Tex clapped him cheerfully on the shoulder. “Good for you!” he cheered.
“Dooooooom,” was Breck’s contribution.
“Details, man!” Bastian demanded.
But just then, Jenny appeared at the door to the kitchen, looking gorgeous and freshly showered. Breck and Bastian greeted her politely and excused themselves.
“Lunch rush is about to start,” Breck explained. “As much of a rush as eight guests can be!”
“Going to grab food from the buffet and head to the pool,” Bastian said with a wave.
The front door clicked shut behind them, but the open windows made their parting comments carry clearly: “Damn, I need some of that mate action.”
“Are you an idiot, man? Flex your muscles at one of the guests and get a roomkey or three, but don’t ever wish for a mate.”
“Good mooooorning,” Laura sang as she and Tex came down the stairs behind Jenny, propelling her into the kitchen.
Travis stopped staring and stepped forward to give Jenny a quick, shy kiss on the cheek once she was in reach, hyper-aware of her twin sister and her mate at the kitchen bar behind him. Jenny grinned as foolishly at him as he knew she was at her.
“After lunch, I was going to go try to help Scarlet with that contract she was asking about,” she said, accepting the plate Travis had already prepared and sitting with him at the kitchen bar. “I was able to read some of those magazines that I know you guys only have around for the articles, so I think I can probably make some sense out of Scarlet’s contract now.”
“Fantastic,” Travis said.
“You never doubted for a moment, did you,” Jenny said in wonder.
“Not for a second,” Travis could say in all honesty.
“That makes one of us.” Jenny was even beautiful when she ate, with graceful fingers, and a mesmerizing mouth. Travis realized he was staring and had to concentrate on eating his own food, glancing up to see that Jenny was watching him as avidly as he’d been watching her.
Their exchange of gazes did not go unnoticed.
“Oh, aren’t they adorable,” Laura said sweetly to Tex.
“Like a southern lemonade,” he agreed. “New mates, you know. Can’t keep their eyes off each other.”
“You speak from such a position of superiority,” Travis said dryly. “Being a whole week ahead of us at this.”
“You know, I’m older than you by six minutes,” Jenny reminded her.
“But not wiser,” Laura said mockingly.
Travis thought it sounded like an exchange they’d had many times.
Jenny took her plate to the trash and brushed off the crumbs before putting her dishes in the dishwasher.
“I’ve got a bathroom to re-tile,” Travis said, following suit.
“Tiling sounds really complicated,” Jenny admitted, as they put their shoes on at the front door.
“It’s pretty straight-forward,” Travis said modestly. “I could show you how to do it.”
Jenny’s eyes danced with amusement. “I’ll come by after I’m done with Scarlet, and we can test the final product.”
“Get a room!” Laura laughed at them from the kitchen.
“Yes, ma’am!” Tex loudly and deliberately misunderstood her, and there was a playful shriek and the smack of a loud kiss.
Travis took Jenny’s hand as they left the house, and it was incredibly delightful just to have to her hand in his, fingers entwined. He was reluctant to let her go when their paths diverged, and he drew her in for a long, lingering kiss.