Her Return, His Regret
Chapter 48~ The dance

Chapter 48- The dance

Lora tried to hide her card when she saw the number but someone had already seen it.

"We have a winner here! Miss L is the winner!" One of the ladies shouted excitedly.

All eyes, including Ryan's, turned to look at Lora, putting her in the spotlight.

The host smiled and said, "Miss Davis, you have to dance with Mr Kingsley since he picked your number."

Ryan got down the stage and approached Lora. When he reached her, he held out his hand and remarked, "I may have picked your number but since I'm a gentleman, I'll ask you to dance. May I have this dance, Miss Davis?"

Gasps echoed around the place as women fanned themselves. Ryan looked so hot as he asked Lora to dance.

"Congratulations on winning, Miss Davis. You're so lucky!" Someone said."

Lora frowned internally.

Lucky? More like cursed. Why would Ryan pick her number out of all the ladies who were in the hall? She looked up at Ryan and her heart skipped a beat. She had to admit he looked handsome. He was handsome... However, that didn't mean she could forget the past and act like it didn't happen.

"Miss Davis?" Ryan asked, arching an eyebrow at Lora. "Would you love to dance with me?"

Lora internally sighed. There was no way she could reject Ryan's request in front of so many people. She was the designer of the jewelry they would showcase that day after all and she used to be Ryan's partner.

It would be suspicious if she refused to dance with him.

Begrudgingly, she placed her hand in Ryan's and accepted, "Yes, I would love to."

Ryan smirked and held Lora's hand before leading her to the dance floor. A romantic song by Justin Timberlake began to play. The song was called, Mirrors.

Lora arched an eyebrow at the choice of song. Did Ryan...?

She brushed those thoughts away... the DJ probably thought soft music would be ideal for the first dance.

Ryan snaked an arm around Lora's waist before pulling her flush against him, eliciting a gasp from her. His grip was firm, possessive even.

"What are you doing?" Lora questioned in a low voice through gritted teeth.

"Dancing with you," Ryan remarked with a smirk and pulled Lora even closer... their bodies were too close to each other with no air able to pass through between them. Lora didn't want to make a scene so she smiled awkwardly and let Ryan lead the slow dance.

They were too close... so close that she could almost feel his heartbeat.

~"Aren't you something to admire? Cause your shine is something like a mirror.

And I can't help but not notice, you reflect in this heart of mine..."~

The lyrics of the song hang in the air and as the two swayed slowly to the music, the world seemed to fade away in the background.

At the same time, Jason glared at Ryan with unmasked hatred. However, Lora was unable to see his expression except Ryan who smirked smugly at the latter.

He already knew he would be having the first dance with Lora tonight. After all, all the cards in the bowl

had Lora's card number on it.

Ryan pulled back to slowly spin Lora before bringing her back into his arms. Their eyes met and he gave her a small smirk.

He leaned down, his hot breath fanning her neck before asking, "Do you love the dress? I thought it would suit you."

Lora's eyes widened and she slightly pulled back to stare into Ryan's gray eyes. She asked, "Were one who sent me this dress?"

you the

Ryan smirked. He let Lora twirl once more before bringing her back and pulling her closer to his body than necessary, his hand on her waist, firm.

"If not?" Ryan replied. "Did you think it was from Jason?"

Lora frowned, glaring at Ryan. She spat, "I can get my own dress, Mr Kingsley."

"Oh, I know... boss lady," Ryan teased I and let out a low chuckle. He pulled Lora closer by the waist and leaned over before whispering in her ears, "I knew it would look remarkable on

you and damn, I was right... you look breathtaking."

Just then, Justin Timberlake's voice echoed in the hall as the song reached the chorus.

-"Cause I don't wanna lose you now, I'm looking right at the other half of me..."~

Ryan tightened his hold around Lora's waist, pulling her impossibly closer, chest to chest, their faces almost touching.

Lora frowned and glared at Ryan before saying, "I'll return the dress to you... better still, let me know how much you spent and I'll refund you."

She couldn't believe she had mistakenly accepted a gift that Ryan had sent. Now he thought like he had some sort of claim on her.

"You're the star of this night... is it

wrong for me to give my former

partner a dress?" Ryan asked,

spinning Lora with his strong

arms

before turning her to face him again just as the song slowly died down.

"You made me wear a dress you bought without my consent, that's unacceptable," Lora hissed, her jaw clenching.

She wanted to give Ryan a piece of her mind but with the audience watching their every move, she had no choice but to force a smile.

"Well, it's a good thing you didn't

know where the dress came from.

l?

wouldn't have been able to see how beautiful you look in it," Ryan murmured.

Lora was about to reply but the song ended and the crowd erupted in applause. Wanting to take this

opportunity to stay away from Ryan, she turned to walk away but Ryan suddenly grabbed her arm, his eyes falling on her neck.

"That mark on your neck... have you always had it?" Ryan asked, his voice low and husky.

Lora's heart skipped a beat before thundering in her chest. She looked up at Ryan sharply, her mind reeling with several thoughts. Did he know something?