Page 26 of A Wolf's Treasure
When he reached the edge of the circle, he lifted the hand he was holding to his shoulder and placed his on her waist. Catching her other hand, he laced his fingers through hers and brought their combined hands in close to his chest. “Just do wha’ I do, only with th’ opposite foot.”
Duncan then started shuffling backward. Two steps with one foot, one with the other. Repeat.
Ryanne kept her eyes on his boots for a single turn around the floor, picking up the rhythm easily as he maneuvered them through the crowd of other couples.
“Och. Yer a natural.”
She looked up to see him grinning down at her. It was the first true smile she’d seen from him. At least one that was aimed at her. One untainted by stress or distractions.
And now, to be the receiver of that smile…gods, she was not prepared. The breath whooshed from her lungs, and she felt a moment of lightheadedness. Caught up in that smile, Ryanne’s steps faltered, but she caught herself with a little direction from his hand on her back.
Ryanne had never met a male she considered irresistible, although she would readily admit some were more appealing than others. Some had a pleasant face. Some had a goodness within them that made them more attractive despite the features mother nature gave them. And some had just the opposite—a face and body that caught a woman’s eye right away, but who spewed hateful or chauvinist words that made her roll them away again just as quickly.
She had yet to meet a male who caused her to lose her breath with nothing but a smile. A smile that transformed his handsome face into something…more.
Until this very moment.
As she stared up at him, the grin slowly melted away. The teasing twinkle in his green eyes fading, to be replaced by an inner luminance that burned with a heat so hot she could feel it burn her all the way to her soul.
He pulled her in closer, molding her curves to his hardness until she was barely conscious of dancing. With every step, her breasts pressed against his chest, and his hand moved down her back to hold her hips tight to his. Only their legs brushed as they stepped around the dance floor
In that moment, they could’ve been the only ones on the floor.
As she looked up at him, Ryanne’s mouth was only inches from his, and she couldn’t help but wonder what would it feel like to kiss him?
“Ye look…in that dress, ye look…” He shook his head. “I was going tae say ‘bonnie’, but that’s no’ th’ word.” His eyes released hers, dipping to her nose, her cheek, her jaw…leaving the scorch of his burning stare everywhere they touched. “Dazzling,” he finally said in a faraway voice. “Aye.” He nodded slightly, sounding more certain now. “Ye look dazzling tonight, Ryanne.”
Ryanne had received praise on her appearance before from the cowboys in this place, but never had anyone called her “dazzling”. “Thank you,” she murmured, truly touched. Because it wasn’t a practiced compliment. It wasn’t a line from a human so he could dip his dick. It was something honest coming from a pure place inside of him. But he looked so rapt as he stared down at her, she couldn’t resist teasing him. “Do you even remember what I’m wearing?”
“Aye. A dress with wee blue flowers that hugs yer curves when ye move. But it does no’ matter what ye wear,” he told her. “Ye shine from within, lass. Ye could be covered in nothing but the mud of the earth and ye would still shine like an angel.” With noticeable effort, he pulled his eyes from her face and glanced back over his shoulder to direct them around an older, slower couple as a blush crept up his neck. “Maybe it’s th’ Faerie magic inside o’ ye,” he murmured low.
She immediately missed the heat of his eyes on her face, but she was also grateful to be out from underneath the intensity of his stare so she could breathe again. It took her a few steps before she could speak again. “Do you know many Faeries?”
He glanced back at her. “Aye. A few.”
“And they all have this inner glow, then?” She smiled at him.
His steps slowed as he contemplated her question while those bright eyes again roamed over her face and hair. “No,” he said. He sounded surprised by his own answer. “No, they dinna.”
She didn’t know what to say to that.
They took another turn around the floor in silence, and Ryanne found herself as enraptured by him as he seemed to be with her. Up close like this, she could see the laugh lines around his eyes, a little lighter than his olive-toned skin. Shallow creases from his smile carved his face on either side of his mouth. His lips were not too thin, not too full, and had just enough color to them. His dark hair was cut short and fell naturally around his head, a few pieces covering the upper part of his forehead. His skin was a bit weathered. His jawline strong. A manly face. An attractive face.
“Ye should no’ have come here, Ryanne.”
The “R” of her name rolled off his tongue in his Scottish brogue. She’d never been overly fond of the name, but it sounded beautiful when he said it. “Why not?”
The music changed to something faster, and with obvious reluctance he released her. Taking her hand, he led her from the dance floor and over to the bar where he tucked her into a corner stool and stood beside her, his back to the door so no one coming in would see her.
She smiled to herself at his protective gesture. Wolves, by nature, did not like their backs turned to possible threats.
“Because I came here lookin’ for ye,” he told her. “And because it’s verra likely those wolves who chased us will come back here looking for ye, tae. And ye shouldn’t be here when they do.”
“But that’s what I’m hoping for,” she told him. “I have questions.”
“Aye, so do I.” He waved down the bartender, an attractive brunette he barely glanced at. “Would ye like a drink?”
“A gin and tonic, please,” she told the bartender, then turned back to Duncan.
