The Sassy One

by Susan Mallery

  “Has anyone contacted him?” she asked.

  “We never thought there was a need,” Grandpa Lorenzo said.

  Francesca stared at him. “This isn’t about need, it’s about family. You have a grandson out there. We have a brother. My parents have a son. Does that matter to you?”

  “We weren’t sure,” Colleen said quietly. “We didn’t want to interfere with his life. We didn’t know if he would be interested in hearing from us.”

  We didn’t know if he would forgive us.

  Her mother didn’t speak the words, but then she didn’t have to. Everyone heard them.

  Katie clutched Zach’s hand. “Why didn’t you tell us before?” she asked.

  Their father shrugged. “There was never a good time.”

  Katie started to protest, then stopped. Francesca wondered if she was thinking about the secrets each of them kept from the family. Katie had had secrets about her broken engagement all those years ago. Francesca had never confessed the truth about the state of her marriage to Todd, and Brenna… Francesca studied her twin. What secrets did Brenna keep?

  “We need some time to absorb all this,” Francesca said. “I think we should let the subject drop for a couple of days and talk about it again at Sunday brunch.”

  Katie nodded. “I agree. This is no longer just your issue. We all have a stake in what happens now.”

  Grandpa Lorenzo glared at her. “Be quiet,” he ordered. “You are not the head of this family.”

  “You’re right, Grandpa,” Brenna said. “You’re the head of the family, and in this matter you’ve done a real lousy job.”

  Grandpa Lorenzo sputtered, but before he could say anything, Brenna stood. Francesca rose as well, followed by Katie. The three sisters moved to stand next to each other.

  “We decide together,” Francesca said, facing her parents. “Agreed?”

  “Yes,” her father said. “We’ll talk on Sunday. We’ll decide as a family.”

  Katie led them out of the living room. By silent agreement they didn’t talk until they were upstairs in the old bedroom Francesca and Brenna had shared. The room Brenna had returned to when her marriage had ended. They sat on the two beds and stared at one another.

  “Happy Fourth of July,” Brenna said grimly.

  Francesca touched her arm. “Are you okay?”

  “Not even close. You?”

  “In shock.”

  “Me, too,” Katie said. She flopped back on the bed. “Why on earth didn’t they say something ages ago?”

  “That’s what I want to know,” Brenna said.

  “You’re upset,” Francesca said, eyeing her twin.

  Brenna shook her head. “What I am is screwed. It was bad enough to find out that Grandpa Lorenzo was thinking of selling the winery. I figured I might still have a shot because he wouldn’t want strangers on the land. But if there’s an heir floating around out there somewhere, I don’t have a prayer.”

  Francesca wanted to offer some words of comfort, but she didn’t know what to say. Everything had changed, and she had a bad feeling their lives would never return to normal again.

  • • •

  It was a perfect summer’s day, but Francesca couldn’t summon the enthusiasm even to open the drapes. Instead she curled up on the sofa, her legs pulled to her chest, her forehead resting on her knees.

  How had everything changed so completely in such a short period of time? One minute she’d been well on her way to achieving her goals while dating a terrific guy who not only made her see stars in bed, but who wasn’t interested in marriage or forever. The next she was pregnant, unsure how to tell Sam, and suddenly had a long-lost brother who could inherit the winery and break her sister’s heart.

  There were also all the subtleties that went along with the new circumstances. Things like the logistics of being pregnant and having a child, how to tell her family, how to tell Sam. What to tell Sam. That her parents had lied to her and her sisters for years, that Mia had to be told, and that while she didn’t want anything like a commitment or a permanent relationship with Sam, she couldn’t help wishing he were with her right now. She could use a good hug.

  She sighed softly and shook her head. No point in wishing for the moon, she told herself. It was a perfectly good Saturday afternoon. He was probably taking Kelly sailing or to the beach or for a drive along the coast. Or pulling his hair out because Kelly was driving him crazy. Whatever the circumstances, he wouldn’t be thinking about his sometime bed partner, except in the context of being grateful that he hadn’t committed to her or her insane family.

