Ward squeezes my hand and I look up at him. He was wrong; I’m the lucky one tonight.
“Ward, there you are.” His mother finds us not ten steps inside.
The dream freezes.
“You look so handsome.” She pats his shoulder, then slips something inside his breast pocket. “Here’s your information for the auction. It begins in exactly one hour.”
Just like that, the fairytale is over. Someone else wants my prince.
Ward pulls me closer, and his mother looks at me for the first time.
“Oh, I didn’t see you there.” She looks me up and down, trying to find something wrong with me, I’m sure. “You look nice.”
That’s the closest I’m going to get to a compliment from her. “Thank you.”
“No,” Ward’s hand settles on my hip as he stares at me. “She’s gorgeous.”
His mother looks between the two of us and tilts her head to the side. Her lips part, but she doesn’t speak.
“Excuse me, Mother, I need to get this beautiful girl to the dance floor.”
Claire’s eyes widen and she looks at Ward. “You’re going to dance?”
“Of course.” Ward releases my waist to hold my hand. “I’d never miss the chance to dance with my girlfriend.”
Right, the horrible, awfulfakegirlfriend thing. We’re still doing that.
“I’d love to,” I say, allowing Ward to pull me to the dance floor.
He takes my good hand in his and places his other hand on my low back. “Would you believe me if I said I took dance classes in high school?”
I study his serious expression. I’ve met his mother, so it seems likely. “Yes.”
He spins me out and around, then pulls me right back into his chest. “I was an excellent dancer,” he whispers, sliding his hands to my low back. Goosebumps erupt where his fingers brush my bare skin.
“Was?”
He shrugs and pulls me along with the music. “Not much fun dancing in a war zone.”
I run my finger along his collar. “I’m glad you’re dancing again then.”
He smiles, and it tugs on my heart. “Me too.”
“You can take the boy off the dance floor but you can’t take the dance out of the boy, huh?” I tease.
He chuckles, his deep throaty voice right next to my ear. “What else is a boy to do when he wants to impress a girl?”
“I could think of a few things.” I bite my lip, egging him on. I’ve seen how he tenses up each time I do that.
But he twirls me out instead.Rude.
One song turns to ten before Ward lets me chase after one of the many waiters carrying hors d’oeuvres. I reach for one of the items then frown. Oysters?
The next plate contains fuzzy green balls. I take a bite and gag on the overwhelming seaweed taste. Where are the normal snacks? Like brownies? I frown and drop the ball in the trash the second the waiter is out of sight.
“What’s wrong?” Ward asks.
I fold my arms and face him. “This food isn’t edible. Where are the pigs in a blanket?”
