Merry tried to subtly remove her hand from his warm grasp, but Red refused to release her, shaking his head. "Oh I think not Miss St. James. Let's get to know each other a little better, shall we?" He stepped away from Nicholas and Elise, the proprietary grasp he still had on her captured hand necessitating that she follow. When she shot him a confused look, he added "I believe this is the last waltz before dinner will be served and I, for one would like to stretch my legs before being seated for the next hour or so."
"Oh, well I …" Merry hesitated, mentally scrambling for an excuse. Just standing next to this man had her flustered and she very sure that spending the next few minutes being held by him in the close proximity required for dancing was not going to help clear her head. Before she could find a polite way to decline however, she found herself being led towards the dance floor, her hand still held firmly in his. She made another attempt to reclaim her extremity, only to feel him shift his grip to lightly manacle her wrist with his long fingers. Not looking at her, he gave it a gentle squeeze, letting her know without words that he wasn't going to allow her to escape.
Giving in for the moment, adverse at drawing the attention of the people around them, she let out a very put upon sigh, making sure it was loud enough for him to hear and glanced over her shoulder to throw her brother an apologetic look for abandoning him. Nicholas seemed amused and made a little shooing motion at her, mouthing "Have fun!" She grinned at him in return and began turning back to her companion when she caught the furious glare Nicholas' mother was sending after them. Elise was definitely not happy at the current turn of events. Realization dawned on Merry and she almost laughed out loud. Elise was lusting after Reddington and wasn't apparently having much luck in attracting his attentions. Feeling a bit catty after having endured Elise's earlier rudeness, Merry gave her a smug little smile. The older woman narrowed her eyes angrily in return, the look promising retaliation.
Merry was still smiling over her shoulder, about to give in to the urge to antagonize Elise further by throwing her a wink or perhaps a kiss, when suddenly there was a firm tug on her wrist, causing her to turn sharply and stumble forward as she tried to keep her balance. For the second time that evening, she found herself quite literally falling into Red's arms. Annoyed at his high- handedness, she immediately began pulling away with the intent of walking off the dance floor and leaving him there, no longer caring if she made a scene. She quickly discovered the futility of trying to escape his hold as Red simply tightened his hand on hers, his other now gripping her hip lightly as he pulled her more fully into his embrace, keeping her exactly where he wanted her.
Without pause, Red began to lead her around the other couples on the dance floor with practiced ease and Merry followed automatically, thrown by how quickly he had read her intentions and simply taken control. She really needed to nip this habit of his in the bud. Letting him think he could control her so easily was not a good way to begin a business relationship. Mentally debating the pros and cons of forcing the issue immediately or waiting for a more private moment, Merry decided to let him have his way for now. It didn't mean she wasn't going to call him on it however.
"Was that really necessary?" She asked, giving him a reproachful look. He gave her a mockingly stern one in return, but she could see the humor lurking in his eyes.
"Oh, don't play the innocent with me Miss St. James. We both know you were stirring up mischief. I just thought it best to interfere before you managed to escalate the situation."
"Whatever do you mean, Mr. Reddington?" she asked coolly, arching an eyebrow at him and then ruining the effect by giggling. He smiled at the sound, obviously pleased to have been the one to cause it. Merry's breath hitched slightly. He was a handsome man, but when he smiled, he was almost beautiful. It lit up his entire face; softening the strong features and making him seem less intimidating and far more approachable. Unfortunately, that smile also drew her attention to his full lips. They looked soft, sensual. The kind of lips a woman could spend hours exploring. She wondered what he would taste like…..
His hand flexing on her hip startled her out of her erotic musings and reminded her suddenly that they were in a public place, surrounded by people. She could feel her face heat as a blush spread across it and was very glad her companion could not possibly have any idea as to where her mind had been wandering. Merry gave herself a good mental shake against the completely inappropriate thoughts swirling through her head and sternly told herself that she was here on business. Now if her treacherous body would just get the message.
Glancing around the room to make sure none of the other couples were close enough to overhear them, she tried to focus on the reason Nicholas had invited her here this evening.
"So, Mr. Reddington, my brother tells me you are looking for someone to do some specialized contract work for you." There, that was very professional. Hopefully he hadn't noticed the breathless lilt in her voice. He made a displeased noise in the back of his throat, bringing her attention back to his face.
His smile had faded at her words; taking with it the softness it had lent his features while the humor in his eyes was replaced by something darker that sent a thrill of aroused trepidation through her. How could a single look both arouse and unnerve her at the same time? Tightening the arm now around her waist, Red drew her slowly closer so that she felt the heat of him against her as he leaned down slightly to place those full, soft lips near her ear. His warm breath caressed the delicate shell when he spoke, causing her to shiver in response to the deep rumble.
"Beauty, that's twice now. You really don't want to push for a third." The sensual threat in his voice washed over her, leaving aching desire in its wake. Confused by both his statement and the riot of desire caused by his tone, Merry could only hum a questioning response.
"Red" he corrected, just barely above a growling whisper. "I believe I asked you to call me Red." He phrased it in the guise of a gentle reminder, but there was a quiet command in the silken tone of his voice that pushed her arousal higher; her nipples hardened against the lace of her bra and there was a undeniable dampness growing between her legs. Something she didn't recognize inside of her was drawn to him, responding to the dominance he exuded, and it left her feeling unsettled and edgy. She shouldn't be reacting to him like this; it was wrong and so very dangerous. He was exactly the kind of man she normally went out of her way to avoid unless her work as a forger made it absolutely necessary. She preferred to work through an intermediary, and for good reason.
Due to her loose affiliation with the Garuante Family as Nicholas' half sister, Merry had been surrounded by powerful, dangerous men her entire life, had seen the destruction they were capable of in their pursuit of power and had absolutely no desire to get even casually involved with one of their ilk. And she had a feeling that any involvement with this man would be far from casual. All of which made her overwhelming attraction to Red even more confusing. From the predatory ease with which he moved across the dance floor to the air of calm, controlled lethality he wore like a second skin, everything about the man holding her screamed of danger. So why did she feel so …..whatever this was, in his arms?
Leaning back, she made the mistake of locking her eyes with his, once again snared by the intensity of his gaze. Jade green flecked with gold, they were the beautiful, hungry eyes of a predator. And they were fixed solely on her.