'I'm having a great time,' Liz assured the other woman, and meant it. She was glad that Steve had convinced her to come along.
'Good.' Angela sounded pleased. 'Did you get enough to eat?'
'Plenty.' Barbecue chicken, baked beans, and potato salad. 'Everything was delicious.'
'There's plenty more for seconds, so don't be shy about helping yourself to the buffet and desserts.'
Steve's father, Paul, appeared next to his wife, a plate of birthday cake in his hand. 'Be careful; she's raised three strapping boys-four if you count me-and she likes to make sure that everyone eats-
Angela drew herself up to her full five-foot-six height and gave Paul a very wifely look. 'I like to cook, and I never know when one of the boys might stop by, and they enjoy my 'CARE' packages.'
'Well, it appears that Jill is feeding Eric quite well, because his dinner visits are few and far between.' Paul eyed his other son speculatively. 'And I have to say that Steve hasn't been by as much the past month, either.'
'I've been busy at work,' Steve said as an excuse, though Liz wondered if his reasons for spending less time at his parents' for dinner was due to the increased amount of time he'd spent at her cafe the past month.
'Besides,' Steve went on pragmatically, 'you can always count on Adrian to help out with the leftovers. His stomach is like a bottomless pit.'
'Hey, are you talking about me when I'm not here to defend myself?'
Liz turned toward the deep voice and found herself looking at another Wilde brother. There was no mistaking that pitch-black hair, blue eyes, chiseled good looks, and especially that bad boy demeanor he wore as easily as his tight black jeans and sage green knit shirt.
'Ahh, the daredevil son finally arrives,' Paul said jovially. 'Glad to see you survived another expedition and could join the celebration.'
'I wouldn't miss your party for anything. Happy birthday, Dad.' Adrian gave his father a warm hug, then kissed his mother on the cheek. 'Hi, Mom.'
'Have you eaten dinner yet?' Angela asked, and before he could reply, she added, 'I'm sure you haven't eaten anything decent all day long, and the food's still warm over at the buffet.'
'I'll head over there in a little bit,' he promised, dazzling his mother with another flash of a smile.
She patted his arm. 'Be sure that you do.'
Steve's mom and dad moved on to mingle with their guests, and Adrian turned and trained those vivid blue eyes on Liz. A slow, appreciative grin lifted the corners of his mouth. 'And who do we have here?'
'This is Liz,' Steve said, his fingers tightening just the tiniest bit against her waist. 'Liz, my other brother, Adrian.'
She extended her hand. 'It's a pleasure to meet you.'
Instead of shaking her hand, he picked it up and brushed his lips across her knuckles, the gesture gallant and incredibly flirtatious. 'No, believe me, the pleasure is all mine.'
His gaze flickered down the length of her, then back up to her face before he glanced at his brother. 'Wow, she really does have a great set of…' Liz felt Steve stiffen beside her before Adrian finished with 'eyes.'
Adrian winked at her, and Steve blew out a taut stream of breath, clearly annoyed at his brother for a reason Liz couldn't phantom. It appeared that Adrian's compliment was attached to some kind of private joke between brothers.
'I'm sure you could use a cold beer.' Steve hitched his thumb toward the long line waiting to order a drink. 'The bar's right over there.'
'Actually, why don't you get me the beer, and I'll take Liz for a spin out on the dance floor.' He took the cup of lemonade from her hand and gave it to Steve to hold, despite his brother's sudden frown. 'I'm still working on an adrenaline high from the climb today. You don't mind, do you?'
Steve looked like he wanted to crush the cup that Adrian had just given him in his fist, and Liz was surprised by the undercurrents of sibling rivalry between the two-though she knew that Adrian was completely harmless. It was Steve's possessiveness she found so entertaining, as if he couldn't stand the thought of his brother's hands on her.
A muscle in Steve's jaw ticked, but he showed remarkable restraint and managed a gracious albeit tight smile. 'Of course I don't mind.'
'Great.' Adrian tucked her hand in the crook of his arm and whisked her off to the patio, where the guests were enjoying the band's lively music.
In a smooth, fluid move, he had her in his arms, with his warm fingers resting lightly on the curve of her waist, her other hand held in his, and him leading her into a two-step along with the rest of the crowd. The man certainly knew how to dance, and judging by Steve's narrowed gaze from the sidelines as he watched the two of them together, Adrian knew how to provoke his brother, as well.
Green-eyed monster aside, Steve had nothing to worry about. Adrian might be drop-dead gorgeous and quite the ladies' man, but he didn't send her pulse soaring the way Steve did, and he did absolutely nothing for her hormones or her heart. All of the above belonged to his brother, it seemed.
But she did enjoy Adrian's easy-going personality, and she felt comfortable with him even when he was doing his best to charm her.
She smiled up at Adrian and called him on his incorrigible behavior. 'Why do I get the feeling that you did that on purpose?'
He blinked at her, his not-so-guileless blue eyes sparkling with feigned innocence and mirth. 'Did what on purpose?'
Oh, he was good, and she imagined that many women had fallen for that playful, sexy grin of his. 'You deliberately riled your brother by insisting on dancing with me.'
He chuckled as he smoothly maneuvered them around a couple dancing slower than they were. 'Guilty as charged, though don't doubt for a second that my scheme is giving me double the pleasure.' His hand casually slid from her hip to her lower back, bringing them another few inches closer. 'I always enjoy having a beautiful woman in my arms, and it's not often that I can ruffle Steve's feathers. You're obviously a hot button for him, and I can't help but press it, because his reaction is just so damn comical.'
She caught another glance of Steve, who was watching them intently from his line at the bar. He also looked as though he'd cheerfully strangle his brother for making their dance position more intimate, though her body wasn't even touching Adrian's. 'You call that scowl of his comical?'
'Yeah.' His tone was low and indulgent. 'I can't remember the last time he was so possessive about a woman.'
That was something that scared her to hear, no matter how much it thrilled her. 'I think, you're misreading his signals. Steve and I are just working on a case together, which should hopefully be wrapped up soon.'
'Uh-huh.' He twirled her in a quick circle and caught her around the waist again. 'I know my brother, Liz, and I can assure you that his radar is tuned in on you and no one else. He'll never admit to being territorial, of course, but I'm enjoying the hell out of it. And you,' he added with a quick wink. 'Now that I've met you, I can see why Steve's so attracted to you. You seem very down-to-earth and genuine, yet open and fun, and that's exactly what Steve needs in a woman.'
His sincere compliment warmed her, and since there was no sense arguing her temporary relationship with Steve to his brother, she accepted his flattering comments gracefully. 'Thank you.'
Adrian's gaze shifted to somewhere over her shoulder, and the gleeful grin that appeared on his face told her something was up. 'Speaking of the devil, here he comes.'
Seconds later, Steve was bringing their shuffling two-step to a halt and cutting in. 'Here's your beer,' he said, pressing the bottle into Adrian's hand. 'Now it's my turn.'
Without argument, Adrian disengaged his hold on Liz and relinquished her to Steve. 'Don't worry, big brother, I promise she's unscathed, and her virtue is still intact.'
'And not a moment too soon, I'm sure,' he grumbled.
Adrian laughed and moved on, heading over to the buffet table and greeting people along the way. The band segued into a slow song, and Steve took advantage of the opportunity to pull her body flush against his and splayed his hand at the small of her back to keep their hips pressed close. She was wearing a sarong-style skirt and cotton
