At the Brazilian's Command(5)

‘I'm just so relieved that Tiago was there to save you,' Lizzie  exclaimed, glancing round to look for the man in question. ‘Maybe he's  not as bad as they say?'

‘He's every bit as bad,' Danny argued as she stared at Tiago, who was talking to the groom.

‘I can't imagine how Pintos crashed the wedding,' Lizzie went on with  concern. ‘He certainly wasn't on my guest list. Chico said he must have  been playing polo somewhere in the British Isles and made that his  excuse to come to Scotland to cause trouble for you. And the security  people let us down. But there'll be no more mistakes, and Pintos won't  do anything like that again.' Lizzie's face softened as she stared at  Danny and shook her head. ‘I feel so guilty about this.'

‘Don't,' Danny said firmly. ‘Pintos is evil, and I'm glad we're all rid of him.'

Lizzie smiled with relief. ‘Thank you for coming back to the party.  That took a lot of courage, Danny. I was so worried about you.'

‘You don't need to worry about me. I can look after myself.'

‘But we've always looked after each other in the past, haven't we? And I wasn't there for you this time.'

‘Lizzie,' Danny said in a mock-stern voice. ‘This is your wedding day.'

‘And you don't have to put on a front for me, Danny Cameron.'

‘I'm not putting on a front. I'm letting this go. I won't allow Carlos  Pintos to colour my life, or my thinking, or anything I do.'

‘And he won't.' Lizzie gave her a hug. ‘But I think there's another man who would like to...'

‘Only because you're staring at Tiago. He thinks we're talking about  him,' Danny pointed out, tensing as Tiago started heading their way.

She shivered as his shadow fell over them, and then was instantly annoyed with herself for reacting at all.

Tiago made a gracious bow to the bride, and then said, ‘Excuse us, Lizzie. Shall we dance?'

Danny almost looked over her shoulder, to see who he was talking to. ‘Me?'                       
       
           



       

‘Of course you,' he said.

How could she refuse when Tiago was giving her a look she couldn't  misinterpret-a look she had to act on immediately? Chico was hovering,  and she had taken up quite enough of the bride's time.

Why make a fuss? she concluded. This was a party. It was no big deal if she had one dance with Tiago Santos.

‘Seems I have to thank you again,' she said.

‘Why?' He was frowning.

She couldn't speak for a moment as Tiago drew her into his arms,  swamping her with many emotions, chief amongst which was an intense  awareness of him. This was more than she had expected to experience in  one night. He was so much more. It was hard to breathe, or to register  anything beyond Tiago's masculinity, and it took all she'd got to  concentrate long enough to answer him.

‘I'm glad you teased me away from Lizzie. I guess old habits die hard.  We've practically been welded to each other since we were children.'

‘And then Chico came along?' he guessed.

‘That's right,' she admitted, smiling wryly.

‘So you and Lizzie have been friends for a long time?'

‘Yes, but I should have taken the hint faster that Chico wanted to be with his bride-so thanks for that.'

‘Is that why you were in the stables earlier, Danny? Were you wondering  how your life would go forward from now on, without Lizzie to confide  in?'

‘You're too smart,' she said. His intuition was unsettling.

‘It's understandable,' he argued, drawing her into his hard-muscled  frame so they could dance as one. ‘You're bound to consider how this  will change things between you, and we all need quiet times to sort out  our heads. Did you come to a conclusion?'

She was coming to a few conclusions now. She wished she wasn't wearing  such a provocative dress-it was giving Tiago all the wrong signals. He  was making her wonder if she had come downstairs too soon.

Her body was rioting at the touch of Tiago's hands and the warmth of  his breath on her skin. Having her hand in his was electrifying. Having  him direct her movements, even in this harmless dance, was equally  disturbing. She had to remind herself that dance was the lifeblood of  Brazil, and that it was a means of expression that very few nations  could use to such good effect. Right now Tiago and dance had combined to  stunning effect.

