Joe had always been the aggressor in all his relationships. That was what had enabled him to keep others at bay for so long. And not just in his relationships with the opposite sex. In all relationships he’d manipulated people in a way that allowed him to be comfortable.
With Holly it had been because she was as leery as he was and they both needed time to adjust.
He wanted to tell Holly how he felt about her but she’d kissed him in a way that made thinking stop and feeling begin. Two days had been too long. He wanted to take her to bed and keep her there until neither of them had any strength left.
“We’ll talk more later,” he said, lifting her off her feet and carrying her upstairs to his bedroom. “It feels like it’s been years since I buried myself in you.”
She wrapped her arms around him and toyed with the hair at the back of his neck. “For me too.”
There was something different about Holly. He couldn’t put his finger on it but he’d figure it out. She whispered seductive promises in his ear as he carried her, and by the time he’d reached his bedroom he was rock hard and ready for her.
Unlike the rest of the house, his bedroom wasn’t immaculate. A big-screen TV dominated one wall and his king-size bed the other.
He tossed her on the bed and followed her down, covering her body with his. But she stopped him, holding him at bay. “I’m in charge this time.”
The thought brought him to his knees. He rolled onto his back and waited for her to make her move. She stood at the foot of the bed and removed her clothing with carefully measured movements. Her eyes never left his.
He reached for the buttons on his shirt but she shook her head. “Not yet, I’ll get your clothes in a minute.”
He propped two pillows behind his head and watched her through narrowed eyes as naked now, she removed his shoes and socks. Then she climbed up on the bed and unfastened his belt, tugging it free of his pants. She unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it down his arms. Joe flung it across the room.
She walked her fingers down his chest and then slid one under his waistband. He was so painfully hard now that he was afraid he’d come when she touched his zipper.
“Holly, no more. I need you now.” He needed to bury himself in her again. He wanted to seal the two of them together so that nothing could come between them. Not fate, not family, not anything.
“Please, Joe. I want to make love to you.”
He clenched his fists, reaching for the control he’d always had in the past. But everything was different with Holly. “I’ll try.”
“That’s all I ask,” she said, lowering his zipper and pushing his pants down his legs. He kicked his feet free of them and lay tensely waiting for her to make her next move. She took him in her slender hands, holding him carefully.
He had to touch her. He caressed the curve of her buttocks, the long line of her legs, the weight of her breasts. “I can’t hold out much longer.”
She gave him a seductive smile. “Waiting makes everything better.”
“You’ve got thirty seconds, then I’m in charge.”
“We’ll see about that,” she said, lowering her head and taking him in her mouth.
Everything inside him clenched. Just the sight of Holly with her red hair brushing his thighs and her mouth moving so passionately on him was enough to bring him to the edge. But he wasn’t going over without her.
He tugged her up and over him, brought her mouth to his and tasted himself on her. She rocked against him, her humid warmth making him realize that he didn’t have a condom. He almost didn’t care.
He wanted to feel her naked flesh on his. Wanted to experience only Holly without any barriers. Not the ones in his heart or the ones on his body.
But he knew they weren’t ready for the consequences that making love without a condom could bring. He stretched for the nightstand and opened the drawer.
“Let me,” she said.
He didn’t know if he’d be able to bear her hands on him again. He was so close to the edge. Only the look on her face as she tore open the packet and covered him in one long caress made it possible for him to wait. “Come here, Holly.”
He pulled her over him, held her hips firmly and thrust up into her. She threw her head back and gripped his shoulders. Her nails bit into his flesh in a way that made him feel good. Something more than a physical act was taking place between them.
He lifted his head and took her nipple in his mouth, teasing her with his tongue and then suckling deeply. She moaned and started rocking faster against him. Using his grip on her hips, he slowed the pace. Now that he was inside her he wanted to take his time. He needed to drive them both crazy with wanting before they reached the ultimate satisfaction.
“Joe, hurry,” she said.
“Uh-uh, now I’m in charge,” he said with a wicked grin.
Leaning forward, she found the pulse beating at the base of his neck with her mouth. She suckled strongly and he felt his control snap. His grip on her hips changed. He thrust heavily into her. Once and then twice. She called his name and he felt her body tightening rhythmically around his. He thrust into her one more time and let his orgasm wash over him.
Holly collapsed on his chest and he held her tightly to him, knowing he’d never let her go.
She had to go.
That was Holly’s first awareness when she woke in Joe’s bed the next morning. Careful not to disturb him, she dressed quickly while he slept and left. It scared her—how much he was coming to mean to her. She wasn’t ready for that kind of all-consuming relationship in her life.
The bakery was busy, so Holly didn’t pay any attention when Colleen, the manager, entered the kitchen. “There’s a man here to see you.”
