"Now come with me," Lucy said. "The boys will be glad to see you."

When they stepped inside the living room, Whit took a quick trip back in time. Nothing had changed at all, not the marred hardwood floors that had seen their share of forbidden indoor skateboarding, not the beige and green plaid sofa, not the matching drapes or the yellowed lamps. Even the same aging console TV still sat at an angle in the corner, tuned into some kind of sports talk show.

Whit scanned the room, surprised to see Kevin conversing in the corner with Helena, and not because he was visiting with Logan's girl; that was cla.s.sic Kevin. He was surprised that Kevin was there at all because he didn't come around all that often. Kevin's fiancee, Corinna, sat on the sofa talking with Aidan, the second oldest O'Brien brother and Corri's boss. She seemed oblivious to her soon-to-be husband's flirtations, or maybe she'd pa.s.sed the caring phase since Kevin's suspect behavior was a common occurrence. Corri was a gorgeous blonde, smart and an overall nice woman who deserved much better, proving Mallory's theory that love was truly blind-and in this case, deaf.

Two of the brothers seemed to be missing, beginning with Kieran, Kevin's twin. Most people couldn't tell the difference between the two, but Whit had been around the family long enough to pick up on those differences-Kevin was right-handed, Kieran left-handed. Kevin wasn't as muscular as Kieran-not even close-which stood to reason since Kieran owned a chain of top-notch health clubs. Kevin didn't own much of anything. Of all the O'Brien men, Kevin would be considered the proverbial black sheep, or as Whit liked to think of him, the evil twin.

"Is Kieran around?" Whit asked Lucy.

She waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, you know Kieran, always working. He's giving some kind of private training lessons."

No doubt to some woman, Whit decided. "I don't see Devin, either." The oldest brother, who was considered the most successful as a fourth-year medical resident, even though most of the O'Brien kids were thriving in their chosen fields.

Lucy smiled a proud grandmother's smile. "He's home with Stacy, helping out with my new grandson. Little Sean has a dreadful case of colic. He fusses this time of night, just like Mallory did until she was three months old." She clucked her tongue and patted her braided bun. "From 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. every evening, she would scream like a banshee."

Whit wondered what else might make Mallory scream, something he shouldn't even consider unless he did intend to find that hedge. He pointed toward the sliding gla.s.s doors across the room, his much-needed escape. "Think I'll go see what Logan's up to in the backyard."

Lucy rose on tiptoes, kissed his cheek then squeezed his hand. "Whitty, we're so grateful that you've been taking such good care of our girl."

If the brothers...o...b..ien knew what Whit had planned for their sister tonight, he doubted they would be so quick to thank him. More like punch him out. "I'll see you in a while, Miss Lucy."

He delivered the requisite greetings to the guys, with the exception of Kevin, who acted as if he couldn't care less Whit had arrived. He seemed much more interested in keeping Helena occupied. And after the usual catch-up conversations, Whit opened the patio door and stepped into the warm Texas dusk, the last remnants of a spectacular sunset disappearing on the horizon. The smells of barbecue briquettes and freshly trimmed gra.s.s, the spark of a first evening firefly, blanketed Whit in more memories. Good memories of lazy summer days spent at his second home, touch football in the huge backyard, lots of welcome camaraderie in the company of a near-perfect family. What the O'Briens lacked monetarily, they made up for with love.

Whit approached the group of men standing near the black iron barbecue pit, the sounds of sizzling burgers and conversation interrupting the serenity of the evening. He recognized Dermot and Logan, but the man with the moderate Einstein hair, black gla.s.ses and Groucho Marx stance didn't look at all familiar. His hands flailed about as he spoke in a voice that was equal to Dermot's. "I'm telling you, it was the biggest oozing boil I've ever seen. Right there on his tush. Took me two hours to excise it..."

Whit's appet.i.te all but disappeared and so did his desire to join the group. But he didn't have time to back away before Logan said, "Well, I'll be d.a.m.ned. It's about time you showed up, Manning. Get the h.e.l.l over here."

When Whit approached, Logan gestured toward the stranger. "Whit, this is the family doc, Stanley Grote. Doc, this is Whit Manning, a good friend of the family's."

The doctor pushed his gla.s.ses up on his bulbous nose. "Nice to meet you, young man. Have you ever seen a golf ball-size cyst on a man's a.r.s.e?"

"Can't say that I have." Nor did he want to.

"Well-"

"Doc, let's go into the house to tell that story to Lucy," Dermot interceded. "She'll want to hear all about it, I'm sure."

Whit doubted that, but he was relieved he didn't have to endure all the dirty details. When the doctor and Dermot had walked away, he turned to Logan, who wore a ridiculous red ap.r.o.n, spatula in hand. "So how's the global transportation business treating you these days?"

"Thriving. I just picked up three more corporations in Europe and ten more cities in the States. I've started adding to my fleet of limos and sedans to keep up with business in Houston alone."

"That's great, Logan. So is that what this little gathering is all about, bud? Celebrating your success?"

