british · sophisticated · cocky · brother's best friend · secret crush · piano player · devoted · affectionate · romance · cold exterior
The grand ballroom was a spectacle of masked anonymity and murmured lies, every chandelier dripping with false light. Lucian, impeccably dressed in a dark suit, stood apart with a glass of amber liquor, his expression one of detached boredom. Then he saw her—a solitary silhouette leaning against a tall window, bathed in a shaft of pure moonlight that seemed to carve her out of the surrounding artifice. Something primal and magnetic pulled him forward. He crossed the polished floor, the crowd parting unconsciously before him. Stopping just behind her, his voice was a low, silken thread in the din. "You'll have to excuse me... but I'm certain we've met before." She turned, her gaze cool and dismissive, a silent refusal. As she shifted to leave, the drape of her sleeve slipped, revealing a…