  This line of thought wasn’t making her feel any better. “So think about something else,” she told herself.

  Like what? That she hadn’t had any symptoms of her pregnancy, but that didn’t make it any less real? That she had to get to a doctor and start taking vitamins or something? And didn’t she need to be drinking lots of milk to get her calcium?

  A knock on the door interrupted her musings. She straightened and rose. It was Brenna, she told herself as she walked to the door. No doubt her sister wanted to talk about what had happened with—

  It was Sam.

  Francesca stared at him. He smiled.

  “I thought you might need a friend,” he said.

  He looked good. Too good. Shorts, a T-shirt, and slightly mussed hair. Staring at him made her throat get all sore and her eyes burn. She had a bad feeling she was thirty seconds from bursting into tears.

  She stepped back to let him in.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  She nodded and swallowed. “Thanks for coming by. That was really nice.”

  “I couldn’t stop thinking about what happened last night at the party. I wanted to make sure you’d survived the bombshell.”

  She motioned to the sofa, then crossed to the window, where she opened the blinds and let the morning sun spill into the small room.

  “I’m still processing information,” she admitted as she sat next to Sam and angled toward him. “I can’t believe I have a brother, that he’s been alive for all these years and my parents never mentioned it.”

  His mouth twisted. “I know all about parental secrets,” he muttered.

  She wanted to protest that her parents hadn’t acted at all like his mother, but she supposed there were some similarities.

  She told him what her parents had shared with her. “I guess that once they gave him up for adoption, they tried to move on.” She shrugged. “But honestly, I can’t decide if not telling us about him was for our good or theirs.”

  “I hate the lies,” Sam said.

  Francesca shivered. She was currently sitting on a really big secret of her own. She would tell Sam—she not only had to, she wanted to. It was a matter of timing. She wanted things to be more stable with Kelly, and honestly, she wanted a little more time with Sam. She knew that as soon as she came clean, nothing was ever going to be the same.

  Was it so wrong to want a few more days of him liking her?

  Before she could answer, he slid toward her and pulled her close. She snuggled against his warm body and let herself relax.

  “I didn’t mean to run out on you last night,” he said. “I figured you needed family time, not guests.”

  “It was fine. We sort of all abandoned the party to have it out with our parents. Thank goodness my mom always has a staff in charge of events like that. We know our guests got fed and that someone started the fireworks.” She glanced at him. “The ones in the sky, not the verbal ones.”

  “Kelly and I went down to the pier to watch the fireworks,” he said. “She stayed pretty normal the whole time, which was nice. I think hearing your family argue shocked her.”

  “If she brings it up, you might want to tell her that we’re just like everyone else. We get mad and we get over it. My grandfather likes to throw people out of the family for weeks at a time. Eventually all is forgiven and life returns to normal. At least as normal as we get.”

  Sam
kissed the top of her head. “I wish there was something I could do.”

  “I appreciate that. But to quote someone we both know, you didn’t sign up for this kind of trouble.”

  He looked at her. “Francesca, you’ve been the only life raft I’ve had to cling to these days. If you hadn’t been around when Kelly showed up, I don’t know what would have happened.”

  His words made her smile. “Thanks.”

  “That’s my point. So now it’s my turn. I want to help. I might not know much about raising kids or extended families, but I’m in security. I have access to some interesting databases. I’m sure I could find your brother.”

  She drew back so she could stare at him. “You know how to do that?”

  He grinned. “I’m the best.”

  “And modest.” She considered the offer. “Let me check with my parents, before I tell you for sure, but I can’t imagine they wouldn’t want to get in touch with him. Now that he’s not a secret, he should be a part of the family.” She touched his cheek. “I don’t know how to thank you.”

