Chapter 186 In the Deep End
Chapter 186 In the Deep End
His gaze slowly traveled from her face down to the white dress, lingering for a fraction of a second on the pearls, the line of her shoulders, and the elegant silhouette shaped by the fabric, before rising back to her eyes.
He was no longer smiling.
His pupils seemed darker, while his gaze had taken on a new warmth.
Something ardent.
Troubled.
An admiration he no longer even tried to hide.
Blanche felt her heart quicken.
Kiyan said nothing.
He didn't need to.
It was all there in his eyes.
He was looking at her with an almost disconcerting intensity, as though he were trying to etch the image into his memory. As though he needed a few extra seconds to accept that the girl he had known had grown up.
And Blanche suddenly had the impression that she was naked.
Not because her dress revealed anything.
On the contrary, she was perfectly covered.
But because his gaze seemed to see through the fabric, the appearances, all the barriers behind which she was accustomed to hiding.
She instinctively lowered her eyes, feeling her cheeks grow warm.
"What?" she whispered.
Kiyan finally blinked, as though abruptly coming back to himself.
His jaw tightened slightly.
He inhaled.
Then he looked away for a second, long enough to regain control of the expression that had escaped him.
But when he looked at her again, something had changed.
He now knew what she had become.
And judging by the way his eyes inevitably returned to her, the discovery had left him anything but indifferent.
Unfortunately—or fortunately—Jax brought them back to reality when his phone rang.
He answered, his eyebrows furrowed by the sight he'd just stumbled upon. Had he been playing chaperone? Impossible... Kiyan couldn't possibly have feelings for his ward? A girl he'd known since childhood. He dismissed the thought.
"Hello?"
"We're outside," his partner announced.
"We're coming."
He hung up, and Blanche stood.
"There's a bathroom near the pool," she told Jax. "You should go freshen up. You still have sleep marks on your face."
He rolled his eyes but obeyed. Tonight, he was on duty for a gala. He had to be impeccable—and if his boss asked questions, he would tell the truth.
He could only pray he wouldn't ask him anything...
Taking advantage of finally being alone, Kiyan approached.
Slowly.
He no longer seemed in any hurry to join the others, as though he simply wanted to prolong these few quiet seconds away from prying eyes.
When he reached her, he raised his hand.
His fingers delicately brushed a strand of hair that had escaped her hairstyle. He caught it with an almost surprising gentleness for someone like him, letting it slide softly between his fingers.
Blanche held her breath.
Kiyan said nothing.
He simply leaned closer, near enough for his breath to brush against her hair, then slowly inhaled its scent.
A simple gesture.
Almost innocent.
And yet Blanche felt a shiver run down the back of her neck.
She didn't move.
She could feel Kiyan's proximity, the warmth of his body, the restraint almost palpable in every one of his movements. When he finally raised his eyes to hers, his gaze had regained that dark intensity that had unsettled her only minutes earlier.
As though he had just confirmed something he already knew.
Blanche swallowed.
"What are you doing?"
A faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
"I'm checking something."
"What?"
"You're beautiful tonight, too."
Blanche blushed.
"Damon says hi."
"Who?" he replied, taking her by the waist.
He gently led her through a few dance steps, holding her close.
"Never mind," she murmured, pleasantly surprised.
She was dancing with Kiyan. Officially the second-best day of her life. The first was still discovering her son and discovering that she was married to the love of her life.
"I wanted to be your first dance partner, since I won't be able to dance with you tonight."
He hummed softly, spun her around, then released her with delicate care.
Jax was already coming back.
"We could stay here..." Blanche murmured, disappointed.
"Absolutely not!" the guard exclaimed. "Everyone outside. They're waiting for us!"
He went out first to secure the area.
The two lovers sighed in unison, as though reluctantly resigning themselves to leaving this little timeless interlude behind. A conspiratorial smile passed between them.
Kiyan put on his coat, then picked up Blanche's before returning to her.
"Come here."
He helped her slip her arms into the sleeves with a slowness that had little left to do with simple courtesy.
His fingers brushed her shoulders, then lingered briefly at her waist as he adjusted the coat around her. Every touch seemed calculated to draw another shiver from Blanche.
And he noticed every single one.
The slight movement of her shoulders.
The way her breath caught.
The gradual flush spreading across her cheeks.
A discreet smile tugged at his lips.
He clearly enjoyed the effect he had on her far too much.
When he finished, he didn't immediately step away.
Instead, he gently lifted his hands toward her hair and drew it over the collar of her coat, freeing her long red locks to cascade down her back.
His fingers lingered among a few strands for another moment.
Then Kiyan leaned closer.
He inhaled softly.
One last time.
His favorite scent.
That sweet, fruity fragrance that had become instantly recognizable to him.
Blanche literally smelled like strawberry shortcake.
Not just strawberries: something softer, creamier, with that indulgent note that almost made you smile before you even understood why.
Kiyan briefly closed his eyes.
"You still smell just as good."
Blanche gave a small, embarrassed laugh.
"I smell like your cake."
"I know."
He opened his eyes and looked at her with an amused expression.
"That's precisely the problem."
She rolled her eyes, but her smile betrayed her.
Kiyan finally stepped back, visibly reluctant.
And when he held out his hand to escort her toward the exit, Blanche took it with the same instinctive ease with which she might have chosen, only moments earlier, to remain beside him.
"Let's go."