“Who?” she asked. It was busier than usual for a Friday, thanks to a feature in the Boston Globe food section this week. More people were here to sample their pastries.
“I don’t know. He’s tall, dark and Italian.”
Joe. “Tell him I’m busy.”
“Too late,” Joe said from the doorway.
“I really can’t talk right now, Joe.”
“Then listen.”
She glanced warily at him. Colleen left the kitchen and Holly slid the tray of cream puffs into the oven and returned to the counter where she was in the process of frosting a wedding cake.
“Can I call you later?” Holly asked. She didn’t like to have different areas of her world colliding. Joe belonged to her and her alone. Now that he’d been here Colleen would want to talk about him. Then, when he didn’t want to see her anymore, Colleen would want to analyze it. Holly preferred to keep her relationships to herself.
He moved toward her. Darn it. He’d obviously come from the office and she wished he looked stuffy in a business suit instead of handsome and sexy. Seeing him so neat and put together made her remember what he’d looked like underneath her last night, his face flushed with desire and his body ready for hers.
Joe shook his head. “I’d say yes but I get the feeling you’re avoiding me. I thought you’d forgiven me for not calling.”
“I did.”
“Then what’s up?”
“I’m at work, Joe.”
“I know. Can’t you take a break for ten minutes? We can go out back and talk.”
Holly checked the timer on the cream puffs and looked at the cake. “I’ve only got five minutes.”
“I’ll take it.”
She led the way out the back door to the battered picnic table in the alley that she and Colleen sometimes ate lunch at. A warm afternoon breeze blew through the alleyway, stirring the hair at the back of her neck.
Joe gave her a light kiss and pulled back quickly. “There’s a lot I have to say to you, Holly, but this isn’t the place for it.”
“I know. I’m sorry we’re so crazy here today,” she said. Joe looked like a man with a mission and it scared her to think she might be what he was focusing on. He had an intensity that frightened her sometimes.
“Will you have dinner with me tonight?” he asked, holding her hand lightly in his. He traced the pattern of her freckles up her arm until they disappeared under her sleeve. His touch made her shiver and everything feminine in her clenched and softened.
She wanted to. But she was afraid of the emotion she saw in his eyes. She didn’t want to know how he felt or hear things that would tempt her to break her commitment to her family. “I can’t. My brothers are all going out and I promised my dad I’d stay with him.”
His dark-chocolate gaze met hers. “I’d love to meet your dad.”
For all his money, Joe was a very basic guy, and her dad and brothers would like him. Too bad they could never meet. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why not? You’ve met my family,” he said.
She didn’t want to tell him the truth. That she didn’t want him to meet her family because once he did then she might have to choose between them. A lover demanded a few hours of her time, but a man who’d met the family, who wanted to spend the evening with her and her dad, that was a man who’d want more than late-night hours. And she didn’t have that to give.
She gave him a stock reply. “Dad can be surly and he hasn’t been feeling well. Maybe another time.”
He watched her and she felt as if he could see past her half truth to the heart of the matter. She was tempted to hold her breath until he said, “If you’re sure.”
“I am.” She forced a tight smile and changed the subject. “Isn’t tomorrow your family’s big reunion?”
“Yes. Will you come with me? The picnic will be a lot of fun and I’m sure we can avoid the press.”
“Why do you want me to come?” she asked.
“You’re important to me, Holly.”
“It scares me to hear you say that,” she admitted. It also made her heart fill with those impossible dreams she’d been having since he’d taken her to his house and let her make love to him. She’d never touched a man the way she’d touched Joe. Never felt so close to another person and never wanted to share her burdens with another person. Until Joe.
“Why?” he asked.
“I can’t talk about it now. I’ve got to get back to work.” Besides, before she explained her feelings to him, she had to work them out for herself.
“Will you go with me tomorrow?” he asked.
She wanted to spend the day with him. To meet his family again and see Joe in the environment where he was most at ease. One last day, she thought, then she’d break it off with him. “Yes. I’d like that.”
“Good. I’ll pick you up in the morning. It’s an all-day thing with fireworks after dark.”
“Okay,” she said.
She started back toward the kitchen.
“Holly?”
“Yes.”
“I know you’re running. And eventually I’m going to catch you.”
The family picnic was held at his parents’ town house in Beacon Hill. Joe always loved going to his folks’ place especially when the family was all there. Last night, sitting in his empty house alone, he’d realized what Holly needed to stop running from him. She needed him to make a commitment to her. In the beginning he’d been the aloof one and Holly the outgoing one. Now, however, she kept a part of herself walled off from him. A part of her that was very soft and very vulnerable.
But after today neither of them would have to be alone any longer. Because today he planned to ask Holly to marry him.
