Sweet Christmas Kisses (120 page)

He took the glass from her hand to place it on the night table, pushed her down on the comforter and stretched at her side. “Come, my darling. I’ve dreamed of this moment since I first saw you.” His knuckles brushed her cheek. Tenderness simmered in his eyes.

“Since the first moment?” Hope flared and her heart filled with longing.

“Why do you think I came along on this cruise?”

Her eyes rounded. “To sleep with me?”

“To be with you. Every moment. Day and night.”

“But—”

“I’ll answer all your questions later.” He enfolded her against his hard frame and claimed her mouth.

****

Tony rolled to his side and gathered her in his arms. “You okay?”

She opened her eyes, still dazed. “Fantastic. I saw all the stars we watched last night.”

“I saw them too.” The stars and the moon and a piece of paradise he never thought he’d stumble onto in her arms. He brushed her lips and tried to collect his thoughts. They still whirled in a jumble.

“I even heard music. It seemed so real, drum banging, flute chiming, cymbals swishing.”

He laughed. “I heard it too, but in a down-to-earth way. It was the night table drawer rolling back too fast after I opened it and a glass shattering against the lamp when I hit it.”

“And the cymbals swishing?”

“Can’t you guess? Paper tearing, the foil I scrunched up to open...” He wouldn’t leave her unprotected, but he was delighted she’d been too excited to pay attention to mundane details.

“I didn’t notice you used... Anyway I’m on the birth control pill and didn’t worry.”

“Good to know that.”

“Tony, last night you told me that two weeks were not long enough to fall in love, yet—”

“I was wrong.” Amazing what this cruise had done to his rational thinking. With Julia snuggled against him, the craziest things made sense. And felt so right.

She stiffened, frowned, then looked at him and smiled. “Does it mean you may have some feelings for me?” She rubbed the tips of her fingers over his heart.

He took her hand and sucked on each finger. “A lot of feelings, my love.”

With a swift movement, she jerked up and sat on the bed, her legs crossed under her. “Tell me about them.” The comforter slid to her feet.

Tony pulled himself up and popped an elbow on the pillow. His chin resting on his palm, he contemplated her with a grin. “You’re so beautiful.”

“Thank you.” She waved a dismissing hand. “But now let’s sort your feelings together. Reasonably.”

“Huh...” At the moment all his feelings had mingled and converged south to make him rigid with need. And his reason had deserted him. She was so...so... He swallowed. “Adorable,” he groaned, his eyes focused on her breasts. “I want you more than I’ve ever wanted any woman in my life.”

Not giving her time to say another word, he crushed her mouth with a fiery kiss and devoured her lips.

“Tony, I—”

“Shh, let me love you. We’ll talk later.”

She followed his advice and returned kiss for kiss and caress for caress until they collapsed exhausted and happy in each other’s arms.

He made love to her again in the shower the next morning and later after the breakfast they ordered in the room. If it was up to him he’d have spent the day in bed with Julia, but missing a visit of Venice, the most romantic city in Italy, would have been silly.

“The ship will enter the Grand Canal in half an hour. It’ll be interesting to watch Venice from the upper deck,” Tony said as he came out of the bathroom already dressed for the day.

Julia had donned her gym outfit. “We can sit on my balcony and have a terrific view.” She folded her evening clothes and stuffed them in her handbag.

Taking a tour of Venice from the comfort of Julia’s balcony while sipping a cappuccino turned into one of the highlights of their day. Tony made sure he took a hundred pictures to remember the moment.

Later, they went ashore to visit the St. Marcus Cathedral and feed the pigeons on the Plaza. Julia insisted they take a gondola ride through the canals of Venice. The gondolier, in black pants, striped shirt and a cute hat, entertained them with Italian songs while rowing with one oar.

“And that’s it,” Julia muttered when they returned to the ship and her room. “Our cruise is almost over. We’ll leave the ship tomorrow morning and fly to Boston.” Sadness dripped from her voice. He shared the feeling.

Still, he was grateful they hadn’t run into Mary-Beth. Julia hadn’t mentioned her name for two days. Even better, she’d never talked about her ex or any member of her family.

In a way, Tony could give himself a pat on the shoulder. He’d managed to restore Julia’s confidence in herself and her ability to enjoy life. Yet, he’d eroded his own, he surmised with an inner snort.

