Behind him, Victor let out a deep, husky chuckle. Devlin wasn’t in the mood to be teased, but he allowed his friend a bit of levity because they had already been through so much together as business partners and shifters.
“Tell me what happened.”
Devlin had to hit his ball a few times before sinking the putt, which only infuriated him more. He then went into detail with Victor about how he had been showering Kate with compliments, a date in a luxurious place, and gifts while they walked across the sparkling emerald fields.
“And you expected her to just fall into your arms?”
Both men carried their own clubs, which seemed strange in their world of wealth, but not so strange in the shifter world.
Devlin huffed at him. “I mean, it was going so well, and we even made this deal about four dates …”
“Wait a minute,” Victor said, stopping Devlin by placing a thick meaty hand on his shoulder. “You did what?”
Devlin sighed deeply. “I think the whole fated mate thing may have scared her a little, so I made a deal with her that said I could win her over in four dates. She seemed mostly fine afterward.”
A grin grew on Victor’s big face, one that truly irked Devlin down into his bones.
“And you fucked up the first date, how?”
Devlin told him sheepishly how he had tried to add a positive spin to the fact that her parents had been divorced when she was so young. When he described it, Victor grimaced as if he had just been struck with a hammer.
“That’s rough, man.”
“What?”
They had moved onto the next green, and Victor was setting up for his putt. He shook his butt mockingly before striking it with ease, easily sinking it in a single stroke. Clearly, he was having a better game day than Devlin.
“No offense to you, brother,” Victor said, going for his ball. “You are a great guy. But you can be a tad insensitive sometimes.”
Devlin couldn’t hold in his annoyance at his friend, so he let out a low growl as he passed him to set up his putt. They rubbed shoulders slightly, and although Devlin could have easily knocked his friend over, he managed to resist.
“Look who's talking,” he snarled as he strode past.
Victor let out a chuckle. “I’m not the one trying to romance a human,” Victor replied without a tinge of aggression in his voice. “I admit, it would be difficult to know what to do with someone who isn’t like us. But I don’t think that was the best way to go about it.”
Devlin’s mind was spinning with annoyance but also with the thought that his friend was probably right. He had to do more self-reflection if he was going to win over a human woman.
They played the rest of the game light-heartedly, talking about business and the various sports Devlin had participated in during the past few months. Once they had finished, they decided to have a few drinks at the clubhouse restaurant.
Victor patted his friend’s shoulder as they sauntered back, the sun still bright and welcoming.
“I hope I didn’t offend you, man,” he said. “I wouldn't have an answer for you because I’d probably struggle to do what you’re doing. Maybe you could see what Gerri would have to say about it.”
Devlin looked at Victor, admiring his broad smile and his general kindness and warmth. The thing about having shifters as friends was that there was a constant, unspoken connection that went on between you, an awareness that everything was ten times more intense than anything a human could experience.
“Don’t worry,” Devlin said, winking. “I’m going to kick your ass next time.”
The pair returned to being cordial, and Devlin started to calm down and realize that Victor was right. He knew that Gerri was at the clubhouse that day, setting up matches and making sure things were going smoothly.
He had a few drinks on the patio with Victor before slipping in to speak with Gerri at the bar while she observed her recently conjoined matches.
“How is it going?”
Devlin sat on the stool next to Gerri with a drink in hand, towering over the small but formidable woman. She slid her eyes toward him, a glimmer of delight passing through them with her signature, knowing smile.
“So far, so good,” she replied. “I get so much joy from watching two people connect. Like two shooting stars finally meeting.”
Devlin squeezed at his beer, feeling a deep ache in his heart. He was longing for Kate, even though it had barely been a day since they had touched hands. That was how he felt about her, though; a shooting star that had come out of nowhere in the big blank sky of his life.