Rebekah gave up eventually. After calling him a selfish toerag who refused to do the slightest little thing for his beloved sister, she had flounced off.
Now he would have some peace and quiet. Really, the outlook was so much better up here. The only drawback was that from his vantage point he had a birds' eye view of the dance floor.
And of Camille, who was invited to dance by Elijah the moment Marcel left her. Then Vincent immediately after. Followed by half the bloody room. For someone who said she didn't like dancing, she was certainly doing a lot of it. Well, Klaus Mikaelson didn't wait for anything or anyone. He wasn't going to stand in line. He was going to go down there and demand a few moments of her time.
Except that when he made his way to where she'd been doing a very awkward waltz with the chief of police, she was gone. The only sign that she'd been there at all was the lingering scent of lilacs and jasmine in the air. And no one seemed to know where she'd gone. But he knew she was here somewhere. He could feel her drawing him to her, as she always did. He returned to the dance floor, his senses on high alert as he stood alone in a sea of couples. Then it dawned on him. Of course. There was only one place she'd be. His heart swelled as he took the stairs two at a time to go find her.
Cami smiled as she leaned over the crib to gaze at the serene face of the sleeping baby. It was so peaceful here, and she didn't have to concentrate on not stepping on her partners' toes or trying not to look painfully out of place. The party was ridiculous, and here she was, like a second-rate Cinderella wannabe. In a knock-off dress and the same pair of heels she'd worn to every formal occasion since prom, surrounded by stunning women who reeked of Chanel No. 5 and were dripping with diamonds. Real ones, not rhinestones like the one on the simple silver chain she wore around her neck.
Normally she didn't care what people thought of her. But for some reason, she'd wanted to look pretty tonight. Epic fail, Cami. Still, it wasn't like anyone had noticed. Correction: it wasn't like he'd noticed. She'd noticed him, of course. He'd been leaning over the balcony upstairs like some monarch surveying his subjects. Brooding, no doubt.
He took brooding to a whole new level.
And he looked magnificent doing it.
There were probably better looking men in the room, but there was just something about him that a woman couldn't ignore. Maybe it was the intensity in his blue gaze, maybe it was that confident, devilish lopsided grin. Maybe it was the vulnerability behind it. Maybe it was the way he filled a room with his presence.
Maybe it was that she didn't see anyone else in the room whenever he was there.
Cami sighed heavily. Thinking this way was bad. This was dangerous.
There were plenty of hot guys in the world, and most of them—hell, all of them—were less complicated and came with less baggage. They might be boring and predictable in comparison, but they didn't need a warning label attached. They had normal issues. Like money troubles or annoying exes. Not mortal enemies who also happened to be members of the family.
Maybe one of them could get under her skin like he had. Maybe she could develop less complicated feelings for somebody else.
Who was she kidding? That ship had sailed.
She straightened suddenly when she sensed his presence—it was like a breeze blowing on her skin, a light caress on the side of her neck. A lover's kiss.
Klaus.
She turned to the door, and there he was, leaning against the doorframe, a slight smile on his lips, his eyes the same color as the midnight blue of his elegant and expensive evening suit.
Her breath caught in her chest, and his mouth quirked up on one side.
"I thought I'd find you here," he said, slowly walking over to stand next to her in front of the crib.
"I came to check on my favorite girl."
"And how is she?" he asked gently, gazing down at his daughter.
Cami tucked Hope's blanket into her side. "She's peaceful and happy and beautiful. In short, she's perfect, as usual."
He glanced back up at Cami and held her gaze for a long time without speaking. "I was under the impression you didn't like to dance," he said finally.
Cami wasn't sure what had prompted the change of subject. "I don't. It's my worst nightmare. But Marcel was being a gentleman, trying to rescue the wallflower." She wrinkled her nose. "I could hardly refuse without being rude to the poor guy."
Klaus stared at her for a moment, something dark and intense burning in his eyes, something she couldn't quite recognize. "What of the mayor? Or Congressman Turner? You couldn't refuse them either?"
