“Whoa-ho,” Tony said, when he looked back at Nick. “Izzie? It’s Izzie? Holy shit, Gloria’s gonna love this.”

“Gloria’s not going to know about this,” Nick muttered. Izzie was not twenty steps away and if she heard what they were talking about, she’d probably bolt. Then ignore him for the next week until he could work his way around her defenses again.

Damn, but the woman was prickly.

“Why not? Cripes, the family’s been wanting you two to hook up forever.”

“That’s the problem. Izzie isn’t the kind of woman who likes to do what’s expected of her.”

Maybe that’s one reason they got along so well. Because Nick felt exactly the same way about his family. He just hadn’t been able to make that clear to them yet.

“Okay, I won’t do anything to jinx it. But I don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep it from Gloria.” Tony grinned, shaking his head back and forth. “The woman can get anything out of me with her sexy…”

“Don’t want to hear it,” Nick smoothly interjected. He continued to watch Izzie, realizing the exact moment when she spotted him. A quick grin flashed across her face. But when she saw who was with him, the grin disappeared.

“Hi, Tony. Nick,” she murmured, reaching them. She sounded so cool and calm. As if she hadn’t been in a huge tub of warm bubbles and cold champagne with him twelve hours ago, loving each other until the water got cold and the champagne got flat.

God, what a night. Another amazing one in Izzie’s arms.

He didn’t know what he’d ever do without them.

“How’s it going, little sister?” Tony asked, giving her a one-armed hug. “Sorry I couldn’t make it to lunch at the folks’ house Sunday. Work-it kills me.” He glanced at Nick and wagged his eyebrows. “If only I had a partner to take up the slack.”

Nick managed to suppress a sigh. Then he turned his attention to Izzie. “I was just on my way to the bakery. I’m jonesing for something sweet.”

She chuckled. “I was last night, too. I almost dashed out and got a Ho Ho to tide me over until you…” She quickly snapped her mouth shut, remembering Tony was there.

His oldest brother had never been the king of tact. In fact, his wife affectionately called him Lunkhead. Well, usually affectionately. Right now, however, Tony managed to pull it off. “Well, it was great seeing you, Iz, but I have to get back to work. Nick, you’re gonna swing by the bank after you go up to the bakery and grab us some of Izzie’s fabulous cannolis?”

They had plenty of cannolis left in the restaurant, but, he assumed, it was the best Tony could do on such short notice. “Sure, Tony. You bet.”

They both watched Tony go back into the restaurant, with breezy hellos and good wishes to every customer he passed on the way back to the kitchen. When they were alone on the sidewalk, Izzie continued to stare at the glass restaurant door. Finally, she murmured, “He knows, doesn’t he?”

Nick nodded. “Yeah.”

“How?”

With a helpless shrug, he told her the truth. “He saw the look on my face when I saw you walking toward me just now.”

She finally tore her gaze off the door and directed it toward him. Staring into his eyes, she searched for the meaning of what he’d said.

He didn’t try to hide it. He was in love with Izzie and his eyes affirmed that, even if his mouth didn’t.

He just didn’t know if she’d want to see the truth there.

He understood why she wouldn’t. Putting the reality of their feelings out there meant they had to deal with them. It meant she could accuse him of breaking their “secret lovers” deal and freeze him out of her life again.

It could also mean she’d acknowledge that she was falling for him, too. And that maybe they could make something work between them. Something good. Right.

Permanent.

“I can’t handle this, Nick,” she whispered, appearing stricken. “He’ll tell Gloria.”

“Not intentionally.”

“And she’ll blab to the known universe and the neighborhood will have me married and fat before winter and my parents will be eyeing a perfect little row house for us right up from theirs, getting our future kids on the waiting lists to go to Sacred Heart and St. Raphael’s.”

She sounded pained, as if the very idea of living that life devastated her. He understood why. Because he didn’t want it, either. Any of it. Oh, he wanted Izzie, no doubt about it. But as for how they lived? Well, it wouldn’t be like anything anybody on Taylor Street would understand.

But before he could reassure her, Izzie shook her head and started walking. “I can’t talk about this now. Not here.”

He fell into step beside her. “Tonight.”

“I’m going to my parents tonight. My sister Mia’s coming into town for the weekend and I had to promise to come for dinner-which I can’t do tomorrow or Sunday.”

In a normal relationship, she’d ask him to come with her. In a normal relationship, he’d do it.

They weren’t normal, of course.

“Call me when you’re done and I’ll meet you at your place.”

She hesitated, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. “I need a little time, Nick. Just a little time. Can we…maybe take a break until tomorrow?”

One night. She wasn’t asking for much. But the thought of going without her tonight nearly killed him.

“All right, Izzie.” He caught her arm, holding her elbow before she could stalk away. She looked frantically from side to side, as if to see if anyone was watching, but Nick didn’t release her. “Don’t panic,” he ordered her. “Don’t see trouble where there is none.”

She flashed him a grateful smile, murmured, “I’m mentally kissing you goodbye,” then tugged her arm free and walked away.

He mentally kissed her goodbye, too, until she disappeared into the bakery.

SPENDING FRIDAY NIGHT with her family actually turned out to be a very good experience. Izzie had been half-dreading it, since she’d felt like an alien among all of them since the day she’d gotten home. But something about this gathering was different. Maybe because Mia was home and therefore got a lot of the attention. Or because Gloria’s boys were there-the grandsons always caused everything else to cease to exist for her parents.

Or maybe it was just because Izzie forced herself to relax. Not having to talk a lot meant she didn’t have to watch every word she said. Didn’t have to worry about letting something slip regarding her dancing-which they all assumed she’d given up entirely because of her knee.

Not being so on edge actually allowed her to relax and, to her shock, even enjoy herself.

She was still mulling it over the next day, remembering the smile on her father’s face as he talked about returning to work soon. When he told her he’d been talking to his brother-who was about to retire-about coming to work with him at the bakery, Izzie began to see a silver lining in the cloud of her life. With another member of the family coming in to the business, the pressure would be off Izzie to stay involved. Maybe she could get back to something like a real life of her own.

Whatever she did-staying in Chicago or going back to New York, continuing to strip or giving it up-loving Nick or letting him get away-she knew she did not want to be a baker for much longer.

Nick tried reaching her a couple of times Saturday but she’d missed his calls. Not intentionally-the first time she’d been in the shower and the second she’d been waiting on customers at the bakery. By the time she had a minute to call him back, he’d been the one who hadn’t answered.

Still, not having spoken to him for more than a day-since that tense moment on the street when she’d realized Tony had stumbled onto the truth of their relationship-she was a little nervous. Heading to work at Leather and Lace, she immediately scanned the parking lot for his car, but didn’t see it. She was early-probably two hours earlier than she needed to be, and she knew it was because she was hoping he’d be here.