Chapter 18
Imanaged to talk in between his kisses. “I have very little experience with this, so you are going to have to lead this show.”
“It’s not a show.” He kissed my neck, and I shivered. “It’s just me loving you. And you have no idea how incredible you are. Don’t have any nerves. You want to stop? We stop. Okay?”
I nodded, hardly able to think through what he was doing to my neck. “I know. And same by the way, if you want to stop, we stop.”
He laughed. “Thank you. I can pretty much guarantee I won’t want to stop.”
Still, he should know he had a say too.
Outside a sight caught my attention. It was snowing.
It had the night before while we were sleeping, but now I could see it.
I bit down on my lip. “Jules, should we go upstairs? I mean, I know we’re all in this kind of unique relationship, but I would rather your brothers not walk through the door right in the middle. ”
“Me too.” He nodded and jumped up before I could imagine what he would do, scooping me up in his arms. I made a sound—something akin to an oomph. He grinned. “In my head, I was better at that. I will just have to practice doing it.”
I shook my head. “I loved it.”
“Good. Still going to practice. Be aware.” He smiled before he winked at me. “Or don’t be aware. It’s more fun to surprise you.”
He carried me up the stairs and went into one of the bedrooms we hadn’t yet used.
They were all empty of any character, matching, as they were purely used as guest rooms for anyone staying with the Lents.
There were no small touches; they just looked utilitarian, which led me to believe that the Lents didn’t want guests staying very long.
Knowing them, that was absolutely true.
The bed was comfortable enough. Someone had taken the time to make that happen. They were all king sized and soft but not too soft. It didn’t matter right then. Not when I had Julian leaning over me.
He was so strong; he was in a plank position over my body, and it didn’t bother him at all. He smiled down at me, and I bit down on his lower lip. He closed his eyes and sighed. Yes, that was a good sound. Okay. That worked.
Maybe I wasn’t entirely inept at this seduction thing. Or maybe he just loved me.
That had to be it because I knew exactly how bad I was looking right then.
He opened his lids, his blue eyes so clear and bright I had to catch my breath to look at them. “If this is a dream, don’t wake me up.”
The same went for me. We could share this mutual unbelievable moment together in disbelief. That worked.
His fingers brushed over the fuzz on top of my head before coming down to cup the side of my face, lingering for a moment as if memorizing me with his fingertips.
The room felt suspended in time, as if only we existed within the space of these walls.
Even the faint hum of the heat being pumped in faded into the background.
It was just the two of us, breathing each other in.
He kissed me again, softer this time, a gentle reassurance that everything here was real despite its dreamlike quality. I pressed closer, needing more of what I had asked for and what he was offering me.
When he finally pulled back, he looked at me with a kind of reverence that belonged to only him.
This was a Julian look, and I was lucky that I got to see it.
To the rest of the world he was Julian Lent, untouchable, rich and unknown past the external.
In his gaze I could see his soul. “You know,” he murmured, “I never thought I’d find this.
How could I? With what and who we are? But you’re here and you want this. With me.”
I swallowed, feeling every unspoken word between us settle softly in the air. “Neither did I,” I admitted, tracing the outline of his jaw with my fingertips. “But I’m not letting go. And I’m the one who has to consider who and what I am. Not you… you’re perfect. Don’t argue.”
Julian smiled. “The fact that you know I would is enough. You’re the perfect one here.”
We undressed each other. Maybe the time for words had passed. I didn’t know. I was new to this. Every time I’d gotten naked before it had been different. With Jules it was silent, and I loved it.
Finally, when I was completely exposed to him, I forced myself to meet his gaze. “I didn’t think I’d feel shy.”
“But you are.” He nodded. “I am too.”
I shook my head. “Are you lying?’
“To you? Never. No, I am. You matter, Baby. Like nothing else, or anyone in the universe.”
He slipped a finger inside of me before he leaned down to suck on my nipple.
I bucked beneath him. Wow, I was sensitive.
Really sensitive and wanting more. I wasn’t sure what I should be doing right then.
