Odessa twirled under the sparkling chandeliers, her gown swishing across the polished marble each time Lord Ambrose spun her around. Her smile seemed easy, not at all forced like it had seemed in her mind. Lord Ambrose's arms held her as they danced. He had quite liked the idea of leaving the ball with the blonde Dreadlord by his side, but he looked down at her as they danced and noticed how she tried to mask some emotion, bitterness.
"You seem distracted." A brow raised. The music came to an ending for only a few moments before it would start up again. His tone was light, absent of judgment, but there was curiosity in his eyes that Odessa noticed too easily. He had always been the most simple of the Iverson children, the one who had crushed on Odessa when she returned for weekend meals with Leander as children.
Her smile faltered and she shook her head. "Forgive me, I have had an awful night if I am being honest. Men can just be so..." She huffed loudly. "Presumptuous. Don't you think so?" She seemed to be venting and Lord Ambrose was willing to listen.
"Is that so?" He asked her, settling his hand back on her lower back when the music began again. "I wouldn't think anyone would be that way, especially in the presence of a charming Dreadlord lady." The flush in his cheeks crept back in. Odessa hoped her efforts to will the same warmth into her own face was working.
She caught sight of Lachlan and Catherine speaking quietly. Both seemed to look distressed to some degree, if that was what it was called. She leaned in slightly, her lips closer to Ambrose's ear. "You're an excellent dancer. I had almost forgotten how enjoyable a ball could be with an actual gentleman. Dreadlord balls are full of graceless oafs. I had a toe broken once from a man stepping on me during a waltz of all things!"
He had the laugh of a wealthy man, one that surrounded her whenever she left the Academy. "You truly flatter me. I must admit, for being raised with 'graceless oafs' you still seem to outshine all the other ladies here tonight."
He own laughter was foreign, a hollow sound that was too delicate for her soul. "You are far too kind." Her fingers slid over his shoulder, lingering longer than necessary. She looked up. The sparkle in his eyes, the reaction. Perfect.
"My lord," She let her hand fall back into place. Her voice had dropped to a sultry whisper. "Have you wondered what it might be like to defy our parents?" He cocked his head to the side, confused. "What it might like to try something scandalous? For just one night?"
His brow furrowed before realization struck. His lips curled into a smile. "You surprise me, Lady Odessa. I never pegged you to be one for reckless decisions." She almost cursed herself for choosing the brother that was also the most...gentlemanly, but he slid his hand to the nape of her neck and pulled close to his lips. "But perhaps the perfect Urahil daughter does have a scandalous streak in her after all. I wonder if anyone would even notice if I were to kiss you. Right here on the dance floor. No one would even see, unless they were watching of course."
Odessa's breath hitched. She had not expected this, a public display of such behavior. Up close, she could smell that he had been drinking. Likely just as much as she had. But she didn't pull away yet. Instead, she stared over to her cousin and her...fiancé. But she arced her neck to the side, letting her blonde hair fall. An invitation Ambrose was eager to accept. His lips brushed the side of her neck. Featherlight, as if he were unsure.
