“What exactly is a Shibari master?” he inquired, unfamiliar with the term.

“Oh, just someone who’s skilled with tying patterns and shapes with rope,” she replied hastily. “It’s, ah, usually for bondage purposes. You know, like in BDSM.”

Matthew coughed. “Are you into that stuff?” he wheezed. “Is that what you meant earlier about having weird boyfriends?”

Sasha laughed delightedly. “I never said they were weird. Just that they wouldn’t necessarily fit into a fancy society event like this. And, no. I’m not into ‘that stuff”. But I do appreciate all different art forms, and I saw a photography exhibit of Shibari last year. It’s actually quite beautiful, very intricate. You should look it up sometime.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

A sudden, unbidden image of the graceful, lovely Sasha bound up in intricately knotted silk ropes made him hard again, and he was thankful that several inches still separated their bodies. By the time the song ended a minute or so later, he’d brought his unexpected erection back under control, and led her off the dance floor with a hand lightly resting on her elbow.

“Well, thank you for the dance,” Sasha told him. “And I do hope you’ll get in touch. For that massage I mentioned, of course. I could feel all the tension in your body just now. And if your neck and upper back are anywhere near as tight as your shoulder feels, you need a massage urgently. So even if you forget to ask Tessa for my contact info, or just prefer to go to someone else, please make sure you get that massage soon, Matthew.” She took a step back and frowned a little as she studied his face. “You have a very unsettling aura about you. Oh, I’m sure you think all of that stuff is for quacks and weirdos. Don’t worry, most people feel the same way. But believe it or not, I do have something of a gift for reading peoples’ emotional states. And yours - well, you don’t seem like a very happy man, Matthew. And that’s a shame, because you’re also one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. So please take care of yourself, hmm?”

She touched his cheek briefly, softly, but for long minutes after she disappeared back into the throngs of guests, Matthew felt the imprint of her hand on his skin as though he’d been branded. And the way she’d so swiftly and neatly summed up his emotions was almost frighteningly accurate - because it had been a long, long time since he’d been truly happy.

“You do realize, Tessa, that since you and Ian haven’t officially consummated your marriage yet, you’re free to annul it and let me whisk you off to Buenos Aires instead. Or anywhere else you’d like to go.”

Tessa laughed at Gavin’s outrageous flirting as he spun her around the dance floor, and shook her head. “It’s a tempting offer,” she teased, “but I’m afraid Ian’s the only man for me. And you certainly don’t look like you’re dying from loneliness. Your new girlfriend seems very taken with you.”

Gavin grinned. “She does, doesn’t she? Ah, I suppose Scarlett will have to do, since I can’t have the woman I really want. Damn that nephew of mine for seeing you first. Even as a little boy Ian always had to be the best at whatever he did.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek that lingered a bit too long for what Tessa considered suitable for an uncle. “And he certainly found the very best in you, darling. So if that boy doesn’t treat you right, you give me a call, hmm?”

“No need to worry about that, Uncle,” retorted Ian dryly, from just behind Tessa’s shoulder. He placed a hand firmly on her waist, as though staking his claim. “I have every intention of treating my wife like a queen for the rest of her life. So don’t hold your breath waiting for a phone call that will never come.”

Gavin chuckled, releasing Tessa from his arms as the song they’d been dancing to ended. “A man can dream, can’t he?” he joked. “Especially about a woman as beautiful as your bride.”

He took Tessa’s hand in his and brought it to his lips for a lingering kiss. “Thank you for the dance, my dear. I suppose I should be getting back to Scarlett now. She’s not in your league, unfortunately, but will do nicely as a consolation prize.”

Ian shook his head in something resembling disgust as his playboy uncle sauntered back towards his charming - and much, much younger - current girlfriend.

“Some leopards never change their spots,” he muttered, then quickly pulled Tessa into his arms as a slow dance started.

“Did you enjoy dancing with your Aunt Helen?” asked Tessa mischievously.

Ian made a low, growling sound in his throat. “That woman,” he replied darkly, “could talk the ears of an elephant. My God, no wonder Uncle Richard vows that he’ll keep working another decade or so. He knows she’d drive him half mad with that incessant chatter if he were to be at home all day.”

As he guided her around the still-crowded dance floor with ease, Ian nuzzled the side of her neck, causing a little tremor of arousal to ripple up her spine.

“I’ve been going half crazy myself, you know,” he murmured against her ear. “It’s been very difficult to watch my wife dancing with so many other men this evening. But now that I’ve claimed you again, I’m not letting you go for the rest of the night. In fact, I think the only man you’ll ever get to dance with again is your husband.”

She snuggled her head against his broad shoulder. “That sounds like heaven to me,” she whispered. “Especially since your Uncle Wesley has two left feet, and just might have bruised one of my toes.”

Ian laughed, pulling her a little closer against him. “He might not have the smoothest moves on the dance floor, but Wesley was a ferocious rugby player in his younger days. We all have our talents, love.”

“I can’t even remember everyone I danced with,” she groaned. “But my poor feet feel like I’ve danced with a hundred people tonight.”

“I wonder if Cinderella needed a foot soak the night after the ball,” teased Ian. “And those glass slippers couldn’t have been very comfortable. Though as high as your heels are, I don’t imagine those stilettos are much better.”

Tessa winced. “You’d think a pair of shoes that cost a thousand dollars would be the most comfortable ones ever made, wouldn’t you? But I guess anything would hurt after wearing them for so many hours. What time is it anyway?”