Page 111 of Bitter Prince

I knew how persistent my best friends could be.

A Carrie concert was where Isla, Phoenix, and I had met Athena and Raven all those years ago. My sister and I snuck out of the house to meet Isla in front of the concert hall and, lo and behold, Athena and Raven did the same, except the two of them had driven from their freaking dorms in Nevada to attend the concert. We’d been best friends ever since.

The song switched and a grin spread on my face as the first beat of “Cowboy Casanova” sounded. That didn’t take long at all.

Once the last guest made his way away from us, I turned to face Amon. His eyes trailed over me, starting at my legs and then moving up until our gazes locked.

“You look beautiful.”

“You picked out the dress,” I pointed out, my cheeks heating up. It might have been vain, but I liked his compliments. They matched the look in his eyes—full of emotion—and made me all mushy inside. Yes, I could see the lust in his gaze, but there was so much more.

I liked the way he looked at me. It made my stomach churn and butterflies take flight.

“Are you going to dance with me?” I asked, batting my lashes. I didn’t give a crap if I looked ridiculous. I liked being playful with him. I turned around, tugging him along.

“He doesn’t dance,” Dante said, showing up out of nowhere. His words stopped me in my tracks, and my eyes flicked back to Amon hesitantly. There was nobody on this yacht I wanted to dance with but him.

Our slow dancing under the floating, lit-up lanterns rushed to my mind. That was dancing. Wasn’t it?

Amon’s gaze found mine. “Ask me.”

The deep timbre of his voice had my insides growing warm. The soft breeze and the country music had me relaxing and smiling like a woman in love. The inside of my chest felt like it would burst from all the feelings swimming around.

“Dance with me, please,” I murmured softly, forgetting his brother and everyone around us. I didn’t know why he threw a party for me. All I needed was him and my friends. That was enough.

He took my hand and linked our fingers together.

Once on the dance floor, I hooked my hands around his neck and our bodies moved slowly, despite the fast beat of the country song.

“You really don’t dance?” I asked.

“I can’t dance.” His admission surprised me. I was convinced there was nothing he couldn’t do if he put his mind to it.

“You’re dancing now,” I pointed out. “And that day with the lanterns.” My body molded to his, my face closer to his thanks to my five-inch heels. I took his hands and dragged them down my body until they came to rest on my hips. “Besides, I can show you some moves.”

“I like dancing with you,” he murmured, his lips against my earlobe. “You’re a good teacher.”

Warmth spread through my veins, filling every corner of me. Nobody else mattered in this moment, and I wished we weren’t here amongst strangers. I wished we were in a room so I could feel his hands on my skin.

“So are you. Do you know what this song is?”

My heart hammered against my ribs as his breath brushed my sensitive earlobe. “A country song.” I grinned, and before I could say anything else, he added, “You’ll have to give me more items from your bucket list.”

The song switched to Miranda Lambert’s “Tin Man” and the tempo slowed. The lyrics were enough to break someone’s heart.

“You have a bucket list too, right?” I asked, lifting my head to study his expression.

“I never thought to make one.”

I grinned. “I didn’t either until one of the girls brought up her lap dance wish.”

His eyes danced with amusement as he listened. “That’s an interesting one.” He brushed a thumb over my flushed cheek. “You better not have a lap dance on your bucket list. Unless it’s with me. For me.”

It was a beautiful night. The stars twinkled above us like diamonds, but they had nothing on the feel of this man in my arms.

“Of course. Embarrassment in the form of shaking my ass is reserved for your eyes only. It helps that you saw my ass hanging off the rail when Phoenix and I snuck out all those years ago.”

Amon’s laugh traveled over the breeze. The yacht was full of people but it was as if we were the only ones in the world.