And she had to keep it up for a little while longer, Danny reasoned, if  only because Lizzie was watching them with concern. One dance with the  most dangerous man in the room. She could handle that. She wasn't going  to allow herself to be intimidated ever again-not by life, and not by  Tiago.

They fitted together perfectly, considering Tiago was twice her size.  He moved so well he made it easy for her. She found herself moving  rhythmically with him in a way that was sexy, even suggestive, but it  was just one dance, she reassured herself.

They were close enough to the top table for Lizzie to flash anxious  glances their way, and she smiled back to confirm that everything was  all right.

And it might have been had she not been moving closer and closer to  Tiago. He didn't force her to. His touch remained frustratingly light.  But the music was compelling her to do this. It was intoxicating, and  the pulse of South America was soon running through her veins. She could  feel his muscles flexing as he teased all her senses at once. If she  moved away he brought her back.

There weren't many men who looked good dancing, but Tiago was one of  them. Maybe because he was an athlete. His body was supple and strong.  And he was Brazilian-dark and mysterious and sexy, with a passion he  carried everywhere with him. She trembled as he dipped his head and his  warm, minty breath brushed her face.

‘I didn't know you were such a good dancer, Danny.'

‘Neither did I,' she admitted.

His firm lips slanted in a sexy smile. ‘It must be because you're dancing with me.'

She laughed at his engaging self-assurance.

‘You were such a tomboy in Brazil.'

‘I'm still a tomboy, Senhor Santos.'

‘Tiago, please,' he murmured, in a husky whisper that raised every tiny hair on the back of her neck.

She couldn't deny she was disappointed to learn that Tiago still  thought of her as a tomboy. She was a woman-a woman with needs. She was a  confused woman, still recovering from the shock of an attack, but  sufficiently recovered to know how deeply this man affected her. And  dance was the perfect outlet for her emotions. Dance was a means of  expression when words wouldn't come.

When the music faded and the band took a break she felt awkward  suddenly, and glanced longingly towards the exit, where the double doors  were open wide.                       
       
           



       

‘Have you had enough?' Tiago asked.

She flashed a glance up at him. ‘I'm sorry-am I being so obvious?'

‘Too much too soon for you, I think,' he said wisely.

Once again that intuition of his was a warning of how easily he could  read her. Tiago was too much too soon, and always would be, Danny  suspected. If she had known how it would feel to be in his arms, how she  would feel, she would never have agreed to dance with him.

‘I do have one suggestion,' he murmured.

‘Yes?' She glanced up and felt her heart turn over.

‘Just wait a moment before you go. The DJ has taken over from the band, so have one more dance with me.'

She was just basking in the idea that Tiago enjoyed dancing with her when he spoke again.

‘That way it will give Chico enough time to make Lizzie forget everything-including you.'

Danny's eyes flashed wide. His comment had stung. That was what  happened when she dropped her guard around Tiago Santos. But he was  right. She had to let her friend go and move on.

‘If you're sure you don't mind dancing with me?' There were so many much prettier girls in the room.

‘I'm sure,' Tiago confirmed with an amused look.

This was the type of thing she would have liked to discuss with Lizzie.  They had both led such hectic, fractured lives as children, and had  protected each other until their lives had been sewn together again by  Lizzie's grandmother and by the housekeeper, Annie, both of whom had  been determined that neither child would suffer because of their less  than responsible parents.

‘Shall I get you out of here?' Tiago suggested, after a short time longer on the dance floor.

She refocused fast. ‘Sorry-was I frowning?'

‘Yes,' he confirmed with amusement. ‘I'm disappointed you can't concentrate on me.'

‘Maybe that's why I'm frowning,' she suggested with a wry smile.

‘Now I'm hurt.'

She doubted that. And she was willing to bet Tiago knew everything she  was thinking. But she was starting to feel the strain of keeping up a  bright and breezy front after what had happened in the stable.