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She amazed him at the confidence she displayed talking about the shelter and the animals, her ambitions. He was falling for the charm the way everyone else was, ready and excited to go on this journey with her.
Once they had gotten around everyone, Will took to the stage, making a heartfelt speech about the shelter and what it meant to him. He was about to finish and declare the rest of the evening for dancing and drinking but he decided that the person everyone wanted to hear from should speak.
“Now for some final remarks before you can all enjoy yourself and we’ll stop asking for money. Please welcome to the stage the owner of the Take A Chance animal shelter, who’s been there from the very beginning, Rebelle Black!” The alarm in her eyes wasn’t surprising but the willingness with which she approached the stage was. He handed her the mic and went to step down but she tugged on his hand and he saw her whiskey eyes fill with worry. He squeezed her fingers knowing she wanted him to stay but she needed to do this on her own.
“Erm, hi,” she began shyly, shuffling her feet and looking at the ground before her shoulders lowered and her stare fixed on Will again.
“We, and the shelter, appreciate the time you’ve taken out of your very busy lives to be here and support Take A Chance.” There was a pause while she found her words. “Will’s not exaggerating, he’s had a tremendous impact on the shelter, he’s managed to charm all the animals, they’ll be lost without him when he leaves,” she began quietly. Her words hit him in the chest and that knot appeared again. He’d been trying to avoid thinking about when he would leave and go back to his life.
“I wouldn’t be here, in this room, without Will.” The look in her eyes when they flicked to him and lingered was full of gratitude and he could barely stand the weight of it. “And the animals wouldn’t be here without any of you. So please support where you can, nothing is too small and if you can’t afford it, donate your time. It costs nothing and means everything. Oh and, adopt, don’t shop.” She ended with a firm nod, her features schooled in the kind of expression that made him weak for her.
Applause and cheers echoed around before the lights dimmed and music filled the room. Shadows fell around him, and he watched as she stepped down from the stage and was immediately enveloped by the future trustees. Just as he’d suspected, they loved her. He observed her find her voice and speak, every now and then she threw him a concerned look, but she continued on. He felt so proud of her.
After a while, couples filled the makeshift dancefloor, and an opportunity reared its head. And after all, Will never ignored an opportunity.
He sidled over to her and waited until she finished with the gentleman in front of her before leaning down and brushing a dark curl to one side with his nose.
“You look like you’re a good dancer,” he murmured, his lips stroking the shell of her ear. He pulled back, watching her eyelashes flutter closed for a split second before her eyes burst open and locked on him suspiciously.
“Do I?”
He nodded, grinning down at her. “Yeah. You definitely look like you’re wanting to dance.”
Her arms crossed over her chest. “I don’t think I am.”
“Come on,” he took her hand. “Put your sassy eyebrow down and dance with me.”
“I don’t have a sassy eyebrow!”
“Belle? Shut up and dance with me, please.”
She paused and hispleasehad her relenting just as he knew it would. He drew her over to the floor and she placed her hand on his shoulder. He slid his arm around her waist, his palm flattening on her bare back and he swallowed a moan at her warm satin skin. She sucked in a breath and he waited, wanting to see if she would pull away but she surprised him by settling against his chest. He rested his chin on the soft billow of her hairand closed his eyes, swaying them slowly and reveling in holding her tiny form in his arms.
After a moment he heard her sigh. “I’m not sure how you convinced me to do this.”
He smiled, eyes still closed. “It’s because I saidplease. You like it when I ask you nicely, don’t you?” he dropped his voice suggestively. “When I beg you.”
As he expected she didn’t respond. He was definitely learning how to read her. She wasn’t as complicated as he’d initially thought. Or maybe he just understood her better now. He dipped his head, resting his cheek to hers and inhaled deeply, satisfaction filling him at having her in his arms.
“Did you just sniff me?” she rasped, clearly as affected by their closeness as he was and trying to distract herself from the reality of it.
“You can’t blame me, you smell amazing.”
“Is that some dig about me not wearing perfume? Because until recently it wasn’t exactly at the top of my grocery list. And I’m not trying to impress anyone so-”
He cut off her insecure, grumpy ramblings. “No, I wasn’t. I think you genuinely smell amazing, like roses and wildflowers.”
She cleared her throat. “Oh…”
He shook his head, smiling at her lack of response. They swayed slowly until the song faded away and when the next one started he expected them to part ways, but neither of them made a move to leave. At least two more songs went by, Will lost in the thought of all the places in the world he had traveled and all the places he could be, yet he wouldn’t be anywhere but right here with her.
He felt someone appear next to them, then heard the icy tone that was so familiar.
“Will, darling, aren’t you going to say hello to your mother?”
Chapter 16
Rebelle couldn’t focus on anything except the sensation of Will’s rough palm grazing her spine. The feeling was sending delicious tingles through her but instead of fear, she felt at ease. She melted into him, astonished at her lack of concern at their closeness, the contact between them and putting herself in a position of vulnerability. Will could easily hurt her. She knew this. But she knewhim.
