"Is the author here, Ashley?" Elisabetta asked eagerly.

Ashley looked around, and finally she spied Emily Devlin in her author persona of Emilie Shann. She was seated at a card table beneath an awning, but the pile of books before her was down to three. Ashley led her party over to the table. "Hey, Emily!"

"Ashley." Emily Devlin looked up, smiling, from behind her table.

Ashley spied a basket beside Emily's chair. "Oh, here's your little baby!" She squealed, genuinely excited. The baby gave her a toothless grin.

Emily smiled happily and, bending down, lifted the infant up. It had a headful of dark hair. "Meet Sean Michael Devlin," she said. "Born the twenty-ninth of June."

Ashley sighed, and all the women with her cooed and commented on what a lovely little boy he was. "These are my sisters-in-law," Ashley said. Then she pointed. "Bride Franklin, Kathleen McGuire, Magdelena Butler, Deirdre Napoli, and Elisabetta Sweeney, who is a huge fan of yours, Em. Will you sign the new book for her?"

"Sure I will," Emily said with a smile at Elisabetta. "How do you like the sexier books?" she asked her.

"I love them!" Elisabetta gushed. "I mean, I always loved your books, Ms. Shann, but last year's The Defiant Dutchess was incredible. Soooo romantic! I hadn't gotten the new one yet." She looked down at the books left on the table. "The Playful Prince," she said. "I'm going to like it, aren't I? Is it as sexy?"

"Sexier," Emily promised Elisabetta.

"She has an excellent role model for her heroes," a tall, dark, and very handsome gentleman said, coming up to the table. He bent and kissed Emily. "Time to take the heir and go home, darling," he told her. "Hi, Ashley."

"Hi, Mick. This is Emily's husband and editor, Michael Devlin," Ashley introduced him to her guests. "Mick, this is my husband, Ryan Mulcahy."

The two men shook hands, and Michael Devlin said, "I've been meaning to get in touch with you. I'd like to do a coffee table book on restorations. Can I call you?"

"I'll be back in my office Tuesday," Ryan said.

Michael Devlin nodded and, bending, picked up his son. "I'll meet you at the car," he said to Emily.

"Gotten that van yet?" Ashley teased him.

"The basket fits in the back of the Healy very nicely, thank you," Michael Devlin said with a chuckle. "But I expect we're headed that way." Then, with a smile, he nodded at them and walked off carrying his son.

Emily signed Elisabetta's book, but Ashley would not let her sister-in-law pay for it. "A little remembrance of your day," she said, smiling. "Em, I'll take the other two books. Just put your name in them. I'll give them to Nina and Brandy."

The sun was sinking low on the horizon now. Ashley led her party back to their limo. It followed her back to the house, where Byrnes was waiting with tea, finger sandwiches, and small cookies. It was getting chilly as the day came to a close. And finally Ryan's sisters and their husbands took their leave. They were surprised that their mother was remaining behind.

"So Lina and I can visit," Ashley said sweetly. "It was wonderful meeting you all. I hope you'll come up over the holidays." She and Ryan waved them off as the limo drove away down the hilly drive. Then they joined Lina in the comfortable den, where Byrnes had already lit a fire.

"So, my children, it is love, is it?" she said with a smile. She was seated in a wing chair by the fire, a cashmere lap robe over her knees. Her beautiful Ferragamo shoes were set neatly by the chair. Angelina Mulcahy was seventy-three, but her dark hair, slender figure, and beautiful skin made her appear younger.

Ryan bent to kiss his mother. "Yeah," he answered her. "It's love. Go figure."

Angelina turned to Ashley.

"Love," the younger woman confirmed unabashedly. "I never thought it could happen to me."

"You loved the others," Lina said, "didn't you?"

"Not like I love your son," Ashley told her mother-in-law.

Angelina nodded. "Then I am content," she said. "Perhaps I should have returned home with my daughters." Her warm brown eyes twinkled.

"We're putting you in a room at the end of the hall from us," Ashley teased her.

Angelina laughed heartily, shaking her finger at her new daughter-in-law.

Ryan grinned, very pleased to see how well the two women got along. He poured them all small glasses of wine from a tray on the table. They toasted each other and sat talking quietly until Byrnes arrived, pushing a trolley.

"I thought you would enjoy eating by the fire tonight after your busy day," he said.

"What smells so good?" Ashley asked him.

