Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
With Julian wrapped around her after a second round of thrilling lovemaking, Isla stared up at the ceiling, processing what’d transpired in his bed. To call it life-changing would be dramatic but true. Her entire body hummed with sensation after three orgasms.
Three!
She hadn’t thought that was even possible for her until he’d shown her otherwise.
While she ought to feel guilty about being naked in a bed with another man less than twenty-four hours after her husband passed away, guilt was the last thing on her mind.
She’d done everything humanly possible to make the best of a horrible situation, and she’d be damned if she’d feel bad, sad or guilty about feeling good for the first time in forever.
She ran her hand over his hairy forearm to a muscular bicep and shoulder.
He was a finely built man with muscles in all the right places. She’d never seen actual washboard abs until he’d removed his shirt, revealing a sculpted chest and abdomen. How did he manage that when he worked an ungodly number of hours and played in a band after work?
She couldn’t wait to ask him that and the million other questions it would take to fully know him the way she wanted to.
In the back of her mind was the nagging concern that came from Denny’s warning to not lose her head over a man who wanted nothing to do with the sorts of commitments that made up her daily life, including children.
What made her different from all the other women he’d run away from when things got too intense?
Would he do that to her, too? He’d said he wouldn’t.
He’d told her this was different. Did he always say that to women, or did he mean it? How would she know?
Every minute she spent with him, especially the last two hours’ worth of minutes, had her more invested in whatever this was, and if it suddenly went away, if he suddenly went away, she’d be devastated.
He’d brought light and joy and hope into her life in the short time she’d known him, and she’d become immediately addicted to the high that came with him.
“Stop fretting,” he whispered gruffly. “Everything’s okay.”
“How do you know I’m fretting?”
“There’s smoke coming out of your ears.”
“That is not true!”
He grumbled out a laugh. “It’s very true. I’m choking on smoke over here.”
She elbowed his ribs, drawing a grunt from him.
“Ow.”
“Stop talking nonsense.”
“Are you or are you not fretting?”
“What does that even mean?”
“Are you thinking about all the ways this could blow up in your face and cause total devastation when it ends?”
“Shut up.”
He laughed hard, and she found another thing about him to like—the sound of his unrestrained laughter.
“No, really, shut right up.”
That made him laugh even harder.
“You’re very cute when you’re annoyed.”
“If that’s true, I must be extremely cute right now.”
“You are.” He leaned in for a kiss, and she turned away from him, even though that was the last thing she wanted to do.
“Hey.”
“What?”
“Look at me.”
“I’m mad at you.”
“No, you’re not.”
“Yes, I am!”
“Isla…”
“Yes, Julian?”
“Please look at me.”
Because she already missed looking at him, she turned her head. “What?”
“I don’t want you to fret or worry or be afraid or any of the things your mind is telling you to be concerned about. I’m as lost in this as I’ve ever been in anything, and every minute I spend with you only makes it worse in the best-possible way.”
“That makes no sense.”
“Trust me. I know. But it’s true. I can’t get enough of you, and after tonight… All I’m going to want is more of you.” He twirled a length of her hair around his finger. “Please don’t be afraid of anything having to do with me.”
“It’s not just about me. You know that, right? I come with attachments.”
“Who are as adorable and sweet as their mother.”
“They’re very young, Julian. I’m looking at twenty more years of intensive parenting before they’re launched and on their own. Raising them to be decent, productive humans will be the most important thing I’ll ever do, and I’ll be doing it on my own.”
He tightened the arm he had around her. “I know.”
“In fact, I should be getting home soon.”
“Not yet. It’s not even midnight.”
“Don’t you have to work tomorrow?”
“I do, but I’ll be fine. Stay for a little longer. Please?”
“I need to get some sleep so I’m not a zombie tomorrow. Dealing with little kids while in zombie status is no fun.”
“Ten more minutes.” After raising himself up on an elbow, he moved in for a kiss that quickly turned ten minutes into sixty.
“I really have to go,” she said when she’d caught the breath he’d stolen from her lungs—again.
“I know. I’ve got to sleep, too, before I get myself fired.”
“You can get fired from a family firm?”
