Maria stretched languidly and blinked at the first rays of sunlight coming in the window. She was lying on her side, her head inches from Ritchie's, their legs tangled together. He opened his eyes, and she felt a shiver of excitement run through her as she watched his mouth curve in a slow smile.

She was just too happy to let it be awkward.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself."

He brushed the hair back from her forehead. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry – oh my gosh! Joey! He'll be up any minute."

He gave her a wicked grin. "Then we better hit the shower right now."

He scooped her up and carried her, naked, into the bathroom. Hot water from multiple showerheads flowed over her body, the stream of tiny pellets awakening every nerve ending. She'd been worried she might feel regrets, but instead, she was filled with so much joy her body couldn't contain it. No matter what the future might hold, making love with Ritchie couldn't have been a mistake. Nothing that made her feel so good could be wrong. She refused to think about the future. For right now, being here with Ritchie was enough.

Ritchie poured shampoo over her head, worked her hair into a lather, then slid his soapy hands down over her neck and shoulders. When he began soaping her breasts she had to hold onto his shoulders for support. Ritchie turned her around, positioning her with the palms of her hands braced against the tile wall.

She smelled the fresh citrus scent of her body wash and then, moments later, it filled her senses as Ritchie lathered her back and shoulders with one of the luxurious washcloths. She wondered what the thread count was as the soft cloth moved over her skin. Then she stopped thinking at all as he pressed closer to her and used the washcloth on her breasts. He added more body wash, and she felt drunk on the aroma, lost in the sensations of the soapy cloth over her breasts, the friction of the cotton on her nipples almost unbearably arousing.

She felt him nudge her legs apart with his knee, and the washcloth moved lower. He slipped the cloth between her legs and moved it back and forth in a slow rhythm. The more intense the sensations, the more firmly he held her in place, and squirming to try to ease the pressure that was building inside her only increased the delicious friction. He kept her legs apart as she went over, continuing to move the washcloth against her in its slow rhythm all the way through her shuddering orgasm.

Then the washcloth was gone and his hands were exploring her, every nerve in her body acutely sensitized to his touch. She struggled to catch her breath, tried to turn around to face him, but he pressed her hands back against the tile again.

"I not done with you yet, Maria."

He nudged her legs farther apart, positioned her hips, and she realized he was going to take her, right there in the shower, while the steamy water sluiced over them both in rivulets.

"Ritchie, we don't have time . . ."

She was wet and slick from the soap and the water and her already quickening arousal, and he entered her in one quick, hard stroke.

"Then you better come fast for me," he said, thrusting harder and deeper.

Her orgasm while he used the washcloth on her had left her shattered. Her body responded to him now, and she realized she wanted more. Craved more. Where had this wanton woman come from?

The sound of his wet skin slapping against hers made her crazy with need. This was nothing – nothing – like the slow, easy lovemaking from the night before. It felt wild and dangerous and reckless.

Ritchie braced one hand beside hers on the tile wall, his other arm circling her body and supporting her with steely muscles while his fingers rubbed over her slick and swollen nipples. Then, incredibly, he was moving even harder and faster, taking her to a place she hadn't even imagined, as her senses spun out of control. Her body was moving on its own, rocking with his, matching each thrust, her inner muscles clenching around him. Her orgasm broke through her in sharp-edged waves.

Afterward, she would have slid down the tile wall into a puddle if he hadn't supported her. She turned into his arms, her head against his chest and he just held her while the aftershocks of good, hard sex went though her body. She barely noticed the water hitting her in her face until he shifted their bodies, protecting her from the spray.

The front door slammed. "Hey! Wake up you guys!" Joey's voice echoed from downstairs.

"Oh my gosh, Joey!" Maria scrambled to get out of the shower, but Ritchie loped an arm around her and pulled her back in.

"Relax, I can get down there a lot faster." He took a step back, but then grinned and yanked her hard against him and kissed her. Then he was out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist, and calling out to Joey that he'd be right down.

Maria leaned back against the tiles a few moments and waited for her breathing to come back under control. Making love with Ritchie was so much more than she had imagined it would be. She was going to have to be very, very careful not to get too comfortable being in his bed, being in his life. But for now, what harm could there be in just enjoying the moment? He made her feel full of life and full of hope – things she hadn't felt since that last magical summer in Italy.

If she could put her worries and responsibilities aside, just for a little while, didn't she deserve it?

By the time she got downstairs, Joey was poised to hurl himself at her.

"You got it! You got me Rock Band!" He flew across the room and tackled her in a hug that almost knocked her off her feet. "You're the best sister in the whole world."

She'd filled stockings for the three of them as well, mostly with candy, a few gag gifts for Ritchie and Joey, and some gaming gift cards for Joey. But her own stocking seemed to be bulging with much more that it had when she'd left it there last night.

She sat on the couch and started slowly pulling items out, while Joey dumped his on the floor.

"What did you guys do?" she asked, as she slowly pulled the bow on a small, brightly wrapped box.

Joey looked up from where he was sitting on the floor, searching through his own bounty.

"That one's from me," he said. "Me and Ritchie went shopping last week, but I paid for it myself."

She opened the box and found a beautiful bracelet made of finely polished shells.

