I took a sip of the sparkling champagne that Nixia had served for me in a wine glass. Iris eyed me closely as I drained the burning liquid.
"You take small sips, Mitchell." She told me coldly, demonstrating it by bringing her own glass to her mouth. I watched slowly, keeping my eyes on her sculptured pink lips.
Oh . . . I swallowed hard, watching as her neck muscles moved smoothly while swallowing the crisp drink. She brought the glass away from her mouth, leaving a tiny wet spot on her bottom lip.
Iris darted out her tongue, tracing over the drop of champagne. My insides fluttered. Holy fuck, what is going on? Those devilish forest eyes of hers met mine, making me nervous all over again.
Why am I so uneasy? I cleared my throat, forgetting her presence. "The slow dance is about to start. Mitchell, be my guest?" Lillian offered. "Be a gentlemen and don't step on my feet." She warned, giving me a playful scowl.
I've never danced with a girl before. It wasn't uncommon, of course, because even my dads danced with Lillian's moms. It was just a friendly and fun thing to do, I suppose.
I felt my cheeks flush as Lilly placed my hands on her waist. Calm yourself, Bennett, it's just a dance. I cleared my throat, looking anywhere but Lilly's face.
A strange, music-box sounding song came on. "What is this?" I whispered to Lillian. She closed her eyes, smiling as we swayed. Nixia and Sam danced a few feet away from us, being awfully close to one another.
Lillian tightened her arms around my neck. "It's called Lilium." She whispered back, opening her eyes.
But this song was weird. This wasn't a song to slow dance to, really. I tried to ignore the fact that the song was odd, continuing to move my feet in a slow but sturdy rhythm.
My eyes darted over Lillian's shoulder, landing on Iris' solemn face. She was staring at me! My heart scrunched up in annoyance, but the excitement soon went away as the song finished, making Lillian step back.
Damn it.
I chewed the inside of my lip, casting my eyes towards the polished tiles of the vast ballroom. "This is embarrassing," I muttered. I wasn't a huge fan of dancing. There was a few girls who were glowering at me, throwing envious looks towards Lillian and I.
"Looks like you've got a few fans." I murmured at Lillian. She turned around, facing the younger girls. They didn't look too old. "They're just a couple of fourteen year olds who want a dance with me." She said conceitedly. I snickered, looking towards our tables' direction, where Iris still sat.
Her eyes narrowed as I met her gaze. Why did she hate me so much? I didn't do a thing to her. I had just met her yesterday!
The people around us applauded abruptly. I jerked my head towards the parents and teenagers who smiled at me and Lillian.
"Miss Lillian!" the DJ said over the microphone. "What a lovely dance with Mr. uh . . ." My mouth set into a thin line. Great, now we were the center of attention, right under the damned spotlight.
A fancy man whispered something into the DJ's ear. He nodded, bringing the microphone back towards his mouth. "And Mr. Mitchell! The next dance shall be set with a spin-the-bottle game. If you would, return to your tables and drain your champagne!" he laughed.
YOU ARE READING
The Iconoclast
Romance"Mitchell, it has come to my attention that you have sinned," my father said. Loving her was a sin; of that, I am fully aware. But a sinner I was. Her green eyes were without doubt the most captivating aspect of her appearance, although they showed...
