Olivia a smile that made promises and threats at the same time.
After that, Tony did his best to deflect the kids from her. Olivia understood his reasoning, but no one else did. And all in all, everyone accepted her. They attempted to make her a part of their family, and for the short while it could last, Olivia loved it. Every few minutes, someone stood to check on the sleeping infant, whose crib they could see in the family room through the archway. The men took more turns than the women did, and Olivia saw that Tony, more than anyone, was interested in peeking in on the little one.
Olivia was being smothered by the sense of familial camaraderie. As welcoming as they all were, she felt like an interloper. And when she spied the pile of gaily wrapped birthday presents in the corner, she knew she couldn’t stay.
She excused herself, asking directions to the powder room, then quickly located a phone. It happened to be in Tony’s bedroom, or so she assumed judging from the open closet door and the lingering scent of his cologne…and his body. Again, she found herself breathing deeply, then shook her head and forced her mind to clear. She perched on the side of the bed to call for a cab.
She was still sitting there minutes later when Tony found her.
CHAPTER FOUR
TONY SLIPPED INTO THE room and quietly closed the door. Olivia looked up and their gazes touched, hers wide, his narrowed. He crossed his arms over his chest and kept his voice very low. “Hiding?”
“What do you think?”
“No. I don’t think you’d hide. So what are you doing?”
Olivia came to her feet, feeling like a fool, like a sneaky fool. But she refused to be intimidated. “I called a cab. I think it’s past time I went home.”
Tony didn’t say anything at first, just leaned back against the door. Then he closed his eyes and groaned. “You’re going to make me wait another day, aren’t you, Olivia?”
Her heartbeat jumped at the husky way he said that, and at the restrained hunger she heard in his tone. “This…this isn’t the right time, Tony. You know that. Right now, I feel equal parts ridiculous and embarrassed.”
His gaze pinned her, hot and intent. “I could make you forget your hesitation real fast, honey.”
I’ll just bet you could. It wasn’t easy, but Olivia shook her head. “If I leave now, they might not suspect anything—”
“Olivia, they saw me kissing your breast. I think they’re already a bit suspicious.”
She felt the blood pound in her veins, but kept her gaze steady. “You weren’t kissing my breast.”
“I wanted to be.”
Olivia curled her hands into fists and tried to calm her breathing. “They might decide that was just a temporary loss of control if I leave now. If I stay until they’re all gone, they’ll assume we’re spending the night together, and that’s what we wanted to avoid.” She gentled her tone and asked, “No speculation, no gossip. No scandals. Remember?”
“Yeah, but—”
A knock sounded at the door, and John’s jovial voice called out, “Everything okay in there?”
Tony closed his eyes, a look of annoyance etched in his features. “I’m going to kill him.”
Olivia thought she might help.
“We’ll be out in just a second, John. And if you dare knock on the damn door again, I’m going to knock on you.”
“Hey! I just wanted to tell you they’re ready to cut the cake.”
“So you told me. Now disappear, will you?”
Olivia rubbed her forehead, knowing she’d fumbled again, that she’d only made matters worse. Good grief, Tony’s brother was fetching them from the bedroom. “How that man produced such a beautiful, sweet baby, I don’t know.”
To her surprise, Tony laughed. “John’s all right. Believe me, if he understood the situation, he wouldn’t be hassling me.”
“No?”
Tony slowly shook his head, then went to her and pulled her against his chest. “No. He’d be sympathetic as hell.” He tilted her head back and growled, “I want you, Olivia.”
Her stomach curled at his words. “Tomorrow?”
Tony placed damp kisses across her cheek, her throat. He touched the corner of her mouth with his tongue. “Early? You’re not going to make me wait until evening, are you?”
Olivia thought she might agree to anything with him stroking her back and kissing her so softly. “Where?”
“Hell, I don’t know. But I’ll think of something before morning, okay? I’ll pick you up. About ten o’clock?”
“That’ll be fine.” She forced herself to forget how sensual and romantic everything seemed with Tony, and to concentrate on their purpose. She had to keep in mind that this was temporary, that Tony didn’t really want her, not for keeps. He only wanted to use her, just as she would use him. “I don’t want you to worry, Tony. We still have time. I’m supposed to be very fertile for the next couple of days.”
She’d barely finished with the words before he was giving her a real kiss, his tongue moving against her own, his teeth nipping. It was a kiss meant to last her through the night. Unfortunately she could still feel the heat in her cheeks when she was forced to walk back into the dining room. She was grateful that the lights had been turned out, and the candles on the cake were lit. She saw John standing by the light switch and knew he was responsible for the darkness. John gave Tony a wink, and Olivia decided he might not be so bad after all.
Kate’s two girls, Angie and Allison, ages four and five, fought over who could sing the loudest during the requisite “Happy Birthday,” and John’s son, six-year-old Luke, wanted to cut and serve the cake. Though Olivia explained that she had to leave, they all insisted she eat a piece of cake first and enjoy a scoop of ice cream. Olivia couldn’t remember the last time she’d had, or attended, a birthday party. It might have been fun today if she’d actually been a part of it, rather than a reluctant intruder.
She didn’t want anyone to know she’d called a cab. She thought it might seem less awkward if everyone thought she was driving herself home, so she had her coat on and her purse in her hand when she saw the cab’s lights coming down the long driveway. To her surprise, the kids all wanted to give her hugs goodbye, the parents all uttered enthusiastic wishes to see her again soon, and to her chagrin, Tony’s mother invited her to Thanksgiving dinner. Olivia muttered a lame, “Thank you, but I’ll have to see,” along with something about a busy schedule, and then she rushed out the door, wanting only to escape the onslaught of emotions. Tony caught her on the last step of the porch.
“I’m sorry, Olivia. I know this wasn’t easy for you.” He glanced at the cab and cursed. “I should be driving you home.”
“I don’t mind the cab, Tony, and you can’t very well leave your own birthday party.”
He reached for his wallet, and she narrowed her eyes. “What
