were the only words echoing in Brodie Fortune Hayes’s mind as he locked lips with Cait. And he meant those words in the best, most reverent way possible. Just when he thought he’d seen everything, life threw him a curvy surprise wrapped in a sexy red dress. He was obviously finding it difficult to express exactly how much he liked this shapely little package. All he knew was what had started out as a night of familial obligation was turning out to be rather mind-blowing.
Cait pulled back just enough to gaze up at him through thick, dark lashes. She had the loveliest green eyes he’d ever seen. “By the way, what’s your name?”
“Brodie,” he heard himself murmur.
“Brodie the Brit,” she said. “Nice to meet you. I’m Cait from Chicago. I’d shake your hand, but...” She leaned in and dusted his lips with a featherlight kiss. Then she smiled up at him, looking rather pleased with herself.
“Charming to meet you, Cait from Chicago.”
The band shifted from an up-tempo tune into a slow, sultry number just as he decided to lean in for another taste of those lips, but Cait pulled away.
“Listen,” she said. “This has been fun, but I really should go now.”
“What? But we just got here. Well, we just got here.”
He reached out and ran the pad of his thumb over her bottom lip. “I’m quite eager to see where we’ll go next.”
She opened her mouth as if she were about to say something, hesitated then pressed her lips together, drawing her bottom lip between her teeth in a way that nearly drove him mad.
“Dance with me?” he said.
Of course, he wouldn’t force her to do anything she didn’t want to do, but he’d try his best to convince her.
“Just one dance,” he said. “If you want to go after that, I won’t argue.”
He took her hand, fully prepared to let go if she protested. But she didn’t.
As he led her onto the dance floor, he noticed his brother Oliver dancing with Shannon Singleton, the pretty brunette they’d sat with during the ceremony. Oliver seemed to be lost in the moment as he gazed into Shannon’s eyes. But when Cait sank into Brodie’s arms and he pulled her closer, his body responded, and then it was as if they were the only two people in the entire world.
They swayed to the strains of “Unforgettable” and kept dancing close through a couple of fast songs, until the band decided to mix things up with a country-rock medley, and an overzealous guest, who was dancing with a beer in his hand, tried to demonstrate his John Travolta moves and upended it on the dance floor.
“Okay, what do you say we take a break?” Brodie suggested. “How about if I get us something to drink?”
“Actually, I could use some fresh air,” Cait said. “It’s a little stuffy in here.”
With the number of people dancing and drinking in the confines of the renovated barn, it was a bit close. It was unseasonably warm for February. In fact, he’d heard his mum and aunt Jeanne Marie say it was as if spring had graced them with an early visit, which was undoubtedly fortuitous for the four couples who had said their vows.
“That sounds like a great idea,” he said. “Wait right here. I’ll get us some refreshments to go.”
He tipped the bartender fifty dollars and was rewarded with a chilled, unopened bottle of champagne and two flutes. On his way back to Cait, he plucked a long-stemmed red rose out of one of the many free-standing floral arrangements.
He took the bounty back to where he’d left her, but she wasn’t there. As he made a three-hundred-sixty-degree turn, it dawned on him that it probably hadn’t been a brilliant move to leave her alone. He hadn’t been gone that long, but if she really had wanted to leave, this would’ve presented the perfect opportunity for her to make her getaway. His gut tightened at the thought, but then he sobered. Really, if she had decided to go, it was for the best. He was set to return to London in two days. True, Cait of the magical lips had an unnerving ability to knock him void of all common sense, but really, what would they do two days from now when he boarded the plane to go home? The likelihood of him traveling to Chicago anytime soon was slim. Business was booming at his company, Hayes Consulting, the management consulting firm for which he’d sacrificed everything. It had been a struggle even to find time to come for the wedding. If truth be told, he wasn’t happy about taking time off for four cousins he barely knew. It had only been a couple of years since his mother had discovered that she was adopted and had three siblings who had so many grown children that it seemed to be necessary to marry them off in bulk. Still, it had been important to his mother that he attend this affair. She was the one woman in the world for whom he’d drop everything. Plus, it was a chance to catch up with his brother Oliver.
All the negativity drained away when he turned and saw Cait with her wrap and handbag, making her way toward him in the crowd. She was still here, and suddenly nothing else mattered.
He handed her the rose.
“This is beautiful,” she said, bringing the flower to her nose. “How romantic, sir.”
Her eyes glinted and at that moment, Brodie was sure she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever had the privilege to set eyes on.
“And what else do you have there?”
“A spot of champagne. What do you say we get out of here? There’s something I’d like to show you.”
He started to offer her his arm, but his hands were full with the two glasses and the bottle.
“I’m intrigued.” She laughed. “May I carry something?”
“I’ve got this.” He set down the bottle and tucked each of the champagne flutes into his suit coat pockets.
“Let’s try that again.” He offered her his arm.
She accepted, and he led her out of the noisy reception.
Once they were outside, it was quiet, except for the faint sound of the party going on in the barn behind them. A few people milled about. A line of golf carts, which were there to drive the guests back to their vehicles after the festivities ended, waited at the ready several feet in front of the barn. The cart attendants sat at tables, playing cards as they waited.
Brodie and Caitlyn walked from the barn toward the pond on the east side of the property. The night was unseasonably warm for February, but despite the midfifty-degree temperatures, he thought he felt Cait shiver. She’d put her coat on over that fabulous red dress.
Still, priding himself on being a gentleman, he said, “Is it too cold out here? We can go back inside...or I’m happy to give you my jacket. You could drape it about your shoulders.”
She shook her head. “Thanks, but no. Actually, the cool air feels great after being inside. With everyone dancing and all that romantic energy in there, it was a little bit warm. Besides, I wouldn’t want to take a chance on breaking one of those glasses that you worked so hard to steal for us.”
“I didn’t steal them. The bartender graciously gifted them to us. He thought we looked like such a lovely couple.”
