Moments later, he collapsed on top of her, bracing his elbows and knees on the mattress to keep his weight off her.

Holly breathed hard, trying to force air into her lungs. She heard him breathe just as heavily. It took long seconds before Paul lifted his head.

He brushed a blond lock out of her face, a gesture so tender it threatened to push tears to her eyes.

“I think I should make you jealous more often,” he murmured.

“Jealous? I’m not jealous!” she protested instantly, raising her voice.

“Mm-hm,” he hummed, and brushed his lips over hers with a feather-light touch. “Now, be a good girl and kiss me.”

“Or?” she challenged.

He moved his head back by a few inches, so their gazes met. “Or I’m going to have to make love to you all night. And trust me when I tell you that you do not want to have to explain to my mother tomorrow why you’re walking funny.” Paul laughed.

“Paul Gilbert, you’re a rotten son of—”

She didn’t get to continue cursing him, because he lowered his mouth and kissed her. Not hard and fast, but tenderly. And that tenderness robbed her of the will to resist any longer. She slung her arms around his back and caressed his nape. He shivered under her touch.

“Much better,” he murmured, interrupting the kiss.

“Stop talking,” Holly demanded.

“Yes, ma’am.”

21

The smell of coffee greeted him as he entered the kitchen. It appeared that Tara was already up and had made coffee. Not that it was a surprise. After all, he and Holly had slept in, engaging in more pleasurable activities.

Paul turned to Holly, whose hand he was still holding, and pulled her against his chest. “Looks like we don’t have to make breakfast.”

She lifted herself onto her tiptoes. “Coffee hardly qualifies as breakfast.” She leaned in and gave him a peck on the lips.

Before she could withdraw, he’d lifted her up and was kissing her in earnest. Damn, he just couldn’t get enough of her. After making love to her half the night and then again in the morning, he should be sated. Instead, he wanted more. Holly was truly addictive.

If they’d been alone in the house, he would have lifted her onto the kitchen counter and stripped her bare right there. But unfortunately they weren’t alone. He suspected that Tara was sitting out on the terrace enjoying her coffee and could come back into the kitchen at any moment.

“Damn it! I told you to take his hand!” he suddenly heard a very familiar female voice yell from the front of the house.

Paul released Holly and set her back on her feet. He sighed. “So much for a peaceful breakfast. It appears my sister and her brood have arrived.”

The shrill scream coming from a small child nearly pierced his eardrum. And with it, his heart. He’d heard that scream more often than he cared to remember and would recognize it anywhere: His nephew Jonathan was upset again.

“You said you had him!” Quentin’s angry voice yelled back. “I’m dealing with the fucking luggage.”

Jonathan continued to cry, his wail echoing through the entire house.

Holly shot Paul a panicked look. “The child is hurt.”

Paul pulled up one side of his mouth. “I doubt it. Jonathan always screams like that when he can’t get his parents to pay attention to him.” Not that screaming would help the poor child. He motioned to the door to the hallway. “Let me give them a hand before they start fighting.”

Holly raised her eyebrows. “They sound like they’re fighting already.”

“You haven’t seen anything yet. When they really do start fighting, just stay out of the line of fire. Let me warn you: They will fight while they’re here. It’s only a matter of time.”

“Then why do they stay married?”

Paul shrugged. “For the kids, I guess. If you ask me, my sister should have been more careful and not gotten pregnant in the first place.”

Holly suddenly stopped in her approach. “What do you mean?”

“She was crazy in love with Quentin, but their relationship was always rocky. Olivia figured things would change if she got pregnant. So she did. He did the honorable thing and married her, but I can’t see that either of them is all that happy.”

Holly’s face fell. “Oh.”

Paul reached for her hand. “Come. Let me introduce you. And don’t worry about them. It’s their life.”

The moment he stepped into the hallway with Holly in tow, Paul entered chaos. He knew that for the next three days while his sister and her family were visiting, there would be no escaping this. The only way to survive it would be to take it all in stride.