Since I Fell For You(62)

Lori’s twin Sophie nodded. They were both very pretty, but as different as could be. Lori was loud and always moving, whereas Sophie carefully considered every word before it came out of her mouth and was happy to spend hours curled up with a book. Their nicknames—Naughty and Nice—fit them perfectly. Sophie’s husband Jake had taken their three-year-old twins to put them to bed a while ago.

“Normally,” Sophie said, “you know I’d tell Lori to butt out, but I’m dying to know what’s going on with you and Buck Elroy and your bodyguard. Even Mom is utterly intrigued by your love triangle—aren’t you?”

Mary Sullivan looked a little guilty. “Sorry, honey.”

Mia walked up, curiosity gleaming in her eyes. “Are you grilling Suz about all the men who want her?” When Lori nodded, she turned to Suzanne and said, “I haven’t missed the good stuff, have I? Tell us everything. Seriously, don’t leave anything out.”

Suzanne nearly groaned out loud. “First of all, there’s absolutely nothing going on with Buck. He’s nice, but I’m not interested.”

“Of course you’re not,” Mia said. “I mean, Buck Elroy is a good-looking guy and all, but I swear, I could kill Ford for not letting on that he even knew a bodyguard this exceptionally gorgeous, let alone that Roman was working for you. So…what’s going on with the two of you?”

“All I know,” Suzanne said, “is that I didn’t want him around, but then I kind of did, and then I thought we were getting closer, but he kept pulling back, and then tonight we kissed, and it was the best kiss of my entire life, and—”

“The best kiss of your life?” Lori fanned herself. “I knew it. Look at him.” She wasn’t the slightest bit subtle as she ogled him. But Suzanne figured married, pregnant women could get away with it. “How could he kiss any other way? Which begs the question, what are you doing here with us right now when you could be doing more super-crazy-hot kissing with your super-crazy-hot bodyguard?”

“Because right after we kissed, he apologized for stepping over a line and tried to resign.” Suzanne tried to keep her lips from pulling up into a snarl. “I wouldn’t let him. And I wouldn’t let my brothers fire him either.”

“Brothers.” Lori, Sophie, and Mia sighed the word in unison.

“Don’t even get me started,” Suzanne said, losing the battle to hold back a snarl.

“When you were a little girl,” Mary said, “Alec wouldn’t let you out of his sight. Not to play with his friends or to let you play with yours. He even insisted on being there to drop you off at school and pick you up every day.” She put her hand over Suzanne’s, her fingers still elegant and strong though she was in her seventies. “He wants so badly for you to be happy.”

“I know he does.” Suzanne squeezed her beloved aunt’s hand. If only she could have had a mother like Mary. But she couldn’t go back and change time. No one could. All she could do was keep moving forward, the best way she knew how. “Alec has been the most terrific brother anyone could have. So have Harry and Drake. But what if Roman makes me happy and they refuse to see it?”

Mary pulled her in close, as if she were one of her own daughters. “As long as I’ve known you, you’ve never let anyone stand in your way. Whatever you decide about Roman, I guarantee all of us are going to be behind you one hundred percent. Even your brothers. And if Roman’s kisses are as great as you’re saying…”

Suzanne lifted her fingers to her mouth, which tingled just from the memory of Roman’s kisses. “They are.”

“Good,” Mary said with a wide grin. “As far as I’m concerned, every woman deserves a man who knows his way around a kiss.”

“Amen to that, Aunt Mary,” Mia said as she raised her glass.

And as the other women all joined in the toast, Suzanne gave silent thanks, yet again, that she had the best family in the world.

* * *

Suzanne’s cousins walked back with her and Roman to her father’s house so that she could give Lori a Wild Child rattle toy and Sophie the LEGO Duplo building kits she’d brought for her twins. Lori, predictably, pestered Roman the entire way with invasive questions about his other clients. He was polite, but didn’t divulge anything.

By the time her cousins left, Suzanne realized she was absolutely exhausted. Too tired to keep trying to work out exactly what was going on between her and Roman—and what she wanted to do about it. Yes, she wanted him to be her lover. But even if he could forget his rules about client/bodyguard relations long enough to make love to her, would one sinfully hot night with Roman come anywhere close to being enough?