What was he doing? He wasn't used to being interested in a specific woman for more than a week. Only since Cassie; everything seems to have changed. What was Mayra going to say about that? It had been a month since the sight of that girl had haunted him. She was a mystery of contradictions. She had lived all her life in the Armada, used to weapons and commanding her destiny. Only the way she blushed left him with suggestive ideas. Rick also found himself watching very tempted as she bit her lip indecisively. Like at that moment.
Stop looking, man. The smallmouth with delicate lips was the temptation of temptations.
She widened her eyes. It was a ball gown. The Foundation Party! He didn't intend to go to the ball! Tears of anger and frustration rolled down his face.
-Come on, let's go. - Rick looked surprised. Cassie could be so frustrating sometimes.- Why are you crying?
She sniffed. Once again her inner girl was screaming. Keep your mouth shut, Cassie Macklister. This is an order!
-I'm furious with you!
- My dear, you are beautiful. - Rick joked looking at scorching looks.
-What?
His penetrating gaze could melt all her anger. He was controlling. He liked to give orders just like Morgan. It irritated. He knew how to deal with an annoying Richard... In general, he couldn't stand her frustrated looks and ended up not doing her will. They fought. Beautiful? Perhaps the captain had vision problems. She was thin, awkward, and bland. Is tall. Well, they said he didn't change. But that night in the forest...
-All right! Cassie took a deep breath. She wanted to look beautiful in his eyes. - I'm wearing the dress. I can't close it. Look at these sneakers. - She spoke without realizing that lifting the hem of her skirt offered a view of the ankles in thin stockings. - It's a fatal trap. I will probably trip and fall. I'm going to break a foot like this.
-Hmmm. He nodded, looking at her delicate feet. It was certainly a temptation, those little feet in the fine silk stockings. He imagined the satisfaction of caressing them and taking off their socks...
-Captain Richard! This time she faced his gaze.
There was a hint of arrogant smugness in his upturned face as he crossed his arms. The square would be full. Several couples. Richard Morgan couldn't force her out of there.
He frowned without being irritated. Control. He knew how to control the people around him and he liked that. He wanted to control Cassie. He wanted the girl to need him and trust him. He wanted her to be his. Where were those ideas coming from?
"If you were going to draw a sword or fight me, Miss Macklister would not lack courage." My lady Morgan... Only the mere idea of dancing... - He shook his head in disbelief.
Cassie swallowed hard again. To dance? Sir! She didn't know how to dance.
-I do not know how to dance. There was a certain panic in her. She was going to trip over her own feet. It would be her downfall.
Rick smiled confidently, maintaining eye contact. It intimidated her. The girl was quite receptive to his proximity. It pleased him. More than she should.
-Angel, I won't let anything hurt you. Nobody will recognize you. I will not leave your side. It's a promise.
-Captain...
-Come on, honey. My name is Richard. You can call me Rick.
It was what the brothers called him. Why the hell had he said that?
-Rick?
His name felt like seductive magic on her lips. Richard imagined the girl whispering her name at the moment... Again... listening...
-Come on, it won't be that bad. he teased, turning to help her zip up her dress.
It was the guarantee of a few moments so that he could control himself. Hearing her call him by her name was sensual and provocative.
The ball at Chabone had been held in the town square. Perhaps the only place with enough space to hold so many people and food and drink stalls.
She looked at him in horror.
-I can not do this! - He spoke low looking at the dance floor from afar.
Richard took her hand with satisfaction as he led her slowly into the cool night. Two couples slowly twirled a waltz. Others came closer. The girl looked disconcertedly at the stunning young men and women in beautiful dresses. She stopped reluctantly. It was genuine panic.
-No... You're not serious.
He smiled.
-I'm always serious. Anything to escape?" He frowned in amusement.
She blinked.
-Anything! I... I..." Cassie couldn't believe that humiliation. - I don't know how to dance. Her stomach was fluttering nervously.
