Chapter 5 #2
He, who’d hated sleeping with anyone his entire life, now couldn’t imagine spending a single night without her in his arms. Every morning brought a fresh reminder of his new reality.
For the first time in twenty years, he was in love and had never been happier.
Not even the new crisis with his family could take away the unmitigated joy that came from being close to her.
Normally, his first thoughts were about the day ahead, clients, cases, court, rinse and repeat.
Since he’d fallen for Isla, work was rarely his first thought anymore. It wasn’t even his hundredth thought.
As her soft hair brushed against his face, he tightened his hold on her and smoothed a hand down her silky soft back to cup her ass. He was obsessed with everything about her, to the point he had trouble concentrating on anything else.
That could become a problem if he wasn’t careful. His work was too intense and detailed-oriented to let himself become so distracted that he couldn’t properly care for his many clients. But he didn’t need to think about them for a couple of hours yet.
Her hand slid down his chest to encircle his suddenly hard cock. All thoughts of work and family crises were obliterated when she began to stroke him.
“Morning,” she whispered.
He turned toward her and arranged her so she was under him. “Mmm.”
As he pushed into her for the third time since they’d arrived in the hotel room, she raised her hands to his face and gazed at him with a look of wonder. “How is this real? How are you real?”
“I was just wondering the same thing about you.” He buried his face in her neck and nuzzled her soft skin as he lost himself in her the way he did every single time they were together this way.
She responded to him as if she’d been born to love him and only him—and vice versa.
He, who’d thought terms like soul mate were idiotic, had become a believer in the concept because of her.
Making love to her was the most perfect thing he’d ever experienced, and all he’d want for the rest of his life was more of the way she made him feel.
They moved together as if they’d spent a lifetime loving each other rather than a couple of weeks.
Julian pushed himself up on his arms so he could see her sweet face when she came.
She grasped his arms and held on as he picked up the pace and tried to hold off, waiting for her, always thinking of her.
How was it possible that his every happiness, his every chance at a truly meaningful life, was now dependent upon her?
The one thing he’d always said he’d never let happen had taken him by storm and changed him forever.
Isla arched into him, raising her hips to meet his deep thrust and nearly finishing him off. “Julian…”
“I’m here, love. I’m right here.”
She came with a sharp cry of pleasure that took him with her into pure bliss. That was the only way to describe it. When he collapsed on top of her, her arms tightened around him, making him feel like he was finally home after a long journey.
He wasn’t so far gone he couldn’t that acknowledge such thoughts, a few short weeks ago, would’ve made him laugh at the sheer preposterousness.
But now he got it. He understood why people did whatever it took to preserve and protect this rare feeling of utter completion.
“How’re you feeling this morning?” she asked as she caressed his back.
“Blissed out, baby.”
He could feel her lips curve into a smile against his neck.
“Me, too. I keep waiting for the bubble to burst, for you to come to your senses…”
“I hope I never, ever, ever come to my senses. The last place I want to be is in reality when this is so much better than anything has ever been.”
“For me, too. I feel like I’m walking around in a dream state or something.”
“Same goes for me, and it’s a problem when I’m at work and all I want to think about is you and how amazing it feels to be with you like this.”
Isla groaned when his cock got hard again while he was still inside her. “No more. You’re going to break me, and I’ve got kids to wrangle today.”
“Fine. Be that way.” He withdrew from her and settled next to her for one more cuddle before he had to let her go for the day. “Are we still planning to run away for a while?”
“I’ve been thinking about that.”
“And…?”
“You’ve said your brother Jackson is your associate, which means he covers for you when you’re away, right?”
“Yep.”
“I just wonder if… Never mind. It’s none of my business.”
Julian pushed himself up on an elbow. “Everything about me and my life is your business. I want to hear whatever you want to say.”
“It seems like you leaving town the second the shit hits the fan wouldn’t be fair to Jackson because he can’t do the same, and the others might resent you because they look to you for guidance at times like this.
At least that’s how it seemed to me last night for the short time I was with them.
They were all waiting to hear what you had to say. ”
He groaned and flopped onto the bed.
“I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“No, hon, it’s fine. You’re right. About all of it. My groan was realizing I can’t run away without hurting them, which is the last thing I’d ever want to do. Especially right now.”
“Because they’re upset about me.”
“They’re upset about a lot of things.”
“Mostly about you behaving so differently all of a sudden.”
“It has everything to do with our parents and their bullshit. You can’t take it personally. I have no doubt they’ll love you as much as I do when they have the chance to get to know you better.”
“They don’t want to know me, Julian. They want me to go away so you can return to normal.”
“The only thing that matters is what I want, and I want you and your kids and this life we’re creating together.
I don’t want you to worry about me changing my mind or getting cold feet or whatever has you frowning like that.
I’ve never had with anyone what I do with you.
I never even knew this existed, and now that I have it… ”
“What?”
“I’ll never let you go unless you tell me you don’t want me anymore.”
“That won’t happen.”
“For me either. Please believe me, Isla. I love my brothers and sisters with all my heart. We’ve been through everything together, and I’ll always want to keep them close. But they don’t get to decide who I love or how I spend my life. Only I make those choices, and I’ve chosen you. End of story.”
She smiled, which made him feel a little better as the frown turned upside down. “I’d like to think it’s just the beginning of our story.”