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She laughed again and scooted out of her seat. “I’m dangerous…and I bite.”
She winked again and walked away, swaying her hips as she went. Blake followed her with hungry eyes, his insides a tangled mess. Was she flirting with him? How did a woman so young leave him feeling so shy and exposed?
His tongue felt dry and heavy in his mouth, and he could still feel his heart racing in his chest. He turned to Xander and found his friend watching him with a curious expression.
He had no idea how much of the exchange Xander had picked up. He’d been so deathly quiet the whole time, Blake had almost forgotten he was still present. He noticed how reserved Xander always got whenever his sister was close.
He was generally a quiet person, but it almost seemed as if Xander counted his words around Eleanor. She was so full of life, bursting with energy and enthusiasm. The exact opposite of her calm, quiet, scary, reserved older brother.
Eleanor returned soon after, and Xander took his leave, giving the couple some privacy. She watched the guests with a curious look on her face, and then asked Blake, “How are we doing so far?”
“I think we’re killing it,” Blake said. “All thanks to you, of course. You’re a natural.”
She smiled. “Why, thank you.” She lit up as if something had just occurred to her. “I have an idea. We should definitely dance.”
Blake raised a brow. “I’m not really much of a dancer.”
“Bah,” she said, waving him off dismissively. “All you have to do is shuffle from one foot to the other. It’s really not that hard. Besides, nothing yells ‘couple in love!’ like a pair swaying this way and that to beautiful music.”
That made him laugh. He did that a lot when he spoke to her. She was remarkably easy to talk to, and Blake didn’t know how to feel about that. He wished he’d had more of a relationship with her over the years; she seemed like a genuinely interesting woman. Spending time with humans in their towns seemed to have done her a world of good.
“You do have a point,” he finally conceded. “Plus, I really really like this song.”
She smiled. “Great. Come on.”
Blake felt nervous as he held a hand out to her and led her to the dance floor. There were encouraging whoops and cheers as the guests saw the couple approaching the dance floor together.
Eleanor fit perfectly into his arms, like she was a part of him. She was a skilled dancer, and she subtly led him through the steps, making sure he didn’t step on her feet or stumble out of step.
It felt wonderful twirling and swirling with her, with the other wolves watching on with adoring smiles on their faces. Eventually, others joined them, and before long, the dance floor was filled with people.
Blake didn’t see them. All he saw was Eleanor and the way she moved, timing his own movements perfectly. She was graceful, like a dove in flight. Despite the crowded dance floor, there was a wide berth around the two of them, like an island of sanity in a world of chaos.
Blake felt as if he’d been broken out of a trance when the music finally stopped. Loud cheers erupted around the dance floor and Eleanor beamed, her forehead shining with perspiration.
To the unknowing onlooker, he and Eleanor must have looked perfectly in love. He caught himself starting to think the same and shook his head to clear the thought.
They were surrounded by family when they returned to their seat. “That was amazing!” Aunt Claudia, his father’s younger sister said. “You both looked remarkable. Tell me, Blake, how does it feel to be young and in love?”
Blake blinked and looked at his aunt in confusion. “Uh…”
“There’s no better feeling in the world,” Eleanor said, jumping to his rescue with a big grin on her face. She reached out and took Blake’s hand, squeezing it lovingly. “Blake is just amazing, and I don’t think there are many people better than him. I am truly blessed.”
“Oh!” Aunt Claudia tittered happily. “Isn’t that just delightful? Well, I wish you two the best.”
Blake grinned at Eleanor after his aunt left, and shook his head. “Where the hell did that come from?”
She shrugged. “Just like you said, I’m a natural.”
He laughed again. Eleanor continued to dazzle and profess her undying love for Blake every time pack members approached them with overwhelming inquiries. At some point, she and Blake turned it into a game. They wanted to see how ridiculous she could go, and how much they could get away with.
The more she sold the story of their love, the harder it was for Blake to hide his laughter, and the harder he tried to hide his laughter, the more ridiculous she became. What should have been a torrid affair quickly became one of the most amusing afternoons of Blake’s life.
Eleanor was a true partner in crime, and it was easy for Blake to forget that just a few days ago, they had fought tooth and nail against the idea of getting married.
He tried not to think about the fact that they had a job to do, and that this marriage was to be annulled after a few years. He found that the possibility didn’t look as glamorous as it had once looked, to his surprise.
The music lowered in volume when one of the Moon Shadow elders climbed onto the stage to make an announcement.
