"Would you like to dance, Miss Rosbak?" Aiden inquired, oblivious to the girl standing next to her.

Her expression was priceless, and she was breathtakingly lovely up close. Her clothing matched her green eyes. It's all the more tempting because of that. Her dress, which appeared modest from the front, but it didn't have a back and ended in a deep V at her waist. Her soft, gorgeous skin was on show, beckoning him to touch it. Why is God so cruel? He sighed.

He had put his hand on her delicate waist and steered her to the dance floor before she could say anything. Her eyes had narrowed into slits by this time, and she was furious. She gave him a panicked expression. He chuckled to himself, 'Still feisty.'

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I have the same question, but to be honest, I don't give a damn. Isn't it wonderful to see each other again?" He grinned.

She froze and frowned at him the instant he smiled down at her. "Are you stalking me?" she inquired.

"Stop thinking so high about yourself. I am here with Marilyn,"he stated.

She frowned and stared at him, then at Marilyn's scowling visage in the distance. He remarked with a smile. "I hope you haven't forgotten what I said to you, have you?"

She flushed bright red as she remembered their little office talk. She fought hard to keep it under control.

"I don't want to waste my evening with you; therefore, I'll leave." She stated calmly.

Wow. That's harsh. He thought. "Am I so boring?" He asked her.

"No, I prefer monotony. You irritate me." She said this while spitting fire out of her eyes. She scanned the area for any known faces. Mike had not yet arrived at the party, and Leah had just snuck away with one of the guys.

"Really? See, I understand we've had a rough start, but come on. I can truly act like a gentleman, "He made a smirking gesture.

"I don't care how you act," she added as she walked away. As they approached the beverage counter, he followed her.

"Why are you following me?" she asked as she turned to face him.

""It's an open bar, miss Sydney," he dragged the end part again, "you have a high opinion of yourself. I've come to have a drink." He walked over to the bartender and asked for a martini.
She shook her head and then placed her order for a soft drink. As the crowd grew, they were squeezed into a small corner. Someone rubbed up against her, causing her to fall over. He caught her when she winced. Aiden locked his gaze on the perpetrator and swiftly altered his stance, sandwiching her between the wall and him.
She averted her gaze and said, "Thank you for that," after a brief pause.

"I told you I could behave," he added with a smile.

She didn't respond and began to walk away. He didn't intervene. Aiden stood there watching as she dashed away from the crowd. Several times throughout the evening, their gazes collided. He saw her staring at him whenever he went looking for her. She swiftly averted her gaze when he gazed at her. He tried to figure out what was going through her thoughts and what she was thinking. Her face was expressionless, but she remained elusive.
Marilyn approached Aiden on the dance floor and dragged him there, pleading with him to dance with her.

"You've been neglecting me all evening," she pouted, "just one dance please."

Aiden took a close look at the man who was dancing with Sydney. He needed to get Sydney out of his arms; he felt he was holding her too tightly. He wasn't pleased with the way he was holding her. She belonged to him.

He murmured, "Let's go," and led Marilyn to the dance floor. They danced and even though Marilyn was a very good dancer, it was someone else's moves that had Aiden transfixed. They moved near the couple and as soon as they reached Sydney, the DJ announced they would change partners. A man approached them to change partners and Aiden immediately let go of Marilyn. The man quickly slipped into his place. Marilyn looked shocked and displeased. Ignoring her, he rushed towards Sydney.

They locked their gazes once more.

"May I have this dance?" Aiden eventually asked as he walked up to Sydney and bowed.

Mike looked at Sydney, then Aiden, puzzled.

She was silent for a long time before finally saying, "I can't dance. Please excuse me."

She took a step back.

This time, Aiden followed her. She moved out of the crowd, and they reached the terrace garden. She turned to face him and shouted angrily, "Why are you following me? Need fresh air?"

"I wanted to know why you're terrified of me," he continued, his gaze narrowing.

She gasped and jerked back. "What exactly do you mean? I am not afraid of you."

He moved a step closer to her. There will be no touching. He had to remind himself. She took a step back.

"Then tell me why you are avoiding me. Despite the fact that I've been a gentleman to you?"

She averted her gaze and, after a long pause, added, "I'm not trying to get away from you. I don't give a damn about you. Why should I be concerned about you?"

"Look into my eyes, then repeat." He put her to the test. He stepped closer, practically shoving her into the wall, because she didn't look up. The terrace's far corner was deserted.

She tried to move again, saying, "Excuse me."

 "It's because you feel it too, don't you?"

"Feel what?" she asked as she turned around.

He simply stated, "The connection that we have."

"What exactly are you referring to? We don't have anything in common, there is no us." She said, exasperated.

"There's a connection, and you're aware of it," he said.

He took another step forwards, Sydney took another step back, and this time her back met with the wall; she had no way out at this point. She was trapped.

She could feel his breath on her face because he was so near to her. He bent down over her and placed one hand on the wall near her head. "You're terrified of it, which is why you're avoiding me."

"I'm not terrified of you, I'm not fleeing from you, and we don't have anything in common. There is no such thing as us." Her body was trembling, and her eyes were blazing with rage.

"Then show me," he said, challenging her.

"How?" she said, oblivious to the fact that she had fallen into his trap.

He suggested, "Let me kiss you."

There was a deafening pause. She was speechless as she looked at him. Her eyes were wide, her mouth was slightly parted, and her stance was stiff. He leant in close and tilted his head till they were barely a breath apart.

"Sydney, let me kiss you," he muttered.

"Are you that desperate?" she asked softly. "That's the worst tactic ever used to get a kiss."

"Are you such a liar that you deny what we have?" He responded.

As she looked at him, her eyes narrowed, and her head remained raised. She drew closer and tilted her head slightly towards him, inviting him with her lips.

"Go on kiss me and prove yourself right," she said quietly.

He couldn't believe she was letting him kiss her for a second.

It's not possible... How could she let anything pass her by without a fight?

He moved down to kiss her enticing lips after staring at them for a moment. He felt her shiver against him as his lips brushed over her icy ones. His grin widened as he suckled at her lower lip. Underneath him, her mouth opened easily. As hundreds of emotions exploded through him, he thought, "How sweet..." He was losing himself in the kiss as her perfume swirled around him.
He felt a searing pain, and realised she had wrenched away from him, biting his lip and shoving him away. Her mouth was filled with a contented smile.

"Yes, you are correct; we do have a bond. This kiss had me completely enthralled."

He looked at her, puzzled, his lips pursed in rage and surprise. She walked away with a satisfied smile and a toss of her hair. She was gone in an instant.