Preview

DEEP BREATHS.

Emma Brown ascended the stairs to the party venue, and as she entered the ballroom looked around the dimly lit, extravagantly decorated space hoping to find her best friend. She wanted to adjust her mask and flatten her cobalt dress for the hundredth time, but silently instructed herself to stop fidgeting.

She walked through the entrance, eyes searching for her friend’s tall frame amongst the sea of ballgown-clad women. There were masks of every colour, style and shape wherever she looked. Everyone seemed to be glittering in their adornments, and every hand was accessorised with an elegant glass of champagne.

Crystal chandeliers hung from the draped ceiling, reflecting light in all directions. Emma looked out at the wall of glass, a small smile playing on her lips as she walked, admiring the thousands of golden fairy lights as their glow danced on the surface of a pool. This hotel was always beautiful. She loved how the city rose up around it. There were very few places she loved as much as Melbourne.

She was so completely bewitched by her surroundings that she paid no attention to where she was walking until she hit a very solid wall that knocked the breath out of her. A strong arm wrapped around her waist, steadying her.

‘Oh! Ex-excuse me,’ she stuttered.

‘Are you okay?’ a deep, resonating voice asked.

She was mesmerised, both by the crisp English accent and the piercing sky-blue eyes that bore down into hers, and her stomach was doing somersaults. Emma could feel pure heat radiating from the hand on her back, but she wasn’t sure of anything in that moment apart from the fact her heart was going at a million miles an hour.

‘Um…yeah… Sorry about that.’ She laughed nervously as she righted herself. ‘Enjoy your evening,’ she murmured as she walked away from him, blushing furiously.

Emma looked back over her shoulder at the tuxedo-clad man in his simple black mask and was delighted to see he was still watching her.