Micah froze. He knew Damon didn’t know he was a cop – he’d be looking a lot more murderous than concerned right now. But that didn’t mean Micah wanted to have to make up some lie. So he sighed. “Fine, one dance.”

Damon nodded. “That’s all I ask.”

Liar.

Micah and Damon danced to one song together – and then a second, and then a third. The first song, Micah had made an honest attempt to waltz. But after stepping on Damon’s feet countless times, and somehow managing to elbow him in the ribs when the man tried to spin him, they made the executive decision to downgrade to a simple box step halfway through the second song, and by the third song, they weren’t even pretending to do anything but sway back and forth in each other’s arms.

They were one of the few couples not waltzing on the dance floor, and maybe Micah should have been embarrassed, but he wasn’t. He would gladly make a fool of himself in front of everyone in the room if it meant having Damon’s undivided attention and the man’s warm hands on his waist. (Caprice’s quietly shocked expression – which she quickly hid behind an unaffected visage – and Renata’s put-out pout, when he caught sight of them on the side of the dance floor, were an added bonus.)

It must have been getting later than Micah thought, because it was after their fourth song dancing together that the band took a break and the host of the prestigious gala – Senator Wilcox – returned to the stage and called for everyone’s attention.

“I’m pleased to announce that the silent auction is officially closed, and thanks to everyone’s unbelievable generosity, we’ve managed to raise a very impressive estimated $425,000 for Dare to Dream.”

Everyone clapped, with a couple of the more inebriated guests cheering loudly.

“Yes, yes, it’s very impressive,” Senator Wilcox affirmed. “As tradition dictates, we will be revealing the three top-earning items of the auction and presenting them to the winning bidders. All other items can be picked up in the east wing during the remaining hours of the gala. So, without further ado…” the senator paused, nodding to one of the servers waiting on the wings, who quickly delivered three envelopes to him. He opened the first envelope. “The third-highest earning item was the beautiful diamond-encrusted sapphire pendent necklace designed by Stephanie Berlusconi, and the winner of the necklace… Mrs. Rosalie Walsh.”

Everyone applauded as the spotlight found Rosalie, an elderly woman with a head of impressive white curls and lips painted a bright red. One of the gala’s workers, delicately handling the necklace, delivered it to her.

“The second-highest earning item was an all-expenses-paid trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and the winner of the trip… Mr. Ashton Albrecht.”