her chest despite her best efforts to prevent it. Amazing what that man could do to her simply by walking into a room.
“You ready to go?” John asked as he stepped up behind her and pulled her flush against him.
She closed her eyes and concentrated on the hard, thick strength of his body pressing into hers. Annie swallowed hard and reminded herself to breathe. But it wasn’t easy. Not when every time he was near, all she wanted was his hands on her. As if reading her mind, he turned her around in his arms, keeping her close, and slid one hand up to cup her breast.
“Mmmm…” she whispered, and closed her eyes as his thumb and forefinger tweaked and tugged at her nipple. Even through the fabric of her pale-yellow sweater and the bra she wore beneath it, she felt his touch. Right down to her bones.
He bent his head and brushed his lips across hers. “Maybe we don’t have to go after all,” he whispered, dropping kisses across her forehead, her temples, the bridge of her nose. “Maybe we could stay right here and—”
The baby squawked and kicked her feet against the jumper frame, effectively splintering the mood.
John chuckled, looked over Annie’s head at the baby and, smiling, said, “Darlin’, you and I are going to have to have a talk about timing.”
“Oh,” Annie countered, easing back out of his arms and took a deep breath. “I think her timing’s excellent.”
“Coward,” he teased.
“Oh, yeah,” she agreed, then tore her gaze from his and busied herself by gathering up Jordan’s things. “So,”she said, just a little too loudly, “I still think jeans and a sweater is a little underdressed for Easter dinner.”
“Not for a backyard barbecue,” he told her, stepping around her to pick up the baby.
A barbecue with his family. Well, with his brother Nick and Nick’s wife’s family. Oh, Lord. “Are you sure it’s all right for Jordan and me to come along? I mean, it’s a family dinner and everything and—”
He laughed, reached out with one hand to smooth a stray curl back from her face and said, “I keep telling you, Annie. With Italian family gatherings, the more the merrier.” Then he paused for a long moment and added, “Besides, you two are family.”
And thankfully, he turned and headed for the front door before he saw Annie’s reaction to his words written all over her face.
Family?
Is that what the three of them were becoming?
And if so, how did she stop it?
But more important, she asked herself desperately, did she want to stop it?
Ten
T wilight slipped up on the backyard, stretching shadows along the grass. Annie took a long, deep breath of the cool, ocean-scented air and sat down in one of the dozen or so chairs sprinkled across the Santinis’ lawn. It was the first time she’d been alone all day, and though she’d enjoyed herself, it was good to grab at a slice of quiet. If only for a moment or two.
Snatches of conversation and laughter filtered out of the house, where everyone else had gone when Maryann Santini Mazzeo, Gina’s mother, had announced she was serving dessert. The brightly lit kitchen practically glowed with life as Annie watched the people streaming back and forth in front of the windows.
She’d never really been around a big family before. And being a part of their ease with each other, theteasing, the bickering, and yes, as John had predicted, the shouting, had been more fun than she had expected.
But at the same time her heart ached just a little for all she’d missed. Her own family never spoke at the dinner table. Meals were simply chores to push through as quickly as possible. Here, she thought with a smile, they were celebrations.
Watching the Santini sisters with their husbands, Annie had felt a sharp tug of envy. Heck, there was so much love in the air in that house a person could get drunk on it.
“A little overwhelming, aren’t we?” a deep voice from behind her asked.
Annie turned around in her chair to watch Nick
“You ready to go?” John asked as he stepped up behind her and pulled her flush against him.
She closed her eyes and concentrated on the hard, thick strength of his body pressing into hers. Annie swallowed hard and reminded herself to breathe. But it wasn’t easy. Not when every time he was near, all she wanted was his hands on her. As if reading her mind, he turned her around in his arms, keeping her close, and slid one hand up to cup her breast.
“Mmmm…” she whispered, and closed her eyes as his thumb and forefinger tweaked and tugged at her nipple. Even through the fabric of her pale-yellow sweater and the bra she wore beneath it, she felt his touch. Right down to her bones.
He bent his head and brushed his lips across hers. “Maybe we don’t have to go after all,” he whispered, dropping kisses across her forehead, her temples, the bridge of her nose. “Maybe we could stay right here and—”
The baby squawked and kicked her feet against the jumper frame, effectively splintering the mood.
John chuckled, looked over Annie’s head at the baby and, smiling, said, “Darlin’, you and I are going to have to have a talk about timing.”
“Oh,” Annie countered, easing back out of his arms and took a deep breath. “I think her timing’s excellent.”
“Coward,” he teased.
“Oh, yeah,” she agreed, then tore her gaze from his and busied herself by gathering up Jordan’s things. “So,”she said, just a little too loudly, “I still think jeans and a sweater is a little underdressed for Easter dinner.”
“Not for a backyard barbecue,” he told her, stepping around her to pick up the baby.
A barbecue with his family. Well, with his brother Nick and Nick’s wife’s family. Oh, Lord. “Are you sure it’s all right for Jordan and me to come along? I mean, it’s a family dinner and everything and—”
He laughed, reached out with one hand to smooth a stray curl back from her face and said, “I keep telling you, Annie. With Italian family gatherings, the more the merrier.” Then he paused for a long moment and added, “Besides, you two are family.”
And thankfully, he turned and headed for the front door before he saw Annie’s reaction to his words written all over her face.
Family?
Is that what the three of them were becoming?
And if so, how did she stop it?
But more important, she asked herself desperately, did she want to stop it?
Ten
T wilight slipped up on the backyard, stretching shadows along the grass. Annie took a long, deep breath of the cool, ocean-scented air and sat down in one of the dozen or so chairs sprinkled across the Santinis’ lawn. It was the first time she’d been alone all day, and though she’d enjoyed herself, it was good to grab at a slice of quiet. If only for a moment or two.
Snatches of conversation and laughter filtered out of the house, where everyone else had gone when Maryann Santini Mazzeo, Gina’s mother, had announced she was serving dessert. The brightly lit kitchen practically glowed with life as Annie watched the people streaming back and forth in front of the windows.
She’d never really been around a big family before. And being a part of their ease with each other, theteasing, the bickering, and yes, as John had predicted, the shouting, had been more fun than she had expected.
But at the same time her heart ached just a little for all she’d missed. Her own family never spoke at the dinner table. Meals were simply chores to push through as quickly as possible. Here, she thought with a smile, they were celebrations.
Watching the Santini sisters with their husbands, Annie had felt a sharp tug of envy. Heck, there was so much love in the air in that house a person could get drunk on it.
“A little overwhelming, aren’t we?” a deep voice from behind her asked.
Annie turned around in her chair to watch Nick
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