He reached with a shaky hand into the inner pocket of his blue blazer and pulled out a small black box wrapped in velvet. When he flipped the lid open, she gasped at the sparkle of diamonds in the light of the streetlamp above them.

“And this ring.”

Mary instantly recognized it as a classic Italian engagement ring. One that symbolized love for all eternity.

“Marry me, Angel, and make me the happiest man in the world.”

“Yes.” The word flew out of her mouth before she could think, before she could process anything more than how much she loved him. She tugged him back to his feet so that she could wrap her arms around him, the ring and box crushed between them. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

Their mouths met in a kiss so loving, so sweet, so passionate that she could hardly believe all of this was real. It had happened so fast, from meeting Jack to falling in love with him, to being offered his heart and soul.

When they finally drew back from each other, he took her left hand in his and slipped the gorgeous engagement ring onto her fourth finger. Mary stared in wonder at it, thinking just how much her mother would have loved this moment. If only she could call her with the wonderful news…

But, suddenly, thinking of her mother brought more than just a pang of longing for her estranged family. It also brought Mary’s fears back to the forefront.

“I don’t—” She swallowed hard as she made herself face Jack. “What if I don’t know how to be a wife? What if I’m no good at being one half of a whole? I’ve only ever been on my own as an adult.”

“So have I,” he said in a soft voice, “but that’s just because I was waiting to kiss the prettiest girl in the world under the mistletoe. Whatever we have to learn, we’ll learn together.”

Easy. He made it sound so easy. And because she badly wanted to believe that it would be, she echoed his, “I was waiting for you, too.”

* * *

Mary and Jack stopped to kiss at every corner, so the walk back to her house took twice as long as it otherwise would have. By the time they made it to her front door, she was more than ready for a repeat of the wild against-the-door lovemaking from the night he’d taken her to see Singin’ in the Rain.

But instead of tearing her clothes off the moment they were inside, Jack put his hands on either side of her face and held her gently.

“Mine.”

He said the word softly, but she heard the possession—and the wonder—in the simple word as it fell from his lips.

“Yours.” Emotion made her voice unsteady. “Always.”

Slowly, reverently, he ran the tips of his fingers over her eyebrows, cheekbones, lips and earlobes. By the time he reached her neck and then the hollows of her collarbones, she was beyond desperate for more of him.

“Jack, please.”

He leaned forward and slid his bristly cheek against her smooth one. “I know I didn’t do the proposal right,” he murmured against her earlobe, “but I’ll get this part right. I promise.”

“Everything you do is exactly right,” she insisted, just as she had the first night they were together, even though she knew that when Jack Sullivan made up his mind—especially when it came to giving her pleasure—nothing could deter him.

After slipping off her scarf and coat and then his own, he slid his fingers through hers and led her into the bedroom. For so long her bed had seemed too big, but it was just the right size for the two of them.

“Undressing you is one of life’s greatest pleasures.”

He moved behind her to gather her hair up over one shoulder and began to pull down the zipper that ran from her neck to the center of her back. She could feel the heat of his fingertips through the silk chemise she was wearing.

Slowly, so slowly it made her breath catch in her lungs, he slid the wool off her shoulders and arms so that it bunched at her waist before he finally gave it an impatient shove down over her hips. A moment later, she felt the warm press of his lips against her neck, and then she was arching into his touch as his large hands slid from her waist up to her ribs to cup her breasts. She gasped when his thumbs brushed over the taut peaks.

Turning her head so her mouth could find his, she might have kept kissing him forever had his roaming hands not made her so breathless that she had to pull back to drag much-needed air into her lungs.

Holding her still with one large hand over her stomach, he slid the other between her thighs, brushing his fingers over the bare skin at the top of her stockings. In her girlish dreams of love, and then later, in her adult experience of real-life passion, she’d never expected to feel this much…or to want this much. But every time Jack touched her, she sparked, lit into flames and then melted for him.

Slowly, seductively, Jack moved his hand higher to cover the damp material between her legs, then slid his fingers beneath it as he breathed the sweet endearment, “Angel.”

She shook, then shattered against him as he took her even higher with a kiss that rocked through her as deeply as the caress of his hand just had.

The next thing she knew, she was in his arms and he was laying her down on the bed. After he quickly unzipped her boots, he unhooked her garters to roll one stocking down her leg. Her breath was coming fast by the time he’d bared her other leg.

He was still wearing his sports coat and slacks, and she felt deliciously naughty in only her bra and panties as she rose to her knees to take off his jacket.

“One of life’s great pleasures,” she agreed as she unbuttoned his shirt. Even the sound of his belt buckle coming undone excited her, as did the caress of his hands over her skin as he stripped the final bits of lace from her body.

Need fed need, desire stoked desire, and love fueled love as they fell back onto the bed into each other’s arms.

* * *

A long while later, Mary lay on Jack’s chest, working to catch her breath, while he stroked his hand over her hair, soothing her even as he inflamed her again.

