The Marcelli Bride

His voice lowered and his expression softened. “Now she has a baby of her own to keep her busy. So the labels will stay, and we will go on.”



“I can’t believe she runs two wineries,” Darcy said. “That’s pretty amazing.”



“Yes. Too much, sometimes, but she’s stubborn. When I wouldn’t let her run Marcelli, she started her own label. Foolish girl. But the first releases are out. She scored high and sold everything within a week.”



There was pride in his voice. Darcy understood that Grandpa Lorenzo would be an exacting boss, but she wouldn’t mind dealing with the old man. For him, family was everything.



“You have a sister?” he asked.



“Yes. Lauren.”



Lorenzo nodded. “And your mother?”



“She died when I was sixteen. My father never remarried. In politics it’s difficult to find the time to have a personal life.”



“Still, a man shouldn’t be alone. It’s not right. Look at my Joe. Alone for too many years.”



Darcy laughed. “You’re not subtle, are you?”



“I’m an old man who wants to see his only grandson married. He’s a handsome fellow. Strong. He would be a good provider.”



Darcy grinned. “Yes, and he seems to have very nice teeth. I’m sure he’ll be a good breeder.”



Lorenzo smiled. “You tease me.”



“A little. I don’t think Joe is interested in me that way.” Although he had just kissed her. Hmm, the lip-pressing did sort of make things more intriguing.



“You could make him interested,” Lorenzo said. “You have ways.”



“Not as many as you’d think.”



“Darcy?”



She heard someone calling her name. A familiar someone. Male, tall, and with good teeth.



“We’re in here,” she yelled.



Joe walked into the storage room. “Paige and Alex were going crazy. You disappeared.”



“Oh, sorry. Your grandfather and I were just talking.”



“About you,” Lorenzo said. “About your heritage.”



Joe shook his head. “Not now, old man. Let me get Darcy back to her Secret Service team.”



“What about this family?” Lorenzo demanded, banging his cane on the wooden floor. “What about your duty to it? You should be married and having babies.”



“Okay, gotta go,” Darcy said, taking that as her cue to leave. She waved and hurried out of the room. Oh, yeah. Hanging with Alex and Paige was much less pressure than dealing with Joe’s inability to get along with his family.



Joe watched Darcy duck out. Lucky her. She could simply walk away.



“I’m not interested in getting married,” he said calmly.



“So we all know. And what will happen when you are? What will you call her?”



Joe frowned. “My wife?”



“Will she be a Larson? That is not your real name. You are a Marcelli. You should take back the family name. Be proud you are one of us.”



“Not in this lifetime,” Joe growled as he turned on his heel and walked out of the room. Change his name? He was Joe Larson, always had been. It was bad enough the old man pressured him about getting married, and now Brenna expected him to learn more about the winery.



The need to run, to bolt for freedom, quickened his step, but there wasn’t anywhere to go. As long as Darcy Jensen was in residence, he was trapped.



He’d barely made it to the barrel room of the winery when he ran into Alex Vanmeter. The head of security didn’t look happy as he glared at Joe and announced, “We have to talk.”



8



A lex led Joe around to the back of the winery and checked to make sure they were alone. Then he turned on Joe and let loose.



“What were you thinking?” the agent demanded. Fury tightened his features and sharpened his voice. “You are our liaison with the family. You’re a goddamn trained SEAL. You’re supposed to be protecting Darcy, not putting her in danger. You have no right to prance around here, sucking face with the president’s daughter.”



Joe groaned. Between his family and Darcy, he was in the seventh level of hell and sinking fast.



He didn’t have to ask how Alex knew about the kiss. No doubt the agent on duty had followed them and seen the whole thing.



“Do you know what we’re up against?” Alex demanded. “This is not an easy location to keep secure.”



“Then you shouldn’t have picked it,” Joe told him. “I’m doing my job, and that’s all you get from me. Darcy can kiss who she wants. It’s not putting her at risk, so you can stop the lecture.”



Alex’s expression hardened. “You’re right, Lieutenant Commander. Kissing her didn’t put her at risk, but walking off and leaving her alone sure did.”



Joe stiffened. Alex was right. Joe had reacted in the moment, both by kissing her and then by stalking off. He’d needed to get away, to figure out what he thought he was doing. In that moment he hadn’t considered who Darcy was or why she was here. If that other agent hadn’t been there…



He swore long and loudly.



“My thoughts exactly,” Alex said. “I’ll be e-mailing a report to your commanding officer. I don’t imagine you’ll be with us much longer.”



Joe knew he’d more than earned the action. He heard a flushing sound, followed by the visual of his career slipping down the toilet. The hell of it was, this time he had no one to blame but himself.



“In your position, I would do exactly the same,” he said quietly. “You’re right. I left the subject unprotected. If your man hadn’t been there, she would have been completely exposed and vulnerable. It won’t happen again.”



Alex didn’t look convinced. “Why should I believe you?”



“Because I don’t make the same mistake twice. Because I know my job.”



Alex shook his head. “Fine. Then remember to do it the next time you’re alone with Darcy.”



