The crowd parted for them as they entered the hall, and Rose's head buzzed with the whispers directed at them as they passed by—how shocking it was too see Loki with anyone, how well they looked together, but there were hisses that Rose caught that were not nearly as positive.

Loki rested his hand on hers that was on his arm in encouragement. Rose glanced around the room for any familiar faces. She saw Sif in the corner, apparently being flocked by several suitors but was studiously ignoring all of them. Across the room were the Warriors Three, standing relatively clumped together but each with their own escort. Except Fandral, who unsurprisingly had a total of four women each clinging to him in turn.

There was one face that Rose was nervous about seeing, and sure enough, it was only a moment later that she spotted Thor standing on the stairs next to Odin, glowering murderously in Loki's direction.

"Ignore him," Loki said, pulling her close as music began playing. "His tantrum will pass."

Rose could only nod, because she had become acutely aware of their proximity to each other. She had thrown her arms around him in a hug not days before, but this was somehow different. She had never been much of a dancer and had no idea that Loki was, but he confidently swept her across the dance floor, never letting her stumble and never once looking away from her.

How long had they been dancing? The world seemed fuzzy all around her, the music sounding echo-y in her ears. Their bodies were so close…their chests were barely grazing and yet she could feel each solid beat of his heart. She felt very dizzy and found breathing properly to become nearly impossible, especially when she felt his hand trail lightly down her exposed back, his fingertips lingering just at the rhinestone at the dip in her dress.

She was suddenly overheated, her skin burning where he touched her. And then she noticed that they had stopped moving.

"Shall we take a walk?" came his rumbling voice, closer than she had expected.

"Yes," she breathed. He pulled her gently through the mass of dancing people and out onto the balcony. The night breeze cooled her warm skin, and she sucked in a deep breath, trying to reacquaint herself with basic respiratory functions. "It's so beautiful here," she said when she finally recovered herself. She rested her hands on the railing, admiring the view of Asgard from the balcony.

Loki said nothing in response, but Rose could tell without looking that he was staring at her. She fixed her gaze straight ahead and refused to meet his eyes. If she did…

It soon became clear that her ignoring him was not going to work. She felt the air temperature around her shift as he walked to where she was and stood behind her, with his chest pressed flush against her back. He reached in front of her to cover her hands with his. His breath was hot in her ear. "You wore that dress for me tonight." He did not say it like a question.

He was being very distracting, but Rose decided that two could play that game. "What makes you think that?" she responded coyly.

"Do not play games with me," he whispered as a warning, a rough edge to his voice. "You have no idea the depths I can stoop to when I want something badly enough."

She swallowed hard. "And do you?" she was almost afraid to ask. "Want something badly enough?"

His hands trailed up her arms and gently turned her to face him, with her back against the balcony railing. Very slowly, he ran his fingers through her hair, his large hand gently cupping her neck and jaw. His eyes were dark and unfocused as they flickered down to her lips and back up again. He was being surprisingly hesitant, his lips parting slightly as his chest rose and fell in a stuttering rhythm. He inclined his head ever so slightly so that their noses were brushing for an agonizing second, their breath mingling, and then he dipped his lips to her mouth.

Rose gasped as his lips molded to hers. If she had bothered to have any sort of expectation at all about his experience or lack of it, all of it came crumbling down now. Loki's lips were unbearably soft, but confident—there was no way he hadn't done this before, she thought. He knew exactly what he was doing.

Her hands found his broad shoulders and pulled him in closer—in response, his hand reclaimed the small of her back before trailing to settle on her hip, his long fingers kneading gently into her skin.

His lips burned as the kiss became more insistent, more restless. Her fingers wove into his hair, and she marveled at the silkiness. Gently, she grazed his scalp with her fingernail and tugged on his hair, causing a low moan from the back of his throat. His lips tore away from her mouth, but before she could worry about what she did wrong, he had taken hold of her hips and in one fluid motion, spun her around and pinned her back against the palace wall.

She arched her neck, seeking his lips again, but Loki was already lowering his mouth to her neck, gently kissing and biting at the sensitive skin there. She wanted to touch him, do something with her hands, but he had those pinned too, keeping her motionless against his firm body.

He trailed a kiss up the length of her neck, to her jawline, to right below her ear, and it wasn't enough, there had to be more…don't stop…

"LOKI!"

Rose's body stilled at the sound of that outraged voice, but Loki's lips still caressed her. "Go away," he murmured stubbornly against her skin.

"No. Come with me, brother—NOW."

Loki growled, and Rose could feel him tensing, his touches slowing. "Make me, Thor."

"Indeed I would brother, but I do not wish to involve Lady Rose in any threat of physical violence."

At that, she felt Loki disengage himself from her arms, keeping his eyes locked on her. "Stay here," he warned huskily. She could only nod silently as she watched him turn to his brother with an icy expression.

Thor inclined his head back inside the ballroom. "Follow me, Brother."

Rose could see him struggling between defying and obeying orders. If there was anything Loki hated in the world, it was being told what to do. There was a moment's hesitation before Loki followed Thor inside and she suddenly felt the chill of the night air with his absence.

Stay here, he had said. The idea of remaining alone outside while he was having a confrontation with Thor that was most likely her fault made her grit her teeth in resolution.

Well, Loki—you're not the only one who hates doing as they're told.

She turned on her heel and hurried back inside the ballroom just in time to see the men walk out into the hallway. She hurried to follow them.