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Not exactly the most enthusiastic acceptance I had ever heard, but I’d take it. I held out my hand to her.
The princess looked at my hand, hesitating. I knew what she was doing, questioning her decision, calculating whether she had enough reasonable doubt to make a last minute declination. She didn’t know me, my name, and hadn’t seen my face. Surely it would be wiser to turn me down and stick by her friend, just in case.
I waited, my hand in front of her. If she decided this wasn’t what she wanted to do, then I’d accept it. I wasn’t going to push her.
In the end, my lack of pushiness seemed to win me over. She nodded and placed her hand in mine. I noted that her fingers, particularly the pads of thumb and index finger, were callused, and her palm was rough; for some reason, I liked the subversion of expectations. Though she looked like a dainty princess, she clearly was no stranger to hard work. I imagined that sewing as a hobby, holding needles and scissors all the time, would create such calluses.
I didn’t mention my surprise. I was beginning to understand enough to know she would take it the wrong way, even if I meant it as a compliment.
I held her hand gently in mine and led her onto the dance floor. The live band had a haunting melody going, long and slow high notes that wavered against the warehouse ceiling. I turned back to face the princess and lifted my arms, smiling.
She rubbed her arms, and I saw ripples of goosebumps. “This band is… amazing. It’s like a horror movie soundtrack.”
I tilted my head. “There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
The princess lifted her head, eyes suddenly flashing. “I’m not afraid,” she declared.
And who are you trying to convince? Me? Or yourself?
She stepped forward, into my arms. I wrapped one arm around her waist and caught her hand in mine, keeping a respectable distance between us even though she was so warm and I ached to hold her body tight to mine.
She held my hand tight, our fingers tangling together.
I started a slow sway, my eyes locked on hers, drinking in their color, like liquid gold, a sunset caught forever at its brightest moment. “Your eyes are very beautiful.”
She had nowhere to turn, now I had her in my arms. “Thank you. Your eyes are… very shadowy.”
I laughed, and she smiled. Her lips were like cherries, plump and shiny. Had I been a little less in control of myself, I would have kissed her right then.
Our sway turned to a rotation, a wavering spin as we rotated each other, planetary bodies caught in an orbit that wouldn’t let them touch. The warehouse spiraled around us, a blur of background characters, rather insignificant. Mere stage dressing.
The princess lifted her arms, wrapped them around my neck.
It occurred to me that I didn’t know her name. “Hey—”
I stepped on something.
“Ow,” she said, with a little wince.
“Shit,” I exclaimed. “Was that your foot? God, I’m sorry.”
She stopped dancing, but instead of becoming angry like I thought she might, she started laughing. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to laugh. You just looked so worried, like you thought I’d call guards and have you thrown in the dungeon. It really didn’t hurt. I was more surprised, is all.”
“Still, I must weigh twice what you do.”
“I guess I can show you one of my secrets,” the princess said. She leaned in, conspiratorial. “But don’t tell anyone.”
“I won’t,” I whispered back, a bit mystified.
She gathered up the skirt of her dress in her hands and lifted, just an inch or two. Enough for me to realize she wore ordinary shoes under such a pretty garment. Not heels, not sandals. No wonder I hadn’t hurt her.
I laughed. “Hey, that is a pretty neat secret.”
I straightened up from checking out her shoes. A point of my mask caught on part of my costume, an eventuality Sir John hadn’t seen coming, yanking it down to my beard. The top half of my face was left exposed, showing who I was to anyone who might be looking, and showing who I was toher.
Damn,I swore, grabbing my mask and putting it back where I belonged. So much for being in incognito mode when I went and blew my cover like that.
Now I was the nervous one, my pulse jumping up several notches.