A lump formed in Cami's throat at the tone of disapproval in his voice. Then she realized he had been keeping tabs on her. Maybe he had noticed after all. "Hey, I took one for the team," she said. "The congressman wanted to run his ideas for campaign slogan by you, but I convinced him to tell me instead. That's twenty minutes of my life I'm never getting back."
"Then I apologize," Klaus said with a slight bow of the head. "I should never forgive myself were Turner to bore you to death and I had to bring you back."
"I'd never forgive you either," she said dryly. "I think I'd rather be dead than listen to him drone on any longer."
Klaus looked at her with genuine amusement. "I'll bear that in mind," he replied. He turned as if he was going to walk away, then stopped and inhaled sharply. "Dance with me this time," he said.
"After hearing my tale of woe, you're cruel enough to ask me to go back downstairs and humiliate myself—"
"Dance with me here," he said. "Right now."
Cami folded her arms. "The last time we danced, you left me on the dance floor looking like an idiot. And besides, there's no music."
He strode to the double doors that led out onto the balcony and threw them open. Cami could hear the strains of a song coming from somewhere on the street below. She listened for a few seconds. A man was singing in Spanish, accompanied by several guitars. The melody was beautiful, haunting, sad.
And slow. She could probably keep up if she just let herself relax in his arms.
Except that would be a very bad idea, she decided.
Yet when he held out his hand to her, beckoning her to him, she felt herself moving towards him like he was some kind of life-size magnet.
Very bad idea. Very bad idea, she repeated in her head as she took his hand and he pulled her backwards, out through the doors onto the balcony. Into the moonlight.
The next thing she knew, she was in his arms and they were slowly moving together. She tried to concentrate on what her feet were doing, but she really had no idea. Hints of his spicy cologne drifted under her nose as his face drew closer to hers. His long fingers splayed over the small of her back and she was sure he must be able to hear her heart pounding erratically.
Perhaps if she focused on the song and not on how good it felt this close to him, her heartbeat would slow down. Unfortunately, her high school Spanish didn't help with the lyrics. "I wonder what he's singing about," she said, more to herself than Klaus.
He cocked his head and paused to listen. "It's the story of a man and a woman."
"Not a very happy one by the sounds of it. Let me guess, it's the usual tragic but clichéd tale of lost love," she said mockingly.
"Not lost," he said. "Unclaimed."
When she looked at him quizzically, he went on. "He has fallen in love with a woman. Sweet, kind, generous. Beautiful in every way." His gaze drifted over her hair, down her face to her lips and back to her eyes, causing Cami to shiver. "But he dares not tell her of his love. Each time he summons the courage to do so, he hesitates, and the moment is lost."
This was doing nothing to help calm her thundering heart, but she couldn't resist. "Why can't he tell her? Does he think she would reject him?"
"He has reason to think she might welcome his advances," Klaus said softly. He hesitated for a moment. "But she is as far above him as the moon and the stars. He doesn't deserve her."
Cami laughed shakily. "You got all that from a few bars?"
His eyes were dark and unreadable. "I'm reading between the lines."
They had stopped moving, even though he was still holding her. She knew if she didn't walk away now, nothing would ever be the same again.
And she really should walk away. It would be so much simpler. Better for her. Better to play the part of stenographer. Drinking buddy. Therapist.
But she didn't move. Instead, she found herself gazing into his eyes and saying, "If he knows she feels the same, then he should seize the day. If he doesn't, he'll never forgive himself, and she won't forgive him either if she knows he let her slip away without taking a risk."
Surprise flickered on his face, and he swallowed heavily. "Are you sure?"
"No. Yes." Cami was trembling now. "All I know is he has to stop running eventually. Because if he doesn't, she might just slap him. Again."
There was the ghost of a smile on his face as he let go of her hand to reach up and caress her cheek. She noticed his hand was trembling too as he stroked her skin ever so softly. "Camille," he whispered on a sigh, and Cami closed her eyes when he lowered his face to hers.