“You are nothing but trouble,” Hilliard scolded quietly beside his ear.
He felt the other man smile against his neck.
“I had to get you dancing with me somehow,” Monty said as he pulled back enough for their eyes to meet. Hilliard’s insides melted at the way Monty was gazing up at him with those effortless bedroom eyes and perfect lips that Fred Forsythe had been kissing not an hour before. “Did you see the buffet? There’s chocolate everything. I had a strawberry.”
Heady desire faded to worry in an instant.
“A single strawberry? And how many drinks?”
“Mmm…more than one,” Monty said sheepishly.
Hilliard groaned. “Montgomery.”
Monty shifted in his arms, taking Hilliard’s hand again and spinning himself before bringing them back together in a proper dance hold to match the slower jazz song the band was playing inside. Hilliard was a decent dancer, made far better by someone as talented as his current partner. They fell into a comfortable silence as Monty let Hilliard take the lead. He moved them around the makeshift dance floor on the terrace framed with roses.
By the time the song was over, Monty looked a little grim.
“Regretting your decision yet?” Hilliard asked.
Monty gave him a stubborn glare that softened almost as fast as it appeared. He peered over Hilliard’s shoulder in the direction of the tables covered with food. “Do you want to share a plate with me?”
Hilliard had perused the buffet earlier, tasting a few things that looked interesting as he sipped his single cocktail and spoke with some friends he encountered. He wanted to ask for several of the recipes to try at home. The dates stuffed with a creamy chocolate filling and wrapped in bacon seemed to be a crowd pleaser, as did the velvety dark chocolate tart.
“No.” Hilliard hooked his arm with Monty’s to bring him inside. “I want a plate of my own.”
Chapter 15
Monty
As predicted, Hilliard forced another god-awful prairie oyster on him the following morning. But other than the hangover, Monty was feeling pretty good. It wasn’t until his heart rose at the sight of Hilliard sitting on the edge of his bed that he remembered why he was feeling so good.
Now that he was sober, he felt more of a warm satisfaction than a giddy delight at the knowledge that Hilliard preferred brunettes to blonds and that he preferred men over women. And in the light of day, he could better analyze his complete lack of interest in Fred Forsythe, despite the fact that the man was attractive and had been willing and able to entertain him. He hadn’t wanted Forsythe, or Ava, or any of the people at that party who would have readily jumped into bed with him. He wanted the man sitting next to him, the one who had never accepted his advances in the past.
He thought about his interview with Joan Dupree. She had asked him what he wanted in a potential partner. He studied Hilliard’s profile as the man reached down to scratch Henrietta’s chest. He wanted the man who knew his favorite breakfast was pancakes with blueberries—and better yet, knew how to make them.
Monty was not only mildly surprised by this turn of events, he was also troubled by it. Hilliard had never seemed to have anything other than a fondness for him. Could he get Hilliard to desire him, to fall in love with him? He knew his magic wouldn’t do the trick.
“Don’t forget, we’ve got company coming over tonight,” Hilliard said.
“Huh?”
“You invited Cal and Mr. Morgan over to dinner. Remember?”
Monty screwed his eyes shut as he tried to recall the night’s events: Forsythe, strawberry, necking, Hilliard, cat…His eyes flew open.
“Aw, nuts.”
“It was all ‘old buddy, old pal,’ last night,” Hilliard said, chuckling.
Monty rubbed a hand over his face. “I’m surprised they took me up on that.”
“Well, I might have encouraged them. After all, as you pointed out, Ezra did ask that you make an effort.”
He sighed. “You’re right.”
Hilliard patted his thigh and Monty wondered if he’d always felt such a thrill at the other man’s touch. “I’d better get started with the cleaning. Not to mention getting that roast in the oven.”
“You have to put it in the oven now?”
