Devlin held Kate’s weight on his lap with ease, his arms keeping her pressed close to his body. They shared soft, sweet kisses and murmured nonsense to each other in between. Devlin was enchanted by her green eyes and the lush red of her lips.
An excitement like nothing he had ever known rose in him. He was really starting to believe that Kate was his. He wanted to claim her, and so did his panther. He had wanted to since the first moment he saw her.
Now, she wants me to.
Devlin leaned in for another kiss. Kate dipped her head toward him.
“Excuse me?”
The interrupting voice sounded harsh and loud. It broke through their quiet moment like a large rock shattering the peace of a still pond. Devlin’s head reeled as he held on to Kate, trying to drag himself back to reality.
His eyes finally tore away from Kate’s and searched the room. By the curtains at the back of the box, an usher was watching them, his hands clasped nervously together, almost as if he was praying.
“I’m very sorry, sir,” the usher said. “The show is over, and we must clear the area. I do apologize, but can I ask you to move to the lobby with the other guests?”
“Of course,” Devlin said, standing and straightening his coat as if getting into a hot make-out session in a public place was perfectly normal. “Thank you for your hospitality.”
The usher nodded, still looking somewhat nervous. Devlin held back a grin as he waited for Kate to compose herself and adjust her dress. The poor usher had to clear out the guests, but at the same time, he didn’t want to insult a VIP. Devlin actually felt bad for putting the poor guy in such a spot.
As soon as Kate was ready, he took her arm and escorted her to the lobby. To their surprise, the place was almost empty.
“How long were we up there?” Devlin asked.
“A while,” Kate said, pulling out her phone. “My friends texted me to say they left. That was about an hour ago.”
“Wow,” Devlin muttered. “It felt like five seconds. No wonder the poor usher was upset.”
“Party looks pretty dead here, too,” Kate said, gesturing to the bar. There were only a few people left, most of them true theater buffs sticking around to party with the cast and crew for as long as they could.
“So, do you want to stay here at this dead party or …” Devlin raised his brows suggestively.
“Or?” Kate said, grinning.
“Or would you like to come back to my place?” he asked.
“Definitely your place,” she answered, stepping closer so she could wrap her arms around his waist. Devlin felt warmth growing within him that was more than lust, more than desire. He wanted to be close to her every moment for the rest of his life.
Devlin kissed her, but he made it brief, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to guide Kate to the doors. She kept one arm around his waist, tickling him against his shirt.
As they walked out into the street, a cool breeze whipped across the ground, making Kate’s red hair stream around her face. Devlin felt as if time had stopped again.
A lifetime is not enough to truly love this woman. I can’t take a single second for granted.
They stood there for a few moments until Kate shivered. Devlin took off his coat immediately and wrapped it around her.
“Thank you,” she said. “But where is your driver? Should we get a cab?”
“Damnation,” Devlin muttered. “I assumed he’d be here on the curb, but we might have taken too long. Maybe he moved the car somewhere else.”
With some irritation, he pulled out his phone and called his driver. It rang out, so Devlin tried again. He called four times before finally sending a strongly worded text message.
“It’s cool,” Kate said. “Maybe he just went to the bathroom or to get a coffee.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Devlin agreed. He knew it was possible, but he was starting to get a bad feeling. He hired people who were dependable. It wasn’t like anyone on his staff to disappear and refuse to answer their phone.
They waited ten minutes, and still, the driver had not texted or called back. Devlin opened up his finder app and tracked the limo’s GPS. To his surprise, the little light blinked just a street away.
“The app says he’s in a vacant lot behind the theater,” he said, surprised.