Page 58 of A Hellion for the Highland Hawk
“I daenae expect ye will,” he replied.
Hunter barely heard him as he made his way through the crowd to his betrothed, no longer bothering with the ‘fake’ distinction. In that dress, looking like she did after a whole day away from him, shewashis.
“So, ye finally decided to grace us with yer presence?” he drawled, holding out his hand to her. “Lady Culloch said ye needed yer rest and werenae to be disturbed.”
Nancy gingerly took his hand. “I was very tired.”
“Ye must have been, to sleep so long.” He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it, his eyes never leaving hers. “But ye’re awake now. Come, let’s dance.”
He pulled her toward the open space that had been designated for the lively reels he usually wouldn’t partake in. He coulddance, but he just didn’t see the point. But he felt like making an exception tonight so that all those staring, slack-jawed men would know to whom Nancy Kane belonged.
“Hunter!” Nancy hissed as he cast a glance at the musicians. “Hunter, what are you doing? I can’t dance!”
“Everyone can dance,” he replied, his arm sliding around her tempting waist as the musicians took his cue and struck up a rousing tune. “Just hold on, lass, and try nae to step on me toes.”
Her mouth opened as if to protest, but it was too late. To the beat of the hand-drum and the stirring flow of the fiddle, he swept her into the dance, holding her close to his body as she clung to his arm and his hand for dear life.
In a sort of hopping fashion, he danced with her across the floor, the couples flowing back and forth in staggered directions, one dancing left, the next couple dancing right.
To the spectators, it made for a dramatic effect, but Hunter couldn’t have cared less what those watching thought. His attention was fixed solely on the woman he’d been aching for since she parted ways with him yesterday.
“Where did ye get such a dress?” he asked as Nancy slowly began to mirror his steps, moving with him instead of merely holding on tight.
She held his intense gaze. “Your cousin made me bring it. I thought I’d managed to sneak it out of the luggage, but there it was.” Her brow creased. “It’s probably the worst thing anyone could dance in.”
“Then we should find somewhere so I can help ye take it off,” he replied quietly. “I wouldnae want ye to faint.”
A mock-withering laugh bubbled up her throat. “I’m not the fainting type, Hunter. It’s uncomfortable, but it’s not going to kill me.” There was a glint of triumph in her eyes. “I can manage one dance.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” he said as he promptly turned her into a dizzying whirl, the music quickening with him as he spun her around and around.
His arm tightened around her waist, but she didn’t miss a step, her back straightening, her smile softening, as she allowed herself to be twirled.
All he could think about was the rhythm of the music and the firm grip of her hand on his bicep, not to mention the pleasing rise and fall of her chest as the exertion began to show in her breathing.
“Is that all you’ve got?” she challenged with a wicked smile.
“Och, lass, ye’ll regret sayin’ that,” he replied as the music soared.
Without warning, he moved both hands to her waist and lifted her into the air, his footwork never faltering as he spun her around and around. Yet, in mischievous defiance, her hands braced against his shoulders, as if she’d done this before, her gaze fixed on his as they whirled in small and blurring circles.
A few moments later, he lowered her back onto her feet, a growl rumbling in the back of his throat as her body slid down against his, the friction sparking his aching frustration.
But there wasn’t time to dwell on that, as the music commanded him to begin another journey back and forth across the dance floor, Nancy now fully confident as she leaped along with him, her eyes shining with something that might have been happiness.
All around the dance floor, spectators had gathered, clapping along to the tune. Some shouted encouragement as the song quickened again, becoming a frenzied thing that had already sent two couples staggering off into the crowd, unable to keep up.
Nancy showed no signs of slowing as, breathless, Hunter swept her into another series of vigorous twirls, her hair and skirts flying outward as they turned together in perfect unison. As attuned to one another in the dance as they’d been at the pool’s edge, what seemed like a lifetime ago.
What have ye done to me?
He didn’t truly believe she was a witch, but he was in no doubt that he was bewitched by her. Despite what he’d said about duty and wanting to be better at diplomacy, there was only one reason that he was there at Castle Culloch, attending the kind of gathering he usually avoided: becauseshehad asked him to.
If that wasn’t evidence that she’d cast a spell on him, or he’d lost his mind somewhere between their first kiss and now, then he didn’t know what was.
With one final, powerful lift, his hands tight around her waist, her lips curled into the most enticing smile, the vigorous music slowed toward its conclusion. The couples slowed with it, whereas Hunter turned Nancy around in a graceful last circle before he set her back down.
Her palms smoothed over his broad chest as she touched down on solid flagstone, the brush of her hands pouring fuel onto the furnace of his desire.
