"I'd not thought you capable of breaking your word." He gently nipped her lobe then kissed the side of her neck. His mask tickled her hairline. She was trapped. The crowd, if anything, enlarged, making it almost impossible to move let alone put arm's-length distance between them. And amazingly, everyone was laughing and amusing themselves to such a degree that no one paid any attention to what he'd just done to her. Now Sophie understood why the high sticklers frowned upon masquerades. Camouflage encouraged the taking of liberties. William grasped her hand and made a path through the mass of people to the dancing area. His right arm curved around her waist as he assumed the correct posture for a French waltz. He glided into the first step and suddenly Sophie forgot the rest of the people in the room, so thoroughly lost was she to anyone save William. Sophie held her breath as the intense awareness of the raw, physical sensuality of him flowed through her in waves. She was sure he was holding her much too closely but when she looked, if anything, he was being overly correct.
