Not caring that the men hung back,Toni made her way around, plopped an abandoned mariachi hat onto her head, and plucked shot glasses of tequila from a busy- looking waiter. She brought them up to the men, both their gazes palpable though shielded by their lenses. “We’re on vacation.You both take yourselves too seriously. Especially you, Grey. We’re going to have some fun, all right?”
Without checking to make sure they drank their shots, she strolled back into the crowd. More than fifty people circulated over the lush green lawns and walkways surrounding the massive pool. Square tables had been set up around it, each draped in a different color cloth.
Children mingled with adults, some splashing into the pool, another group peering under a table where a group of women sat in avid discussion. Smiling when she realized those three little boys were hoping to catch a sight of the women’s panties, Toni glanced back to notice Grey and Heath were at the very fringes of the party. They were looking high above and past her, discussing their future project. Grey had an arm stretched out, and he was pointing at the building as he spoke, while Heath nodded in agreement. Grey loved his properties, the developing, everything from spotting the land to giving it more substance. She could tell Heath shared his passion.
Feeling stirrings in her stomach, she moved on to investigate further, smelling the blooms in the air, the food from the buffet, and finally located the mariachi group that was the source of the music.
She was drawn into the excitement of the party and found herself smiling widely as photographers made the rounds, one of them attacking the partygoers, another following the bride and groom. The groom looked to be sixty years old; his much younger bride was dressed in an embroidered linen frock that did justice to the festive theme.
When a couple skirted by, dancing and kissing to a merry mariachi tune,Toni wanted to dance, too. And she wanted to kiss, too. And she wanted . . .
They stood like bodyguards, tracking her with their eyes, Grey with his hands clasped before him, Heath with them clasped behind his back. She waved them over. One said something to the other.They smiled.They were making fun of her! She wrinkled her nose and stuck her tongue out at them. Grey smiled, then turned his attention over his shoulder when a wandering beach vendor tapped his arm to show him an array of day dresses.
A laugh escaped her when he gave a nod of consent and pointed in her direction. Grey must be asking the man what size she would wear. He was nodding. Smiling. Yes, of course. Now he was diligently selecting a dress for her. Oh, Grey.
When Heath sauntered forward, she noted a couple of children nearby begin to whisper, watching him closely from their seats in the grass. She wondered if their little imaginations were making up stories about Heath. Would he be an evil villain to them? A pirate or a smuggler . . .
“That is one ridiculous hat, if I may say so.”
She tipped the brim back so she could actually see his face. “Grey seems to like it.”
“Ah. Well, his eyesight is going.”
“His eyes are perfect. Grey misses nothing. It’s mine that are failing.” And how utterly sad was that for a graphic designer?
“How many fingers am I holding up?”
She laughed and folded them back into his hand. “Two. And it’s from afar that I have trouble focusing.”
“Ahh.” Clasping his hands behind his back, he glanced around fleetingly, then directly at her.“Did you miss your high school parties, Cat?”
She waved a hand and walked around him. The sun was at an angle, and where the shadows hit, the breeze was fresh. “Oh, humbug. You two are boring.”
He matched her steps as she made her way around the tables. “Grey is a little concerned we weren’t invited to this party.”
“And you?”
“I’m hungry.”
“Ooh.Then follow me, sir.” She waved him over to a table that had two full plates of mixed nuts at its center.
When she bent over to gather a handful, his legs and hips came flush against the back of hers and her breasts were enveloped by two large, brazen hands. “I’m hungry for these,Toni.”
Her nipples pushed into his palms and a rush of feminine power rushed through her when his bulging erection pressed into her tush. His sensual, deep- throated breathing was a guttural sound in her ear. “I want you,Toni. Right here, right now.”
She licked suddenly dry lips. She had a feeling her dry throat had very little to do with nuts and everything to do with Heath’s frame going taut with arousal. “We’re in the middle of a party,” she said under her breath, afraid to look up and find someone watching this hardly subtle advance.
But she knew, felt, sensed people passing nearby. Flashes. Murmurs. Her breasts were still covered by his hands and it took supreme effort to not just stand there and let him have his blessed way. She moved away, extracting her fingers from the nuts and wiping the salty coating on the linen.
When he took her hand in his and began to guide her toward Grey, she was so shocked at the gesture she halted midstride. She looked down at their hands, linked almost casually together, and Heath stopped, his features wooden and incongruous with his smile. “Does this bother you?”
“No.” She squeezed him. “It’s fine. I’m just surprised.”
Still not comfortable, he extracted his hand from hers, raised his arm to her neck and guided her by the nape toward Grey and the eager-looking vendor.
“I’m getting slightly dizzy here, Toni. There’s topaz and there’s royal blue and there’s navy.”
They were gorgeous. Delicately embroidered. Flirty strapless dresses to wear over your bathing suit or just around the house. God, everywhere. “I love them.”