Dance with me ii

Jess looked hesitant as she was apprehensive about him. She did not want to catch the attention of the crown prince because that life was not for her. She wanted to be a wife and live a simple life while working at the Royal Hospital as a helper.

James would not think poorly of a job like that, she thought.

She knew the crown prince was wooing her. But she was too scared to reject him. She nodded as he led her to a private area on the dance floor where only a few people were.

Daniel's words at the tavern echoed in her memory, and she wanted to tread carefully. She could not deal with a prince with a wounded ego.

She opted to go along with the flow, waiting for the appropriate time to tell him about her feelings for someone else.

Is there someone waiting for you? He asked her.

No-I-I did not come with a partner, she gulped.

This time, she could tell he was smiling behind the mask as his eyes got slightly smaller.

He had been looking at her, studying her since she caught his eyes. He knew she had no partner apart from her childhood sweetheart, James, who is currently in the capital trying to enter the Royal Army.

He would assist the young man to fulfil his dreams so that he could also fulfill his dream of having her.

From what Frank told him. Catharine Wilmot was head over heels with James. She was from a noble family, and her father was a retired captain in the royal army.

He was honored and conferred the title of Captain of the Royal Army in recognition of his contribution to his country and is still involved in training young soldiers.

Some men had looked her way, wanting to ask her to dance with them, but they were still summoning the nerves to do so.

Jess noticed him take a step closer, and she had to crane her neck to look at him.

I came with my parents and my sister, she added. She turned to look in the direction of her sister to see that she was now dancing with another man.

Mia was dancing with another Alexandra who had invited her to the dance floor.

Good, it should not be a problem then.

She heard his baritone voice say. His voice vibrated along with the music through her body.

The music suddenly changed to a slower and gentler tone, making her turn her gaze to the direction of the musicians who had so suddenly changed the music tone.

Having her turn around to face him, he placed one of his hands on her waist as the other continued to hold hers. She felt the way his hands did not stay on her waist but slid towards her back and pulled her close.

He let go of her waist so that he could push her away from him, only to pull her much closer than before.

Do not worry about stepping on my shoes.

Move freely without worrying about stepping on your toes unless you appear stiff, and we will not have a dance that flows with the music. Brock said as he turned to look at him.

She had tried to calm her nerves and watch her steps so she would not step on him. The fact that this was her first time dancing so closely to a man made it more difficult for Jess to keep up.

Follow my lead, Brock said, twirling her around and bringing her again to himself.

Thank you, Jess said.

Compared to what she heard, he seemed to be friendly, but she did not know then that he was only deceiving her with his words, like how a rose opens up its beautiful self to trap a bee.

Jess followed his advice and let go of her thoughts. She closed her eyes and followed the beauty of the soft music playing in the background.

She moved along with Brock and did not notice Mia giving her a quizzical look.

To drive away the silence, Jess spoke-

I do not know who I am dancing with, Jess said with a polite smile.

She knew he was the crown prince, but that was all she knew. If she was going to be working with him, she needed to know his name and what he looked like.
Brock chuckled.

Is it customary to ask for a person's name after giving yours? He asked, continuing to gaze at her without blinking.

Jess appeared distressed at the error she had made, her cheeks turning warm and her eyes finally moving up to look back at him as she corrected her mistake.

Jess Smith, she said.

Jess! The name rode off her tongue effortlessly, a whisper at the end. She waited to find out his name, but he never told her.

Why were you late to our meeting? He asked, and her heartbeat spiked for fear of punishment.

Forgive me, my prince. It will not repeat itself. Jess said apologetically, not making excuses for why she was late.

Hum. Brock hummed, bringing his lips close to her collarbone and kissing it softly.

Jess, caught off guard, tried pushing him away, only for him to have her twirl around on the dance floor and pull her back to him in an embrace.

Do not worry. I will let it slide this time because you did incredibly well at the meeting.

Brock finally let go of the hand that was on her waist as the song ended came to an end.

He kissed the back of her hand and moved his lips closer to her ear, an inch closer, and they would have been locking lips in public.

I have some urgent matter to attend to that will take me out of town for a few days, but you can resume at the Royal Hospital by tomorrow. Walker Lane will assist you in settling in.