Kissing Under The Mistletoe
Page 26
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Her eyes widened and he silently cursed himself for saying too much too soon when the depth of his feelings was bound to scare her off instead of bring her closer. Somehow, he managed to slip his fingers from hers and take a step back to give her some personal space.
“It’s just that I wouldn’t want them to get the wrong impression,” she said softly, “or to think that I was leading you on, especially since I keep telling you we should keep our distance for the rest of the campaign. And then, at the same time, I can’t seem to stop asking you to kiss me.” Guilt flickered in her eyes.
“You’ve been completely honest with me from the first moment we met,” he reminded her. “And I’ve been honest with you, too.” He ran a rough hand through his hair. “So let’s be honest one more time, okay?” When she nodded, he said, “I’m not going to deny that I’d love to be able to tell them you’re my girlfriend. I hope to do that in the very near future. But, for tonight, I’m asking you to come meet my family as my friend. My very, very good friend whom I love to steal kisses from.”
This time when her lips curved up, her smile was entirely real. “I would love to meet your family.”
They were interrupted by a hard knock on the door that had them both jumping away from it a split second before it flew open. Georgina shot both of them an irritated look.
“You,” she said, pointing to Mary, “had better fix your hair and makeup, or people are going to think we’re shooting a love story rather than an electronics campaign. And you—” Jack was instantly reduced to feeling like a naughty little boy as the woman pointed out the door “—need to do a better job of staying out of my way today.”
Barely resisting the urge to salute, Jack caught Mary’s eye as the director stalked out, and he was glad to see her gaze filled with barely repressed laughter.
* * *
Later that evening as they stood on Jack’s brother’s doorstep, Mary couldn’t wait to meet Jack’s family so that she could find out where a man like him had come from. He wasn’t only intelligent and sexy and wonderfully straightforward, he was also a gentleman who walked her home and noticed when she was getting tired in front of the camera. She had been invited to a half-dozen glitzy entertainment industry Christmas parties and she hadn’t wanted to go to any of them, so Jack’s invitation was perfect in so many ways.
Ethan Sullivan opened the door to his tricked-out bachelor pad with a grin. He shook Jack’s hand, and Mary loved the easy way it automatically turned into a hug.
“Ethan, I’d like you to meet Mary.”
Just like Jack, Ethan was an extremely good-looking man. Tall, dark, and handsome obviously ran strong in the Sullivan gene pool. But where she was sure most women’s hearts probably beat a little faster for the wealthy man in the sharp, tailored suit, Mary felt nothing more than healthy female appreciation.
“It’s lovely to meet you, Ethan.”
“Same here. Come on in. Max and Claudia will be here soon with their little guy. They would have been here earlier, but they called and said something about a diaper emergency.”
“How long are you home this time?” Jack asked his brother while he poured drinks for them at the bar in the corner of the living room.
“Depends on how the deal I’m working on shakes out over the next couple of days.” Ethan handed Mary a glass of white wine. “You must do a lot of traveling.”
“I do. Or rather,” she amended, “I have in the past.”
He raised an eyebrow in question, his gaze moving between Mary and his brother. “Have you made a change of plans recently?”
“I’ve been planning to move away from being in front of the camera for a while now,” she explained. “San Francisco seems like the perfect place to set down some roots and explore a few new directions.”
She didn’t say that when she’d been looking at her options, she’d never for a moment thought that a man might factor into them. Because in the space of one short week, Jack Sullivan—and his incredible kisses—had started to change everything….
The sound of a laughing child came from outside Ethan’s front door. “I’ll get it,” Jack offered.
Jack and his brother from Seattle hugged and when they came into the living room, Jack was holding an adorable toddler. “Mary, this is Ian the Incredible.”
Her heart melted as she looked at the gorgeous, dark-haired toddler. No question about it, Ian Sullivan was going to be a heartbreaker when he grew up.
“Hi, Mr. Incredible. It’s nice to meet you.”
He looked at her with his big brown eyes and reached out to touch her hair. “You’re pretty.”
Mary was blushing at his very sweet comment, when Jack said, “You got that right, little guy.”
“I’m Claudia.” The petite blonde who held out her hand was pregnant and glowing. “And this is my husband, Max.”
Taking in the third specimen of Sullivan male perfection, Mary couldn’t help but think how her agent, Randy, would have salivated if he could see the brothers all together. As she shook everyone’s hand, Ian wriggled down out of Jack’s arms.
“We’re so glad you could be here with Jack tonight,” Claudia told her. “All this testosterone in one room can be a little overwhelming sometimes—even if,” she added in a lower voice, “it is nice to look at.”
Mary couldn’t hold back her laughter. This was all so normal, and she loved that Claudia wasn’t gushing over her fame as a model. Instead, she was treating her just as she would any other woman her brother-in-law might bring with him to a family gathering.
Relaxing, Mary said, “When are you due?”
Claudia put her hand over her stomach. “Four mon—” Before she could finish answering, she was shooting off across the room to pick Ian up again before he could knock over a vase. Seeing this near miss, Max told Ethan, “I’m going to put a few things away before they end up in pieces on the floor.”
“Sorry about running off in the middle of a sentence,” Claudia said to Mary when she came back, holding her son. “Look,” she told Ian as she put a soft blue bag down on the carpet, “Daddy brought in your toys.”
He gave Mary a blindingly cute smile. “Play?”
