Then his arms were around her, his hands linked with hers as she melted into him, and Gabriel knew that whatever heaven might end up being, it would never hold a candle to this.

"I must say," he breathed against her ear, enjoying the way she shivered, "you know how to make an entrance."

"I got what I wanted, didn't I?" she asked, her voice huskier than usual. She wound her arms around his neck, pressing even more closely against him. Gabriel's thoughts scattered at the slow, subtle movements of her hips to the beat. It was a full minute before he could collect them enough to form a coherent sentence to answer her with.

"And what do you want, Rowan?" he finally asked, part of him dreading what she might say, but needing the answer nonetheless. His heart lifted instantly, however, when she drew back just enough to look up at him with an expression that clearly said "duh."

"I don't waste my best entrances on just anyone, you know. Now come on, genius. Everyone's watching us anyway." Her grin was wicked. "Dance with me."

Before he could insist that dancing wasn't really his thing beyond the usual bob and sway, she was off. Gabriel stood stock still, watching in speechless fascination as Rowan spun effortlessly across the floor, her body moving with a long-limbed and effortless grace that seemed to belong only to true dancers. She looked absolutely amazing, Gabriel thought foggily as his eyes tracked her.

Rowan's hair rippled and shifted in the lights like a live flame, flowing behind her as she dipped and spun, arched and turned. It was like watching music-made flesh, Gabriel thought. Tonight it was easy to picture her under some alien sky, being worshipped beneath the moon and stars to wild and ancient music. He might have worried that he looked like a complete idiot next to such perfection, but somehow she managed to draw him into her dance seamlessly, guiding him with her hands and body, making him her partner without taxing his limited dancing ability. As the crowd cleared a space for them, steering the two of them on, Gabriel knew that for once he was utterly secondary, serving only to showcase his exquisite partner.

It was fine with him. All he wanted to do was watch her too.

As the final chord of the song reverberated throughout the pub, Rowan spun into him one last time. Gabriel caught her against him, his mouth a breath away from hers. He could feel her heart pound against him as he held her, and was glad he wasn't the only one so affected by the contact. As the hoots and hollers began, egging him on, he slowly grinned.

"Well?" she asked, so softly that only he could hear. "I did all the hard work. How about a decent finale?"

"With pleasure," he chuckled. This, at least, was something he'd been able to do since he'd been trying to impress (and get his hands all over) girls at his high school dances. He put his hand at the small of Rowan's back and dipped her low, his breath catching at the sight of the long, pale column of her throat as she arched back, her eyes shut in pure bliss.

His next act was born out of complete, possessive instinct. Gabriel pulled her up quickly and drew her against him, sliding his fingers up into the silken mass of her hair. He caught just a glimpse of Rowan's bemused expression before he claimed her mouth in a long, hot kiss that felt as though it burned right through him. Rowan's throaty purr told him she was more than pleased by his very public display as he took his time tasting her, reveling in the sweetness of her, enjoying the bold strokes of her tongue against his. When he finally drew back, only because he knew it was that or have her right there on the floor, Rowan's eyes were glazed with desire.

The crowd erupted at the spectacle, roaring their approval.

"Well," he said softly. "Now that you've caught me, your highness, what are you going to do with me? Because I think you've ruined my chances at getting another date for the evening."

Rowan laughed, a long, lusty roll of amusement, and looked over to where a disconsolate Lori was grabbing her purse before slamming out of the pub. "Hmm. How sad. I suppose I'll have to take you upstairs and have my way with you, then. It's only fair. Unless," she grinned, "you have to stay and work."

"Let me put it this way," he growled, a split second before bending to catch her behind her knees and hoisting her off the floor. Rowan yelped, then gave him a long-suffering look as he settled her in his arms and made a beeline for the door.

"This isn't quite the exit I had in mind."

"You can't set my ex-girlfriends on fire. It's frowned upon around here."

She wrinkled her nose at him even as she linked her fingers behind his neck. "At least then I would have maintained a little dignity."

Gabriel just snorted. "You're heavier than you look," he commented as people scrambled to get out of his way. Rowan smacked him smartly on the arm.

"My hero," she sighed, fluttering her eyelashes at him. "How do I ever keep my hands off of you, with your romance and flowery words?"

