltz the only dance you know?”

“Not at all. It is one of my favorites, but I also dance salsa, tango, bolero, rumba, and even some ballet.”

Her eyes widened, and she almost choked on her drink. “You dance ballet?”

“Well, not anymore. I’m not as accomplished. I practiced it a bit during my youth, but it is a very demanding discipline.”

“I bet you looked delicious in a pair of ballet tights.” She laughed when he blushed. “Oh, sorry. Have I embarrassed you?”

“Of course not.” But his heightened color belied his statement.

Taking pity on his discomfort, she said, “So, why do you like dancing so much?”

His eyes took on a faraway expression. “It is the feel of the music. Of moving in harmony with the beat. Expressing yourself through movement.” He looked at her intently now. “I also like holding a woman in my arms. Other men who spurn dancing in favor of more so called ‘manly’ pursuits often forsake that pleasure.”

“Woman? You mean parbots?”

“Sometimes. But not all my dance partners are parbots. There are plenty of women who attend the dance clubs I frequent.”

“Have you ever... I mean. Have you and these women ever engaged in more than dancing?” Now why was she asking that? It was none of her business what he did. Or maybe it was? This was so complicated. Was she out of line in asking that question? But he didn’t seem put out. In fact, he answered easily.

“Not often, and not in a very long time. But yes, there’s been a few times.”

She gasped in surprise. He insisted on no human relationships.

She thought he never trifled with real women.

“I-I thought you were not interested in women,” she stammered.

He held her eyes for a charged moment before he lowered his head and whispered in her ear, “Now, what gave you that notion? I am most definitely interested in women. I thought I had proven that sufficiently. Or do you need a reminder?”

“But you said you didn’t do human relationships.”

“And I don’t. The few encounters I’ve had with these women could not be called a relationship. It was just a bit of sport. Mutual pleasure for the night. I made sure my partners were clear on that and did not seek a relationship either. None of them did. They were happy to frolic with me for a while. For the thrill of human contact, but they were content with their parbots.”

“I didn’t know...”

“What? That I have had sex with women before?”

“Yes. No. I mean, not only that. I didn’t know people still did that on the side. On top of their parbot relationships.”

“Oh, Kalli.” His eyes had warmed, and now he looked at her almost with sympathy and too much understanding. She looked away.

He brought her gaze back to his with a soft touch on her chin. “You had never been with a man before me?”

She was too embarrassed to say the words. To confess that no other man had ever wanted her. That she was so pathetic and inexperienced that she, a doctor who studied human emotions as a career, had not even known that people still had fleeting affairs. So, she just shook her head.

His eyes intensified and took on the sensual warmth she was beginning to recognize as arousal. She felt a caress at her neck, the faintest of brushes against her sensitized skin. And then his lips were grazing hers, uncaring of the fact that they were in a crowded ballroom. He was going to kiss her, and she was going to let him. But the kiss never came.

“I’m honored. And I will endeavor to make the experience a pleasurable one for you,” he whispered against her lips.

She was afraid he was already making the experience much more than pleasurable. He was making it unforgettable.