“I love you.”

She nestled in closer to him, loving the way his voice rumbled through his chest to hers when they were this close. “I love you, too.”

The ring glinted in her peripheral vision, and happiness swelled inside her. Everything was so great, almost perfect, as long as she didn’t think about…

As if he could read her mind, Jack suddenly said, “I think you should call your mother and father to tell them about us. They’ve got to want to know how happy you are.”

Mary was tempted, so tempted to pick up the phone and share her joy with the two people who had been the center of her world for nineteen years. Her heart raced just thinking of it.

“No,” she finally said, shaking her head against his chest. “I can’t.”

“Why not?”

Her parents had always expected her to be the perfect little girl and to only dream the dreams they’d allowed her. Clients and photographers had always expected her to be flawless and poised.

Only Jack, Mary believed, loved her for who she really was.

“Because if I call and they aren’t happy for me, it will ruin our perfect night. And I don’t want anything to touch us tonight.” Mary lifted her head and shifted her weight over his so that her thighs were on either side of his, her breasts pressed to the dark hair on his chest. She lowered her mouth to his and whispered, “Tonight is only for us. Only for love.” And then she let passion—and the joy of knowing she was with the one person on earth who loved her for herself—sweep her up all over again.

Chapter Eighteen

Mary felt as though she were floating the next morning as she and Jack got out of the taxi hand in hand in front of the studio where they were going to shoot the final photos for the campaign. She thought she’d been in love before, but now she knew she’d never been anywhere close to it. Just being near Jack sent her heart racing and every inch of her skin heating up. And though it had been an hour since they’d made love that morning, when he took her hand in his and gently rubbed his thumb across her palm, she felt as if he was still holding her in the warm, strong, safe circle of arms, naked and sated.

And loved.

Mary was known for her prompt appearance at every booking, unlike many of the models who rolled into the studio when it suited them. Today, however, she and Jack had arrived a good fifteen minutes after everyone else, and she didn’t care that they were late. Not when every extra moment in Jack’s arms had been utterly precious.

Jack gently brushed a lock of hair away from her forehead. “I love you.” His voice was soft but oh so steady as he brought his lips nearly to hers. “I can’t wait to let everyone know that you’ve agreed to be my wife. Are you ready?”

She absolutely refused to acknowledge the nerves jumping inside of her as she said, “Yes.”

It was so easy to get lost in him, she thought as he kissed her. But before she could get more than one too-short taste, the door opened…and Howie discovered their big secret before they made their big announcement.

Mary was glad to see more delight than shock on Jack’s partner’s face as he happily ushered them inside the building. The beautiful diamond ring on her left hand was hard to miss, and before Mary knew it, Howie was giving her a congratulatory kiss on the cheek and clapping Jack on the back.

“Everyone,” he called out, “I believe Jack and Mary have a very exciting announcement to make!”

It had all happened so fast, a whirlwind from having pie and ice cream with Jack to swearing she wouldn’t mix business with pleasure, and then not being able to stop herself from doing just that as she fell head over heels in love. More than once she’d worried that she was in too deep and that it had happened too fast, but each time Jack’s constancy had reassured her. Every step of the way, he’d been so sweet, so patient with her, even when they’d both been driven to the edge of madness with desire.

How, she wondered as they stood on the precipice of announcing not only their relationship but also their engagement, could those long-held fears rear up again?

Love, in her experience, had always been conditional. But Jack wasn’t like that, he could never treat her that way…could he?

“Mary?”

Though everyone was waiting for their big announcement, Jack was looking at her as if they were the only two people in the room.

She remembered the way she’d felt in Union Square that first time she’d seen him in the crowd of strangers. From that first moment she’d felt as if she knew him…and she had known that he was special.

Just because other people in her past had disappointed her didn’t mean that he would, too. Plus, she’d seen him with his family, the way he and his brothers had always been there for one another, no matter what.

Telling herself that trusting Jack couldn’t possibly be the wrong decision, Mary squeezed his hand and let his steady warmth settle her nerves. “Let’s tell them, Jack.”

In all her dreams of love, she’d never envisioned a man like him could exist, one who was completely open every single moment about his feelings for her. She’d never been one for public displays of affection—in the entertainment business they were almost always false—but now she couldn’t resist leaning in to kiss him.

When she drew back, Jack pulled her close against him, then he finally told the group, “I’m extremely pleased to let all of you know that Mary has agreed to become my wife.”

The next thing she knew, Allen had popped a bottle of champagne and was pouring a glass for everyone. How, she wondered, could Allen have known to have champagne ready?

Realizing it was just the cynical part of her that kept trying to rise up to ruin everything, she figured it wasn’t at all impossible that Allen had the champagne on ice to celebrate the end of their successful campaign and their upcoming launch.

“I’m so happy that you found true love,” Gerry said as he drew her into his arms and hugged her tight.