Clearly, thought Mary as she grinned back at him, the straightforward Sullivan gene had passed through to the next generation, along with the good looks.
“It’s just that I wouldn’t want them to get the wrong impression,” she said softly, “or to think that I was leading you on, especially since I keep telling you we should keep our distance for the rest of the campaign. And then, at the same time, I can’t seem to stop asking you to kiss me.” Guilt flickered in her eyes.
“You’ve been completely honest with me from the first moment we met,” he reminded her. “And I’ve been honest with you, too.” He ran a rough hand through his hair. “So let’s be honest one more time, okay?” When she nodded, he said, “I’m not going to deny that I’d love to be able to tell them you’re my girlfriend. I hope to do that in the very near future. But, for tonight, I’m asking you to come meet my family as my friend. My very, very good friend whom I love to steal kisses from.”
This time when her lips curved up, her smile was entirely real. “I would love to meet your family.”
They were interrupted by a hard knock on the door that had them both jumping away from it a split second before it flew open. Georgina shot both of them an irritated look.
“You,” she said, pointing to Mary, “had better fix your hair and makeup, or people are going to think we’re shooting a love story rather than an electronics campaign. And you—” Jack was instantly reduced to feeling like a naughty little boy as the woman pointed out the door “—need to do a better job of staying out of my way today.”
Barely resisting the urge to salute, Jack caught Mary’s eye as the director stalked out, and he was glad to see her gaze filled with barely repressed laughter.
* * *
Later that evening as they stood on Jack’s brother’s doorstep, Mary couldn’t wait to meet Jack’s family so that she could find out where a man like him had come from. He wasn’t only intelligent and sexy and wonderfully straightforward, he was also a gentleman who walked her home and noticed when she was getting tired in front of the camera. She had been invited to a half-dozen glitzy entertainment industry Christmas parties and she hadn’t wanted to go to any of them, so Jack’s invitation was perfect in so many ways.
Ethan Sullivan opened the door to his tricked-out bachelor pad with a grin. He shook Jack’s hand, and Mary loved the easy way it automatically turned into a hug.
“Ethan, I’d like you to meet Mary.”
Just like Jack, Ethan was an extremely good-looking man. Tall, dark, and handsome obviously ran strong in the Sullivan gene pool. But where she was sure most women’s hearts probably beat a little faster for the wealthy man in the sharp, tailored suit, Mary felt nothing more than healthy female appreciation.
“It’s lovely to meet you, Ethan.”
“Same here. Come on in. Max and Claudia will be here soon with their little guy. They would have been here earlier, but they called and said something about a diaper emergency.”
“How long are you home this time?” Jack asked his brother while he poured drinks for them at the bar in the corner of the living room.
“Depends on how the deal I’m working on shakes out over the next couple of days.” Ethan handed Mary a glass of white wine. “You must do a lot of traveling.”
“I do. Or rather,” she amended, “I have in the past.”
He raised an eyebrow in question, his gaze moving between Mary and his brother. “Have you made a change of plans recently?”
“I’ve been planning to move away from being in front of the camera for a while now,” she explained. “San Francisco seems like the perfect place to set down some roots and explore a few new directions.”
She didn’t say that when she’d been looking at her options, she’d never for a moment thought that a man might factor into them. Because in the space of one short week, Jack Sullivan—and his incredible kisses—had started to change everything….
The sound of a laughing child came from outside Ethan’s front door. “I’ll get it,” Jack offered.
Jack and his brother from Seattle hugged and when they came into the living room, Jack was holding an adorable toddler. “Mary, this is Ian the Incredible.”
Her heart melted as she looked at the gorgeous, dark-haired toddler. No question about it, Ian Sullivan was going to be a heartbreaker when he grew up.
“Hi, Mr. Incredible. It’s nice to meet you.”
He looked at her with his big brown eyes and reached out to touch her hair. “You’re pretty.”
Mary was blushing at his very sweet comment, when Jack said, “You got that right, little guy.”
“I’m Claudia.” The petite blonde who held out her hand was pregnant and glowing. “And this is my husband, Max.”
Taking in the third specimen of Sullivan male perfection, Mary couldn’t help but think how her agent, Randy, would have salivated if he could see the brothers all together. As she shook everyone’s hand, Ian wriggled down out of Jack’s arms.
“We’re so glad you could be here with Jack tonight,” Claudia told her. “All this testosterone in one room can be a little overwhelming sometimes—even if,” she added in a lower voice, “it is nice to look at.”
Mary couldn’t hold back her laughter. This was all so normal, and she loved that Claudia wasn’t gushing over her fame as a model. Instead, she was treating her just as she would any other woman her brother-in-law might bring with him to a family gathering.
Relaxing, Mary said, “When are you due?”
Claudia put her hand over her stomach. “Four mon—” Before she could finish answering, she was shooting off across the room to pick Ian up again before he could knock over a vase. Seeing this near miss, Max told Ethan, “I’m going to put a few things away before they end up in pieces on the floor.”
“Sorry about running off in the middle of a sentence,” Claudia said to Mary when she came back, holding her son. “Look,” she told Ian as she put a soft blue bag down on the carpet, “Daddy brought in your toys.”
He gave Mary a blindingly cute smile. “Play?”
Clearly, thought Mary as she grinned back at him, the straightforward Sullivan gene had passed through to the next generation, along with the good looks.
