Kissing Under The Mistletoe (The Sullivans #10)(19)
Author: Bella Andre

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.

Standing up and walking onto the set, Jack said, “Time for a break.”

Gerry sighed in clear relief as he put his camera down. “I’m going to run across the street for a triple espresso. Should I bring back one for everyone?”

Jack shook his head. The last thing he needed right now was more adrenaline coursing through him.

“Thanks, but I’m fine, too,” Mary murmured, reaching around to rub a kink out of her neck. “I think I’ll just get off my feet for a few minutes.”

After Mary had left the set for her small dressing room, Gerry told Jack, “No other model of her caliber and fame would even consider assisting with lights and makeup like this. There isn’t another woman like her in the world.”

“You’ve got that right,” Jack agreed.

“I was extremely surprised when Mary called me about your campaign. She was dead set on leaving modeling, and no one could get her to change her mind. Not until you came along.”

“I’m a very lucky man.”

Gerry assessed Jack again with his cool green eyes before nodding once. “Don’t ever forget it.”

Jack headed over to the small room at the side of the set that Mary had disappeared into. At first he only saw the table where Mary had set up a mirror, and her makeup and hair kit. Just as Gerry had pointed out, she normally had a whole crew of people working on her photo shoots. Moving deeper into the room, he saw that she was sitting on a soft chair, rubbing her neck and shoulders as if they ached.

She turned her head toward him when she heard his footsteps. “Jack, do you need something?” She immediately moved to stand, but when he replaced her hands with his own on her shoulders and began to massage the tight muscles, she sank back down into the chair.

* * *

Mary knew she shouldn’t let Jack touch her like this—especially while they were working together—but when it felt so good how could she possibly muster up the strength to tell him to stop?

But she had to stop it. Jack’s strong, warm hands on her would likely lead to more wonderful, deliciously sensual things.

The kind of more that she had specifically told him they couldn’t do while they were working together.

Oh, but what a struggle it was to make herself slide out from beneath his hands to stand. When she felt she’d removed all desire from her expression, she turned to face him.

“Friday night, I know the boundaries of our relationship got a little fuzzy—” Particularly when she’d been begging him for one more kiss. “—but you were right to leave when you did.”

“It was a hell of a weekend without you,” he said in his disarmingly direct way. “The only consolation was that I knew I’d get to work with you today.” He shook his head, his eyes dark and intense again. “I wish just working with you would be enough.”

Lord, the things this man did to her with nothing but a look and a few simple words. She was tingling head to toe, inside and out, as she made herself take a step away from him.

“It has to be enough, at least until the campaign is over.”

“Tell me why we have to wait. Make me understand why I can’t kiss you again right now when we both know how good it will be?”

She went to take another step back from him, before looking up into his eyes and realizing she had done the exact opposite. Instead of moving further away, she’d gotten closer.

“I made a mistake a few years ago. A big one.” A chill moved over her just thinking about Romain. “And what I learned from my mistake is that we should wait until our relationship isn’t wrapped up in the ad campaign, or tracking how many units are being ordered. Then we’ll both be able to think clearly about things.”