Page 42 of The Intergalactic Duke's Inconvenient Engagement

Jealousy, longing, and guilt were a toxic churn inside him worse than the lethal emptiness of space.

Better to space himself than abuse the trust of this remarkable woman who had escaped her abductor, saved her friends, defied his mother, and faced a universeof aliens with grace and humor.

They would have this night together but he would not try to trap her into more. The ancient, admired Duchy of Azthronos would sink into oblivion and still he would refuse to take her freedom. He promised her this, though she would never know it.

His throat rasped with those unspoken words when he asked, “Dance with me?”

She looked up at him, questions lurkingin her dark eyes. “I should warn you. I’ve never really done any formal dancing, and these spiky glass heels look amazing but I can barely walk. The chances of me stepping on your feet are really, really high. Higher than the heels.” She dimpled at him. “And I know how you feel about being stabbed.”

“I would carry you if necessary,” he said. “But it won’t be. Let me show you.”

He guided herto the dance chamber and pointed upward. The center tower of the ballroom went five stories up and was open to the night sky above since the energy dome protected the whole estate from anything so vulgar as inclement weather.

Her jaw dropped. “Zero-G dancing?”

“More like the anti-gravs on your dress.” He pointed out the unobtrusive lifts on the dancers. “Some lifting and floating, but not trulyweightless. If it were, the dancers would be bouncing around like billiards.”

She dropped her startled gaze back to him. “You have billiards?”

He tilted his head, half closing his eyes slyly. “I’m…not very good. Perhaps we could play a game of what we call disrobilliards.”

“Disrobe…” She narrowed her eyes back at him. “Are you saying strip-pool?”

He blinked with exaggerated innocence. “Myuniversal translator is failing me. I’ll just have to show you.”

She stepped up closer to him, the icestones of her sandals pressing to the toes of his boots. But it wasn’t ice that went through him; it was a dark, sultry fire. “Show me everything?” she purred.

Even the ballistic strength of his trousers was going to fail him at this rate. “Later.”

“Yes, first I want my dance with the disreputableduke.”

He took her hand, led her to step into the anti-grav shoes, and then whirled her into the soaring column of dancers, letting the music and the Earther in his arms lift his heart before the inevitable end of the night.