The werewolf raised an eyebrow, though he didn’t say anything.
The bouncing beat faded away to be replaced by a slow number. ‘And this is for all you lovers out there,’ the singer crooned into his microphone.
‘That’s what I want right now.’ Liam pulled her in closer.
For a horrifying moment, despite his delight in telling her about his Hirsel Road antics, she thought he’d discovered she was matchmaking for Alexander and was asking her to matchmake for him. ‘A lover?’ she asked, unable to keep the dismay out of her voice.
‘What? No!’ He laughed. ‘I can find any number of lovers, thank you very much. What I mean is I want to be like that singer – I want to play music and be in a band, to hold the attention of a ballroom full of people and get them dancing.’
Relaxing, Mallory looked at him with genuine interest. ‘Are you in a band?’
‘I mess around with a few friends from time to time and I think I’ve got a good voice.’ He pulled a face. ‘But I’m a beta werewolf. I’m supposed to be responsible, not to run away to pursue my dreams. Especially silly dreams.’
With a thud of empathy, Mallory recognised the desperate hope in his expression. ‘Liam, it’s not silly at all. You should keep playing, especially if it makes you happy.’
His face was transformed by a wide smile. ‘Really?’
‘Really.’
‘And what makesyouhappy?’ he asked.
Alexander. Alexander MacTire makes me happy. She sucked in a breath. Bloody hell. ‘Coffee,’ she said. ‘Wine.’ She paused. ‘And honey.’
‘Honey?’
‘Mmm.’
‘Too sweet for me.’ He dipped his head and lowered his voice. ‘I prefer spice – the hotter, the better.’
‘I’m not surprised by that in the slightest!’ Mallory laughed.
There was a sudden loud cough beside them. ‘Allow me to cut in,’ Alexander said, and Liam moved back before Mallory could say or do anything. Alexander stepped into his place.
‘What the hell are you doing?’ she spluttered.
‘Dancing.’
‘But…’
‘I was polite to Ferguson,’ he said. ‘And I didn’t even growl – and that’s after he pawed at you.’
‘He didn’t paw at me!’
‘He put his arms around you.’
‘We were dancing! Just as you should still be dancing with Isadora! What happened?’
‘Nothing, except that I don’t want to dance with her any more. Especially not to this song.’
‘Alex, you need to give it more time. I understand how you feel but…’
‘No, you don't understand how I feel at all. But after watching you and Liam fucking Ferguson, I've decided it's time you learned.’ His eyes were dark and intense, his voice low andrough. ‘I’ve had enough of pretending – I should have done this a long time ago. I want to dance with you, Mallory. Only you.’
‘P-pardon?’
‘You heard.’ He was looking at her as if she were the only person in the room and all she could do was stare back at him. He reached for her, slid his hands to her hips and gently tugged her body against his. ‘If you don’t want this, Mallory,’ he murmured, so close that it felt as if each word was scalding her skin, ‘say the word and I’ll walk away. Otherwise, let’s stop talking and dance.’
She didn’t speak; she wasn’t sure that she could. Her throat was tight, her mouth was painfully dry and her heart rate had ratcheted up alarmingly. Everything inside her was spinning in exhilarated confusion.
