I supposed I was still hungry, though I was disappointed my brain didn’t get what it wanted. I tried to briefly satisfy the hankering for sugar with some fruit and chocolate from the fountain.

While I did it, I glanced around the room, looking for a tall Alpha in black with gorgeous tattoos. The table where he’d been tattooing was empty, all his equipment gone. My stomach did a disappointed tumble, but it was probably for the best. Nothing had changed on the walk from the balcony to the food table.

The fruit took the edge off, and Eva reached for my hand again. “Let’s dance.”

Halfway there, Dante ran into us, and we kept going to the dance floor together. Here it was a lot louder, which was just fine. If I wanted to say something I would have to yell, so I just closed my eyes and danced.

The photographer Jasmine mentioned took pictures of the two of us for a few minutes before Dante finally chased the guy away and I could dance the way I wanted without having to half-pose for the camera. This was way more fun, and some of my self-conscious anxiety fell away.

Eva spun me under her arm, and then I saw her face, eyes wide, looking behind me. A second later I was enveloped by the smell of warmth and sugar. The Alpha. I turned, finding him standing so close we were almost touching.

Oh.

I started to move aside so he could move past toward Eva, and he caught me lightly by the upper arm, releasing me immediately. The brief touch was simply to stop me from moving—nothing more—and still his fingerprints felt like pure heat now branded on my skin.

He leaned in, and I was immediately proven wrong about needing to yell to be heard. The deep baritone of his voice cut under the music and made me shiver. “I came for you.”

Goosebumps rippled across my skin, and with him so close, I was absolutely drowning in the scent of vanilla. I could close my eyes and see those fucking cupcakes coming out of the oven, and my mouth was practically watering.

He spoke again, mouth even closer this time. “Dance with me?”

How could I say no to that? Well, I couldn’t, because my tongue had decided this was the perfect moment to resign her job indefinitely, but I nodded. I glanced back once at Eva—who was smiling so widely it almost looked fake—and she gave me a thumbs up. Dante winked too, looking Bennett up and down with approval.

The music changed to a slower, more rhythmic beat, and suddenly we were dancing together. It didn’t feel awkward or like we were trying too hard. It was entirely the opposite. Everything else in the world fell away. My instincts surged to the surface, and this time I didn’t fight them.