In our position, I could kiss his shoulders and run my hands around his back, so I did just that.
His skin was soft and firm. Jules tasted clean and smelled masculine like the citrus scent of his soap only enhanced the very essence that was Jules. He lifted his head. “I am so excited. You can probably feel that. I will be better at this next time. If it goes too fast. You can count on that.”
Was he worried about that? “Jules…”
He winced. “Told you I was also feeling shy and insecure.”
I would say adorable, but we’d leave that alone. Instead, I just kissed him and held onto him, knowing that this was Julian and everything would be beautiful.
And it was.
I leaned on his chest, listening to Julian breathe. What a week it had been. We had lost his granny, discovered Phoenix’s abductors and what had happened—or at least some of it—to him, flown to the Hamptons, and now I had done that. Ups and downs in the most extreme ways.
I smiled and kissed his chest. He responded by kissing the top of my head. “I love you.”
“I love you so much.”
I could feel him smile, his mouth on my temple. “It’s snowing, isn’t it?”
Had he just noticed? Yes it was snowing. It had started before we had. I sat up, slowly. “Should we be worried about the others?” I had been really preoccupied, not thinking about the fact that they were out there driving.
He joined me. “Barrett is a good driver and hopefully had the sense not to use his own car today.” Their oldest brother had a thing for older cars.
Beautiful but maybe not perfect for the Hamptons in the snow.
Julian grabbed his phone and looked down at it.
“They’re fine. See?” He held up the screen.
“I mean they’re not as good as I am right now.
But they’re coming back. About twenty minutes away I think. ”
That was good. I was a bad girlfriend. I should have thought of it earlier. And now I had to not think about what could go wrong in those twenty minutes on snow and ice. The guys really didn’t drive enough.
“Hey,” he nudged me. “Come on. We’re getting in the hot tub.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Jules, we were just discussing the snow.”
“Best time to get in the hot tub. Trust me.” He rubbed his eyes and then with remarkable energy considering just seconds ago he had looked tired, he got out of bed.
I followed him. I needed a bathing suit, but I didn’t have one with me.
Or maybe I did. Presumably I had a bathing suit somewhere—they’d packed all of my stuff to bring to Louisiana.
But I had no idea where it was, and even though we’d packed everything again when we left, we hadn’t unpacked anything since coming here.
So, I had to make do. I grabbed the shirt I had been wearing and decided it would do for the hot tub right then. Julian put on his shorts and stayed shirtless. We were going to be freezing. Maybe Julian was kidding around with this?
But no, after shoving our feet in sneakers, we both rushed outside to the hot tub which was on. “How?” I kind of pseudo-shouted at Julian.
He grinned at me. “I should say magic but it’s a button in the house that turns it on.”
Heat in the form of steam released upward, hitting the snowflakes that came into contact with it and immediately bursting them into nothingness, like they joined into one thing instead. As though the heat from the tub took over the snow itself.
I sort of pseudo hopped in after Julian, the warmth replacing any cold the frigid air brought to my body. I shrieked. He was right. This was fun.
“Sit back.” He smiled at me. “Relax. The cold can’t get us in here.”
I sank deeper into the bubbling water, letting my shoulders slip beneath the surface until only my head remained above.
This made me giggle. In my whole life I could never have imagined doing something like this.
The sensation was surreal—warmth enveloping me while the world beyond the rim of the tub was being bathed in white.
The snowstorm danced, sending flakes sideways, piling up around the deck where the tub sat and clinging to our sneakers, which we had hastily abandoned at the edge.
Our shoes were going to be soaked. I would deal with that later.
Steam rose from the water, before being whisked away by the wind.
I reached out and caught a snowflake on my palm.
For a fraction of a second, it perched there, fragile and perfect, before dissolving instantly against my skin’s heat.
The contrast was incredible. I wished I could capture this someday in something I created for Poor Relation.
Yes, today had really brought my desire to create.
For many reasons. My breath fogged the air, mingling with the steam, making the whole scene feel strangely unreal.