Read Online Fires of Autumn by Kathryn Le Veque - Free Book Online Page B

although there was humor to it. “So now you’re
insulting me ?”
    “You
insulted me first.”
    She sighed
sharply, lightly done. “You’re right,” she agreed impatiently. “I did. I’ve
already apologized for it. What more can I do?”
    Colt’s
brown eyes glimmered. “Do you really want to know?”
    “Probably
not, but tell me anyway.”
    “Dance
with me.”
    Her
outrage, her surprise, turned genuine.” What?”
    He pointed
a finger skyward, indicating the portico above them. “Hear the music? It’s The
Eagles singing ‘The Best of my Love’.”
    Her
eyebrows flew up. “You want me to dance with you? You’ve got to be
crazy. You’re on duty. If anyone saw us, you’d be in a hell of a lot of
trouble.”
    The
corners of his lips twitched. “You’ve got one minute.”
    He held up
his hands as if to take her into his arms and dance with her.  Casey just
gawked at him. “Seriously?”
    “Fifty-five
seconds.”
    She eyed
him; he was apparently dead serious and to tell the truth, the thought didn’t
repulse her. In fact, it was rather inviting.  Sheridan was an extremely
handsome man with a charming personality when he let himself bust out from the
serious Secret Service agent persona.  Casey felt herself relenting.
    “So… if I
do, you’ll forgive me for insulting you earlier today?”
    “I’ll
forgive you everything. It’ll be a clean slate.”
    With a
shrug, Casey took his jacket off and handed it back to him.  Colt put the coat
back on and the held his hands up again expectantly.  Still eyeing him rather
uncertainly, Casey placed her right hand in his left one, and he pulled her
against his firm, warm torso. His right arm snaked around her slender body.
     Very
quickly, Casey was in a very intimate position up against the man but she
didn’t say a word; she discovered that she liked it very much.  There was
something very magnetic about him and she allowed herself to submit, if even
for just a brief moment. It had been a long time since she danced with someone
handsome and attractive. As The Eagles sang overhead, drifting out into the
night, Colt put his cheek against the top of her head and began to dance, very
slowly and sweetly, with Casey wrapped up in his arms.
    Fifty-five
seconds passed in the blink of an eye.  In spite of her initial reservation,
Casey very nearly melted in to the man, closing her eyes and losing track of
time as he held her close and swayed in beat to the music.   It seemed like
they had been dancing just a few seconds when he spoke again.
    “Time’s
up,” he said hoarsely. “Are you really going to leave now?”
    She
started to laugh.  “I am unless you want to stay down here and dance the rest
of the night,” she pulled back so she could gaze up into his handsome face. “If
you don’t, then I really am going to leave.  Better that than fighting off a
Chinese offensive for the duration of the party.”
    Colt
looked down at her, thinking it had been a huge mistake to dance with her. He’d
really only meant it as a joke, or maybe it hadn’t been so much a joke as
something he was just curious to do.  He’d liked the feeling of her in his arms
so much earlier when she was nearly frozen to death that he wanted to feel it
again.  This time was better than the first and he was loath to let her go. 
    “One more
minute,” he said, pulling her back against him.
    Casey was
grinning as he swallowed her up in his big embrace. “Why?”
    “Because
you’re not completely forgiven yet. One more minute should do it.”
    She rolled
her eyes, although not completely displeased. “Oh, brother,” she muttered, her
right cheek cuddle up against his chest. “You don’t carry a grudge much, do
you?”
    “Depends.”
    “I can see
that.”
    She
snorted. He chuckled because she was.  All in all, the next minute went more
quickly than the first and when Colt finally released Casey, she nearly
stumbled. She had been very relaxed and content in his embrace.