he’d been flirtatious and teasing with her most of the day, he’d protected himself carefully from her. She knew there was more to him than his civilized exterior showed her.
He was a tall, dark and brooding man who watched her with that keen sexual desire that made her ultra-aware of him. Yet he didn’t want to give her anything but the sexual awareness. She didn’t have to be a genius to figure that out. The part she didn’t understand was if it was only her or all women that he reacted to in that way.
He rubbed his jaw where a faint five o’clock shadow could be seen making him look rougher than he had earlier. It was as if the real man under the facade was starting to come to the surface. Her palms tingled and she wanted to cup his face in her hands and feel the roughness of his skin against hers.
“My family is here,” he said at last, nodding toward the large group she’d noticed earlier.
“How many siblings do you have?”
“Three brothers and four sisters, plus four cousins. It looks like most of them decided to put in an appearance.”
“And that’s bad?” she asked. She’d be flattered if her father and brothers ever showed up at something she did.
“Hell, yes,” he said.
“I think it’s sweet.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
She should have kept her mouth shut because there was no way to tell him why without revealing her vulnerability. She could only hope he wouldn’t notice. “Because it shows how much they care about you.”
He flushed at little. “Well, it might not mean that. This is a big Baronessa deal, and my dad is the CEO and Nick is the COO. So technically they have to be here.”
Holly glanced again at the group of Joe’s family. They were a city unto themselves, talking and laughing. And he had sisters. And maybe sisters-in-law. She’d always wanted a sister. And she envied him not only the support of his family but also his sisters.
“Why is it so hard to believe they’d want to be here for you?” she asked.
“It’s not. Except the last few years I haven’t been the easiest person to get along with.”
“You?” she asked, surprised.
“You don’t think so.”
“You’ve been… I’m afraid to say it in case you take it the wrong way.”
“You’ll have to take your chances,” he said, moving closer to her. Barely an inch of space separated them.
“I’m not a risk taker,” she admitted, taking a half step back.
“I am,” he said, and the words seemed to surprise him.
She didn’t want to be the only one revealing a weakness. Why didn’t she just make something up? She didn’t have to tell him that he reminded her of a fairy-tale prince. A white knight on a charger who’d ride to her rescue. She didn’t have to say the words out loud. Wouldn’t have to hear them and cringe. Wouldn’t have to acknowledge that he awakened dreams she’d buried deep and hoped to forget about for the rest of her life.
“If I tell you, you owe me an explanation about who I remind you of.”
“Stop stalling,” he said.
She glanced up at him and found him waiting patiently.
“You have been my white knight today,” she said softly.
Before he could speak, Gina came over. “Okay, you two, this is it. Joe, you’ll present the check. Holly, you’ll accept it. Then you’re free to go.”
Holly followed Gina to the front of the store, while Joe stood there. She knew he wanted to say something to her. Maybe it was for the best that he hadn’t. That way she could keep him hidden in her memory as a dream of what could have been.
Three
Holly placed the check from Baronessa carefully in her wallet. Joe’s family had been a little intimidating, almost more than the press, but now everything was over. She could return to being regular old Holly.
Tomorrow morning she’d be back in the bakery and Joe would be back to his life. She’d miss the feminine excitement that Joe had sparked, but apparently fate had given them only this one day.
She hadn’t even had a chance to try her winning flavor, which the Barones had decided to call Heavenly Berry. Holly was impressed with Baronessa’s savvy marketing and PR team. It was easy to see why they were the number one gelato company in the U.S.
She adjusted the strap on her purse and headed toward the door. Leaving without saying goodbye to Joe seemed weird to her, but, then, saying goodbye would be awkward.
She wondered if she could get to the bank before the drive-up teller closed. She glanced at her watch. Not unless traffic was light.
“Got a date?” Joe asked from behind her.
She turned and noticed the crowd had dispersed.
“No. Nothing that exciting. I was trying to decide if I could make it to the bank before it closed.”
His gaze met hers. She’d always thought brown eyes were kind of average, not very exciting, but something about Joe’s eyes made her react. Made her think of deep pools of rich warm chocolate. She licked her lips, sure he’d be just as yummy as the decadent dessert.
“What did you decide?” he asked.
“That the chances are slim.”
“Good.”
“Good?” she asked. Damn, he liked to tease her and she enjoyed it. Too much, she thought, because he made her want to be reckless.
He arched one eyebrow at her. “That’s what I said.”
“Why?” She smiled at him.
“I hoped you’d join me for dinner.”
She swallowed. “You move fast.”
“I wish we could move even faster.”
She didn’t know why, but that line of questioning seemed even more dangerous than his touch. A couple brushed by them to be seated. “We should get out of the way.”
Joe took her arm and led her outside. The late-summer evening was warm and the street traffic in the North End wasn’t too bad considering the hour. The sun lay low on the horizon.
His touch made her remember all the reasons she’d enjoyed his company. And all the reasons she’d been careful not to touch him all day. She didn’t want to have to feel alive in the way only he made her feel.
She took a tiny step away from him, to give herself