"Do you like it?" Joey's face was eager, and she went over and hugged him.

"I love it," Maria said, and slipped it onto her wrist, fastening the delicate clasp. "It's perfect."

"Now open the other one," Joey said. "It's from Ritchie."

"Okay, okay." Her fingers felt nervous as she slipped the bow off the box. This one was squarer and smaller than the one that had held the bracelet. Inside was a jeweler's box. She lifted the lid to reveal an exquisite pair of pearl earrings.

She looked up at Ritchie. "They're beautiful."

"They're vintage natural pearls. Beautiful and rare."

She lifted them out of the box and put them on, her hands trembling a little. What must these have cost?

"I knew they'd be perfect," Ritchie said. He reached over, brushed her hair behind her ear, and grazed his fingers gently on her neck for a moment. "Beautiful and rare," he said, and suddenly, she wasn't sure he was talking about the pearls.

Joey smiled at her and Ritchie, satisfied that they were having a good Christmas, and then dove back into his own gifts, crawling under the tree to search out more, until the floor was littered with wrapping paper, bows, videogames, and clothes. For a kid who would have turned his nose up at getting clothes for Christmas just a few years ago, Joey was amazingly excited at the trendy t-shirts and board shorts. She almost laughed at the look he shot Ritchie when he opened the bottle of men's cologne and said, "Dude, thanks, this is cool," then proceeded to practically bathe himself in it.

Ritchie had also bought him the latest iPhone upgrade, and that one had him jumping up and down and shouting. Until everything but Rock Band was eclipsed by the shiny iPad Joey pulled out of a brightly wrapped box.

His jaw fell open, and he stared at Ritchie. "Dude, really? This is for me?"

"I thought you'd like having one of your own," Ritchie said.

"You spent too much," Maria said.

Ritchie shrugged and glanced over at the happy look on Joey's face. "It's Christmas," he said.

Joey reached farther back under the tree, pulled out a package he'd wrapped himself just the night before, and handed it to Ritchie.

"Hey," he said, trying to act casual. "This one's for you."

Joey had gone online and ordered a gamer t-shirt for Ritchie that had some saying on it that Maria didn't recognize. She'd tried to talk Joey into getting Ritchie something sensible, like a tie – he was a lawyer, after all, and wore ties every day – but Joey would have none of it. She watched nervously as Ritchie opened the clumsily-wrapped gift and then realized she needn't have worried at all. Ritchie pulled the shirt out of the box and held it up for a moment. All while Joey watched him. Then he lowered the shirt and looked at Joey and said, "This is seriously cool."

"I told you!" Joey shouted gleefully at Maria. "I told you he'd like it."

When Ritchie matter-of-factly peeled off his own shirt and put on the new one, Maria thought Joey's face would explode from pure joy.

"Here!" Joey said, dragging a bulky package out from behind the tree. "Open the one from Maria!"

She felt suddenly nervous. She reached up self-consciously and touched one of the pearl earrings he'd given her. They were expensive and tasteful. Personal but impersonal at the same time. What if her own gift gave away too much of herself?

After he opened it, he stared at it for a few moments, saying nothing, and her heart pounded in her chest. Finally, he looked at her.

"How did you know?"

"How did I know?"

"Vivienne must have seen my reaction to it when I stopped by the studio."

"No." He'd been by the studio? "Vivienne never told me you stopped by."

He frowned. "But then, how did you know I'd been there? To that exact spot. To that same café, in Florence."

"I didn't. I just...I wanted to give you something of the feeling I had when I was in Italy, and I remembered that perfect day. So I painted it for you."

"You painted this specifically for me?"

"I know it isn't perfect, I just –"

"Stop it," he said, his tone a little harsh. "It's a brilliant piece of work. You have to know that."

"So," Joey said, looking from one to the other, seeming to pick upon the tension that had suddenly cut through the air, "do you like it or what?"

"I like it very much," he answered Joey, but his eyes were on Maria's face. "In fact, I can't think of anything you could have given me that I would appreciate more."

"Cool," Joey said. "So, can we eat?"

"Not just yet," Ritchie said, leaning his painting carefully against the wall. "I have one more present for each of you."

He went outside for about a minute then called them to follow him. He was standing on the pathway by the porch with a paddleboard leaning on each side of him, both adorned with giant red bows.

"Holy shit! For real?"

"Joey! Watch your language," Maria said. Secretly, she was grateful for the distraction, because she couldn't look at the paddleboard without thinking about how close she and Ritchie had come to making love on his. He gave her a long heated look, and she felt her skin warming. He was obviously remembering the same thing she was.

"We'll spend some time later today practicing," Ritchie said, his eyes still on Maria.

"Cool!" Joey said. "So, let's go eat and get out on the water!"

Ritchie rubbed his hand affectionately through Joey's hair, and the two of them took the new paddleboards down to lean them against the railing on the dock. Maria heard her cell phone ringing, and she rushed back in, locating it under a pile of torn wrapping paper.

"Vivienne," she said, as she answered the phone. "Merry Christmas!"

Author's Note:

Are they finally on track? 

Why do you think Vivienne is calling? Just to say Merry Christmas?  Or something else . . . ?