'Now you're conspiring with my mother?'
He stuck his head out of the shower, his hair dripping wet. 'I'll take any ally in your family I can get. If you had a dog, I'd probably try to make friends.'
'This is between you and me,' Keely said.
'Exactly my point.' He stepped back into the shower, then turned up his shower radio until the morning news echoed through the marble-tiled bathroom, ending all conversation between them.
Keely turned and stalked out of the bathroom, then began to gather her clothes and toss them in her overnight bag. Yes, they'd talked about these same things over and over again since Rafe made his marriage proposal. And no, she hadn't made an effort to change the status quo, even though she had accepted his proposal. But that didn't mean she deserved a bloody ultimatum!
She threw her clothes on the bed and walked back to the bathroom, then stepped inside the shower, still wrapped in her silk robe. Reaching over, she shut off the morning business report and turned to him. 'If you really loved me, you'd give me more time.'
'And if you really loved me, you wouldn't need any more time.'
'I'm not going to argue with you anymore,' Keely said. 'You're being unreasonable.' She started out of the shower, but Rafe grabbed her arm and pulled her back beneath the water. He pressed her up against the marble tile, pinning his hips against hers. The silk robe clung to her skin, heightening the sensations of the warm water and his determined touch.
'I can kiss you and peel that wet robe off your naked body and make love to you right here and now. But it's not going to change anything. You won't love me any more than you do at this very moment. So you have to decide. Is that enough?'
'I don't know,' Keely said stubbornly.
'I guess I have my answer then,' he said.
'That's not what I meant.'
His mouth came down on hers in a desperate, almost punishing kiss and his fingers fumbled with her robe. The water poured over them both, washing away the heat of his mouth the moment he moved on to a new spot-her neck, her breast, her belly.
Keely tipped her head back and closed her eyes. She did love him, more than she could have ever imagined. And she was crazy if she thought she'd be able to walk away from this and not regret it for the rest of her life. But her family's objections would weigh heavily on their marriage and Keely wondered if someday the resentments might bubble to the surface. What if her family never accepted him?
He grabbed her legs and drew them up around his waist, then slowly entered her. Weaving her fingers through his wet hair, Keely arched her back as he moved inside her. 'Tell me you can't live without me,' she murmured.
'I won't live without you,' Rafe said, his voice ragged.
Satisfied that she'd proved her point, Keely surrendered herself to her desire. The water continued to rush over them, filling the shower with steam, creating a world where passion was all that mattered. And when he finally exploded inside her, Keely sighed softly, secure in the fact that Rafe was the only man she'd ever truly love.
'Let's go back to bed,' she whispered, teasing at his earlobe with her teeth.
Rafe drew away, gently lowering her legs to the floor of the shower. Then he pressed his forehead against hers, his eyes closed, his jaw tight. 'Go home, Keely. And don't come back here until you've made a decision.' He pushed her out of the shower, then turned up the radio again.
Keely opened her mouth, ready to start the argument anew. But then she shook her head and slowly walked back to the bedroom. They'd just go round and round for another hour and still not solve anything. She wanted more time, and he wasn't willing to give it to her.
Why the hell did she even bother? With Rafe, there was never any compromise. He was completely close- minded when it came to her father and brothers. There were times when she felt as if she were caught in a tug- of-war between them, each side demanding her loyalty and tearing her apart in the process.
'He's had enough?' she muttered as she shoved her clothes in the bag, her temper rising. '
She tugged her jeans on over damp skin, then pulled a sweater over her wet hair. Her watch and engagement ring were sitting on the bedside table. She picked up the watch, but left the ring where it was. She never should have accepted it, at least not until everything had been solved with her family. She wouldn't put it on again until Rafe agreed to be more reasonable.
Keely left the ring where it was, then finished dressing. She grabbed her overnight bag and headed to the door, snatching up her coat and purse on the way out. But before she opened the door, she glanced down at her hand. Wearing the ring had made her feel secure, as if nothing could shake what they shared.
But a ring didn't make their relationship strong. They did-together. Unfortunately, her feelings weren't nearly as black-and-white as Rafe's. It wasn't an all-or-nothing choice for her. Just a few months ago, all she'd had in life was her mother. And now she had a father and six brothers and a fiance who loved her, each one wanting her to be a part of their lives. She shouldn't have to choose.
Keely yanked open the door then headed toward the elevator. When she reached the lobby of Rafe's building, the doorman greeted her. 'Morning, Miss Quinn.'
'Morning,' Keely replied, forcing a bright smile.
'Can I get you a cab?'
'Yes, thank you. I'll be going to South Station to catch the Amtrak.'
The doorman punched in a number on his phone and ordered a cab and Keely sat down on a pretty sofa near the door, peering out into the blizzard to watch for her ride. She fought the temptation to go back up to the apartment and retrieve the ring. In the end, she walked out into the blizzard and hopped into a cab, determined not to give in to her own fears-or Rafe's ultimatum.
As the cab skidded through the snowy streets of downtown Boston, Keely stared out the window at the dismal weather. She always lived her life by impulse, but now that she had something too precious to lose, she was going to take her time. If Rafe loved her, then he would wait. And if he didn't love her, then it was better to find that out now than after a wedding.
KEELY ARRIVED at the trendy Manhattan restaurant ten minutes late. The hostess showed her to the table where Olivia, Amy and Meggie waited. She'd been surprised by the invitation, wondering if the trio had traveled all the way to New York just to have lunch with her or if their invitation had been an afterthought. Olivia insisted they had planned a day of shopping, so Keely had immediately accepted, then suggested a good spot for lunch.
'I'm sorry I'm late,' Keely said as she sat down. She grabbed the linen napkin from her plate and spread it on her lap. 'It took me forever to get a cab. I should have just taken the subway. Have you ordered already?'
'We've just ordered our first bottle of wine,' Olivia said. 'Our lunches tend to go on until the late afternoon. And since we've decided to spend the night in New York, this one might go on well after dark.'
'Have you been doing this for long?' Keely asked, curious about the camaraderie that had formed between the women in her brothers' lives.
Meggie took a sip of her wine. 'It started with Olivia and me. And then when Amy and Brendan got together, we added her to the group. And now that you're a Quinn, we figured you might want to join us, too.'
'What are we celebrating?' Keely asked as Olivia poured her a glass of white wine from a bottle that was nearly empty.
'It's a goodbye lunch for Amy. She and Brendan are leaving for Turkey next week. He's writing a book about something…exciting or important or-'
'An archaeological dig,' Amy said.
'And she's going with him,' Olivia continued. 'They're going to live in a hut in the middle of winter in Turkey. I think she's crazy, she thinks it's romantic, Meggie's just worried whether they'll be able to get good coffee.'
'It won't be so bad,' Amy said. 'And we're only going to be living at the site for a month in May. Before that, we're going to be with the research team in Ankara.'
'How long will you be gone?' Keely asked.
'Three months. We'll be back right before Meggie's wedding in June.'
'That's the real reason we wanted you to join us,' Meggie said. 'My wedding.'
