Her breath hitched at the feel of his lips on her skin, but she forced the words, "You, too," past her throat.
Did that come out too high-pitched?
Fortunately, Dylan turned to the other girls, giving her the chance to busy herself with setting the table as Jasmine introduced Samantha and Kristen to her future brother-in-law.
"Is Kane not home yet?" Dylan asked.
"He'll be here any minute," Jasmine answered.
"I suppose I get to enjoy the company of four beautiful girls by myself for a short time," Dylan said in a cheeky tone, as he accepted the glass of wine Jasmine offered.
"Lucky you," Kris replied. "You picked the right night to turn up here for dinner. Samantha Lane, chef extraordinaire, is in town."
"Oh, please, Kris," Sam said with a blush. "She's exaggerating, Dylan."
"No, I'm not," Kris retorted.
"No, she's not," Jasmine confirmed. "Sam's just way too humble to admit her excellent culinary skills."
"Well, then, I'm glad I only had light lunch today and nothing else since. I'm starving," Dylan said, as he walked over to the stove and peered at Sam's simmering casserole dish. "It smells mouthwatering. Can I have a taste?"
"Sure," Sam said, picking up a clean spoon and scooping a portion for Dylan to try. Dylan gripped Sam's hand as he guided the spoon she was holding to his mouth.
Something needled Ari's chest—an unpleasant feeling that made her scowl. Her frown deepened as she identified it.
Jealousy.
Oh darn! Now she had to work to hide that too.
"Hello, guys!"
All heads turned to Kane who had arrived home.
"Honey!" Jasmine practically flew to her fiancé's arms.
They kissed sweetly before Kane turned his attention to everyone else. "Great to have you here, girls. You, too, bro. Oh, and whatever that is you're cooking, Sam? It smells divine. Is it ready? I can eat a horse."
"Well, it's not a horse, but yes, it's ready. We can eat," Sam answered.
Ari put on a delighted face as everyone settled around the dining table.
*******
Ari was able to relax while they feasted on the delicious food. She had to admit, though, that she was less tense because Dylan was too busy chatting with Kane to continue flirting with the other girls.
She couldn't really blame her friends for responding in kind. Dylan was fun, friendly, and oh-so-attractive. Besides, he flirted with all of them, including Jasmine—seeming to enjoy pushing Kane's buttons in a brotherly sort of way. He was just a big flirt, and it was hard not to get caught up in his light-hearted, teasing mood.
Hmm. Maybe that was how he stayed friends with women he'd slept with—no hang-ups, no issues, just keeping it fun and light.
Okay, she could do that, too, couldn't she? In fact, the flirting and the teasing would help cover her strong attraction to him, should she unconsciously show it. She could pass it off as playfulness—a mirroring of his actions.
Loud laughter from Kris and Sam pulled her from her thoughts. What are they laughing about?
"...but we were planning on staying up all night watching Blu-ray movies on that massive TV screen while we sit next to the crackling fire and sip wine," Kris was saying in a teasing tone to Jasmine.
"You could stay up for as long as you want," Jasmine said. "Then tomorrow we could go anywhere you girls want to go to or we could stay here and have a dip in the pool. It's supposed to be sunny this weekend, and the pool's heated, so the water's really nice even during winter."
"But you won't be staying up with us tonight?"
"No-o," Jasmine said, embarrassed.
"You heard her, girls," Kane said in a smug tone. "She'll be hanging out with you until around midnight. Then she'll go to bed, and you won't see her again until after ten tomorrow morning."
"I thought this was our girls' weekend?" Sam asked, her eyes shining with mirth.
"Yes, but you really won't need me while you watch movies," Jasmine answered, blushing.
"That's right," Kane said. "I, on the other hand, will need her tonight."
Jasmine's face reddened further.
"If I were Jazzie's man, I'd need her every night, too," Dylan quipped.
Kane threw his brother a deadly glare. "Don't even think about it."
Dylan laughed heartily. "You're so easy to stir up, Kane."
Kane shook his head exasperatedly, a reluctant smile forming on his lips.
Ari sighed, enjoying the banter while feeling envious. Why couldn't Dylan feel that way about her—like Kane did for Jasmine?
Whoa! Where did that come from?
She gave herself an imperceptible shake. Dangerous thoughts, Arielle. Don't go there.
She sat up straighter and joined in the conversation to distract herself from her unwanted feelings. "Well, girls," she said to Sam and Kris, "we'll just have to enjoy the movies without Jaz tonight."