Truly Madly Yours

do no wrong.”

Delaney looked over her shoulder and watched Saint Nick with his harem of females make their way up the dock. He handed a large paper sack to Sophie, and she and her friends took off toward a picnic table on the beach. In his loose green tank top, battered Levi’s with the large three-corner tear above the right knee, and rubber flip- flops, he looked like he’d just gotten out of bed. Delaney’s gaze moved to the three women. Maybe he had.

“I wonder where he picked them up,” Lisa said, referring to the blond by his side and the two brunettes following close behind. “He was just going to his house to get some fireworks for Sophie.”

“Apparently he picked up more than a few smoke bombs. Who are those women?”

“The blond is Gail something, I don’t know her married name, but her dad was Judge Tanner. The two behind him look like the Howell twins, Lonna and Lanna.”

Delaney remembered Gail Tanner. She’d been several years older than Delaney, and their families had occasionally socialized. She also recognized her as the woman Nick had pick up at Henry’s funeral. The Howell twins she didn’t know. “Gail’s married?”

“Divorced.”

Delaney turned around for a better look. The women wore tight tank tops tucked into jeans. Delaney would have loved to dismiss them as tramps, but she couldn’t. They looked more like centerfolds than hookers. “Did Gail get a boob job? I don’t remember her being that big.”

“A boob job and a little fat sucked out of her butt, too.”

“Hmm.” Delaney’s gaze returned to Nick and the triangle of thigh visible through the tear in his jeans. “Have you seen them do liposuction on TV? Damn, it hurt my buns just thinking about it.”

“It’s disgusting. Looks just like chicken fat.”

“Would you ever have it done?”

“In a second. Would you?”

Delaney looked at her friend as she thought about it. “I don’t think so, but I’ll probably have my breasts lifted when they start to sag past my belly button. Hopefully, that won’t be for twenty more years.” Delaney’s statement drew Lisa’s attention to her chest.

“You always did have pretty good boobs. I never had great boobs, but I have a really nice butt.”

The two women switched their attention to Lisa’s behind.

“Better than mine,” Delaney admitted, then returned her gaze to Nick and the three women making their way across the beach toward the bottom of the stairs leading to the deck. “So, which one is his girlfriend?”

“I don’t know.”

“Probably all three.”

“Probably,” Lisa agreed.

“None of them,” spoke Louie from behind.

Delaney did a mental groan and closed her eyes.

She’d been caught gossiping about Nick. Worse, she’d been caught by Louie. She wondered how long he’d been standing there. She wondered if he’d heard her talking about getting her breasts lifted, but she didn’t dare ask. Slowly she turned to face him, racking her brain for something to say.

Thankfully, Lisa didn’t have the same problem. “Are you sure he isn’t dating the twins?”

“No,” he answered, then announced with a completely serious look on his face, “Nick is a one-woman man.”

Delaney glanced at Lisa and the two of them burst into laughter.

“What’s so funny?” Louie wanted to know. He crossed his arms over his chest, and his dark brows formed one prominent line across his forehead.

“You,” Lisa answered and kissed his firm mouth. “You’re crazy, but that’s what I love about you.”

Louie put an arm around Lisa’s waist and pulled her tight. “I love you, too, alu gozo.”

No one had ever whispered exotic endearments to Delaney-unless she counted “Do me, baby.” No man had ever loved her the way Louie obviously loved Lisa. And no man was likely to, either, as long as she was stuck in Truly with nothing to do but walk dogs. There had to be something better than picking up dog poop. “Do you know who owns the building next to you?”

“You do now.” Louie shrugged. “Maybe your mother. I guess it depends on how everything shakes out in your father’s will.”

“I do?” As she absorbed the news a big smile parted her lips.

“Yep. Henry owned that whole block.”

“Your offices, too?”

“Yep.”

She had a lot to think about and took a step backward. “Well, thanks for having me,” she said, fully intending to beat a retreat before she got within spitting distance of Nick.

“You just got here,” Lisa pointed out. “Stay until after the fireworks. Louie, tell her we want her to stay.”

“Why don’t you stay?” Louie said and took the bota he had hanging from his shoulder and held it toward her.

Great, now she’d look like a baby if she left. She took the pigskin bag from him and asked, “What’s in this?”

“Txakoli.” When she didn’t drink, he added, “Red wine. It’s for special occasions and holidays.”

Delaney lifted the bag and hit her chin with a thin stream of wine before raising it to her mouth. The wine was sweet and very potent, and when she lowered it again, she got wine on her throat. “I guess I should stick to a glass,” she joked and wiped her chin and neck.

From behind, the bota was plucked from her hand. She turned and stared at a wide chest and faded green cotton. Her stomach twisted like a pretzel as she slowly raised her gaze past Nick’s lips to his gray eyes. The Allegrezza boys had a habit of sneaking up on her from behind.

“Open up,” he said.

She tilted her head to one side and stared at him.

“Open up,” he repeated and raised the bota to within several inches of her face.

“What are you going to do if I don’t? Squirt wine all over me?”

He smiled, slow and sensual. “Yes.”

She didn’t doubt him for a moment. The second her mouth opened, wine shot between her parted lips. She watched helpless as Lisa and Louie walked away. She would have followed if she hadn’t been forced to stand very still. Then the stream of wine was gone without leaving so much as a drop anywhere. She swallowed and licked the corner of her mouth. She didn’t say a word.

“You’re welcome.”

The breeze carried the scent of his skin and tossed strands of his thick dark hair about his bare shoulders. He smelled like clean mountain air and dark sensual man. “I didn’t ask for your help.”

“No, but you need a lot of txakoli to kill that bug up your butt.” He leaned back slightly and raised the bota. A red arc filled his mouth, and his throat worked as he swallowed. Fine black hair shadowed his armpit, and for the first time, Delaney noticed the tattoo circling his right biceps. It was a thin wreath of thorns, and the twists and barbs of black ink looked remarkably real against his smooth tan skin. He lowered the bag and sucked a bead of wine from his lower lip. “Were you going to run me over the other day, wild thing?”

She tried not to react. “Don’t call me that, please.”

“What? Wild thing?”

“Yes.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t like it.”

Nick didn’t give a damn what she liked. She’d tried to run him over, no doubt about it. He slid his gaze down the curves of her body as he screwed the cap onto the spout of the bota. “I guess that’s too bad.” The second he’d stepped foot on the deck, he’d noticed her, and not just because she wore a turtleneck and green leather vest when everyone else had dressed for summer. It was her hair. The setting sun caught all those different shades of red and set them ablaze.