Taking a break from mixing the track, JC leaned back in his chair. Closing his eyes, he decided he needed to get home to Francesca soon. Home. He thought of Chicago as home now. His career was in California but his life was in Chicago. He’d already been gone too long and it had only been two weeks. The nightly calls were not enough.
He released a happy sigh. His personal life had never been so good. Francesca was all he could ever want in a mate. She read him like a book, knew when to accept a mood or jolly him out of it. He was crazy in love yet his love was so sane. She didn’t play him, didn’t try to change him. She merely loved him.
It had been a major plus that their families had met and gotten on well. They even decided to do Thanksgiving jointly at the Carlisle home so the couple hadn’t had to make a choice between them. Johnny and JC did hang out together at JC’s loft. Francesca would make the food and then let the “boys” bond over beer and sports. If the Chasezes and Carlisles were going to become in-laws, it was a good fit.
Then there was the Sunday a swift, heavy snow trapped Francesca, JC and Johnny in the suburbs. Deciding it was safer to wait until the morning to head back into Chicago, the trio stayed with the Carlisles' over night. Normally this wouldn’t have been a problem, but JC was due in Los Angeles the next day.
Johnny and JC were given rooms in what had been the boys’ wing of the house. Francesca had been given her old room — across from her parents in the opposite wing. That meant a celibate night for the couple when they didn’t know how long they would be apart. Because he knew Francesca well, JC could see she was vexed by the turn of events. Johnny merely had a laugh at their expense. JC gave Francesca a rather chaste kiss at her bedroom door under the watchful eye of her parents, then Johnny dragged him away.
Later JC had been awakened by kisses and Francesca opening his borrowed pajama shirt.
“What are you doing here?” he demanded quietly.
“If I have to tell you I’m losing my touch,” she replied softly as she slid her hand into his pants.
He bit back a moan as she stroked him. Nope, she definitely hadn’t lost her touch! “Your parents—”
“Won’t be mad at you because I am the one who instigated this.”
“Honey, you don’t have to do this. I’ll miss the hell outta you, but I can survive.”
Sitting back on her heels, she took the tie from her hair, sending cascading over her shoulders. Then she untied her robe and let it slip off her body. She was beautiful in the dim glow of the yard lights. Her soft eyes. Her creamy flesh. Her hard flushed nipples — and she was already glistening, wet and aroused.
“Fuck, Gypsy, you make a man weak.” He sighed. The Carlisles were gonna add a black mark to his approval rating for this. How was he supposed to resist?
“You don’t look weak,” she said as she tugged his pajama pants off his hips and down his thighs. “But fuck Gypsy is sort of what I was hoping for,” she stated saucily.
He surrendered. Tugging her down to him, he rolled to put her beneath him. “How about I make love to my fiancée instead,” he asked against her neck.
“That works too,” she sighed shakily as he lowered his mouth to her breasts. “Don’t make me scream,” she warned.
“Oh, I’ll make you scream, honey. I just won’t let it be heard.”
In the morning, after some taunting of his sister, Johnny took the sheets smelling of sex and put them in the laundry chute so their housekeeper would wash them before their parents discovered them.
Johnny was a good friend, JC thought as he sat there daydreaming. That night with Francesca had been hot, naughty, and completely satisfying.
Grabbing his cellphone, JC had the overwhelming urge to hear Francesca’s voice. Yeah, she’d tease him and he’d be hard as granite when he’d ring off, but talking to her was worth it. Hmm... While the phone had been off, Francesca had called him.
“Call me — NOW!” was the voicemail she’d left two hours earlier.
“What’s up, babe?” JC asked Francesca as he caught her on her cellphone.
“I wished you could have called sooner,” she sighed. “I had a decision to make and since we’re engaged I thought I should give you opportunity for input.”
The idea took him by surprise. Being married meant she would have to be taken into consideration when he made his plans as well. With a new tour coming up, things would be different.
Another sigh from Francesca. “I probably would have come to the same decision, but I wanted to discuss it with you anyway.”
“I trust your judgment.”
“I can almost guarantee you won’t like it.”
JC chuckled. “I’m a big boy. I’ll get over it.”
“I leave tomorrow for the gulf area. Jeff, Justine and I are going to go down and help the hurricane victims rebuild.”
That made sense. Francesca was a renovation specialist. But tomorrow? “I haven’t seen you in weeks.”
“And it’ll be a few weeks more. I don’t know when I’ll be back.”
“Francesca! No. Christmas is coming and... Damn, baby, it’s our first Christmas! I need you.”
Normally hearing the command ‘no’ would have gotten her back up. She held onto her temper since she realized he was more startled than anything else. “They need Christmas more than we do, JC,” she reminded him softly.
“Francesca, dammit, don’t I mean anything? Don’t I count more than strangers?”
It was a selfish, childish thing to say. Words he would come to regret surely. Instead of arguing or defending herself, Francesca merely rang off.
What a fucking spoiled brat he was. JC realized how he had probably sounded to Francesca as soon as he calmed down. Fuck, she probably thought he was the world’s biggest ass. It would serve him right if she never spoke to him again.
“Hello.” Francesca sounded breathless as her voice came over the airwaves once more.
“I’m sorry, Gypsy,” JC said in lieu of a greeting.
“I thought you probably would be.”
