The Wrong Brother's Temptation novel Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Sienna

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I was spared the effort of replying to him as a voice rang out across the hall.

“Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please!”

Everybody turned their attention to the emcee who stood in the center of the crowd.

“Now that the cake has been cut, one last tradition remains.” He beamed at the crowd and then turned his attention to the alpha and Luna.

“it is my absolute honor to invite our wonderful Alpha and Luna to the floor for the evening’s most cherished tradition of the first dance.”

Alpha Asher offered his hand to Luna Lydia who took it graciously, and they moved to the center of the floor while everyone arranged themselves in a ring around them.

Sandra had positioned herself and Aaron at the very front of that ring.

I was standing beside Connor about six feet back, absentmindedly watching Aaron and his parents.

The music turned to a slow beat and the first couple began dancing. They had barely spent a minute when Connor offered his hand to me.

I looked at it then at him with a question.

“Tradition,” he said, and the corner of his mouth went up.

Before I could comment the emcee spoke aloud. “And now for the eldest Ashford heir and his partner…” He looked at us and asked. “Can we have you join the dance as well?”

Connor gave me a look that said “Told you‘ and I slipped my hand in his.

The music shifted to something romantic, and Connor drew me in with one hand settled at my waist and the other closed around my fingers and we began to move, and I focused on a point over his shoulder and reminded myself firmly that this was fake.

“You’re upset with me,” he said.

I nearly stepped on his foot. “What?”

“You’ve been upset with me for the last hour.” He stated his observation, like he was noting a change in the weather. “I’ve been trying to figure out what I did and I can’t place it, which is bothering me more than I’d like to admit.”

I looked him in the eye, trying to find that usual smirk or mischief in them but there was none. He was being completely sincere, which was somehow more disarming than anything else he could have done.

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15:14 Thủ, Jul 23

Chapter 48

“I’m not upset with you,” I said.

“You’re something with me.”

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“I’m processing things.” My gaze drifted across the floor to where Aaron and Sandra had joined the dance, Aaron’s arm around her waist. “Things that have nothing to do with you.”

“What things?”

“The nosy thing isn’t a good look on you, Connor.”

“And the evasive thing isn’t a good look on you, Speckles. We could go in circles or you could just tell me.”

“I could also just keep dancing silently,” I said sweetly. “That’s an option too.”

He made a sound that was almost a laugh, and his hand at my waist shifted just enough that it was now resting a little lower. And I was absolutely not going to mention it because I wasn’t sure I completely hated it.

The emcee then arranged us into a circle formation, inner ring of women, outer ring of men, partners rotating every few beats, which I was grateful for until I wasn’t.

My first rotation brought me to a young man from the eastern territory trying to small talk and whose name I forgot the moment he mentioned it.

I was only half listening because Connor’s current partner was the blonde girl whom I had seen with Aaron.

She was leaning slightly toward him now, laughing softly at something he said. Watching them made a feeling expand in my chest that I was refusing to name, acknowledge, or examine in any way.

Partners shifted and then it was Aaron was in front of me.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Fine,” I said.

“You don’t look fine to me. Can we talk about…”

“I’m tired.”

He studied me the way he did when he knew he wasn’t getting the whole story. “Is this about earlier? I’m sorry about what I said… the desperate comment…that was out of line. But you also…”

“I know.” I cut him off

“So we’re okay?”

“Aaron.” I kept my voice light and my smile in place for the benefit of anyone watching. “We are dancing at your parents‘ anniversary party. Can we maybe do this later?”

Something flickered through his expression, and then the partners shifted and he was gone, and I could breathe again.

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15:14 Thu, Jul 23

Chapter 48

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My eyes went straight back to Connor and for some reason the blonde girl was still near him,, and she was saying something that made him laugh, and the feeling in my chest that I was refusing to name got loud enough that I could no longer convincingly claim I couldn’t hear it.

I knew it was ridiculous. Connor could smile at whoever he wanted, even the girl who had just made out with his brother.

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