Kate shrugged. “I know. But Celia wanted to talk about her order, and I just got carried away.”
“You’re lucky I’m heavily invested in this business,” Devlin said, laughing. “Otherwise, I’d have quite a bit more to say about your appalling behavior.”
Kate stood, slipping the book off her lap onto the bench. Devlin reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist, bending down to kiss her.
The touch of her soft, sweet lips sent chills running down his shoulders. The scent of vanilla mingled with clean soap and sweat rose from between her breasts, intoxicating him. Devlin deepened the kiss without really noticing it and tightened his grip on her.
“Hey,” Kate muttered between issues. “You can’t just undress me right here.”
“Why not?” he whispered, making her giggle. They snuggled for a few more moments before Kate stepped back.
“How long until the rest of the food is ready?” she asked.
“I’m not sure. I’m just headed out that way now.”
“Okay, well, come and get me once the barbecue is lit, and I promise I’ll put the work away and party for the rest of the day.”
“You better,” Devlin said, giving her a mock glare.
Kate laughed, and so did the other ladies.
“My word,” Mrs. Hightower said as he walked away. “That boy is just bundles of fun these days. You’re a miracle worker, Kate.”
Devlin hurried through the crowd, grinning like a fool. He was so happy, he couldn’t seem to stop. He agreed wholeheartedly with Mrs. Hightower … Kate was a miracle worker.
He approached the huge barbecue area where three chefs were preparing to light the fires and cook the meat. A few servers had begun bringing out bread and salad platters and were having trouble finding room for them around the snack plates.
“Imagine being out of tables,” he muttered to himself, shaking his head.
Devlin took a look over the area and checked in with the chef. They were lighting the fires in the next few minutes.
That means it’s time to go and get my wife.
Devlin hurried through the crowd, heading for the fountain. He wanted to find a comfortable place to sit with Kate where they could stuff themselves with good food and talk and laugh with their friends.
He loved how passionate she was about her furniture business … hell, he’d even gotten excited over the furniture business … but he was really hoping they could take a proper break, and soon.
Maybe check out a few more ceilings …
“Devlin!” a jovial voice called out. He turned toward the sound.
“Victor!” he answered enthusiastically. “How are you?”
“Good, good,” Victor said, coming over to shake hands. Devlin leaned in for the briefest of hugs, clapping his friend on the shoulder at the same time. It was so much easier for him to show appreciation for his friends these days.
“I’m glad you could make it,” Devlin said. “Sorry it turned out to be such a big event. I know, we were planning on it being small.”
“Oh, it’s not so bad,” Victor said. “The gardens are beautiful.”
“Yeah, they are,” Devlin agreed.
There was a sudden hiss of noise from across the garden as the chefs began to cook the meat. Instantly hot, rich smells of chicken and beef slowly browning on the griddle soaked the air. Devlin’s stomach growled so loudly it could have been the panther itself tearing free.
Victor laughed. He tried to cover it, but his own stomach growled too.
“I’ve been hearing good things about you,” Victor said, sipping on champagne. “There was a business meeting about a week ago with old man Billton. He said you took him out to lunch, and you ended up talking about Formula One cars all night.”
“Yes,” Devlin affirmed. “My relations with his company have always been stilted. I don’t know. I just felt like going from a different angle. Get to know him a bit.”