It Must Be Your Love (The Sullivans #11)(60)

Because it was a warm night, she was wearing a cream-colored halter dress that left her gorgeous shoulders bare and hugged her curves. Regardless of how good the pizza or movie was, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to do anything but stare at her all night long.

As she walked toward him in strappy heels that made her legs look like they went on forever, she said, “I think you look great, too.” And then she gave him a soft, sweet kiss that rocked his world all over again.

Last night it had been a big deal when she’d kissed him backstage in Oregon, even though he knew that no one among his crew would talk publicly about the two of them. But this was the first time she’d ever kissed or touched him intimately in a truly public space.

“I called in our order fifteen minutes ago, so the pizza should be ready for us to pick up.” She studied him in his ball cap and nondescript dark jeans and shirt. “Do you want to hide out at my place while I go get it so you don’t create mass hysteria on the street?”

It was probably a good idea, but he badly wanted to see if she’d hold his hand in public. He knew he was being greedy, that the kiss should be enough. But it wasn’t. Not even close.

He wanted all of her, heart and soul.

And he wanted it as soon as possible.

“I’m willing to risk it if you are.”

“Now that you own a house here, I suppose people are going to have to get used to seeing you around town,” she said with a shrug. “Why not start tonight?”

When she didn’t take his hand as they walked outside, but she also didn’t purposely avoid being seen with him in public, Ford reminded himself about what an improvement that was compared to where they’d been even a few days ago.

“Looks like you’ve been busy today,” she said as she pointed to a newspaper stand with his face on the cover.

Just then, a large man jostled her as he rushed by and when she stumbled in her heels, Ford was glad for the excuse to put his arms around her.

“I’ve got you.”

In the middle of the crowded sidewalk, she didn’t immediately pull away, but stood there with her hands pressed flat on his chest. “You really mean that, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

But words weren’t enough. He needed to kiss her, even if it wasn’t fair to push her into a public declaration like this. Ford had reached his limit of self-control this morning at exactly the same time she had, and now it seemed there was no way of getting that control back.

He could nearly taste the hint of mint on her lips when a crisp—and very familiar—voice said, “Rutherford, what a coincidence this is.”

Despite the fact that Mia’s hands were still on him, he couldn’t stop himself from stiffening. She looked up at him in confusion, then to the well-dressed couple standing in the entry to an expensive looking restaurant.

“My parents are here.”

She looked back and forth between the three of them. “Those are your parents?” she asked in an incredulous voice.

As he nodded, he wondered, what were the odds that these people wouldn’t just ruin his childhood, but they’d somehow find a way to screw up his future, too? Because with Mia still on the fence about being with him, meeting his parents certainly wasn’t going to help his case any. Not when she’d actually see the genes that would pass through to the kids he wanted to have with her. He’d described his childhood to her, but it was much worse for her to actually see it for herself.

He was bracing himself when Mia slid her hand into his and smiled up at him. “I’ve got you, too.”

They were just four simple words. But they instantly changed everything.

* * *

Mia knew there had to be a family resemblance between Ford and his parents, but she honestly couldn’t see it. They were so starched-up and pinched looking, whereas he was so comfortable in his skin.

“Catherine. Lance. This is Mia Sullivan.” He didn’t say he was glad to see them, and neither did they to him.

“Hello.” She reached out to shake their hands, even though they hadn’t yet offered them.

They didn’t leave her hanging, but they didn’t look particularly impressed with her, either, in her cute little dress with her hair up in a ponytail and artsy cut-glass earrings on instead of pearls or diamonds. She was sure they still had dreams of seeing their son with a perfectly bred girl from the Junior League, not a woman like her who had grown up in a middle-class family...and who had begged their son just hours ago to let her have at his glorious erection.

His mother turned cool eyes back to him. “How are you, Rutherford?”

God, Mia thought, it was like watching distant acquaintances meeting on the street who felt they needed to exchange pleasantries. She squeezed Ford’s hand to remind him that he wasn’t in this alone.

He smiled down at her, and she was glad to see the spark leap in his dark eyes before he turned back to his mother. “Everything is great, thanks. What about you guys?”

His father’s brows came down over his eyes at the casual way Ford spoke to them. Clearly, Lance Vincent had been bred and trained for another kind of response entirely. “We are well, thank you. Seattle has become quite the art scene, and we’re here to solidify a few acquisitions for your mother’s gallery.” He looked slightly uncomfortable as he added, “This meeting is extremely fortuitous, as one of our main local investors has informed us that he enjoys your music. I’m sure he would like to meet you, if you would come inside with us.”