Page 30 of Rogue Games

“You don’t have to pretend to be romantic, I can’t imagine it’s your style.”

He doesn’t respond, just gives me a nonchalant shrug and steps back, extending a hand for me to hold while I slide my backside down off the sideboard onto my own two feet again. He stands in front of me, my hand still in his and bows ever so slightly, before slipping my hand through the crook in his elbow. My wolf rolls over on her belly, not able to get enough of this man.

It’s embarrassing how little self-respect she has.

Unlike her, I’m determined not to be taken in by his cliché moves, even if they have my heart pounding and my legs turning to jelly.

“I guess I’m about to find out.” I muse, as Dean leads me back into the ballroom which has been transformed from dinner venue to dance hall.

Dean excuses us and leads me to the now full floor, the party really having kicked off in our absence. Stunned faces and sharp tongues follow us as Dean glides through the parting crowd, his hand over mine making sure I don’t run.

“You wanted a dance; at least pretend you’re looking forward to it.” Dean taunts, bundling me up tightly in his arms as a new song begins. “Or is it the company you have a problem with?”

“I didn’t want to dance.” I argue. “I was only trying to help…”

He shuts me up with one devastatingly stern look, right before he spins me away from him with practised ease, and then back into his chest, my shoulder blades pressing to his body.

“Are you telling me you don’t enjoy my company?” His voice is husky and rough behind my ear, and I feel a slick of juices gathering between my thighs. “Strange for a wolf who’s been asking so many questions about me and my pack.”

The girls watch on, adoring him for just breathing. They have no idea the havoc he’s playing with my nerves.

“May I cut in?” A woman in a daring black dress with a cut out waist eyes Dean with undisguised lust, licking her lips as she looks him up and down. Dean continues with our dance without responding. When it’s clear he’s not going to swap me for another partner, she moves on, crestfallen at his rejection.

“Rude,” I mutter. “But no surprise there.”

Dean catches my chin and lifts my face to his.

“No ruder than interrupting me while I’m doing something important. And right now, I can’t think of anything more important than dancing with you.”

Struggling to swallow past the lump in my throat, I look away and blink hard. He doesn’t think I’m important. Nobody does. What’s important to Dean is showing the girls he’s not a psychopath like his father. That’s what he means.

“Okay, you can stop now,” I say, staring at the floor, watching our feet moving in perfect rhythm. “You don’t have to dance with me anymore. The girls are gone.”

Dean’s hold on me tightens, and instead of letting me go, he wraps one arm around my waist and tips me back, his fingers grazing my collarbone and lightly tracing a line from the base of my neck down to the top of my cleavage.

“I wouldn’t be dancing with you if I didn’t want to,” he says. His eyes flash silver and his lips part, showing a hint of long fangs. My stomach flips as I wait, no idea how this is going to play out. Finally, he sets me back on my feet, blinking hard until his eyes return to their normal smoky grey.

“It’s never a good idea to threaten an alpha, Jamie. And my beast isn’t as domesticated as most. If you push him, he’ll push back, and he’ll take what he desires. Neither of us want that.”

His warm breath caresses my cheek, and my eyes fall shut, a needy whimper passing my lips.

What is wrong with me? Everyone is watching.

It’s just a dance, my wolf argues. Except, it’s not. My soft curves press against his body, and I can feel all of him vibrating with the same need I feel. His wolf rumbles in his chest, low and full of dangerous promise, sending a zing of excitement straight between my thighs.

“Unless that is what you want.” Dean’s lips graze my jaw as he speaks, his head, oh so close to mine. “Is that what you’re here for, little rogue? To find a new alpha and a new home.”

His fingers trace a delicate pattern across my shoulder, where my mate mark would go, and up my neck. Dean’s eyes burn into my skin, and I feel his body reacting to mine. It’s too much, the feel of his hand resting gently at the small of my back, combined with the way his big body wraps around mine. I’ve never felt so lost to someone.

The music ends, and I stare up at Dean, heart pounding. I’m frozen to the spot when he dips his head down, his cheek brushing mine.

“Thank you for the dance, Jamie. And… I’m sorry.” He holds me tighter for just a split second before stepping back and bending at the waist in an exaggerated bow.

When he releases me, instead of feeling relieved, I feel bereft. I enjoyed that too much. I’m a rogue. I’ve never been to a dance, not since I was a young teen, and then, all I did was giggle in the corner and gossip about which of the boys might turn out to be ours.

This was something else entirely.

Dean walks backward before turning to weave his way through the crowd and escape once more.

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