“It was a knee-jerk reaction. You’re being pretty wonderful, using your talent to help people. I’m proud to know you.”
“You are important to me, darling.”
“I know — and I love the hell outta you.” Okay, he was lucky; she didn’t hate his guts. “I didn’t even know if you’d talk to me. I was such an ass.”
“I’m sorry I had to spring this on you like this. It all happened so fast...”
“It’s cool. We’ll deal. What about that wedding coming up?”
“I hope to be back in time for Christmas. I really don’t want to miss our first Christmas together either. I am going to work with an engineer friend of Jeff’s to see what can be salvaged by renovation and what has to be torn down. We’re hoping to save some of the old buildings. So much history is being lost.”
“My baby is a hero.”
“No. Nothing like that. I just want to help.”
She was being far too modest. He was pretty sure the people she was helping would believe her to be heaven sent — like he did. “I wish I could see you off. When do you leave?”
“Tomorrow morning about seven.”
Five AM his time. No way he could be there. “Have a safe trip then, babe. Take care of my gypsy and I’ll see you when you get back.”
“Will you be in Chicago?”
“A couple days before Christmas.” He had planned to leave earlier but now he didn’t see the use. The reason he was going to be there wasn’t going to be there herself!
Her sad little sigh let him know he’d be missed. “I hate doing this to you, to us...”
“We’re okay, Francesca,” he assured her.
“Love you,” she said instead of good-bye.
“Love you, babe.”
When JC arrived back in Chicago he found Francesca’s loft a buzz of activity. The Carlisle males and his father had set up a large Christmas tree in the living room. Lights had been put on and the men were in the process of adding garland. In the kitchen his mother and Francesca’s were preparing cookies and candies. The families were trying to make Christmas for the couple.
“Fancy is sacrificing her favorite holiday.” Lucia Carlisle told JC. “She loves getting ready for Christmas. Since she isn’t here we decided to do it for her.”
“I’m sure she’ll appreciate it.” JC murmured. He knew it didn’t feel like Christmas without his fiancée at his side. He wasn’t much in the holiday mood.
Karen went up to her son and hugged him. “You have to put yourself in the mood for Francesca’s sake, Josh. She’s doing a wonderful thing for the less fortunate. Don’t make her feel more guilty than she already does.”
“I know...” he sighed.
Johnny came up and slapped his back. “C’mon downstairs to your place. I could use a beer. The present wrapping will start soon. Can’t see what Santa’s got for you now, can you?”
“If you have anything you need us to wrap, you bring it up in the next few minutes,” Lucia told JC.
“Thank you, ma’am,” he responded. He did have a few things for Francesca that required wrapping.
Using the spiral staircase that now connected Francesca’s apartment with his studio loft, JC led Johnny to his sanctuary. The place was still without a truly homey touch since he hadn’t been in Chicago much and Francesca had been busy.
Once his gifts had been delivered into Lucia’s capable hands. JC stretched out on the sofa he had picked out with Francesca’s help. A moment later Johnny returned from the kitchen with two bottles of beer. Handling one to JC, he took the loveseat across from him and propped his feet up on the coffee table. The two took a couple swallows before they spoke.
“This sucks,” JC stated plainly.
“Yeah, it does,” Johnny acknowledged.
“Your sister needs to get her fine ass back to Chicago. I don’t care how ‘noble’ and ‘wonderful’ she is.” Since he and Johnny were friends, JC knew he could say these things without scolding.
“Guess you shoulda known she was the heroine type. Look at the Butlers.”
“Yeah.” Another swallow of beer.
“Has she said how Justine and Jeff are getting along?” Johnny asked with studied casualness.
JC eyed Francesca’s brother. This was not the first time he’d asked about Justine.
“I admit it, all right? Jus may have had the hots for Jeff all these years. I think it’s sorta part hero-worship and part wanting the unattainable. Burns my ass she’s never even notice me. I’m just Fancy’s kid brother.”
“You?... And Justine?”
“Why not? I’m not exactly a toad.”
No, Johnny attracted women like bees to honey. JC was lucky he was even noticed when he was out with Johnny. Francesca’s brother had this lazy, blatant sexuality. Coupled with his killer good looks he was a chick magnet. The fact he had a dangerous ‘protect and serve’ career only seem to add to his allure. One woman had even asked him to demonstrate his handcuffs in private when they were hanging out at a bar.
“I’m a better fit than Jeff. Don’t get me wrong, I love my brother, but he’s a little serious for Jus. She likes fireworks, romance, boldness. That is so not Jeff.”
“Could it be that being the baby brother of her best friend sorta leaves you outta the running?” JC asked. “She may always see you as Baby Johnny.”
“I planned on getting her under the mistletoe this year and then Jeff and Fancy drag her off.”
“Francesca said they want to be home by Christmas Eve.” JC was sure this next bit of news would give Johnny some hope. “She also told me Jeff finally got a clue and took Justine out one night. Justine said it was the longest dinner she’d ever suffered through. Perfect gentleman Jeff proved to bore her silly.”
“Yess!” Johnny’s fist shot into the air.
“Don’t go spilling beer on my furniture,” JC reminded him in a laugh.
“I promise when that woman gets home, Justine won’t know what hit her. She won’t remember Francesca’s baby brother when John Carlisle gets a hold of her.”
“Good luck — if we can get them home.”