Ellie POV
The night was blurring together. I’d walked away from Nolan, but I couldn’t even tell how long ago. The party was going well into the night and showed no signs of stopping.
Laughter, music, the smell of roasted food and wine — it all felt far away now. The world had softened into something dreamlike, golden and slow, as Nolan’s hand found mine and pulled me gently back into the dance.
I hadn’t meant to say yes again.
But then I’d looked at him — really looked — and the refusal had dissolved on my tongue.
He didn’t belong in a setting like this. Nolan was all sharp edges and restraint, forged from a lifetime of control and command. Yet here, surrounded by firelight and laughter, he looked almost vulnerable.
The stiff lines of his posture had eased a little. The hand at my w
