Empire of Eternals (Book 1 of The Eternal Series) ✔️

Chapter 25 | Hell Bound

Anderson's residence, Netherlands, Bourtange

***Adriana Anderson POV***

"Ready to pay off all those dance lessons?" Aiden asked, looking down at me as held out his hand, the corner of his lips turning into a smile

I nodded my head, placing my small, soft hand in the palm of his as I grinned from ear to ear. The thrill was exhilarating as the warmness of his hand heated up mine. I was excited, hell, I even felt the adrenaline run up and down my body as I itched to get on the dance floor.

I felt the prying eyes of my uncle and father on my back, awaiting the next move as Aiden wrapped his fingers around my hand, placing them on my knuckles. If I had to guess the way Aiden's heart was pounding in his chest, his eyes glimmering with excitement, I bet he couldn't wait to show me off on the dance floor in front of my relatives.

"Let's go." He spoke, the excitement oozing out of him

The both of us walked hand in hand, our shoes clicking against the hardwood floor as the excited chatter of the other guests got louder. We positioned ourselves in the large circle, Aiden pulling me closer to him until our bodies were inches apart.

I placed my hand on his large one, intertwining our fingers as the other was on the stiffness of his shoulder, his fingers crawling around my waist to my back, placing them on the exposed skin behind the strands of the dress. My breath hitched in my throat, my chest rising as I felt like I couldn't get enough air.

Damn, Aiden was fit. The way his suit wrapped around the curve of his biceps, his sharp eyes always active and aware of his surroundings, the jawline which was sharper than glass; he was attractive as hell.

His alluring features had softened, his pupils were flared as his minty breath hit the tip of my nose, sending my mind into an abyss as I anxiously awaited for the music to play.

The soft piano keys echoed in the large room, all the couples moving in sync as we all danced to the same choreography. Aiden and I gracefully stepped in unison, the voices of the guests muffling with the loud music as I drew a breath.

I was nervous, edgy. I was in fear of messing up. This was my first time attending a party like this, and possibly Aiden's as well. But I couldn't help but notice how calm Aiden was, how smoothly he danced with nothing else but pure confidence.

It never felt like it was his first time. It seemed as if he was preparing for this moment his entire life. I, on the other hand, wasn't. Aiden taught me quite a few moves, but my mind had gone completely blank. All I knew was that we continued to dance in a circle, displaying a series of moves and spins as we all stepped in sync.

He brought his head down to my ear, his lips brushing against my skin as I felt him smiling mischievously. I leaned into his arms, wrapping my fingers around his biceps in unison with the other's, my back curling into his arms as our chest's touched.

"Ready Ana?" He whispered, his strong cologne engulfing all my other senses.

We took another step, and I used the tip of my fingers to push myself away from him. I twirled, my dress blooming like a flower, like a bright red rose as the colours on my mask danced vibrantly.

I caught a glimpse of his face, his fingers reaching for my wrist as he wrapped them around it, twirling my body back into his embrace as I let out a low gasp. I came crashing against him, his eyes looking down at me as I placed my hand on his nape, the other on his chest.

His hands were calloused, his body stiff, but I couldn't ignore the gentleness behind every one of his touches. Not once in my life did I ever think I'd be dancing with Aiden, much less be in such proximity of him.