After leaving her at the bakery yesterday afternoon, he’d realized that he had to show Holly that he regretted not calling her and that he meant for her place in his life to be a permanent one. He’d gone to the jewelry store and purchased a marquise-cut engagement ring for her.
He glanced into the rearview mirror for a glimpse in the back seat. It contained a change of clothes, which he’d no doubt need after the annual male versus female volleyball game. More important, it contained the ring.
Holly was waiting on the porch when he pulled up in front of her house. She wore khaki shorts cut high on her thigh, a slim-fitting sleeveless white shirt and deck shoes. She took his breath away. It amazed him to think that she was his woman.
She walked toward the car and he got out to open the door for her. She smiled when she saw him but she seemed tired and tense.
“Is your dad okay?”
“Yes, he’s fine.”
He took her in his arms and kissed her the way he’d wanted to yesterday at the bakery. She rose on tiptoe, wrapping her slender arms around him and holding him tightly to her. “Damn, I wish we could skip this thing and spend the day here in your bed.”
“We can’t?”
“No. This is a command performance for the press. All Barones must be present and accounted for.”
“Flint and Gina again?”
“Yes,” Joe said with a wry grin.
“Well, then, let’s get going. I’d hate for you to get in trouble.”
“My folks have a spa tub at their place. Why don’t you bring your swimsuit and a change of clothes.”
Holly ran inside and was back out in a flash. The drive to his parents’ place went quickly, but as they neared the house, traffic became heavy and Joe knew from the past that parking would be hard to find.
“Do you mind walking from here? It’s about three blocks.”
“No. It’s a nice day.”
“Good. It’ll give us time to talk.”
“Okay,” she said.
Joe parked the car and they both got out. Holly carried her straw beach bag and Joe his duffel. He put his free arm around her waist and kept his pace shorter to match hers. It was the first time in a long time that he felt at peace with himself and the world around him. He saw the beauty of the summer day and the beauty of life with Holly by his side.
“I’ve been thinking about our relationship,” she said.
“Me too.”
“I wasn’t expecting you, Joe.”
He smiled down at her. “Me neither, but I’m glad I found you, Holly.”
“Really?”
This woman needed to realize her own importance to those around her. She was so giving and caring, he doubted she understood how deeply she affected the people she interacted with. “Really.”
He dropped a kiss on her lips.
“Hey, Joe.”
He turned to see Nick standing behind him, carrying two bags. His eldest brother looked happier than Joe could remember seeing him in years. But then the love of a good woman could do that to a man.
“Nick, this is Holly Fitzgerald. Holly, this is my oldest brother, Nick.”
“Nice to meet you,” Holly said.
“The pleasure’s all mine. I’d stay and chat, but I’ve got to get this ice to Dad,” Nick said.
“We ran out already?” Joe asked. His father was meticulous in the planning of the family reunion.
“No, there was an accident with one of the coolers, so we needed a few more bags.”
“Where’s Gail?” Joe asked, looking for his brother’s wife.
“With the women, planning volleyball strategy.”
“Oh, they think they can win this year?”
“I believe so,” Nick said as he disappeared around the corner of the house. “What’s this about volleyball?” Holly asked Joe.
“We have an annual grudge match, boys versus girls.”
“Who’s ahead?”
“We’re tied but the boys won last year.”
“Should be interesting,” Holly said.
“It should be. Come on, let me introduce you to everybody.” Joe deposited their bags on the patio and put his arm around Holly. He’d been alone so long that he’d forgotten how good it felt to have someone special by his side.
His cousin Daniel was here and brought his friend Ashraf ibn-Saalem. Holly waited until they moved away from the friends before she said, “Ash looks strong. The boys might have an unfair advantage if he plays.”
“Reese and Alex are both not here this year, so Ash will even the playing field. Besides, the girls have Gail on their team.”
“Listen to you. Is she their secret weapon?”
“She might be. She plays on a coed team. Besides, the women in this family are tricky.”
“Watch it, Joe. Mom might hear you,” Gina said from behind them. She smiled a greeting at Holly. “Hello, Holly. Want to help us teach the Barone men a lesson?”
Holly returned the smile. “I might enjoy that.”
Joe groaned. “Is Flint playing?”
“I don’t think so. He’s got the press to wrangle with.”
“Why aren’t you with the press?” Joe asked.
“Who’d give you a hard time if it wasn’t me?” Gina asked with a smile.
Joe turned toward Holly. “Hey, help me out here.”
“I think you’re doing fine,” she said, laughing up at him.
Joe looked at her and felt a confidence he hadn’t felt in a long time. He was in love with Holly Fitzgerald and he couldn’t wait to make her his wife.