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It was a bittersweet romance.
Each place he showed her made her fall deeper in love with the city she called home and broke her heart a little when she realized how much living she’d missed. Add stolen kisses, forbidden touches and lingering heated looks to the mix and her only complaint was he hadn’t found a gap in her schedule for sex. It was something she planned on fixing if he wouldn’t. A girl had to do what a girl had to do.
When the suggestion was made they spend time together on a rare day off from campaign duties she thought they were finally headed for an afternoon of debauchery. But when they pulled up outside a neatly kept house in Staten Island her rising anticipation was replaced by surprise.
‘This is where you live?’
It looked more like a family home than a bachelor pad.
‘It’s where I grew up.’ He switched off the engine and unbuckled his seat belt. ‘Hope you’re hungry. There’s always enough food to feed an army at Sunday lunch.’
Miranda froze. ‘Wait. What? I can’t meet your family.’
‘You can sit out here if you want but you’re gonna be here awhile.’
She’d never felt more in need of an escape route. ‘I can go for a walk or take a ferry ride. I’ve always wanted to do that. I’ll meet you back here in a couple of hours.’
‘In what universe do you think that’s likely?’
‘It’s your family. I can’t go in there.’
‘You meet people every day. I’m not seeing the problem.’ He leaned across and opened her door. ‘Out.’
‘I can’t.’
‘Yes, you can.’
‘Would it make a difference if I said please?’
‘No,’ but it earned an all-too-brief brush of his firm mouth across her submissive lips. ‘I got a call last night to say there’s some big family announcement I’m not to miss and, since I can’t get out of it, you get to be here. We’ll be an hour, two tops, and then—if you’re a very good girl—we can take a ride on the big orange boat.’
When he added a push of encouragement to her shoulder, Miranda chose to get out of the car rather than fall face-first onto the street. She stared at the house as she walked to the sidewalk, anything resembling an appetite replaced by the kind of churning that made her pray she wouldn’t throw up on one of his relatives.
‘How are you going to introduce me?’
‘I don’t know how rich folks do it in Manhattan high society.’ He reached for the latch on the gate. ‘But here on Staten Island we tend to use names.’
‘I can’t believe you’re doing this to me.’
‘It’s not that big a deal.’
Yes, it was. How could he not know that—did they have to have the relationship definition talk? Maybe she was overthinking it. Maybe he brought dozens of women home.
The thought made her frown.
‘Think of them as potential voters if it helps,’ he said as they got to the top of the porch steps. ‘But I should probably warn you most of them like the look of the other guy.’
She sent him a withering look.
When they stepped into the hall he took her coat, hung it on a rack and called out, ‘We’ve got company.’
Persuaded around the corner with a large palm on the inward curve of her spine, Miranda discovered four pairs of curious eyes studying her. Standing there stark naked couldn’t have made her feel more exposed.
‘This is Miranda,’ Tyler announced.
A woman with long dark hair and soulful brown eyes was the first of them to step forwards and hold out a hand. ‘I’m Jo. It’s nice to meet you, Miranda.’
‘And you.’ She smiled apologetically. ‘If I’d known where we were going I’d have brought something with me—I feel terribly empty-handed.’
‘Soon fix that.’ A tall man who was obviously one of Tyler’s brothers stepped forwards and shook her hand the second Jo let go. His vivid blue eyes narrowed a little. ‘You look familiar.’
‘My husband, Danny,’ Jo explained before nudging him in the ribs. ‘She’s the mayor’s daughter, you idiot.’
‘Nah, that’s not where I know her from...’ A slow smile spread across his mouth. ‘How’s your Southern accent?’
It took a second but when she made the connection Miranda’s eyes widened. He’d been one of the police officers in the hallway; more specifically one of the officers who had caught her making out with Tyler while pinned against a wall. There was just never a giant hole in the ground when a girl needed one, was there?
