“You know how to dance, don’t you?”
“Of course I do.” She’d taken ballet and hip-hop lessons to help with her skating.
“Great then.” He put his hands on her and began to lead expertly.
Awfully presumptuous of him, but Sophia didn’t argue. Dane would intimidate almost every guest at the wedding, but not Justin. Not only was he Vanessa’s husband, but he was Barron Sterling’s hand-picked heir. As ignorant of the business world as Sophia was, she’d still heard of Barron in conversations her father and George used to have.
At the thought of George, tension crept into her muscles. She forced herself to relax. He wasn’t going to ruin her mood.
“Enjoying yourself?” Justin asked.
She nodded. “Too bad Vanessa can’t dance.”
“We danced until our feet hurt at our reception.”
“I thought you eloped?”
“We did, but then we had a reception for family and friends.”
Probably for the people on his side, since Sophia couldn’t imagine anybody from the Pryces wanting another awkward family get-together. “I’m surprised you asked me to dance,” she said, noticing Vanessa in her peripheral vision. The stunning redhead watched them over the rim of her OJ glass with a small frown. “I could’ve sworn she didn’t like me.”
Justin smiled, his eyes crinkling. Disarming—charming even—but there was a steel core in there that she could feel was dangerous. “She’s over-protective at times and suspicious by nature. Makes her a great lawyer, but people often mistake it for hostility.”
Diplomatically stated, but Sophia wasn’t in the mood. “Which worries her more? That I might marry her father or date her brother?”
His eyes widened slightly…maybe at her bluntness. People probably minced words around him all the time. “All her brothers are taken.”
“Dane’s not.”
He almost missed a step. “Dane? Are you kidding?”
“What’s so incredible about that?”
“He doesn’t like anybody.”
Justin was wrong. Dane flipped between hot and cold too often for people to figure him out.
A thoughtful pause. “Vanessa doesn’t know what to make of you. I, on the other hand, think you’re all right.”
“Is that so?”
“I like people who speak frankly.”
“Then Dane must be your best friend.”
Justin chuckled. “He’s not bad for a brother-in-law, but I like my friendships a tad warmer.”
The song ended, and the quartet started another. Before Justin and Sophia could part ways, Dane tapped Justin’s shoulder and arched an eyebrow. “You’ve monopolized her long enough.”
Sophia willed Justin to stay. The last thing she wanted was to dance with Dane.
But Vanessa’s husband was apparently satisfied with the information he’d gathered so far; Sophia wasn’t dumb enough to think he’d danced with her for no reason. He made a “be my guest” gesture with an open hand, smiled at her in a slightly conspiratorial way, and left.
Bastard.
As Dane put a hand around her waist, she pulled back. “Sorry. My hip’s starting to hurt.”
“Then I’ll carry you to a chair.” He bent, about to hook an arm behind her knees.
She made a small turn, deftly moving out of the way. “What are you doing?”
“Trying to carry you to a chair, unless you prefer to dance. I only need a few minutes of your time.”
“Don’t go out of your way on my account. I’m sure there are other women who are dying to dance with you.”
He ignored her and put one hand on her hip and another around her hand. Sensations buzzed inside her, and she swallowed. Cling to your anger, Sophia. There was no way she was making another mistake with this man.
It was just one dance. Given how cold Dane was, he probably didn’t know how to move. He’d drag her around in an attempt to lead—
But he was excellent.
She should’ve known. There seemed to be very little he didn’t do well. He didn’t try to hold her too close, signaled her perfectly with small pressures at the small of her back… Everything was textbook perfect.
She didn’t want to dance like a corpse, so she followed. But her body stayed tense. It wasn’t that difficult so long as she held on to her humiliation from the night before. “If you think this will change anything,” she said in a low voice, “forget it. You cheapened what I offered and wanted from you.”
“I’m sorry.”
She blinked. For a moment, hesitation softened her posture, but then the tension came back, and her spine snapped straight. “Apology accepted. Now lead me off the floor.”