She glanced at him. ‘You’ve not noticed? That’s the sort of detail you used to be all over.’
‘I guess I’m somewhat distracted this evening,’ he murmured. ‘I have other things on my mind.’
Isadora’s eyebrows rose. ‘Do tell.’
Alexander chuckled awkwardly but he was prevented from elaborating by the band appearing on the stage. ‘Good evening to all my furry friends!’ the lead singer bellowed into the microphone. ‘And welcome to the eighty-seventh Annual Wolf Ball! I hope you’re having a great time and you’ve enjoyed your meal. Let’s work off some of that food and have a dance. I want to see everybody – and I meaneverybody– on the dance floor!’
As he finished his words there was a tremendous clash of cymbals, then the guitarist immediately launched into the first chords of the opening song.
Mallory gently elbowed Alexander – this was his opportunity to leap in and ask Isadora to dance – but it was already too late. Isadora was on her feet with Sean by her side and the Callaghans and Bradys were up, too. It appeared that every single werewolfwas following the singer’s instructions and heading for the dance floor.
Alexander pushed back his chair, stood up and held out his hand to Mallory. ‘Will you do me the honour of this dance?’
‘You should be dancing with Isadora,’ she protested.
‘She’s already spoken for. I’ll ask her later. Right now, I’d like to dance with you.’ He sounded as if he meant it.
She swallowed and nodded; it would look strange if she didn’t dance with him. She gave him her hand and felt the gentle pressure of his fingers. A moment later, she was in his arms.
It was an upbeat, big-band number. Mallory couldn’t profess to being particularly nimble and her sense of rhythm wasn’t quite as developed as it could have been: more like she had two left feet and tended to spin left when she was supposed to go right. But now, with Alexander holding her, she felt as if she were floating on air. She didn’t worry about getting the steps wrong or stumbling and falling over; she didn’t really think about anything other than how good it felt to be dancing with him.
She ought to ask him how he felt things were going and if there was a spark with Isadora, but she was enjoying the moment too much. She could allow herself this, she decided. It was only five minutes.
His hand slid comfortably around her waist while her fingers lingered on his broad, muscled back. He lowered his head towards hers until she could feel his breath on her cheek as he guided her confidently to the left, then the right and then into a spin, stretching out the space between them as he twirled her with one hand.
Slightly breathless, she moved away and back towards him. She smiled up at him – but his expression had frozen. ‘What?’ she asked. ‘What’s wrong?’
Wordlessly, he gestured towards her. Baffled, she gazed at him as couples danced around them. ‘Alex?’
‘Your dress,’ he muttered. ‘The butterflies. When you spin, they move and…’ His voice faltered.
‘Oh.’ Mallory grinned to mask her embarrassment. ‘Flashing too much skin?’
His cheeks were suddenly flushed. ‘I wouldn’t say too much. It took me by surprise, that’s all.’ His amber eyes darkened. ‘In fact, I’d like to see—’ He halted in mid-sentence. ‘Never mind.’
She stared at him. The song ended and the other couples returned to their seats, but they continued to stare at each other. ‘We should go back to the table,’ he said gruffly after a moment or two then turned and stalked away, leaving her on the dance floor wondering if she’d offended him with her golden butterflies and bare skin – or if there was something else going on.
Chapter
Twenty-One
It didn’t take long after the first dance for the true politics of the Wolf Ball to kick in. Mallory had barely picked up her glass of wine for a quick sip when the first werewolf alpha appeared, head bowed in obvious supplication. ‘Mr MacTire. You cut a fine figure in that kilt. Absolutely tremendous. Is that a family tartan?’
‘It was specially commissioned for the MacTires several decades ago.’ Alexander rose to shake hands.
‘Well, I’m very envious.’ Without missing a beat, the alpha started work. ‘Now, tell me, have you had a chance to read my proposal concerning the full-moon bylaws?’
‘Make an appointment with Samantha next week and we can discuss it,’ Alexander replied.
‘But…’
‘Bryan,’ he said, clapping the man on the back, ‘this is a party. Let’s enjoy it.’
The werewolf slunk away disappointed, but it wasn’t long before he was replaced by another, then another and another. There was a steady stream of werewolves, each keen to press hands with Alexander MacTire and get into his good books.
Mallory entertained herself by considering how differently she would manage each situation if they were her clients. None of them managed to engage Alexander in conversation for more than a minute and none held his attention.
‘I’ve never seen this before,’ Isadora commented, leaning across the table to Mallory while Alexander greeted wolf after wolf.
