The dance was over, but the war had just begun.
Lydia could still feel the weight of Adrian's hand on her waist, the ghost of his breath near her ear. She had played the game well tonight, refused to let him intimidate her—but as she walked down the empty corridor, she couldn't shake the feeling that she had not won.
Because men like Adrian Devereaux never lost.
"Running away so soon?"
His voice cut through the silence.
Lydia didn't stop. Didn't turn. "Do I strike you as the type to run, Mr. Devereaux?"
"No."
The word was quiet, but there was something dangerous in it. Something intrigued.
Footsteps. A steady, deliberate pace. He was following her.
Lydia exhaled sharply and finally turned to face him. He stood a few steps away, his hands in his pockets, his gaze unreadable. Always unreadable.
"Are you always this persistent?" she asked.
"Are you always this difficult?"
"Only when I'm being forced to marry a stranger."
A flicker of amusement crossed his face, but it didn't reach his eyes. "We're not strangers anymore, Lydia. You made sure of that."
She lifted her chin. "If you think one dance changes anything—"
"It changes everything."
Her breath caught.
Adrian took a step closer, slow and measured. "Tell me something," he said. "Why do you fight so hard against something that's already decided?"
Lydia held her ground, though every instinct told her to back away. "Because I am not a pawn to be moved at your will."
Adrian's gaze darkened, and for the first time, his control slipped.
He took another step. Too close.
"Neither am I, Lydia."
The air between them was charged, electric. His presence was suffocating, his intensity unbearable. And yet… she couldn't move.
Couldn't breathe.
Adrian studied her, his expression unreadable once more. Then, as if he had not just stolen the breath from her lungs, he took a step back.
"We leave for Devereaux Manor tomorrow."
A statement. A command.
Lydia clenched her fists. "You assume I'll go willingly."
His lips curled, almost mockingly. "Oh, you will, Lydia. And when you do…" He paused, eyes burning i
nto hers. "I wonder which of us will break first."