I leaned back, feasting my eyes on him while he worked, now stirring to reduce it down, his biceps and shoulder muscles popping and rolling, his movements so graceful, even here. A sheen of sweat covered his face from the heat, and an image of his glistening body in low light crowded my mind.
He looked up through his lashes at me, as though he knew what I was thinking.
Who was I kidding? He could feel my thoughts. I hadn’t muted the link.
I didn’t now, either.
“How do you feel about that mage coming to meet you?” Kingsley asked me, leaning forward on his elbows. “Nervous?”
I pulled my lips down at the corners. “Not really. I’ll probably get nervous right before he arrives, but right now there’s too much to do. I need to completely overhaul Ivy House, at least the rooms we’ll be using. I’m starting to think it’ll take much longer than a few weeks to get it right, though. I want it to look like this, like what Austin has done with his place. But I haven’t even ordered anything yet.”
“Stage it.” Austin turned, and I marveled at his big, broad, muscular back. He resumed his place at the pan and splashed lemon into it before adding more butter and stirring again. “Get all the unwanted furniture out and hire a company to rent you something. We’ll only be there for a dinner or two. Maybe even one dinner and a garden party. That was nice, a couple weeks ago. We should do that more often.”
“You missed the basajaun freaking out and fighting his way through the hedge to get out of the maze.” I laughed, lifting my glass for a sip.
“Think we can get him to make an appearance?” Kingsley asked, his focus suddenly razor sharp. He could peel back the fun and games at a moment’s notice.
Austin pointed a spoon at me before lifting the pan and placing it on a cold burner. He turned the flame off before replacing the scallops into the pan.
“She’s your go-to with the basajaun,” he said, turning back to the side of the island with the plates, taking the pan with him.
“I probably could.” I shrugged. “I don’t think he’d hang out for a meal or anything. But he would most likely be happy to stalk them through the woods and scare the life out of them.”
“Yes.” Kingsley nodded. “Scare them, look wild, speak to Jess, and then take off. That’s a good intimidation tactic.”
“The only problem is, what I’d have to trade for it would probably give Edgar a heart attack.” I chewed my lip, then tried to discreetly rub my teeth, hoping I didn’t have lipstick on them.
Austin placed a plate in front of me, two caramelized scallops sprinkled with parsley, sitting atop a bright butter-yellow sauce. He set a plate down for his brother and put one at the end of the island on my side for himself before handing out forks and walking to his plate.
The slight crunch at the beginning, followed by the easy slide of my fork through the scallop, made my mouth water. It was glistening inside, perfectly cooked, and the flavor exploded on my tongue. I moaned softly, closing my eyes, chewing in delight. I rolled the next bite around in that butter sauce, wanting to weep from the heavenly flavors.
“These are the best scallops I’ve ever had.”
I barely opened my eyes through the whole experience, focusing on those flavors, lost in how good it was. After coming to the surface, I was sad to see the plate empty, then mortified to see the guys staring at me.
“Sorry, those were really good.” I laid the fork down on the plate, just barely stopping myself from running my finger through the remaining sauce. Then deciding to hell with it and doing it anyway. “We’re among friends here, right?”
I sucked my finger, swirling my tongue around it, eyes closed. The flavor gone, I pushed the plate away lest I do it again, and noticed Kingsley had left and Austin was staring at me with barely contained hunger.
My face flamed. “Sorry again, but you’re a really good cook. I am never, at my best, close to that good. Mr. Tom isn’t either. It caught me by surprise. Did I scare Kingsley away?”
“No.” His voice was gruff. “He’s checking on the barbecue. You are so incredibly sexy, Jacinta, when you let yourself go like that. So incredibly sexy.”
My body burned to match the heat in his eyes, and in that moment, all the months and months of push and pull between us fell away.
“Kiss me, Austin,” I whispered.
He moved around the corner of the island as if in slow motion, then leaned down and touched his lips to mine. His tongue brushed against my lips, and I opened my mouth, quickly filled with his taste. His kiss was languid, as if he was in no hurry, but he pulled away too soon.