Captain Swan - Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

Chapter 6

Hans forces a tight smile on his face and hesitantly shakes Killian's hand, obviously embarrassed he'd invited her to his hotel room. His features contort in pain as if Killian is gripping his hand a little too tightly.

Killian loosens his grip, apology flickering over his face. "Sorry, mate, sometimes I forget my own strength. I once tapped a bloke in the nose and broke several of his nasal bones."

Unmistakable fear shows in Hans' eyes and he quickly rips his hand from Killian's tight clutch and spins around on his stool, returning to his drink and chugs it down.

Emma is still recovering from the initial shock of Killian coming over to... what, rescue her? Or stake his claim even though she's not his to claim? She's not entirely sure, but she plays along, flashing a sarcastic smile. "These heels are killing my feet. I had to sit down."

Killian moves behind her and places both hands on her shoulders, squeezing gently as he sweetly kisses her temple. Her entire skin warms from his touch. "Well, how about I give you a good foot rub when we get home, hmm?" he murmurs in her ear loud enough for Hans to hear as Killian kneads his fingers into her shoulders.

Emma has to swallow the moan rising in her throat as his decadent, silky voice penetrates her ear and his firm hands give her a momentary dose of heaven.

Holy fuck.

He's not even doing anything to her, and she's completely turned on. She's not imagining his hands on her achy feet, giving her a good, thorough rubdown. Certainly not. "Mmmm, that sounds amazing, babe."

He grins against her earlobe, causing a shiver to skate down her spine. When he removes his hands from her shoulders and extends one to her, she feels the loss of his warmth. "Until then, are your feet rested enough to dance?"

Emma slips her hand in his, interlaces their fingers and stands up, grinning from ear to ear. "I thought you'd never ask. Lead the way."

She looks over at Hans to catch his reaction as they walk past him, holding hands. Even from behind, she can tell he's sulking.

When she realizes Killian is actually leading her to the dance floor, panic rises in her chest, and she tugs on his hand to stop him. "Wait, are we actually dancing?"

Killian turns his head around to look past her and nods. "Aye, love. Hans still has his eyes on us." His jaw twitches as he shoots daggers at him. "Or rather, his eyes are still on you. So it's best we keep up the ruse." He moves again, pulling her through the crowd.

"But I don't know how to dance," she confesses, slightly ashamed. Her cousins took dance classes when they were younger and loved dancing but Emma mostly stuck to her books and simply listened to music rather than danced to it.

When they reach an appropriate spot on the dance floor, Killian stops and pulls her to him, placing her free hand on his shoulder and his open palm on her back. "There's only one rule, love." His eyes lift from their joined hands, and a breath escapes her when his face is only inches away, those baby blues boring into hers. "Pick a partner who knows what he's doing."

Emma's heart flutters as their bodies are pressed closely together. A hint of a smile curves her lips as she follows his lead, and soon they're moving with the rhythm of the music like they're at a fancy royal ball. But somehow she manages to replace her smile with a small scowl. "I didn't need a dashing rescue, you know. I can take care of myself."

He smirks knowingly. "I don't doubt that, love, but I was saving you from getting scolded by the bride for causing a scene at her wedding."

Emma wrinkles her brows in confusion. "Causing a scene? What scene?"