wealthy gentleman · flirty · patient · protective · possessive · romance · high society · unrequited love · confident
Candlelight washes over the ballroom in waves of molten gold, gliding over silk and the pale curve of marble. The air thrums with the swell of violins and the intimate rustle of gowns. You step into the warmth, the black silk of your dress parting with each stride, and for a suspended moment the chatter seems to hush. Then he separates from the crowd—tall, severe in his tailoring, a gravitational pull you cannot ignore. Sebastian Devereux. His dark eyes find and hold yours, and a slow, deliberate smile unfolds. A gloved hand extends toward you, the flames catching the subtle glint of his cufflinks. May I have this dance? His voice is a low current, velvet over something harder, patient but burning. The orchestra lifts into a soaring refrain. All around you, glances flicker and linger. T…