"Corn chowder and toasted cheese bread," Byrnes said, handing them each a napkin. Then he began to ladle out soup into earthenware mugs. When Byrnes had handed them their mugs and spoons, he uncovered a plate of buttered cheese toast. "There are baked apples and a pot of tea below," he said, pointing to the second level of the trolley, which was electrified. "When you're ready I'll come back and take the cart." Then he was gone.

"You are very fortunate," Lina said.

"I know," Ashley agreed.

"The toast is delicious," Lina complimented.

"Mrs. B. makes real cheese bread," Ashley said.

They ate their supper, and then Ashley got out a Monopoly set.

"I haven't played since the children were young," Lina said. And then she proved herself to be a most formidable player, beating them both, taking all their money, and easily winning several games.

"You haven't lost your touch, Ma," Ryan said. "She used to beat us regularly."

"You could have warned me," Ashley said, smiling.

"I think it is time that I retired," Lina told them both. "It has been a long day." She slipped into her shoes and stood up. After kissing them both, the older woman left them in the comfortable den. Byrnes returned and removed the cart with its dishes.

"Good night, Mr. and Mrs. Mulcahy," he said.

They bade him good night. Ashley now sat in her husband's lap, and began kissing him little kisses on his mouth. His hand slipped beneath her sweater to unhook her bra. He grasped a soft, warm breast and began fondling it tenderly. Ashley kissed him more deeply now, and one kiss blended into another until it was impossible to tell where the kisses both began and ended. His thumb was now rubbing her nipple. He pushed her sweater up higher and, dipping his head, took the nipple in his mouth.

"Oh, that's nice," Ashley murmured as he began to suck on it.

His hand now unzipped her slacks and slid into her panties, down, down, to her plump pussy. "All day I've wanted to fuck you," he said low in her ear. "All day long while my sisters carped and nattered and gushed, I thought about fucking you." The tip of his tongue encircled the shape of her ear. "Did you know that's what I was thinking? Did it make you hot to think about my big cock pushing into you, Ash?"

"You're so bad, Ryan," she murmured against his mouth. "And yes, I knew. You had half a hard-on all day. I hope your sisters didn't notice." She nibbled on his lower lip. "Tell me how badly you want me. Tell me what you're going to do to me, darling."

"First," he began, "I'm going to find your naughty little clit, baby." His finger slipped between the lips of her labia, stroking, seeking. And then he found it.

"Ohh," Ashley said. "Oh, that's so nice, darling. Yes. Don't stop!" She squirmed her bottom into his lap, grinding deeply as she did. The delicious tingling tension was beginning to build within her. She was very wet, and he was going to bring her to a clitoral climax fairly quickly. She sighed and moaned low when he did. Then she said to him, "Do it again, Ryan. That was so good!"

"You're a greedy little witch," he said. "And I'm getting hotter than a firecracker, baby." He began to play with her clit again, and within minutes she was climaxing again.


He thrust two fingers hard into her cunt, moving them back and forth quickly.

"Oh, yes, darling!" Ashley gasped. "Do it! Do it to me! No! Don't stop!" she complained at him when he withdrew his fingers.

"You're having all the fun, baby," he said to her. "I need to have a little bit of fun too. Ever get screwed on the floor before a fire?" Ryan asked as he gently dumped her out of his lap. "I want to do it now. And I want to do it there," he told her, pointing to the floor before the fireplace.

"What if someone comes in?" Ashley said.

"Who's going to come in?" he countered. "The door is closed. My mother has gone upstairs. The Byrneses are in their apartment over the kitchen. This is the perfect time and place. Come on, Ash. Let's get out of our clothes and do it right here and now." Ryan kicked his elegant loafers off his feet. He pulled his sweater over his head and tossed it on the couch. Undoing his belt, he unbuttoned and unzipped his pants. Then he stepped out of them, pushing them aside with a bare foot. "Come on, baby," he crooned at her as he slid his silk jockey shorts over his narrow hips, and the wad in those shorts was suddenly revealed to be a massive erection.

She wasn't certain she was breathing at that point. He really had the most wickedly delicious body. She reached out to caress his big cock, but he moved away.

"Not until you get out of your clothes," he told her, shaking a finger at her.

Ashley had taken her leather boots off earlier. Now she pulled off her sweater, her slacks, and her bra. She cupped her breasts in her hands, as if offering them to him.

"Get rid of the panties, baby, or we can't play," he said.

"You take them off," she teased him.

Ryan reached out, but Ashley shook her head.