Billionaire Romance: MAXIMILIAN (An Alpha Bad Boy Contemporary Mystery Romance) (Mysterious Billionaires Book 3, Anthologies & Collections) by Nicole Banks Page B
Authors: Nicole Banks
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alone, you and I, and learn more of one another. Would this not be pleasant?"
The moment hung suspended in time for Danielle once again. This was not at all what she had expected when she left Mars. This whole evening had suddenly become a different thing than she had ever imagined. Perhaps it was the difference that made her say, "Yes... yes, it would be... very nice."
A broad smile like the glow of a star cluster lit Dagin's face. "Excellent!" he said. He motioned to a serving man with a tray of drinks. He took a flute of champagne for himself and handed one to Danielle, offering her his arm.
She was unable to do anything now but let this absolute dream of a night carry her onward, though reminding herself that this meant nothing but curiosity and company on his part. Danielle put her arm through his and let him lead her out of the ballroom. Behind them, Sylvia watched her daughter go off with the prince. A smile as big as Jupiter spread across her face while she squeezed the bicep of her astonished, slack-jawed husband as she had squeezed Danielle's bicep a thousand times before. All around the Drydens was a sea of faces as astonished as that of Thomas, all of them fixed on the round figure in the Saturn-colored gown exiting the ballroom on the arm of the tall, dark, fantastic prince.
_______________
On an observation deck right above the ballroom, where they could hear the muted strains of the music rising from below, a semicircle of plush seats and a table were arrayed before a long, tall row of viewports looking out onto a broad arc of the rings of Saturn, with Titan itself visible off the port side. Titan and Titan II thus orbited the jewel of the solar system together. Dagin led Danielle to one of the seats and they settled down there together, clinking glasses.
They emptied their wine flutes in a silence punctuated by exchanges of smiles and moments when they looked away together out the viewports at the shimmering arc of Saturn's rings. When the empty glasses rested on the table, Dagin broke the silence. "Never have I known a night such as this," he said.
Danielle replied, "You must have been off your planet before."
"I have. But only on diplomatic missions to seal treaties with other planets, before we made contact with Earth. The life forms of other planets and their ways are not like yours or ours. The human race is, in truth, a revelation to us."
She understood. "Sarma has been a revelation to us too. You're so much like us—but not like us. Meeting you, it's been like meeting ourselves, but seeing ourselves for the first time."
He grinned and sparkled his eyes at her. "You see? We are different—yet not so different."
"For someone who's not used to being around Earth people," she said, "you don't seem to have any trouble dancing like us. You waltz better than a lot of Earth men."
His grin widened. "May I tell you a secret which only we will know?"
"What?"
"Before I left Sarma, I consulted with some of the diplomatic corps that was sent to our planet to establish Earth's embassy there. I had them teach me things of the graces and niceties of your people. One thing that I learned was how to dance with an Earth woman."
Danielle arched her eyebrows at hearing this. "You had an Earth dance instructor?"
"Yes."
"A woman?"
"Of course."
She looked off, and Dagin saw an expression come over her face as if she were looking at something far beyond the far side of
The moment hung suspended in time for Danielle once again. This was not at all what she had expected when she left Mars. This whole evening had suddenly become a different thing than she had ever imagined. Perhaps it was the difference that made her say, "Yes... yes, it would be... very nice."
A broad smile like the glow of a star cluster lit Dagin's face. "Excellent!" he said. He motioned to a serving man with a tray of drinks. He took a flute of champagne for himself and handed one to Danielle, offering her his arm.
She was unable to do anything now but let this absolute dream of a night carry her onward, though reminding herself that this meant nothing but curiosity and company on his part. Danielle put her arm through his and let him lead her out of the ballroom. Behind them, Sylvia watched her daughter go off with the prince. A smile as big as Jupiter spread across her face while she squeezed the bicep of her astonished, slack-jawed husband as she had squeezed Danielle's bicep a thousand times before. All around the Drydens was a sea of faces as astonished as that of Thomas, all of them fixed on the round figure in the Saturn-colored gown exiting the ballroom on the arm of the tall, dark, fantastic prince.
_______________
On an observation deck right above the ballroom, where they could hear the muted strains of the music rising from below, a semicircle of plush seats and a table were arrayed before a long, tall row of viewports looking out onto a broad arc of the rings of Saturn, with Titan itself visible off the port side. Titan and Titan II thus orbited the jewel of the solar system together. Dagin led Danielle to one of the seats and they settled down there together, clinking glasses.
They emptied their wine flutes in a silence punctuated by exchanges of smiles and moments when they looked away together out the viewports at the shimmering arc of Saturn's rings. When the empty glasses rested on the table, Dagin broke the silence. "Never have I known a night such as this," he said.
Danielle replied, "You must have been off your planet before."
"I have. But only on diplomatic missions to seal treaties with other planets, before we made contact with Earth. The life forms of other planets and their ways are not like yours or ours. The human race is, in truth, a revelation to us."
She understood. "Sarma has been a revelation to us too. You're so much like us—but not like us. Meeting you, it's been like meeting ourselves, but seeing ourselves for the first time."
He grinned and sparkled his eyes at her. "You see? We are different—yet not so different."
"For someone who's not used to being around Earth people," she said, "you don't seem to have any trouble dancing like us. You waltz better than a lot of Earth men."
His grin widened. "May I tell you a secret which only we will know?"
"What?"
"Before I left Sarma, I consulted with some of the diplomatic corps that was sent to our planet to establish Earth's embassy there. I had them teach me things of the graces and niceties of your people. One thing that I learned was how to dance with an Earth woman."
Danielle arched her eyebrows at hearing this. "You had an Earth dance instructor?"
"Yes."
"A woman?"
"Of course."
She looked off, and Dagin saw an expression come over her face as if she were looking at something far beyond the far side of
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