Satisfaction rose confidently in his chest. A mischievous smile surfaced. It was indeed a problem. It was…it was his inner wolf. That girl was everything he could ever need in the pack to become the alpha: polite, decisive, sweet, and willful. Well, not all qualities he appreciated. The stubbornness. His basic wolf instincts glowed neon, marking territory.
-Oh, I know - he smiled again.
Where was Miss Independent now? Let's find out if Miss Macklister is as brave as she appears. it's time to start
In the next instant, he was leading the girl onto the dance floor. Her way. Promising.
"Oh, honey, I could have just asked her to the dance. Only I want more. I'm going to end this nervousness of yours a lot sooner than you think. Earn your trust..."
Would she have accepted the invitation?
Richard had been dreaming of seeing her wearing a dress for days. He smiled smugly. Slowly, his splayed hands encircled her slim waist. Cassie tried softly to protest as she felt the man lift her as if nothing weighed, and slide his feet under hers. She held on to him like was drowning.
In the next few moments, he twirled her around the floor, slowly at first, noticing that gradually the woman began to relax. The tension left his rigid muscles. Skin against skin. Her hand hesitantly slid down her arm, radiating the sensation of an electrical charge. Richard was stunned.
-You're treating me like I'm a child, captain.
Her comment made him serious. Kid?
"Oh, dear. You can be sure I know you're not a child. You're driving me crazy."
Smiling, Richard spun her around in his arms. He was intimidating her. It was perfect. He sighed as he watched her bite her lip. It was exciting. He wanted to taste that mouth.
"Honey, I want you in my bed. Yes, I want this woman. It's a curse. I want to hear you sigh my name with pleasure."
Richard sighed. This wasn't going to happen. She was Blackwill's daughter. She wasn't going to break her own rules. Just casual sex. No involvement. Only her throat was dry again. She nervously buried her teeth in her lower lip. Hell, why did that have to be so seductive?
-You can be sure I know you're not a child. - He assured surprised. Every time she smiled, her body churned in a whirlwind of hormones.
Was he flirting with the girl?
-Captain...
-We decided you were going to call me Rick, honey. – he joked.
He was shocked with the pleasure of having that girl in his arms for a simple dance. He gazed at the graceful dress, the delicate, feminine demeanour that showed off her slender waist and magnificently perfect breasts. She was gaping. It was a cost not to kiss her. Not yet. He held her against his chest as much as the dance would allow, making her shiver.
-Rick...
-That. He sighed with pleasure. It was decidedly exciting too, her name on those inviting lips. He was forgetting about control. - You can be sure I don't see you as a child.
No more.
Cassie took a deep breath, doubting she was starting to relax. And maybe even like it. Body to body. He held her securely in his arms and aroused unsettling emotions. She was discovering sensations she didn't know about. Even muscles in her belly that she was unaware of..she had never noticed.
It was the enveloping music. It was his arms around her. His scent. It got she drunk a lot faster than wine. When the second song began, she was taking the first steps hesitantly. She hadn't noticed until Richard managed a devastating smile. She stared at the man confused.
-Have I said that you are magnificent tonight?
"Is that all you knew how to say? Calm down, Rick. This girl is not one of your lovers. But what a curse. She turns me on as no other has ever done before."
Everything with her was different. The girl challenged him and faced him. He was fumbling with the fantasies his mind was starting to play. The body no doubt liked it a lot.
-Why did you bring me to the dance?
Because casual sex didn't appeal to him. He was going to go crazy with the fantasies the girl aroused in him. It was sorcery. Not even Mayra...
-I brought her... - Rick decided to opt for the truth. He needed to know her reaction. - I wanted to be alone with you. It would be hard enough to do that with a little boy.
The woman shuddered at her words. His mouth was close to hers. This was going to be a problem. Will would complain. She wanted him to kiss her. Her gaze seemed to have direct communication with her entire body from the waist down.
-I'm sorry for the problems...
Richard sighed for a few moments. He made the woman spin again. The sight was incredible. An angel. her angel. He wasn't going to let her go.