“Well, technically, as a partner, I’m also an owner, but the last thing I want is my dad, the senior partner, up in my grill asking me what the hell is wrong with me lately when nothing is wrong. Everything is just right.”
“You really think so?”
“I really know so. As long as you’re in the picture, everything is perfect.”
“I hope you still think so when you see my kids freaking out or sick or—”
He kissed her as sweetly as anyone ever had. “It’ll be fine. I’m sure of it.”
Isla wanted to take his reassurances to the bank and make a deposit on a future that looked awfully sweet all of a sudden, but she’d learned to be cynical. Even the best sex of her life couldn’t erase the self-preservation instinct that was telling her to proceed with utmost caution.
She got up, found her discarded clothing and got dressed while he did the same on the other side of the bed. After a quick trip to the bathroom, she followed him downstairs, where she’d left her coat on the floor.
He picked it up, held it for her and then put his arms around her and kissed her neck. “Thanks for tonight. I had the best time.”
“Me, too.”
“Don’t worry about anything, okay?”
“I’ll try not to.”
They drove to her house in silence, hands clasped as usual, but she couldn’t deny that everything had changed between them during the unforgettable hours they’d spent in his bed.
This was no longer just a heated flirtation that’d taken them both by surprise with its intensity.
Now it was something else altogether, something serious and full of potential and possible pitfalls.
If she hadn’t been so close to it, she might’ve laughed at the sheer absurdity of finally deciding to leave her husband, only to fall for her divorce attorney days before her husband died.
Like… what?
It wasn’t like she didn’t already know how arbitrary and strange life could be, but by anyone’s standards, this last week had been exceptional.
Julian pulled into her driveway and let the engine idle while he turned to her. “Are you okay?”
She nodded.
“It’s a lot. I know it is. But it feels so good to feel this way…”
“Yes, it does.”
“Let’s stay focused on that, okay? The rest will sort itself out how it’s meant to.”
“Do you really believe that?” she asked.
“I never used to, but I’m starting to see how there’s some truth in that.”
“I’ve had no reason to believe that anything ever works out, so you may find me to be a tough convert on that philosophy.”
“I wish I didn’t have to leave you when you’re having doubts.”
“They’re not doubts so much as realities.”
He tipped her chin up to receive his kiss. “My reality suddenly and totally revolves around you, so keep the faith, okay?”
“I’ll try.”
“Get some rest and text me when you wake up.”
“Okay.”
He kissed her once more, with all the passion and heat he’d shown her from the second they’d arrived at his home earlier and seemed to be tearing himself away from her when he let her go.
“I’ll walk you to the door.”
“No, I’m fine. Go on home and get some sleep.”
“I’ll wait until you’re inside, then.”
“If you must.”
“I must.”
“Thank you for tonight. It was amazing.”
“Yes, it was. Thank you.”
Isla leaned across the center console for one more kiss before she got out of the SUV and headed for the breezeway door, where she punched in a code to get into the house. She waved and turned off the outside light.
After checking on her sleeping babies, Isla got into bed and exhaled a deep breath as she tried to calm her racing heart.
Her body was still tingling from the aftereffects of epic orgasms with a man who clearly knew his way around the female body.
While she might’ve been jealous to think of him with countless other women, if all that experience had shown him how to bring her the most pleasure she’d ever known, then she supposed she could forgive him for his past.
It would take days, if not weeks or months, to process what’d transpired in his bed.
That her body could respond that way, that a man would tell her to relax and let it all go and think of nothing but her own pleasure…
What world was she living in all of a sudden?
Every pleasure point pulsated in response to the memories that played on repeat, the most sensuous, delicious movie she’d ever seen.
She turned onto her side, hugging the pillow and wishing it was him. If only she could bottle the way it felt to be wrapped up in his arms so she could have a dose of it any time she needed it.
Mrs. V had made her promise not to fall in love with a man who’d avoided relationships for his entire adult life, but here she was, falling deeper by the minute into the sort of thing that couldn’t be undone or unlearned once it had seeped into her heart and soul.
The euphoric feeling that came with him was heady, addicting stuff that had her already yearning to see him again.
Her last thought before she drifted into sleepy dreams of him was that she hoped it would happen soon.