Since the costumes of the female acrobats were diminutive in the extreme, the men’s eyes would surely be glued to them. She had nothing to worry about, she told herself.
After her second glass of champagne, Misty’s worries diminished further.
“Ooh, I finally spotted Damien and Bryson,” Sierra bubbled, and she took hold of Misty’s arm and led her across the room.
“Sorry we’re late, darling. We were talking with Lucas and couldn’t slip away,” Damien said as he leaned down and kissed his wife’s lips. “You look good enough to ravish.”
Though he whispered it, Misty heard, and her cheeks instantly flamed.
“Let’s dance,” said Bryson, gazing at Misty with pure heat.
She accepted his hand and followed him to the dance floor, where he pulled her against him.
“You are always beautiful, but right now…” he began and then cleared his throat. “Right now, it’s taking all my restraint not to haul you upstairs and peel that dress away to see what it’s barely hiding.”
“We might get in trouble, Bryson, but I’m willing to risk it.” She’d seen as much as she needed to of the circus acts. And there were so many people in the room, no one would miss them if they snuck away.
Bryson tensed as if thinking of an escape route. His eyes fixed on the door and he stopped dancing.
“I wouldn’t try it. My dad will come looking for you,” Lucas said as he stopped dancing next to them. “Hi, Magnolia. I’m glad to finally meet you. I’m Lucas, and this is my beautiful wife, Amy. I won’t stand here and bother you all night, but we’ve tried to sneak out early during a number of dad’s events, and he has a radar for potential escapees.” He accompanied his warning with a laugh before he swirled his wife away, leaving Misty speechless.
“I think Damien told them not to hold you captive with conversation,” Bryson said in explanation of Lucas and Amy’s hasty retreat. “Your brother is worried you’ll get overwhelmed by the throng of family members and you’ll run off.”
“I have to admit that that’s how I’ve been feeling. There are just so many of them, and I don’t know what to say, and I hate saying the same thing over and over again. It might be easier to just stand in a room with all of them and answer questions from a podium like the president does,” she said with a champagne giggle.
“I could arrange that,” he joked as they began dancing again.
“I’d kill you if you dared.”
“You’ve already tried with your stun gun, and that ended up with you lying beneath me, so go ahead and try. I like the outcomes of our matches.”
“I will best you, Bryson Winchester. Just you wait.” She laughed as he spun her in a circle.
“I could dance with you all night, beautiful, but I’m parched. Let’s get a drink, then come back for more.”
After a couple of glasses of something blue — she had no clue what it was, but she loved the decorations on the large stick — boy, was she ready for the dance floor.
The hours whooshed by with dancing, meeting new people, and laughter. So much laughter. Who said clouds wandered lonely? As the Cirque acts continued, she was walking on them. Each member of the Anderson family she met was as kind as the last, all of them were easy-going and humorous, and they all seemed to be glad she was there.
She’d never be able to remember all the names. What she would remember was this fantasy world she’d been invited into. Joseph played a wonderful ringmaster, commanding his audience, and raising millions for his foundation.
The guests left with much lighter pockets, and they told Joseph it was by far the best such event they’d ever attended. At the end of the evening, hand in hand with Bryson, Misty found herself in front of Joseph and Katherine. Joseph’s wife looked radiant in her golden gown.
“Thank you for inviting me to join you this weekend,” Bryson said as he took Katherine’s hand and kissed it, making her cheeks glow.
“It was a pleasure to have you, Bryson, and of course, to spend time with you,” she said as she kissed Misty’s cheek.
“I hope to have you back real soon,” Joseph said with a wink and a lift of his eyebrows as he looked to Misty.
“You are quite subtle, aren’t you, Joseph?” Bryson said with a laugh.
“I’m too old for subtlety.” He slapped Bryson on the back hard enough to jolt him a step forward.
Joseph kissed Misty’s cheek, and she practically floated away to the sleeping quarters of the mansion, Bryson’s hand clutched in hers.
“This night has been magical, Bryson. I don’t want it to end. You have been the perfect companion,” she said, leaning heavily on him as they neared the stairs.
“We all need magic in our lives. It keeps us young,” he replied.
“I feel safe with you. Nothing bothers me, not the crowds, the noise, the cameras, the fear of Jesse finding me. It all goes away when we’re together,” she said, stopping to look at him.
“I hope you always feel that way. Sometimes,” he paused and took a breath. “Sometimes, things aren’t always black and white. Not everything can be placed in a box and neatly tied together with a pretty bow. Just know that, no matter what, I have your best interests in mind,” he said. He hated to have secrets between them, and he was working up the courage to tell her about the DNA testing.
“I can’t imagine feeling anything different. You are a hero in my eyes, and I have never trusted someone as much as I trust you,” she said as they resumed walking and neared her door.
“I just hope that I’m worthy of your trust,” Bryson said, stopping and pulling her into his arms.
“Let’s only worry about tonight for now.” Misty looked meaningfully toward her door.
“I should kiss you goodnight. You’ve had too much to drink, and a gentleman would let you sleep it off,” he said, his voice low and full of need.
“I’m not looking for a gentleman,” she said, rising on her tiptoes and kissing the corner of his mouth. “I’m looking for a lover.”
She was too tipsy to be shocked at her own behavior. And when he pulled her against him with a low growl issuing from his throat, and lifted her easily into his arms, she was glad to have pushed him to take her.
When the door swung open, she sighed in anticipation.