As their trip moved toward its end, his irritation escalated. Soon he’d have to deal with several problems, like revealing his real job and analyzing his own desires.

“Julia, the cruise is ending, but for us I hope it’s a beginning,” he ventured as he watched her pack.

“I was hoping you’d say that.” She spun toward him with a bright smile.

“We have so many things to talk about. Sort our feelings as you mentioned last night.” She nodded. “We’ll arrive in Boston on Sunday evening. I’m working a long shift on Monday and Tuesday. Can I pick you up Tuesday evening for dinner?”

He would explain everything to her, even show her his office at the Crisis Center and his condo. The two days at work after the cruise would allow him to put things in the right perspective, prepare the right words to convince her he had her best interests at heart.

“Yes, Tony, I’d love that. And on Thursday, it’s Christmas Day. I want you to come and meet my family, and share our Christmas celebration.”

“I’d like that.” By then everything would be clear between them and they would be able to date. “Meanwhile, my love—”

“Meanwhile we stay here. I'll finish packing while you order dinner and wine, and we sleep here.”

“Perfect program.” He glanced at the luxurious bed he’d resented so far and sobered. His gaze shifted to the lovely woman who’d become the focus of his life in the last few days. “Julia, you were right.”

“I know, but...” She chuckled. “What are we talking about?”

“Falling in love in two weeks, my Christmas angel. Miracles happen at Christmastime.”

She sobered and walked into his arms.

He’d give her an unforgettable night. Cross his fingers the return home would go without a hitch.

In the morning, Julia had trouble leaving her bed. Tony had branded her with his touch, his kisses, his lovemaking. It was too early to make long term plans but after her week in paradise and the last two nights, she was utterly convinced she could not live without Tony.

As soon as she returned to Boston, she’d rent an apartment and move out of her parents’ mansion. Tony would be able to come and go freely. Her fiasco with Clyde had taught her a valuable lesson not to let her man go too long without her in his arms. Heck, with Tony she’d be the one who wouldn’t be able to stand two days apart from him.

“Still in bed.” He emerged from her bathroom, in blue jeans, his torso naked and tempting, his wet hair mussed on his forehead.

“Tony,” she purred and wriggled. Her cover fell, exposing her breasts.

His eyes widened, dazed and then narrowed. “No way. We’d miss our plane.” He bent and carried her to the bathroom. “You have fifteen minutes to get ready.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll be on time.” After a quick shower, she dried her hair, donned her blue jeans and a red turtleneck, and quickly applied her makeup.

Last evening, they’d been asked to leave their suitcases outside their stateroom doors. The stewards had already carried the passengers’ luggage ashore to the disembarkation area. Tony had brought his backpack to her room with the clothes he wore today.

True to her word, she shoved her toiletries and nighty into her big handbag and slipped her boots on. “Fourteen minutes.” She chuckled. “The last minute is for a thank you and goodbye kiss in my room.”

He opened his arms. She walked in and hooked her hands around his neck. “Julia, this week has been fantastic.” He gave her a searing kiss. “I’ll try to make every week, every day from now on as special.”

“I’ll do my part too. I don’t think I can live without you anymore.”

“We have a lot to plan, my love. On Tuesday we’ll discuss it all. Promise, you’ll come Julia.”

“Nothing in the world would stop me. And I count on you to attend my family’s Christmas party.”

“I’ll be there, sweetheart. I promise.”

 He held the door open for her. She grabbed her coat and handbag, scanned her luxurious suite one last time, and left. He followed, his winter coat and backpack in hand.

After a brief breakfast on the sixteenth deck, Tony left her to inquire about their luggage’s fate at the information desk. As if on a cue, Mary-Beth materialized in front of her.

“We are staying in Italy for another week. Are you, too?” she asked with a curious smile.

“No, I’m flying home today.”

“Eager to go back to your fiancé?” her eyebrows rose in an ironic arc.

Julia looked her squarely in the eyes. “Mary-Beth, I think you guessed there was no more fiancé. I broke the engagement before the cruise, but decided not to say anything yet.”

“Oh. And who’s the man you were dancing so amorously with?”

“A nice man.” Julia shrugged. “Did you manage to get a good shot of us together?”

 “Several.” Mary-Beth bit her lip. “Listen, had I known you were not engaged anymore, I wouldn’t have asked Jeff to take the pictures. I thought we had a juicy scandal here. You should have trusted me. Too late now.”

