The Marcelli Bride

He dropped his hand, grabbed his iced tea, and walked away. She was left alone in the kitchen, shaken, aroused, and confused as hell.

Darcy sat in front of the window, doing her best to draw the vineyard. The problem was her view was limited by a couple of large trees. As much as she would like to walk outside and find the perfect spot for an afternoon of drawing, she wasn’t sure she was willing to put up with the security entourage that would accompany her. Their silent but very real presence wouldn’t do much for her creativity.

Before she could decide if the pain was worth the price, someone knocked on the door. Before she could say anything, it burst open and Mia bounced into the room.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” the younger Marcelli said as she jumped onto the bed and stretched out. “It’s very exciting. I’m the youngest. You knew that, right? Mom made one last attempt to have a son, and I came along. They’ve hidden their disappointment pretty well. And now they adore me, so they’re stuck, right? Plus they have Joe. So, you’re here. Wow. How are you adjusting? Was it too horrible being kidnapped? I’ll bet you were brave. You look like the brave type. I would have screamed and begged and really embarrassed myself, I just know it. Do you like having Secret Service agents all around? I met Alex. He’s hunky.” She glanced around, as if checking that they were alone, then lowered her voice. “Do you, like, get to have sex with the agents? Is that too personal? Should I wait a couple of days before asking that?”

Darcy put down her pencil and stared at her visitor. “Honest to God, I have no idea what to say to you.”

Mia tucked her hands behind her head and beamed. “I know. I often have that effect on people, but they love me anyway.”

“I can only imagine.”

Mia sat up. “They searched the car. I turned into the driveway, and these men appeared from nowhere. They had guns and ordered me to stop. I had to show them ID, then they searched the car. I think they were looking for a bomb or something. Then they said we could drive up to the house but not to get out of the Jeep until we were instructed to. It’s like being in a spy movie. And the worst part is I can’t tell anyone. That seriously sucks.”

Darcy felt as if she could barely catch her breath. She’d thought that Brenna was high energy, but Brenna had nothing on Mia.

“I guess I can talk about it with Ian,” Mia continued. “Of course I can’t talk to him about Alex.” She grinned. “You didn’t answer my question about sex with the agents, did you?”

“No. And that’s my answer. No. Haven’t, wouldn’t, don’t want to.”

“But he’s very hunky.”

“Maybe. I can’t imagine him naked, though. He’s too uptight.”

Mia sighed and flopped back on the bed. “Oh, I can clearly see him naked, and it’s a very nice picture, let me tell you. Yum.” She raised her head. “You know I’m just playing, right? I say a lot of stuff to make people nervous, but I don’t really mean it. Ian and I are together-at least for now. I wouldn’t cheat on him or anything.”

“I’m sure Alex will be relieved to hear that.”

Mia grinned. “You’re not going to tell him are you?”

“Nope. Let him suffer.”

“Good. So what do you think of us?”

“I like the family,” Darcy said and meant it. “Everyone has made me feel really welcome.”

“We’re like that. The Grands are so cool, and my folks are, too. Are Grammy M and Grandma Tessa still not talking?”

“They don’t seem to get along.”

“I hate that.” Mia scooted around so her head was at the foot of the bed, then she flopped over onto her stomach. “I wish they’d make up. But they’re both so stubborn. Maybe having Joe here will help. They adore him. We all do. Not that he’s so crazy about us.”

The bright light in her eyes faded. “Have you heard how he came to be here?”

“I know that he was given up for adoption and then found years later.”

“Yeah. It’s totally horrible that my mom had to do that. Now Joe’s here, but he’s not a part of us, you know. He won’t let anyone get close. I make him crazy, which is fun, but it’s not the same as being, you know, emotionally intimate. Brenna’s the one he gets along with the best, but he holds back from everyone. He doesn’t have a girlfriend.”

She paused expectantly.

Darcy did her best to look innocent. “Oh. Should I be taking notes?”

Mia giggled. “No, but are you interested?”

“I barely know the man.”

“What does that matter?”

“Amazingly enough, it matters to me.”

“Oh, well. Maybe next time. You should think about it, though. I’ll bet he’s great in bed.” Mia wrinkled her nose. “You know, I don’t think I can talk about Joe’s sex life. As intriguing as it would be, he’s my brother, and there’s a serious ick factor.”

“I’m sure your family will be delighted to know you have limits.”

Mia sat up. “I don’t want limits. But there it is. The thought of my brother having sex is gross. So if you guys do it, I don’t want to know.”

Darcy made an X over her heart. “My lips will be sealed.”

“He’s probably gorgeous,” Mia added thoughtfully. “Joe naked. I wonder if he has any scars, you know, from wounds and stuff.”

There was a noise in the hall. Both Darcy and Mia turned toward the open door. Joe stood there. Darcy couldn’t read the expression on his face, but it seemed to be an intriguing combination of horror and fear.

Mia sighed. “He heard the naked part,” she said in a mock whisper.

Darcy did her best not to laugh. “Possibly even the sex part.” She cleared her throat. “Hi, Joe. We were just talking about you.”

Joe’s dark gaze locked with her own. For a second, she would have sworn he’d vowed payback. Then he turned on his heel and left.

Mia started to laugh. Darcy joined in. She laughed until tears filled her eyes and she could barely breathe. Until that minute she would have said getting kidnapped was one of the worst things that had ever happened to her, but suddenly, she wondered if maybe it hadn’t been so bad after all.

7

Darcy was up early because, well, not sleeping had a way of making a person face the dawn. She stood at her bedroom window, watching pale light creep across the vineyards. Suddenly her fingers itched for a pencil. She wanted to capture the moment, the changing light, the way the dew sparkled on the leaves.

She would never make it as an artist, she acknowledged, pulling on jeans and a T-shirt, then quickly brushing her hair. It was the reason she’d studied graphic arts and advertising in college. But not having an abundance of talent didn’t stop her from wanting to capture the world with a quick sketch on a perfect morning.

She collected her supplies, then quietly made her way downstairs. The house was still. Reasonable, normal people wouldn’t be up for at least another hour. Which meant she could sneak outside and enjoy the morning in solitude.

As the thought formed, she felt a tendril of fear snake along her spine. Did she want to be alone? Was it safe?

“Not going there,” Darcy muttered. She pushed the questions away, along with the chill, and focused on the chance to just be for an hour or so.

But when she stepped outside, she saw an unfamiliar Secret Service agent in a car by the back door. He got out of the car as soon as he saw her.

“Morning, Ms. Jensen.”