Logan's smile reminded Whit of Mallory, although that's where the resemblance ended. His eyes were blue, his hair black like his mother's. To women, he probably qualified as the most striking of the O'Brien boys even though there wasn't an ugly one in the bunch. But all Logan had to do was flash his teeth and dimples and the ladies fell all over him like frogs on a fly. Whit had witnessed that on more than one occasion during their longtime friendship.

Logan tossed a burger, caught it on the spatula like a practiced wide receiver, and slid it back on the grill. "Do I have to have a reason to get the family together?"

"It's the middle of the week, so I figure something's up."

"It is, but it's not about my company." Logan pushed the cover down on the grill and took a draw from his beer. He held up the can and nodded toward the cooler by his feet. "Want one?"

"No. I'm driving tonight." And Mallory could very well be in the house, getting toasted. She rarely had wine and never more than one. Hopefully tonight she wouldn't decide to consume the whole bottle. He wanted her completely coherent later tonight. He wanted her to remember every detail.

After a long bout of silence, Logan finally said, "This past weekend, I asked Helena to marry me, and she said yes. We're going to announce it tonight after dinner."

Exactly what Mallory had expected and dreaded. Whit quelled the urge to tell his friend that his fiancee was fraternizing with his brother. "Congratulations, O'Brien. When's the wedding?"

Logan lifted the grill cover again, this time flipping one burger onto the ground. "Oh, h.e.l.l."

Oh, h.e.l.l was right. Logan was usually composed even in dire situations, but he looked pretty d.a.m.n nervous at the moment. "Man, the word wedding has you all shook up. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." He didn't sound all that confident to Whit.

"Are you sure you're sure?"

"Helena's pregnant."

Well, that explained a lot to Whit. "Congratulations twice then."

Again, Logan didn't look too pleased. "I want you to keep this to yourself. The family doesn't know yet and that includes Mallory. We'll tell everyone when the time is right."

"I won't say anything." He would leave that honor to Logan, and considering Mallory's opinion of Helena and the fact that she was trying to get pregnant, he figured her reaction might not be too pleasant. He also doubted that Logan's reaction to Whit's trying to get Mallory pregnant wouldn't be positive, either.

"It looks like these things are ready now." Logan began to slide the patties onto the plate, stacking them helter-skelter until Whit thought they might all end up on the ground.

"Let me hold that," Whit said, taking the platter from him. "I prefer lettuce, not gra.s.s, on my burger."

After he was done, Logan pulled off the ap.r.o.n and tossed it aside on a nearby webbed lawn chair. "Has my sister been treating you okay?"

Now Whit was in danger of spilling the food. "Sure. You know Mallory. She's easy."

Logan frowned. "Oh, yeah?"

Oh, h.e.l.l. "You know what I mean. Easy to live with."

"We're talking about my sister, the one who has to have total order? The one who hasn't done a spontaneous thing in her life?"

Except for removing her panties in the car. Whit felt the heat rise, and it wasn't coming from the barbecue grill. "Yeah, that's true, but we complement each other. I'm a slob and she's a neat freak. Overall, it's working out fairly well."

"Then I take it she's not moving out anytime soon?""Not for a while. Good downtown lofts are hard to find." And making a baby took time.Even in the limited light, Whit could see suspicion in Logan's expression, heard it in his voice when he said, "Are you sure you're telling me everything?"

Surely Whit hadn't looked that obvious. Surely "I want your sister real bad" wasn't broadcast across hisface. "What do you mean?""Look, Whit, if Mallory's getting on your nerves, you only have to tell me. I'll have a talk with her. I'l

even help her look for another place."

Whit released a slow breath of relief. "She's not getting on my nerves." Under his skin, yes. On hisnerves, no."It wouldn't surprise me if she's driving you insane. Mallory's uptight. She probably needs to find a man and have a good roll now and then. I'm betting she hasn't had s.e.x in a long time.""Try three years," Whit blurted out before giving it much thought."You're kidding? She told you that?""Yeah, she did." A day after she'd told him she wanted him to get her pregnant, a little detail Whit decided to omit. "She doesn't have time to date, or so she says.""She's scared, Whit, and that's understandable considering she was married to an a.s.s. But she doesn't have to get serious with anyone. She just needs to loosen up a little and have some fun with a guy.

Maybe you should help her out."

Logan was giving him permission to bed his sister? No way. "You want me to have s.e.x with her?"

"h.e.l.l, no. But you have friends. Maybe you could fix her up."

Whit couldn't even begin to consider that. In fact, the thought of Mallory with another man, sleeping with

another man, made him pretty d.a.m.ned mad. "Sure Logan. I can just see it now. 'Hey, Joe, I have this uptight roommate. Mind servicing her so she doesn't worry so much about the dust on my CDs?' Mallory deserves better than that."

Logan sighed. "Yeah, you're right. She's been hurt enough. She doesn't need to be hurt again."

That comment gave Whit pause and the urge to get away. He held up the plate. "Let's get these inside before the ma.s.ses have an uprising."

"Yeah," Logan said. "I imagine my mother's ready to stuff a bun in Doc Grote's mouth after that boil story."

As they walked back into the house, Whit and Logan shared in a few laughs and some small talk about their jobs, just like old times. Whit was more than grateful the conversation about Mallory had dropped, even though he couldn't shake the possibility that he could somehow hurt Mallory if he went through with their plan.