  He shrugged. “You don’t have to.” His tawny gaze locked with hers. “You know what? I think we’ve changed the rules.”

  She swallowed. He couldn’t have guessed about her pregnancy, could he? “In what way?”

  “Our uncomplicated, monogamous, sex-only relationship has evolved into a friendship.”

  Oh. “I know.”

  “You okay with that?”

  “Yes.” Right up until he went ballistic when he found out about the baby.

  “Me, too.” He leaned forward and brushed his mouth against hers. “More than okay.”

  She felt the exact moment the tender kiss became passionate. Heat flared and his hug tightened slightly. Low in her belly, muscles tensed.

  Despite the trauma, the questions, the knowledge that she was going to have to come clean, she couldn’t help responding to Sam’s closeness, his touch. There was a whisper of guilt, but she pushed it away with the promise that she would tell the truth in a few days. Just a few days of him still liking her, wanting her, and everything being the same between them.

  “Francesca,” he breathed as he slid his hand down her back to her hip, then up to her breast. “Am I pushing you with this?”

  His question filled her with warmth. Not the heat of passion but the comforting protection of tender concern.

  Instead of answering directly, she covered his hand with hers and squeezed. His fingers closed around her breast.

  “My bed is smaller than yours,” she murmured. “That means we’re going to have to be a lot closer. I hope you don’t mind.”

  He sighed heavily, then pressed his mouth to her neck. “The sacrifices I make to satisfy you.”

  “Every one of them is appreciated.”

  He licked and kissed his way down to her collarbone. She arched her head back, giving him room, encouraging his attentions. At the same time he cupped her breasts and rubbed his thumbs against her sensitive, tight nipples.

  The contact was exquisite. Fire roared through her, melting her from the inside out. Her panties were already damp, her body swollen. She wanted and needed with a fierceness that matched the first time they’d been together. Somehow she would have thought that intensity would fade some with time, but it hadn’t.

  When he tugged at the hem of her T-shirt, she helped him. She was the one who unfastened her bra and pulled it off. Sam dipped his head and drew her sensitive nipples into his mouth.

  The sensual tugging made her catch her breath. She clutched at his head.

  “Don’t stop,” she gasped as her body clenched in pleasure.

  Even as he continued to caress her breasts, he dropped his hands to her hips and urged her to straddle him. She moved over him, then settled her dampness against his thick erection.

  Even through the layers of his clothing, she felt the pulsing need of his arousal. He wanted her as much as she wanted him. His rapid breathing told her, as did the urgency in his hands as he squeezed her and drew her closer. Suddenly he pulled away.

  “Condom,” he gasped.

  Her first thought was that they didn’t need to bother. Her second was there were other reasons to be protected. Her third was that she didn’t want to have that conversation right now.

  Fortunately their decision to become lovers had propelled her to the drugstore, where she’d bought a box of protection. Just in case Sam ever visited.

  “Get naked,” she said as she stood and hurried into her bedroom. She found the box in her nightstand and tore it open. Clutching a condom in her hand, she returned to the living room, where she found a very undressed Sam sprawled on her sofa.

  She slowed as she took in the broad chest, flat belly, and impressive erection. Pausing only to slip out of her shorts and briefs, she tossed him the package, then waited until he had sheathed himself before straddling him again.

  They resumed their positions, his mouth on her breast, her hands on his shoulders, his hands on her hips. But this time when she lowered herself, he slipped inside of her.

  Her body shivered in pleasure, as the familiar stretching, tensing, filling brought her to the edge. That, combined with the gentle tugging of his mouth on her nipples, made her want to scream. It was too much and she never wanted any of it to stop.

  “Oh, Sam,” she breathed as she raised and lowered herself. She wrapped her arms around his neck and tried to hang on to control. It would just be too embarrassing to come this quickly.

  But she couldn’t stop herself. Everything felt too good.

