handsome man in the room.
She swallowed, smoothed the front of her crinkled taffeta dress and wished she’d worn something less … hideous.
“What kind of photographs do you take?”
“Portraits, mostly.” Her voice sounded reasonably steady, which was impressive under the circumstances. She was annoyed that this gorgeous man her father had forced on her was having such an effect on her. She always felt so out of place in these situations. “I try to capture people’s personalities.”
“That sounds like quite a challenge.”
“It’s mostly about timing. Picking the right moment.” She shrugged. She couldn’t explain it herself. “I think the technical term is that I have a knack for it.”
His finely cut mouth widened into a smile and those dreamy gray eyes twinkled. “A knack generally implies the kind of talent that makes you stand out from the crowd.”
“Well, I certainly don’t stand out from this crowd.” She swept her arm, indicating San Francisco’s most elegant and well-heeled partygoers—and instantly regretted her foolish words.
Of course she stood out. As the frumpiest and most unexciting person there.
“Everyone here is trying so hard to stand out.” Dimples appeared under his impressive cheekbones. “It’s the people who aren’t trying who are more interesting. Would you like to dance?”
“Dance?” Did he mean with him? No one ever asked her to dance at these things.
“Is there an echo in here?”
“No. I mean, yes. Yes, I’d like to dance.”
For a split second she wished the polished parquet would swallow her whole. Which would be quite a big gulp. Of course he didn’t want to dance with her. He was just being polite. No doubt he’d have appreciated it if she politely refused.
But he extended his arm, clad in a deep black suit—like every other man at the formal gala—and led her to the dance floor where a band, in white tie and tails, played the thirties classic “In the Mood.”
Gavin swept her out into the middle of the floor and slid his arm around her waist. Her whole body shivered with awareness, even through all the layers of crunchy taffeta. The steps to the dance were probably lodged somewhere in her subconscious. Lord knows she’d been dragged to enough dancing classes as a kid.
The room rushed past her as Gavin twirled her into a spin. He chased the music across the room, guiding them effortlessly through the other dancers. His enticing masculine scent wrapped around her, hypnotic and intoxicating. Her feet followed his almost as if they were attached, stepping in time. Her arm barely reached around his broad shoulders—which was quite something considering she was five feet nine inches—but she seemed to float along with him, gliding on the soaring trombones and quick-stepping with the punchy trumpets, until the music slid to a close.
Breathless and blinking, Bree extricated herself from Gavin’s strong arms. Was that really her whipping around the floor like that—with a man like him?
“You’re a wonderful dancer.” His breath felt hot on her ear.
“Me? It was all you. I just had to follow.”
“That’s an art in itself. I bet you half the women in this room would be fighting so hard to lead they’d trip me up.”
Bree laughed. “Probably true.”
“You have a beautiful smile.”
“Six years of orthodontics will do that for you.”
He laughed. “And a wicked sense of humor.” He led her off the dance floor, toward the bar. Eyes swiveled to him from all directions—both male and female eyes. Apparently no one could keep their gaze off the most impressive man in the room.
And he walked with his arm threaded firmly through hers.
Bree blinked under the unfamiliar glare of attention. They probably all wondered what on earth he was doing with her.
Heck, she wondered, too.
Being an heiress, and a plain one at that, made it easy to figure out what a man wanted. Begins with m and ends in y. But this guy could probably marry any heiress in the room—and there were plenty of them here tonight.
What was so special about her?
A voice in her head told her to stop worrying about it and just enjoy the attention that was making her heart beat faster than it had in quite some time.
“Would you like champagne?” He turned to offer her a glass.
“Thanks.” Why not? The dance alone was something to celebrate. She took a sip and let the bubbles tickle her tongue.
He leaned in until his sexy stubble almost brushed her cheek. “How come I’ve never met you before?”
“I don’t go out much. I adopted my two cats from the Oakland Animal Society, though, so I wanted to come to their fundraiser tonight. Do you have any pets?”
He shook his head. “Don’t have the time. I work long hours and travel a lot. I bet your cats were lucky to find you.”
“I like to think so. Especially since Ali needs insulin shots every day. Animals with health issues are hard to find homes for.”
“You’re a caring person.”
“Or a sucker.” She smiled. “But a happy one. They’re my babies.”
An odd expression flickered across Gavin’s face. Something in his eyes, really, since his chiseled features didn’t move.
Was he wondering why he was wasting time with a cat-owning spinster in a puffy dress, while stunning women cast suggestive glances over their drinks at him?
She’d rather be home with her cats anyway. Being around Gavin made her nervous, had her analyzing every move he made. She’d be a lot more comfortable with a camera lens between them. He was definitely too good-looking. It couldn’t be healthy for her insides to be fluttering like this.
“I’m here because a client bought a table for the agency. It’s obviously a good cause but I don’t like these dos much, either,” he murmured. “Too many people. Long speeches. Chewy beef.” His dimples appeared again.
A warm sensation filled her chest. “What do you like to do?”
He hesitated a moment. “Interesting question. I spend so much time working, sometimes I forget what else is out there.” He smiled, sheepish. “Lately though, I find myself wanting to slow down, enjoy the ride a bit more. Maybe even.” He paused and shoved a hand through his hair, as if embarrassed. “Settle down and start a family.” His mouth formed a wry grin. “I guess that sounds sappy.”
“Not at all.” The way he looked at her with those soulful gray eyes made Bree feel woozy. Could this guy be more of a fantasy? “I think it’s perfectly natural. Everyone needs balance in their life.”
“Speaking of which, would you like to dance again? This song is one of my favorites.”
The band had struck up a sultry Latin tune. Adrenaline prickled through her at the prospect of moving in sync with this man again. Was he for real?
Gavin entwined his arms with Bree’s and led her back to the dance floor. He wished he wasn’t wearing the stiff suit so he could feel her soft skin against his. So far everything about Bree seemed soft—the big gray eyes half hidden behind her glasses, her pink-tinged cheeks, her pretty, kissable mouth. He suspected there was also a soft, lush body hidden somewhere under all that crispy gray taffeta.
Her father had implied that she was unattractive and undesirable, and that her continued spinsterhood was a social embarrassment to him. His own daughter, a burden he’d pay well to be rid of. Could Elliott Kincannon really feel that way about the sweet