Danny winked as he let go of her hand. ‘Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me. You, on the other hand—’ he pointed at his brother ‘—are gonna have to buy my silence for at least the next decade.’
‘You open your pie hole your lovely wife will end up wearing black,’ Tyler warned.
Jo linked arms with her husband and patted his chest. ‘You can tell me later, babe.’
‘You already know.’
‘How about you remind me?’
As they moved away Miranda dropped her chin and aimed an accusatory glare at Tyler. ‘You didn’t mention your brother was there that night.’
‘Didn’t I?’
‘No.’
‘Uncle Tyler!’
Her eyes widened as a small child launched herself at him and was swung into the air. ‘You have a niece?’
‘Indeed I do.’ He smiled indulgently. ‘Hey, Munchkin, who’s the best-looking guy in the room?’
‘Daddy,’ the girl replied with conviction.
Tyler glanced briefly at Miranda. ‘They can get a bit confused at four.’ He bounced the child higher in his arms as he walked away. ‘Remember we talked about this? Let’s go over it again...’
The image provided such a contrast to the dangerous man she’d seen in an alley Miranda couldn’t quite equate the two as she watched him disappear into what she assumed was the kitchen. But the reminder of how gentle he could be was a powerful aphrodisiac.
Why weren’t they at his place having sex?
‘Amy adores him,’ Jo’s voice said beside her. ‘I think it’s because at times they’re the same mental age.’
Detective-Takes-The-World-Too-Seriously-To-Dance had a Peter Pan side to his personality? Miranda blinked. She really wanted to see that. ‘Is she yours?’
‘No, we’ve only been married a few months. She’s Johnnie’s daughter. He’s the eldest. Then—in descending order—there’s Reid, Tyler and Danny. Liv is the youngest.’ She smiled when Miranda looked at her. ‘I know. It can be a lot to take in on the first visit and I’m afraid they’re not even all here yet. Liv and Blake are running a little late with their big announcement—my money’s on baby news. Reid is undercover so we haven’t seen him in a while—makes it twice as important for everyone to be here if it is baby news, y’know? Momma Brannigan is in the kitchen.’ She leaned closer and lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. ‘But don’t be scared. She’s lovely.’
While she blinked at the overload of information Jo smiled and linked their arms at the elbows.
‘Let’s get the rest of the introductions out of the way. It’s easier a few at a time.’
After meeting Johnnie and his wife Miranda swiped her palms over her hips and asked, ‘Can I help with anything?’
‘You can give me a hand setting the table if you tell me where you got those gorgeous shoes.’
A conversation about fashion and Jo’s cheery chatter helped distract her until Tyler reappeared with an older woman. ‘My mom,’ he supplied as he set down a platter of food on the table.
‘I guessed.’ She stepped forwards and reached out a hand. ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs Brannigan. Thank you for allowing me to visit your lovely home.’
Sky-blue eyes sparkled with humour as she looked up at her son. ‘Is she always this polite?’
‘No,’ he said flatly.
‘How do we get her to stop?’
‘Couple of minutes in my company usually does it.’
‘Then you’d best stay with her.’ She patted his arm. ‘With any luck some of it might rub off.’
Tyler nodded firmly. ‘Knew that was coming...’
The interaction made Miranda smile. When he smiled crookedly in reply, her heartbeat stuttered and skipped a couple of beats. Dragging her gaze away, she reached out to straighten the cutlery on the place setting closest to her. The desire to ravish him and be ravished in return was at the very least wildly inappropriate in front of his family.
‘We’re here!’ a woman’s voice called from the hall.
Another round of introductions ensued and, despite some odd looks when Tyler placed her in the chair next to him for lunch within a short space of time Miranda fell a little in love with the rest of the Brannigans. They interacted like a single unit, at times talked over each other in a way that made it difficult to follow the flow of conversation, but what she found most fascinating was how different Tyler was with them.
