Tropical Leopard's Longing (Shifting Sands Resort 8)

“It’s fine,” Liam said gratefully. “More than I could have hoped for. Your generosity…”

He trailed off at Scarlet’s dismissive wave. “I’m not running a charity,” she said briskly. “And I hope I can count on you to keep your charges under control and out of the way until further, more permanent, accommodations can be arranged.”

“Of course,” Liam said swiftly.

Scarlet’s voice gentled. “Once you are settled, I’d like to go over meal schedules and talk about accessibility needs that might still need addressed. I would also appreciate your attendance at our senior staff meetings in the future, as I am assigning you the responsibility for the rest home and I will require you to coordinate your needs with the rest of the resort.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Liam agreed.

“Just Scarlet is fine. We’ll be meeting at one o’clock this afternoon. Darla, I’d appreciate your attendance as well.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Darla squeaked, drawing to attention automatically. “Er, Scarlet. Ah, why?”

Scarlet looked amused. “Because we’ve got an important wedding party coming in tomorrow, and I thought you might have some useful input based on your own experience.”

Darla smothered a nervous giggle. “I have lots of ideas what not to do,” she agreed. “Is it a very big wedding?”

Scarlet actually smiled, and Darla wondered if she was being teased. “Very small, actually, and the bride and groom are mates, so we aren’t likely to run into the same sorts of problems that you faced.”

Breck looked at her suspiciously. “Mates, you say?”

Scarlet gave him a narrow-eyed look and then smiled as she explained, “Mary and Neal are coming back to get married. Amber and Tony are coming as bridesmaid and best man.”

Breck gave a laugh of delight. “No one in the world would have thought I’d get married before those two.”

“You know them?” Darla said, smiling at his contagious joy.

“Neal was a captive in that zoo across the island that Gizelle came from,” Breck explained. “And his mate Mary was a guest here. Tony is our friend from the Shifter Affairs agency. He and Amber were the ones who uncovered the zoo and were key in taking it down.”

“So it will be a pretty important reunion, then,” Darla guessed. “But probably not a disaster of a wedding like ours was.”

Breck pulled her close. “Our wedding was perfect,” he said in mock offense. He shot Liam a laughing look. “It was your wedding to that guy that made the tabloids.”

“Don’t remind me,” Darla groaned. Photographs from the wedding debacle had made all the major shifter gossip publications.

“I’m expecting far less drama from this union,” Scarlet said mildly.

But Breck was making distracting swirls on her neck with his thumb and Darla barely heard her. “I can think of parts of the wedding I’d like to do again,” he said quietly. “Maybe not the being crushed by a bear part, but there were some lovely moments afterwards…” He pulled her into a spontaneous dance across the lawn, and Darla laughed and stepped willingly into it as he spun her around and dipped her.

“There were some lovely moments before, too,” she reminded him.

“Not so much the night before,” Breck said, mouth close to hers. “But the night before that.”

“And the night before that,” Darla reminded him, blowing on his ear.

“And the night before that,” Breck added, kissing her jaw and her nibbling at her neck.

“One o’clock,” Scarlet reminded them firmly, and Darla heard her sensible heels click away in exasperation as Liam muttered, “Baffling!” and went to check on Mr. Danby’s vitals again.

Breck lifted Darla back to her feet but didn’t offer to let her go. “We’ve got a little time before the meeting,” he told her, raising an eyebrow suggestively.

“Want to go recreate one of those nights?” Darla grinned.

Breck’s perfect mouth curved into a smile. “There’s a tire on the van that needs changed…” he said leadingly.

Then they were running, hand in hand, for the entrance of the resort.