Novel Palace
3
Elena blinked at him, unsure of what to say and surprised about how direct he was. Her mouth opened, but she didn’t have a chance to say anything before Emily chipped in.
“Yes, she would really like to dance. Wouldn’t you, Elena?” Emily asked, with an evil, mischievous smile on her face.
Elena narrowed her eyes in her sister’s direction, and watched as Emily laughed out loudly before returning her attention to Daniel. “Sure,” she told Chandler, “But just so you know, I’m a terrible dancer,”
He smiled at her then. “For some reason, I find that very hard to believe,”
“I’m serious,” Elena insisted,
“Then I guess you don’t have anything to worry about because you see, Elena,” he leaned closer to her ear, so close that every hair on her body became erect, “I’m a terrible dancer too so I guess we’ll figure it out there,”
Thankfully, he moved away so she could stop holding her breath and she smiled at him. Chandler stood, then held out his hand to her. Elena took it, and together, they moved to the dance floor.
——
Have you ever been invited to a costume party? You take the time to plan your outfit, you buy the supplies, perfect the look, and then arrive, only to discover that you’re the only one who wasn’t in on the secret. Awkward…That’s how you’d feel.
Awkward. That’s how Elena felt as she walked to the dance floor with Chandler…. her hand gently clasped in his. Elena always knew, abstractly and from vague hints over the years, that Elijah and his brother weren’t close. That he was kind of an outsider, though Elena figured Emily was prone to exaggeration when she’d said he was an actual delinquent.
Elena had never met Chandler, but from what she could remember, Chandler Kendrick was at least six years older than Elijah and they weren’t close… At least not like Elena and Emily. And if this hangout was any indication, Emily was right. Being brothers and having similar eye color was where the similarities ended.
Chandler was the outsider. The black sheep of the family. The rebel. Elijah was quiet and shy, and while Chandler didn’t talk much, he was outspoken, straightforward and bold. Elijah was a doctor, while Chandler was a successful businessman. He was the complete opposite of his brother, and he was covered in ink and attitude. Seriously, what kind of businessman had so many damn tattoos, Elena wondered as Chandler faced her.
The strains of music seemed to drift away as they stood, and as Elena looked over her shoulder at the other couples enjoying each other’s company on the dance floor, she felt even more awkward, and began to wish that she’d said no.
Chandler watched her with keen interest. She was doing her best to ignore his presence entirely, or maybe she was that lost in thought, he wasn’t sure. He observed that at some point on their way to the dance floor, she’d slipped her hand out of his, and he’d let go of her hand, acting like he didn’t notice. He approached slowly, sheathing whatever weapon that might spook her, giving her a small smile as he held his hand out.
“Come on, Elena. Dance with me?”
Elena’s chest fell and rose on an inhale as midnight eyes snapped to his face.
“You really want to? I mean, it’s not even a slow song,”
“Ouch.” Chandler said and hand rubbed at the spot above his heart, and he saw her gaze flicker to his tattoos. Again, he acted like he didn’t notice. He was used to people giving him weird glances because of his tattoos. Most people did not like it, even his mother at some point, but she got used to it. “Yes, even social reprobates like myself enjoy dancing with a beautiful woman, and it doesn’t matter if it’s a slow song or not. Never mind about that. I don’t care about the song because I wanted to talk to you.”
Even as the pink deepened on her high cheekbones, she was clearly undecided, Chandler observed. Time to see if this first corner piece would click into place, or if he was completely off-base. “Come on,” he said quietly, “I’ve known your sister for a while and she is fearless… A little bit scary too I must admit, but I’m sure that fearlessness is something you both share…. A twin thing as they put it,”
Chandler had meant that to be a compliment, but oh, no, she didn’t like that. Her eyes flashed like an impending lightning storm, and he felt the surge of electricity gather around him like a cloud. He was beginning to think that she’d turn around and walk away from him, but he was surprised when she slid her hand in his, and stepped closer. Not quite close enough, but at least that was something.
Bracketing her feet with his own, Chandler slid his free hand around her waist and brought her flush against him. Just close enough to not be improper, considering they were not alone, but just enough so he could feel the heat radiating from her body and still be enveloped by her flowery scent .
If someone from their table walked past, they would stare. Chandler was sure of that. They might gawk at the way he was holding her. And damn if he didn’t want them to. The Hennessy was doing things to his system. Something that made him daring and a little wild.
He knew what they’d see, how they’d judge. The bad boy and the good girl, a strange pairing maybe, but if they saw them like this, swaying on the dance floor, they’d assume they had a thing for each other. That something about her had him kind of obsessed. Something about her made him feel dangerous. And maybe that was true, even if just for this one night.
In his arms, Elena Davis felt incredible. Her body was warm, her skin was soft, and she smelled like flowers. But she was holding herself a little stiffly, so Chandler backed off just a couple of inches as he gently led her in a slow circle. When he directed her in a slow turn out and spin, she smiled.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g