When I’m with You (Because You Are Mine #2)(27)
Author: Beth Kery

“I hope they’re not driving you crazy,” Francesca apologized in a confidential tone when Justin went to open yet another bottle of champagne. Elise had occasionally noticed Lucien’s gaze on her from across the terrace where he spoke to Jacob, Ian, and Davie. She strongly suspected that he was waiting for her to slip up and say something she shouldn’t with all the alcohol that had been flowing given the celebratory mood of the party.

“Not at all. They’re really nice guys. Davie, Justin, Caden, and you are roommates, right?”

Francesca nodded. “Davie watches over us all,” she said, smiling.

“You’re lucky, to have such good friends,” Elise said feelingly. For a horrible moment, her throat tightened. Too late; Francesca noticed.

“Elise. Are you all right?” Francesca asked, sitting forward slightly, concern etching her features as she stared at Elise’s face.

Elise slid her social mask back into place, only missing a beat. “Yes, of course. I’ll bet you’ll miss them, after you move in with Ian. Your friends, I mean. When will the wedding be?”

“We haven’t decided yet. Probably next spring. I finish my classwork this winter at my program, and then I just have a final project due before I can get my master’s. I’ll likely be finished by the spring. We’re thinking of eloping to Hydra. Ian owns a place there.”

“Oh, that’ll be beautiful.”

“You’ve been to Hydra?” Francesca asked, eyes wide.

“Yes, my parents own a home in Poros. I haven’t been to the islands in ages, though.”

Elise threw a surreptitious glance in Lucien’s direction, but his attention was on Davie as they conversed.

“Ian and Lucien seem like good friends,” she said in a hushed yet off-the-cuff manner.

“They are. Ian is very comfortable with him. He doesn’t worry about his true intentions, like he has to with so many other potential friends he meets,” Francesca said.

Elise nodded in understanding. “It’s hard. A man like Ian has to always wonder about people’s motivations. How long have they known each other?”

Francesca wrinkled her brow. “I’m not sure if Ian has ever said exactly, but I do know they were introduced by a common acquaintance in Paris several years back. Ian took to visiting Lucien in his restaurant whenever he was in Paris, and they discovered they both loved fencing. They started working out together when they got the chance. When Ian decided to open up his headquarters here in Chicago, he asked Lucien to open the restaurant in the tower as a personal favor.”

“Hey, Ian,” Justin called across the terrace, interrupting a conversation Elise found extremely interesting. Ian and Lucien paused in their exchange, turning toward Justin. Night had almost completely fallen. Elise noticed idly that Lucien’s and Ian’s shadows were exactly the same height, their profiles both stark and arresting. “Why don’t you put on some real music? I might want to teach your fiancée how to dance,” Justin called.

Francesca snorted into her champagne.

“I taught you how to dance, you braggart,” she chastised.

“Just keep the gymnastics to a minimum, please. The last time I saw these two dance, Francesca left the floor with tennis elbow,” Ian told Elise drolly as he passed them.

“Tennis elbow?” Elise asked, confused.

“Don’t ask,” Francesca said, laughing.

Elise thought she understood after Ian went behind the bar and changed the music selection to a dance mix. Justin immediately pulled Francesca into an athletic, exuberant dance that did, indeed, look potentially harmful to life and limb. She was enjoying watching the two friends dance beneath the stars when Caden approached her.

“Come on, we can’t let these two steal the show.”

Elise removed her high-heeled sandals and took Caden’s hand. As she walked over to the designated dance floor—an open area behind the outdoor furniture—she noticed Lucien’s eyes gleaming in the firelit darkness as he watched her. A thrill went through her for some reason. He’d been ignoring her all night—well, not ignoring exactly. She’d sensed his attention sporadically, his alert focus as he observed her. Why was he stretching things out now that she no longer officially worked for him and they’d both completed their medical exams? He was driving her mad with his elusiveness.

She definitely had Lucien’s attention now, though, and she gloried in that fact. Caden was a good dancer. She hadn’t danced since her nightclub days and wasn’t really sure if she still had what it took. Turns out, she found her rhythm just fine, if Caden’s admiring grin and increasingly sexy moves in reaction to hers were any indication. She danced with Francesca’s handsome friend, but she danced for Lucien. Even though she refused to look in his direction, she was acutely aware of his focus on her . . . of his increasing tension, like a powerful storm brewing in the distance. She laughed at Caden’s comments and gyrated her hips, giving him a seductive look that turned his eyes hot. She glanced over her shoulder at Lucien and transferred the gaze to him, thrilling to see his stare trained directly on her.

She’d known it would be.

She’d stayed under the radar for the past year or so, but tonight, she felt the wild girl in her rattling at her cage.

When the dance came to an end, she and Caden shared a quick hug, both of them laughing and overheated. They began to walk back over to the seating area to join Jacob, Mrs. Hanson, Lin, and Anara.

“Aren’t you going to dance, Lucien?” Ian asked pointedly as Elise and Caden passed their little circle, which consisted of Ian, Lucien, and Davie. Elise’s cheeks grew even warmer than they had from the dance when she noticed Ian nodded in her direction, an infinitesimal smile on his sculpted lips. She realized Ian was teasing Lucien. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you dance before,” Ian prodded.

“And you never will, if I have my way about it,” Lucien said shortly. Caden and Elise drifted over to their group.

“Ah. As good at it as I am, I’ll wager,” Ian said, taking a sip of champagne.

“Lucien is a fabulous dancer.”

Three pairs of eyes flickered over to her when she spoke; one pair flashed a disbelieving glance that seemed to burn right through her. She bit her lip.

Oops.

Ian lowered his glass. “When have you seen Lucien dance?” he asked, amusement tingeing his features. “I thought you two had just met recently.”