Page 8 of Arranged Wolf's Nanny
She was scared.
He took a sip of whiskey. Good. She wasn’t stupid, then.
John Heath glanced over, catching his eye, and Rick nodded in greeting. Apparently, John took that as an invitation, as he bade goodbye to the group of alphas who all groaned and whistled after him as he guided his daughter towards where Rick and Felix stood.
Rick pushed off the counter, straightening his jacket, schooling his features into his usual impassive watchfulness. Felix had no such reservations. He strode forward, clasping John’s forearm in greeting with a wide, warm smile.
“John! Good to see you.”
“Felix,” John inclined his head. “May I introduce my daughter, Rosalia.”
“Of course,” Felix accepted Rosalia’s outstretched hand, pressing a polite kiss to her knuckles before offering her a grin. “Lovely to meet you, Rosalia.”
“Likewise, Alpha,” she replied in a soft, elegant voice as she dipped into a curtsy.
Rick raised an eyebrow. Of course, the girl knew her courtesies.
“Congratulations on your win, Rick,” John said, glancing past Felix.
Rick smiled, letting his teeth show. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, John. These debates aren’t to bewon. They’re to decide the best course of action for all of us.”
John returned his predator’s smile. “As you say. I don’t believe you’ve met my daughter either, Rick.”
“I haven’t had the pleasure,” Rick said, his voice silky as he stepped past Felix and accepted the girl’s hand. It was soft, impossibly soft. As he raised it to his lips, he could practically taste her sweetness on his tongue. It wasn’t just her perfume, although he noted with pleasure that she clearly favored subtle, expensive notes over the bawdy, cloying fragrances that many women preferred; it was something uniquelyher. White rose and vanilla.
As his lips brushed over her skin, her breathing hitched, and her pulse jumped beneath her skin, the rush of blood roaring like ocean waves. He looked up, offering her his most charming smile. Her features were carefully schooled into a polite greeting, but Rick knew the effect he had on females. He could smell her curiosity raging like a tempest just below the surface.
But what he didn’t expect, nor did he relish at all, was the sharp spike in fear. His eyes twitched as he tried to read her face. He was more than used to making people uneasy or wary, even females who found him attractive, but notscared. Not when he didn’t intend to.
And this girl, for all her skill in hiding it, was terrified.
His jaw clenched as he stood back to his full height, eyes flicking to John’s serene face.
Ah. It wasn’t him she feared.
It was her father.
“To what do we owe the pleasure of your company, Rosalia?” Rick asked, cocking his head at the girl, giving her a dazzling smile. “Is your father here teaching you the ropes of diplomacy? I have always believed the best way to learn leadership is to immerse yourself in it from a young age.”
“Leadership?” John repeated, barking a laugh, “Good heavens, no. She’s not an alpha! She’s not—”
“Yes?” Rick asked, raising an innocent eyebrow.
John shut his mouth, his thin lips pressing together tight.
It was a mistake most made at some point or another. Assuming that just because Rick was the heir to one of the most ancient, powerful bloodlines in the world, that because he was an open champion of the old ways, he veneratedallof the old traditions.
John would find no ally here to his narrow-minded, short-sighted,human-taughtfoolishness.
“Actually, Rick, you’re the reason she’s here. You and your alpha,” John said, smugness reeking from his every pore.
“Oh?” Rick asked, casually inspecting his nails.
John’s teeth ground together, rage flashing in his eyes. Rosalia winced, glancing at her father in alarm.
“Come on, Reinhardt. Surely you’ve worked it out?”
Rick sneered, dropping his charming act, eyes narrowing at the upstart alpha. “Apparently not.”
