“Now,” she whispered, lifting her hips, rocking into his hand as he cupped her center. “Jack, now. I can’t take this anymore.”
“Hold on. Just hold on.” Before he lost control completely, he reached down for his jeans, dug into the pocket and pulled out the condoms he’d tucked in there only that morning.
“Boy,” she said, “I really love a man who’s prepared to take a nap.”
He grinned at her as he sheathed himself. “Babe, ever since the moment we met, I’ve been prepared to nap.”
“So glad to hear it.” She opened her arms to him, lifted her hips again and welcomed him inside her.
That first slick, hot slide into her body stole his breath and would have finished him completely if he hadn’t fought for control and held on to it. She moved into him, and the slippery threads of control fell away.
Together they climbed, staring into each other’s eyes as they rode the crest of what they created. Mouths mating, breath mingling, they moved in an ancient dance as if they were born to be one. Together, they raced toward completion and together, they fell from the precipice, wrapped in each other’s arms.
What could have been minutes or hours later, when breathing was easier, Rita cupped his face in her palm and whispered, “I hope you’re still as sleepy as I am. Because I think I need another nap.”
He turned his face into her palm, kissed it, then grinned down at her. “It’s important to get enough sleep.”
Jack groaned tightly as the memory faded and he was alone again in a room that suddenly felt too small, too quiet. Too empty.
He could still feel her small hand on his face, see her smile, taste her kiss. His body was tight, hard, eager. His mind raced with possibilities, before he shut them all down and accepted the cold reality.
Jack had a penance to pay and being this close to Rita without touching her was only the latest toll to be taken.
Jumping out of bed, he stalked through the open doors to the terrace and there he stood, letting the icy wind off the sea blow away the lingering heat still haunting him.
* * *
The next few days weren’t easy.
Rita had to acknowledge that finding her way to the real Jack was going to be far more difficult than she’d anticipated. She was gone before he woke in the morning, heading down to the bakery where she worked to stay busy enough to keep thoughts of Jack at bay. Then in the evening, Jack did his best to avoid her completely. It was as if she was an unwanted guest he was trying to convince to leave.
Okay, yes, she’d agreed to a temporary marriage, but only because she’d caught those glimpses of her Jack. And now, he seemed determined to not let that happen again. He was pushing her away and expected her to simply give up and go when their time together was up.
“Well,” she muttered to herself, “I’m not that easy to get rid of.”
“Glad to hear it.”
Rita closed her eyes, groaned quietly at being overheard—and by Jack’s sister no less—then turned to face Cass. “Hi.”
“Hi,” the other woman said, walking farther into the kitchen. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but you were talking out loud so it was hard to miss.”
“Sometimes,” Rita admitted sheepishly, “I have to talk to myself because I’m the only one who really understands me.”
Cass laughed. “Boy, I know that feeling. Between my practice, my husband and my kids, sometimes I talk to myself just to make sure I’m still there.”
Rita relaxed her defenses a little. She’d liked Cass immediately when they’d met at the wedding. And listening to her now, Rita realized that with time, the two of them could be good friends. The question was, would she have that time?
“Look, I hope it’s okay that I’m back here. The redhead out front said I could come in.”
Casey again. “Of course it’s okay. Have a seat. I’m just getting these loaves of bread ready for the ovens.”
“God, it smells wonderful in here.” Cass took a deep breath and sighed as she pulled a stool up to the marble work surface. Glancing around the room at the trays, the racks of cooling biscotti, bread and cannoli shells, she sighed. “Bread, cookies... I could live here.”
Rita laughed and ran the blade of her knife along the elongated loaves of bread, making a few slices to give the dough room to grow while baking. “I love being in the kitchen.”
“Well, clearly you have the talent for it,” Cass said on a heavy sigh. “My husband has banned me from ours. He says what I call cooking, modern science calls poison.”
“Oh, ouch.”
Cass shrugged. “Yeah, it would be painful if it weren’t true. So we have a cook and everyone’s happy.”
She looked at a tray of thumbprint cookies with their glossy chocolate centers and sighed again. “Can I have one?”
“Sure.”
She bit in. “Wow. Just wow.”
Rita laughed and said, “Thank you.”
“Oh, my pleasure.” Cass watched her as she readied the bread loaves and the silence spun out for several seconds before she finally blurted out the reason for her visit. “I’m really happy you married Jack.”
Oh, Rita hated guilt. She’d grown up Italian Catholic and nobody did guilt better than they did. Her mother was a master at making her kids feel guilty and so Rita recognized the sensation when it slapped her. She’d lied to her family. To Jack’s family.
Maybe even to herself, it was too soon to tell. “Cass...”
The other woman waved one hand and shook her head. “No, you don’t have to say anything. I just mean, I wanted to let you know that we’re all glad he has someone. Jack’s been...sort of shut down since he came home from his last tour.”
Rita watched her, unsure what to say, or even what she could say.
“We’ve all tried to get through, but it’s like trying to catch fog. Every time you think you’re making progress, or maybe you see a flash of the old Jack, boom. It’s gone.” She shook her head and unconsciously reached for another cookie. Taking a bite, she sighed a little and continued. “If our mom was still alive, she’d have pushed past whatever boundaries he’s got set up inside him. She wouldn’t have accepted anything less.”
Rita heard the wistful tone and responded. “She was tough?”
“When it came to her family? Oh, yeah.” Cass grinned. “No one could stand in her way. But she’s been gone five years and it’s like the rest of us can’t figure out how to reach Jack.” She crumbled the rest of the cookie in her fingers. “That’s why we’re so glad he’s got you. And the baby.”
Oh, that guilt was really starting to get heavy, Rita thought. What would Cass and the rest of their family think of Rita when this three-month marriage ended? Would they blame her for walking out on Jack, never knowing the real reason behind it?
“The worst part for me is I hate seeing my dad look so...helpless over this,” Cass said. “He tries to talk to Jack but just can’t and he’s scared. Heck, we all are.”
So was Rita. In the time since Jack had walked back into her life, she’d seen him withdraw not only from her but from the family who clearly loved him. Their marriage hadn’t helped. If anything, he was working even harder at avoiding her.
“I don’t like feeling