She’d never seen him so relaxed, heard him express an educated opinion on so many subjects or realized how funny he could be when he set his mind to it. It gave her a glimpse of how he must have been before he saw too much. For the life of her Miranda couldn’t imagine why the woman he loved had let him get away. To be loved by a man like him, to have children with him and spend her life standing by his side, being there when he needed her and knowing he would do the same in return...
A wave of longing overwhelmed her. Nothing had ever seemed more beautiful or more terrifying.
Understandably it made her more aware of the happy couples surrounding them as the meal finished and she helped with the clearing up. She looked at Jo and Danny as he tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear. The intimacy of the touch and the heat in his eyes made it obvious Tyler’s younger brother was very much in love with his wife. The feeling was just as obviously returned. They made it look as if there were no one else in the room but them. It was incredibly romantic but, since it also made her feel as if she was intruding on something private, Miranda tore her gaze away.
Inevitably it was drawn to where Tyler was leaning against the archway to the kitchen. She smiled as she ran a cloth somewhat aimlessly over the table. Even when sporting a basic blue-jeans-and-sweater combo he was devastatingly handsome. She watched as he cradled a mug of coffee in his hand, his expression pensive. When he blinked dense lashes she followed his gaze and discovered he was looking where she’d been looking. Jo laughed at something Danny said and as Miranda’s gaze returned to Tyler the corner of his mouth lifted and his expression softened.
‘What happened?’ she’d asked.
‘She married someone else,’ he’d replied.
Miranda’s heart twisted, a brief frown aimed at the woman she’d liked so much. How could she do that to him? Marrying his brother was bad enough, flaunting her happiness in front of him was unforgivable—and she’d seemed so nice.
Immediately crossing the room, she stood close enough to feel the heat radiating from his large body, her back to everyone else as if she could somehow shield him from pain. ‘She’s your one who got away?’ she whispered.
Tyler dropped his chin and frowned, his deep voice equally low. ‘Don’t make me regret bringing you here.’
‘She’s your brother’s wife.’
‘She wasn’t always his wife. Leave it alone.’
‘But how can you—?’
He shook his head and glanced around. ‘Just this once do you think you could do what I tell you to do?’
When he looked into her eyes again what she thought she could read in the cobalt depths made Miranda want to march across the room and give his sister-in-law a piece of her mind. She understood how difficult it was for Tyler to be there even if no one else did. Had he brought her along as back-up or a smokescreen? She was a lot happier with the first option, would have volunteered if she’d known he needed support. Didn’t he know that? She wanted to talk to him about it—hear the story from beginning to end in his words—but it was the archetypal wrong time, wrong place.
He lifted his mug and drained the contents. ‘You want to take that ferry ride, we best say our goodbyes.’
Miranda acquiesced with a nod. A ferry ride would be the ideal place to talk. She just wished she didn’t feel as nervous about hearing what he had to say as she’d been about meeting his family. Gathering herself together, she pinned one of her public-persona smiles in place and turned around. Even if it was more than likely she would never see them again she wanted his family to think well of her.
One by one the people she barely knew said their goodbyes with a hug, a kiss on the cheek or both. At first she felt awkward about hugging them back, her body stiff and unyielding; particularly with Jo. But by the time she got to the eighth person—his mother—she was holding on for a moment longer than strictly necessary, her throat clogged with emotion.
They made her feel so accepted it was all too easy to paint a picture of a fantasy future where she was part of their world. She would sit in the seat next to Tyler every Sunday, at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and be there just for him the way it felt he’d been for her.
She gave herself a mental talking-to as they left the house. If she wasn’t careful before she knew it she’d be doodling Miranda Brannigan inside hearts on stationery. The man had been in love with another woman—still was for all she knew. Then there was the small matter of her freedom—she didn’t want to trade one form of captivity for another.
Their relationship was about sex and, once they’d had a little chat on the ferry to ensure they were on the same page, they were going to his apartment to have lots of it.
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