"Hmm," Cassie murmured as she rested her head against Axel Ash's chest, "the band forgot to end the song." She sounded perfectly content, though, to continue the dance, and not in the least bit surprised.
And then the band finally ended the song. He expected her to pull away, to say she wanted to return to the B&B, but instead the band whipped up another slow beat, and she didn't make any move to quit the dance floor. Just softly clung to him as if there was no tomorrow.
He hadn't been with a woman who had felt this good ever. Until she called it a night, he should have been content to dance with her as long as he could.
Instead, he was already trying to figure out how to get her to stay with him the rest of the evening. Maybe it was her honest, simple love of wolves that made him cherish being with her so. He wasn't sure. All he knew was that he didn't want to let her go. Not anytime soon.
And hell, he still hadn't gotten her to tell him about the wolf she'd seen!
* * *
Cassie knew better than to dance with Axel Ash. She knew better, so why was she willing to risk detection? If he learned why she was really here and what she intended to do, and that she was one of them, he wouldn't allow it, if he was truly the pack leader.
And the way everyone rabidly watched them on the dance floor, the way they smiled and looked hopeful, he had to be their leader and needed a mate.
God, he felt good. Not to mention he smelled delightful, of the fresh spring air, masculine, his body warm and strong. And he made her feel feminine and wanted.
She hadn't danced with one of her kind in a very long time, not like this. She hadn't expected it, not his gentleness. Probably figured as a human she'd break. Especially as nervous as she'd been to come here in the first place.
Dancing with him like this felt so right, while she knew it was a big mistake. Ignoring that little voice that told her to thank him nicely and return to her place and say goodbye, she continued to dance with him. Song after song.
The band was kind enough not to pause in between songs. They never took a break either; they just kept on playing while Axel Ash and she kept on dancing. She could have danced until the sun came up, and she thought if Axel Ash had asked it, the club would have stayed open until then.
Despite trying to block the feeling, deep down she realized a part of her was missing out on life because of her obsession with studying wolves and lecturing about them. It was easier in some ways to work all the time than to deal with her past.
Even so, she knew this had to end. She finally lifted her head and with a faked sleepy voice said, "They're probably ready to close about now, don't you think?"
At a quarter past three, she noted no one had left, everyone wants to please their leader, probably dying to tell the rest of the pack what he'd been up to with the redheaded wolf biologist all night.
"Maybe another half hour," Axel Ash said.
Axel took her hands in his. To her, it was a burning touch. He wrapped his arms around her waist and took her hands, wrapping them around his neck. They started swaying to the music which was thinking out loud.
"Would it be inappropriate to say that you look incredibly beautiful and sexy in this dress?" he spoke huskily.
"Uh no it's okay," she said, trying to ignore the shivers which were running up and down her spine.
"Good, because you do look incredibly beautiful," he said as he pulled her close to his body.
"T-thanks" she stuttered as she looked at his coat not having the courage to look in his eyes.
"You're welcome" Axel as he placed a kiss on her cheek, causing her to turn beetroot red.
Why was he acting sweet all of a sudden? She thought.
She smiled and kissed his cheek. He returned the smile and dipped his head to kiss her lips, but she quickly pulled away and took his hand. "Everyone needs to go home. I need to get my sleep. My tires have to be fixed by now."
She swore she heard him groan, but she caught him bowing his head slightly to the band and to some of his people as he walked her out of the dance room.
"Thanks for asking me to dance," she said softly.
"I thought you couldn't dance." He pulled her under his arm and held her close as they walked outside into the brisk chilly air.
"Just didn't want to." More to the point, she didn't want anyone like Axel Ash to sidetrack her from her life's work, although he'd had more of an effect on her already than she wanted to admit.
He gave her a light squeeze. "Glad you changed your mind."
She could tell from his husky tone of voice that he was more than glad. Now for the tough part. Sleeping at the B&B was not part of the plan.
She had planned on going straight to where she spied the wolf, parking her truck, and tracking her. How was she going to get rid of Axel Ash when he took her back there without clueing him into what she was up to.
As soon as Axel Ash drove Cassie back to her place from the Forest Club, he knew something was wrong. She was quiet on the way there, which could have been due to the late hour, but it was more than that.
She seemed apprehensive, chewing on her bottom lip, sighing, concentrating on the passenger window. At least she wasn't sitting rigidly against the door as she'd done previously.
He guessed sharing a meal and dancing the night away with him had cured her of whatever fears she had of getting close to him.
He really wanted to stay the rest of the night with her. And he had hoped that as much of a connection as they'd made, she'd want the same thing. Instead, she was distancing herself from him again.
"Here we are, Cassie," he said, parking beside her truck.
She jerked her head up, and he realized she'd fallen asleep. He guessed she wasn't a night owl and was just overly tired.
"Want me to carry you inside?"
She yawned and stretched, then pulled a key card out of her satchel. "No. Thanks for everything, Axel Ash. What do I owe you?"
He frowned at her, not comprehending. He hadn't intended for her to pay for the meal at the club.
"The tires." She cast him a tired smile.
"Nothing. They shouldn't have been flattened in the first place." He hesitated to open his door, not wanting her to flee into the inn. "Can I see you tomorrow? For breakfast before you leave?"
"I don't eat breakfast, and I'll be long gone by then. If you have a business card and I'm in town again later, I'll give you a call."
The brush-off. It shouldn't have mattered. She was human. He couldn't have had any kind of long-term commitment with her. It did bother him. He didn't know why.
Maybe because he hadn't been with a woman in so long, and she seemed so perfect. Just to spend the rest of the night with.
He noted one of his men watching the truck from the distance, hidden in the woods. Good. Elgin had given the word to make sure no one ruined her tires again while she remained here.
"'Night, Axel Ash." She seemed to want to kiss him, her gaze shifting to his mouth, her tongue sweeping over her lips as if in preparation, but when he leaned over to kiss her the way he really wanted to, she opened her door and headed for the inn.
Watching her hurry up the flagstone walk, he knew he should leave it be. Let her go. Then again, he could come by in a couple of hours and try to see her one last time before she left for good. Maybe she'd change her mind and share a bite of breakfast with him anyway.
He rubbed the whiskers appearing on his chin. Hell, he needed to give her his number in the event she left before he could see her again in the morning, just in case she did return to the area and wanted to visit him.
He opened his door, slammed it shut, and hurried toward the inn, telling himself he had the most honourable of intentions.
Even though he was dying to kiss the vixen good night, no sweet and unassuming peck on the cheek like she'd given him. Truly, that simple sign of affection had stirred him up all over again.