"I thought the sex was enough," he replied with a quick grin, nearly knocking over a group of drunken college students in his rush to get her the hell away from the crowd and upstairs alone with him.

He saw Jerry give him the thumbs-up and heard his raucous laughter just before he headed out the door. He was absolutely going to hear about this for ... well, probably forever. But he'd deal with that later. Right now he swung around the corner of the building and headed up the stairs to his apartment. Having no time for keys, Gabriel simply kicked the door open and marched on in.

"You've lost it," she informed him, sounding deeply amused. "Completely, absolutely, one hundred percent lost it. You may need professional help."

"Werewolves don't do therapy," he said, kicking the door as shut as it would consent to go behind him and depositing Rowan as gently as possible on the couch.

She shook her head slowly back and forth. "Werewolves don't... you know, I can hear the Sexual Healing joke coming a mile away."

Gabriel grinned as he pounced on her. He loved this, the way Rowan gave him hell even when the scent of her arousal was driving him to a near frenzy. "Damn. That was all I had. So before I remove every stitch of your clothing with my teeth, I must know ..."

"Oh no you don't," she warned him, eyes narrowing. "This is brand-new, and I happen to like it."

"I like it too."

"Then don't eat it."

He pretended to consider, toying with the ends of her hair as she lay back, almost completely beneath him. "We'll see how quickly you can get it off. So anyway, how did you know what you were walking into?" He smiled at the memory. "I honestly thought there might be blood. And it wouldn't have been you trying to draw it."

She gave an elegant little shrug. "I might have received a few phone calls inquiring about your whereabouts. From people who didn't seem to care for the fact that an unidentified female was answering your phone."

Gabriel cringed. He hadn't even considered the possibility of that, which had been utterly moronic on his part. His only excuse was that giving her the phone at all had been a split-second decision, and after that he'd been too preoccupied with her general safety to worry about irritating phone calls. Still, he hated that it had happened.

She cocked her head at him, looking genuinely perplexed. "What's wrong?"

"I'm just surprised that you danced with me instead of tossing one of your fireballs at my head."

Rowan raised her eyebrows. "No more surprised than I was that some of those women showed up even after I told them I was about to get in the shower with you."

He laughed despite himself. "Count me surprised as well. Did you really say that?"

"Among other things. And since it was obvious that they were all suffering greatly from prolonged lack of contact with you, I didn't figure a fireball to your head was warranted. I did think you might need a little help. So I decided to, you know ... check."

Gabriel shook his head in wonder. "That may be the understatement of the year. You were bloody amazing, as you well know." Just the memory had him reconsidering not tearing apart her new dress. Something she'd said had caught him, though, and it was only intense curiosity that gave him pause. "So what else did you say to put them off? On the phone, I mean?"

"I. Well, I ..." She trailed off, frowning, which surprised him. After she'd gone to the trouble of winning him in front of the masses, he figured she'd want to gloat just a little. He hoped she wasn't having second thoughts about it, about taking the extra step and letting him know without a doubt that she wanted him to herself. Worry began to creep back into his thoughts, chipping away at his pleasure over how Rowan had come after him. He wanted, badly, for her to stop resisting what was between them, to set his mind at ease and accept their bond. But he knew from sorry experience that if he pushed too hard, she'd run the other way.

It was definitely some sort of cosmic punishment that he'd fallen for a woman as obstinate as himself.

Gabriel nuzzled her nose, trying to get her to look at him. "Rowan," he coaxed. For her part, Rowan kept her eyes averted, though her faint blush was telltale.

He leaned in, very, very close. So close that he could feel her warm breath fanning his face. And he whispered, ever so softly.

"Don't decide to be upset now. I'll let you blow up my cell phone, if you like."

"Hmm," was her only answer as she continued to be greatly perturbed by something on the other side of the room. Gabriel was a little surprised. He'd expected a snappy comeback, possibly even a slap upside the head, but not this pensive avoidance. Was she that embarrassed about what she'd said? Rowan didn't really seem the type to be embarrassed by anything. Intrigued, he pressed her further.

"Is there ..." He angled his head down, trying to catch her eye with a soft smile. "Is there something wrong, love?" He couldn't imagine. But this time at least he got a response.

"Exactly," she muttered, huffing her new bangs out of her face with an irritated little puff of breath, looking for all the world like a forlorn child. Gabriel found himself unexpectedly charmed, if confused.