Kissing Under The Mistletoe (The Sullivans #10)(22)

The risks he took on the racetrack seemed a hell of lot more dangerous than the ones he took in the garage working on his computers but, the truth was, it was the other way around. Those risks were minuscule by comparison considering that he’d already given up ten years of his life for a risky dream.

And yet, as Mary’s laughter moved through him, Jack finally understood that the stakes had never been this high.

Not only was his dream on the line…but it seemed his heart was, too.

Jack had done some serious thinking over the weekend. Thinking, after all, was what he’d always done best. He should have been thinking about the launch of the Pocket Planner. He should have been hunkered down over shipping schedules with Larry. He should have been going over distribution and sales outlets with Howie. He should have been approving final ad campaign plans.

The very last thing that Jack should have been focusing on when they were in the final lap of a dream that had been ten years in the making was a woman.

He had always had to fit women and relationships into the few spare slots of time and attention he had available. He’d never even come close to thinking about “forever” or love. He’d treated the women he’d taken out well, but work had always come first.

But Mary was no ordinary woman.

Of course, it was perfectly natural to look at a woman like her and want her. But was it natural to only be able to think of her? To remember every flavor of sugar and spice on her lips as he’d kissed her? To keep feeling the silky softness of her skin as he’d stroked her cheek? To hear continued echoes of the sweet sound of pleasure she’d made when he’d taken their kiss deeper?

What’s more, when she’d told him about her severed relationship with her mother, he’d thought of his own mother and how much she meant to him. He wished he could do something to help Mary gain back what she was so sure she’d lost.

As if she could hear his impassioned thoughts, Mary suddenly looked over her shoulder and saw him. He saw her eyes flare and her skin flush with what he hoped was a desire that matched his own.

Jack hadn’t been able to forget the yearning in Mary’s eyes when she’d asked him for one more kiss. Lord, all he’d wanted was to lift her into his arms and take her back to her bedroom and make love to her all night long. But she’d been so earnest in the diner when she’d asked him to be patient, and he intended to respect that which was so clearly important to her. Still, that hadn’t stopped him from stealing one more kiss before he’d made himself leave.

Now, Jack badly wanted to steal another kiss. He wished they could forget all about business. He longed to pull her into his arms and bury his hands in her hair as he drank in her scent, her softness and the sweet sounds she made when she melted against him.

But just as he’d been trying to remind himself all weekend, this was neither the time nor the place for wooing her.

“Gerry,” she said to the photographer, “come meet Jack Sullivan.”

Mary looked perfectly poised, but he didn’t think he’d imagined the slight hitch in her voice as she’d said his name. Maybe he hadn’t been the only one tied up in knots this weekend….

He held out his hand to the slim man with the bright green eyes. “Thank you so much for agreeing to work with us on such short notice, Gerry.”

The photographer sized Jack up as they shook hands. “I’ve never been able to say no to Mary.”

Jack knew exactly how he felt. There were a dozen questions he should have asked Gerry about the shoot. Instead, he turned back to Mary. “Did the girls get home all right on Friday night?”

“It was closer to Saturday morning,” she said with a little shake of her head, “but apart from leaving a string of broken hearts throughout San Francisco, they came back safe and sound.”

Gerry was looking between Jack and Mary with raised eyebrows when the studio door burst open and Howie and Larry came in with Allen on their heels.

“You’re more gorgeous than ever,” Allen said as he kissed Mary once on each cheek. “I’m afraid I can’t stay, but I wanted to wish you luck, my dear, and thank you again for being a part of our product launch.”

Mary introduced everyone to Gerry, then excused herself from the group to go and take care of putting the finishing touches on her hair and makeup.

Jack and his partners were sitting on the folding chairs at the back of the set when Mary walked back out fifteen minutes later. Jack’s heart nearly stopped beating in his chest as he drank her in. She was dressed in casual black slacks and a soft red sweater that skimmed over her curves. She had put on just enough makeup to highlight her features in a beautifully elegant and simple way.

The campaign they’d decided on was simple and direct. Mary was not going to play a role for the camera. Rather, she was going to let the buying public know, via both still shots and a live-action commercial that they’d be shooting later that week, that she used the Pocket Planner and loved it. The set today looked a great deal like her actual living room and kitchen, and Jack realized it was because she’d brought in some things from home. A pretty blue-and-white vase of flowers. A sculpture of a dancing girl. A bowl of fresh fruit.

As she displayed their invention for the camera, Jack was impressed all over again. She worked nonstop for hours, not just in front of the camera but behind it, as well, as she assisted Gerry with his lighting and props. When Larry and Howie started grumbling about food and drink, Jack suggested they head out to pick up something for everyone. At the same time, Jack could see the faint lines of fatigue beginning to appear at the corners of Mary’s eyes and mouth while Gerry changed cameras.