Mandy was concerned that Damien might retreat from her, but he just put his hand squarely on her bum and hauled her over to him.

“But I won’t be meeting your roommates tonight. Or tomorrow. Or even Sunday.”

“Why not?” She tried to sound nonchalant, but her ragged breathing and tightening nipples gave her away as he stroked, stroked, stroked.

“Because we’ll be busy getting married, that’s why. In Punta Cana.”

“Oh, Damien, that’s just bloody brilliant.”

Chapter 25

“How do I look?” Mandy smoothed her dress and wished she’d worn something without a pattern. God only knew what these yellow flowers looked like on her backside, which was spreading, no matter what Damien said.

Damien kissed the side of her head, messing up the hair she’d just tried to tame in the taxi. “You look fantastic. And why are you so nervous? It’s just my family.”

“Spoken just like a man.” Mandy went up the front walk with him, taking in the trim lawn, the tidy flower beds, and the stone duck sitting by the front door. This big Victorian house was where Damien had grown up, and she could just picture him running through the shady backyard in his baseball uniform, not a speck on it anywhere.

“I’m meeting my mother-in-law for the first time, and the initial sixty seconds are crucial. I already have strikes against me.”

“What strikes?”

“We eloped in the Caribbean and you told your parents two days after the fact. You were in Chicago two weeks ago and never once mentioned that I even existed. And they have no idea that I’m pregnant.” She wasn’t calming herself down. Mandy felt worked up into a regular lather.

At least her parents had greeted their news with aplomb. Her father had said, “Marvelous,” and her mother had given up a prayer of thanks after Mandy had reassured her that Damien owned real estate and was in the top tax bracket.

“The baby’s a surprise. It’ll be fun.”

Their idea of fun apparently didn’t match. Fun was a circus clown, not a five-months-pregnant daughter-in-law. She glanced at her watch. “Damn, we’re late, and we didn’t even bring any food.”

“It’s just a Fourth of July barbeque. They do this every year with family and friends and it’s casual. We said we’d be here around five.”

“And it’s five-oh-seven now.” Mandy bit her lip, feeling hot and flustered and swollen, and not in a good way. “This is all your fault for forgetting your wallet in the hotel room, then suddenly getting it in your head to have sex.”

“I didn’t hear any complaints from you at the time.” And the man had the nerve to squeeze her bottom.