  The hands on her hips urged her to go faster and faster still. Friction increased, as did tension. And then she would have done anything, said anything, because when her body convulsed into perfect release she could only ride him, crying out his name until he stiffened and lost himself in his own orgasm.

  The waves of pleasure slowed, receded, then faded. She leaned back, just as he looked at her. Neither of them smiled, neither of them spoke. The connection between them lingered, growing in the silence until she wanted to crawl inside of Sam and be as much a part of him as his heart or his blood.

  She didn’t know what the feelings meant, and they scared the crap out of her. Still, when he rubbed his thumb against her mouth and asked if she would like to spend the day with him and Kelly, she could only nod mutely and hold him close.

  • • •

  Kelly sat in the front seat of the truck and glanced at Francesca from under her lashes. Francesca had been quiet all morning. While she always claimed not to be a morning person, she’d never been this out of it before.

  “Are you, um, okay?” she asked at last.

  Francesca glanced at her and offered a sad smile. “Sorry. I have a lot on my mind.”

  Kelly thought about the angry conversation she’d overheard at the Fourth of July party nearly a week before.

  “Is your family fighting?” She shifted uncomfortably. “I wasn’t trying to spy or anything, I just—” She sighed. “You know. We sort of heard.”

  Francesca nodded. “I’m guessing everyone heard. Things got a little loud.” Her grip on the steering wheel tightened. “We’re okay now, but things were a little shaky for a couple of days.”

  Kelly wanted to ask more, but knew it wasn’t polite. Normally being polite wasn’t a high priority, but she liked Francesca and was really trying.

  “My folks started dating while they were still in high school,” Francesca said. “Neither set of parents approved.”

  “Why?” Kelly asked. “Everybody in your family loves each other.”

  “That’s what I thought. Apparently things were different before. Back then they faced a lot of disapproval. They refused to break up and started dating secretly. Then my mom got pregnant.”

  Kelly caught her breath. “Wow. Her mom and dad must have been really mad.”

  Francesca smiled. “I doubt they were happy. They ended up sending my mom away to a special place for pregnant girls. After she had her baby, he w
as given up for adoption. That was thirty years ago. We’ve been talking about the situation, and we’ve decided we’re going to try to find him and bring him back into the family. Your dad offered to help with that. Apparently security experts can also find people.”

  Kelly was less impressed by her father’s abilities than what Francesca’s parents had done. “They gave their baby away?” She knew people did that sort of thing. Of course they did. But she’d never known anyone who was adopted or anyone who’d let their baby be taken away. The thought of it made her feel cold inside.

  “From what my mom said, they didn’t have a choice. It’s sad for everyone.”

  Kelly didn’t like to think about being abandoned. She wasn’t sure she’d ever spent one whole day feeling safe and wanted. Not with her mom and not now with her dad.

  They pulled up in front of the ballet school. When Francesca turned into the parking lot, Kelly touched her arm. “You don’t have to stay. I’m going home with Cindy. Dad said it was okay.”

  Francesca hesitated, then shrugged. “Okay. Have fun.”

  “I will.”

  Francesca watched Kelly as she headed for the side entrance. Despite being only twelve, the girl moved with a grace that made Francesca envious. When Kelly waved and disappeared into the building, Francesca backed out of the parking lot, then headed home.

  Once there she flipped through her dissertation. Her mind raced with thoughts of her long-lost brother, the paper she should be working on, and her pregnancy. Nearly another week had passed. At some point she was going to have to come clean with Sam. And she would. Very soon. Just as soon as she figured out what to say.

  She finally settled down to work about eleven. At three-thirty the phone rang.

  “Hello?”

  “Is Kelly with you?” Sam asked abruptly.

  “No, she’s—”

  He cut her off with a strangled growl. “If she’s not with you and she’s not home, where the hell is she?”

  • • •

  Francesca arrived at Sam’s place less than twenty minutes later. She walked into the house and found him pacing the length of the entryway.