Linda Lael Miller Bundle by Linda Lael Miller Page A

this enlightening information—Marvin’s commercials and loud sports jackets were indeed deceptive—when Ivy wended her way through the crowd, looking smart in a jump suit of pale blue silk belted with a slender band of rhinestones. Her aquamarine eyes took in Shay’s outfit with approval. “Jeannie sent me to bid you welcome. She’s in the kitchen, trying to pry an ice sculpture out of the freezer. Would you believe it’s a perfect replica of Venus de Milo? ”
    “Now we know why the poor girl has no arms,” Todd quipped, standing just behind Ivy.
    Both Ivy and Shay groaned at the joke, and Ivy added a well-aimed elbow that splashed a few drops of champagne out of Todd’s glass and onto his impeccable black jacket.
    “Six months till the wedding and I’m already henpecked,” he complained.
    “I’ve been thinking about those condos,” Mitch reflected distractedly. “From an ecological standpoint…”
    “Business!” Ivy hissed, dragging Shay away by one arm. They came to a stop in front of a table spread with plates of wilted crab puffs, smoked oysters, crackers and cheeses.
    Shay cast one look in Mitch’s direction and saw that he was engrossed in his conversation with Todd. It hurt a little that he apparently hadn’t even noticed that she was gone. She took a crab puff to console herself.
    Ivy frowned pensively at the morsel. “Isn’t that pathetic? You’d think a place as big as Skyler Beach would have one decent caterer, wouldn’t you? Mrs. Reese had to have everything brought in from Seattle.”
    The crab puffs definitely showed the rigors of the journey, and it was a miracle that Venus de Milo had made it so far without melting into a puddle. Shay’s dream of starting her own catering business surfaced and she pushed it resolutely back onto a mental shelf. She had a child to support and there was no way she could afford to take the financial risks such a venture would involve.
    “You look fantastic!” Ivy whispered. “Is that blouse heavy?”
    “It weighs a ton,” Shay confided. Her eyes were following Mitch; she was memorizing every expression that crossed his face.
    “Let’s separate those two before they start drawing up plans or something,” Ivy said lightly.
    Shay wondered how long it would be before Todd balked at Ivy’s gentle commandeering but made no comment. A buffet supper was served soon afterward, and she and Mitch sat alone in a corner of the beach house’s enormous deck, listening to the chatter of the tide as they ate. Stars as bright as the sequins on Shay’s blouse were popping out all over a black velvet sky and the summer breeze was warm.
    When silences had fallen between herself and Eliott, Shay had always been uncomfortable, needing to riddle the space with words. With Mitch, there were no gaps to fill. It was all right to be quiet, to reflect and to dream.
    Presently, a caterer’s assistant came and collected their empty plates and glasses, but Mitch and Shay remained in that shadowy corner of the deck. When the Reeses’ stereo system began to pipe soft music into the night, they moved together without speaking. They danced, and the proximity of Mitch’s blatantly masculine body to Shay’s softer one was an exquisite misery.
    Shay saw his mouth descending to claim her own and instead of turning to avoid his kiss, she welcomed it. Unconsciously she braced herself for the crushing ardor Eliott had taught her to expect, but Mitch’s kiss was gentle, tentative, almost questioning. She felt the tip of his tongue encircle her lips and a delicious tingling sensation spread into every part of her. His nearly inaudible groan rippled over her tongue and tickled the inner walls of her cheeks as she opened her mouth to him.
    Gently, ever so gently, he explored her, his body pinning hers to the deck railing in a tender dominance that she welcomed, for rather than demanding submission, the gesture incited a passion so intense that Shay was terrified by it. Had it been