He turned and walked away.



Joe stared after him. What was wrong with him? He knew better. Why had he reacted to Darcy? Why had he kissed her?



It wasn’t just because she was a woman. He’d worked with women before. Dozens of times. A lot of them had been prettier, smarter, or sexier, and he’d never once lost sight of his objective. Enemy operatives had attempted to seduce him with some highly erotic practices, and he’d ignored them all.



So why Darcy?



“Joe! There you are.”



Mia rounded the corner of the building with Ian in tow. Joe’s bad mood worsened when he saw the tall, thin young man. There was something about Ian that got on his nerves. Reason number one surfaced the second the lanky blond caught sight of him.



“Hey, Joe,” Ian said cheerfully. “How’s it going? We’ve been walking around the winery. It’s so great here. I’ve never been to a winery before.” He chuckled. “I’ve never been much of a wine drinker. But yesterday afternoon Mia took me over to the tasting room. It’s really nice there. I like the garden and all the grass around it. She said you guys have weddings there. It would be beautiful for a wedding. Anyway, we had lots of different wines. We tried all the merlots and had a couple of the Four Sisters pinots. Those were really great. Mia told me all about Brenna starting her own winery. That’s really cool. That she would do that. You’re in the navy, right? A SEAL? I saw that movie. Navy SEALs. It was great. Macho. Didn’t that one guy get shot? Huh. I guess if they’d had you along, that wouldn’t have happened? Oh, the Secret Service cleared me. But I guess you knew that. I’m still here.”



When he paused for breath, Mia jumped in. “So how are things?”



Joe shrugged. “Fine.” He stared at Ian. What did she see in the guy? Mia caught his gaze and grinned, as if she could read his mind. She mouthed something that looked very much like “he’s really good in bed,” which he didn’t want to know.



“I haven’t had a chance to talk to Darcy,” Ian said. “What’s she like? She’s prettier in person, don’t you think? Of course I really like Lauren. She’s always helping with those sick kids and it was really sad when her husband died. It was in that ice storm, wasn’t it? When D.C. was shut down and his car went off the road. I saw their whole wedding. I was in high school and my mom had this big party and all her friends came over and watched. She made these funny sandwiches and a little wedding cake. It was really good, with a chocolate filling.”



Joe started backing away. “I, ah, gotta write a report,” he said, interrupting Ian’s flow of conversation. “See you guys around.”



With that, he ducked into a rear door of the winery and wandered the halls as he headed toward the front of the building. As he rounded a corner, he saw Marco sitting in an office and knocked on the open door.



“Joe! Come in. What are you doing here?”



“Escaping Ian. Mia’s had some interesting guys before but never anyone like him,” he said, taking a seat.



“I know.” Marco leaned back in his chair. “I’m never fond of anyone my youngest daughter is sleeping with, but Ian is worse than most. I try to tell myself that he’s basically a nice guy, even though he never stops talking. Besides, your mother likes him, as does mine.”



Joe didn’t react to Colleen being called his mother, or the guilt he felt over what had happened with Tessa. Instead he focused on the topic at hand. “Then they’re too easy.”



Marco nodded at the sales report posted on the wall by the door. “We’re having a good year. My father has done a great job with the winery for many years, but Brenna brings a touch of magic to the wines. She knows what our customers want.”



“She’s working hard,” Joe acknowledged, wondering if he was about to get nailed again.



Marco struck immediately. “She could use some help.”



Joe regretted sitting down. “I’m sure she can hire a good manager to help after the baby’s born.”



“It’s more than that,” Marco told him. “Joe, I know you love what you do with the navy, but in time that will end. You’ll put in your twenty and retire. Then what? Where will you go? We would like you to come here. You’re a Marcelli, Joe. You belong here.”



Joe stood. “Look, Marco, I know what you want, what the whole family wants. It’s not going to happen. I appreciate that you’re trying. It’s great. You guys are terrific, but this isn’t my world and you’re not….” He hesitated, not sure he could say they weren’t his family again. Hadn’t he hurt enough people already that morning?



“This isn’t for me,” he finished lamely.



Marco nodded without speaking, but Joe saw the pain in his eyes. Whoever thought families were a good idea, he wondered as he excused himself and escaped into the quiet of the hallway. Give him a nice armed insurgence any day. At least there he would know what to do.



Paige faced the special agent in charge and prepared to do battle. “You’re not reporting Joe to his superior officer,” she said, going for a calm, but forceful, tone.



“I am,” Alex said flatly. “What he did is inexcusable.”



“I agree he screwed up, but that’s no reason to serve him up on a platter. I’m sure he was shocked by what happened.” She’d been shocked. It had been a long time since the president’s daughter had gotten involved with anyone, and if Paige were offering opinions, she would bet Joe was one of the good guys, but Joe and Darcy? It didn’t seem very likely.



“He left her alone,” Alex reminded her.



“No, he didn’t. Agent Briggs was with them.”



“He didn’t know that. It’s my decision, and I’m not changing my mind.”