Dread stiffened Julia’s shoulders. “What do you mean? What did you do?”

“Nothing that could hurt you now. Have a safe trip, Julia. Maybe we’ll meet during our fathers’ campaigns.” The woman spun around and trotted away.

“The hell with you,” Julia swore under her breath. “Nothing can hurt me with Tony at my side.”

Even if Mary-Beth wanted to publish some revealing pictures, Julia wouldn’t let her father’s rivals harm her family. As soon as she returned she’d explain everything to her parents and run a new announcement in the papers about Ms. Dutton’s broken engagement. This time, she’d place it herself. Meanwhile, she’d better forget about the spiteful woman and not spoil the few hours left of her trip by complaining to Tony.

****

During the flight back home, Julia and Tony had dinner and then slept for hours, making up for their previous sleepless night of thorough lovemaking.

“Ready to go home?” Tony asked when the plane landed.

“Yes, ready to start my new life and enjoy my freedom.” She winked at him.

“We’ll enjoy your freedom together.” He draped her coat on her shoulders and squeezed her against him. “I’ll miss you until Tuesday.”

“Me too, that’s for sure.”

They left the jetway and headed to passport control with an incredible number of passengers. In the baggage area, Tony loaded suitcases and carry-ons on a cart and pushed it out of the security area.

“Shoot, I forgot. Josh has my arrival time and said to call him if I need a ride home.”

“Don’t call him.” Who needed the big brother now? “My car is in the parking lot. I’ll drop you home.” He’d enjoy her presence for another hour and steal a few more kisses.

“I can’t believe we spent so long in there. Imagine all these people waiting for relatives.” She chuckled. “Good thing, no one is waiting for us.” She surveyed the crowd.

Her eyes rounded. “Oh God.”

“Julia, over here,” Josh called.

She turned to Tony. “My brothers are here. The four of them.”

“Shit.” Tony stopped in his tracks. “Why are they here?”

“Somehow, I think Mary-Beth is responsible for their presence.” Julia eased beside him. “Remember the pictures she was trying to take? I guess her husband managed to take a few. But we don’t have anything to worry about.” Her smile didn’t reassure him.

“Damn the woman. Julia, there’s something I have to tell you—”

“Darn, Clyde is here too.” She grabbed Tony’s hand.

Tony swallowed. He had to tell her right away. “Julia, my other job—”

“Julia, welcome back.” Josh hugged her and then brandished a folded newspaper. “You’ll have some explaining to do here.”

She shrugged. “No problem, I’ll tell you all about it.”

“You better have a good reason for this.” He opened the newspaper and she grimaced. Her picture kissing Tony at the formal. “Dad hit the roof when he saw the caption.
Ms. Dutton and her new lover
. We were afraid he’d have a heart attack. Did you forget he’s running a campaign?”

 “I’ll fix the mess. Everything will be fine on Christmas Day. Dad will understand,” she said with a conciliatory voice. “Tony and I—”

“Don’t be naive, Julia.” The businessman brother came forward. “Why did you kidnap our little sister, Dr. Lorenzo?”

“Doctor?” The little sister blinked. “Why did you call him that, Ethan?

“Explain yourself, Dr. Lorenzo.” Brian, the even-tempered intern, who worked for Tony, looked anything but lenient at the moment.

Shit, why did they have to be so formal? Couldn’t they let go of his title?

Julia spun toward him, eyes wide-open. “Tony?” Her hardly audible voice tore at his heart. Her gaze flitted from one brother to the other, and then rested on him.

He gulped a deep breath. “Julia, please, let’s go somewhere private where we can talk. I’ll explain everything.”

A strong hand clapped him solidly on the shoulder. “Oh no, Dr. Lorenzo. You had all the private time you’re going to get with Julia.” Dr. David Dutton, his former mentor, seemed ready to cut Tony’s throat.

Damn, damn, was he living a nightmare?

Clyde stepped beside David. “You’re not going to brainwash her again with your psycho lingo. Taking off with my fiancée, when she was so vulnerable. Shame on you, Dr. Lorenzo.”

 Each
Dr. Lorenzo
punched Tony in the gut, but his gaze never wavered from the woman he adored and was afraid to lose. “Julia, sweetheart, we need to talk right away.”