He decided then and there it wasn't going to happen. He cared about her. He wouldn't do anything to hurt her, physically or emotionally. They'd both entered into this agreement, eyes wide open, with no expectations beyond having a child. He would try to give her the baby she wanted so badly, and tonight, he would treat her well, make her feel special-and d.a.m.n good-exactly as she deserved. Or die trying.

She was a good woman. The very best.

Mallory felt like a loose woman. All during dinner, she'd tolerated comments about her clothing from her brothers, but at least her future sister-in-law, and even Helena, had served up some compliments. Overall, the evening was going well though Mallory was more than ready to get it over with and go home with Whit. For night number one of the baby-making plan.

Just that thought made her shaky, made her want to seek him out and get him alone for a while in her old bedroom. That thought sent her down the hall to her door still sporting the pink and green sign that read Mallory's Place-Enter At Your Own Risk.

After opening the door, she smiled when she thought about her mother's insistence on keeping the room exactly as it had been when she'd moved out. Straight ahead, the shelves were still lined with her favorite books and volleyball trophies, the bright yellow beanbag still sat in the corner. To her left, the white French provincial canopy bed was still draped with the sunflower spread. And on that bed, stretched out in the middle of her large collection of stuffed animals, was the most gorgeous man in the house.

Mallory quickly closed the door behind her and leaned back against it for support. "What are you doing in here?"

Whit remained in place, hands propped behind his neck, long legs laid out the length of the mattress. He made the bed look so small and made Mallory feel so hot. So far the s.e.x tips seemed to be working. Only time would tell.

"Thought I might find you in here," he said. "I haven't seen much of you tonight."

"Same here. I thought maybe you'd left without me."

"Not a chance." He came slowly to his feet then strolled toward her, hands in pockets, lethal smile on his face. He paused right in front of her, bringing with him the heady scent of his cologne and an up-close look at his square jaw that showed the first signs of evening stubble. "Did you miss me?"

Mallory released her grip on the doork.n.o.b behind her and adjusted his collar. "Maybe a little."

He inched closer. "So, what have you been doing? Downing a bottle of wine?"

Tip Number 8: Alcohol loosens inhibitions, but it can also hinder sensation. Limit your intake. "I only had one gla.s.s. For the most part, I've been visiting with the family. How 'bout you?"

He braced one palm on the door above her head and leaned closer. "I had an interesting conversation

with your brother."Having Whit so near made Mallory's chest constrict with her effort to breath and speak. "Which one?""Logan. He's worried we're not getting along."Boy, was Logan ever wrong. "Really?""Yeah. He also thinks you need to have s.e.x and he wanted me to help out.""He told you to have s.e.x with me?""That's what I thought he was saying, but actually he meant help out as in fix you up. I told him I wouldn'

t do it, set you up with some guy so you can have a quick tumble between the sheets." His expressionturned from seductive to serious. "I said I didn't want you to get hurt.""That's considerate of you."

He caressed her cheek and studied her face. "I don't want to hurt you, Mallory."She laid her palm on his hand. "You're not going to hurt me, Whit. I've known that from the beginningwhen we agreed to have this baby. You confirmed that last night."

"Are you still sure you want to do this?"

He was giving her an out, one she didn't want to take. "Very sure. Aren't you?"

This time she held her breath, waited and wondered and worried until he asked, "Are you still wearing

your panties?" followed by another intoxicating smile.

She smiled from relief. "Actually, I considered giving them to Dr. Grote in hopes of providing adistraction so he'd quit talking about the ma.s.sive boil."Whit's laugh was low, gruff and s.e.xy beyond all bounds. "I take it you decided not to go through with that plan.""Yes, but you're welcome to verify that fact."Wrapping his arms securely around her, he pulled her against him. "Believe me, I will. And I'm ready when you are."

Mallory decided she was ready. Very ready, from her b.r.e.a.s.t.s to her belly to below. "I'd love to leaveright this minute, but we've been summoned into the backyard.""Then I guess we'll just have to settle for this for now."Whit laid his lips on hers, tenderly at first, then more eagerly as he deepened the kiss. His tongue was smooth as silk gliding against hers, as were his hands as he explored her back then slid them down to her bottom. She could feel the strength of his arousal that most likely matched hers. Felt the heat of his body, the nudge of his pelvis, his erection pressing against her. Even in her near-mindless state, she could imagine having him touching her all over, how it would feel to have him inside her, finally.

After ending the kiss, Whit slid his lips up her neck and then rested them at her ear. "You've done it now.I'm so d.a.m.ned hard, I'm going to have to find that hedge after all."

She smiled around the shivers and nodded toward the door leading to the bath that joined her room withthe twins' former room. "Go wash your face and meet me in a few minutes. But it's probably best wedon't get near each other for the time being."

"I guess I can suffer through that for a little while longer."

She kissed him quick, backed to the door and turned the k.n.o.b behind her, before she changed her mind and started the consummation in the middle of her stuffed animals. "I'll see you in the car."

He gave her another steamy grin. "Oh, yeah, I'll definitely see you then."