Chapter 18 #2
He groaned. “You owe me,” he whispered, helping her up from the sofa.
Juliana giggled and followed him into the kitchen.
Michael’s mother burst into the room with a huge smile on her pretty face. “I see Maryland license plates in my driveway!” She stopped short when she saw that her son wasn’t alone. “Oh, and you finally cut your hair! I love it!”
“Hi, Mom.” Michael smiled as he leaned down to kiss and hug her. She was a shorter, rounder version of Michael. Her brown hair was shot through with silver and her blue eyes skipped over her son and his companion. “This is Juliana Gregorio. She’s responsible for the haircut.”
Maureen extended her hand. “Pleased to meet you, Juliana. Wonderful job on the hair.”
Juliana shook her hand. “Thank you, Mrs. Maguire.”
“Please, call me Maureen.”
“Where’s Dad?” Michael asked, helping himself to a beer from the fridge.
Juliana shook her head when he offered her one.
“He’s working until five. He’ll be thrilled to see you.” Maureen swatted Michael. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I would’ve cleaned the house.”
“Cleaned what?” Michael asked, looking around at the spotless house.
“Your home is lovely, Maureen.”
Maureen looked at Juliana with an almost surprised expression. “Thank you.” She turned back to Michael. “How’d you get away? No court today?”
“Nope. The judge had something else to do.”
“How’s the trial going?” Maureen asked.
“Pretty well.”
They had agreed not to mention the trouble at his house to his family since his parents would worry.
“Your sisters will be delighted that you’re here. Are you staying at Maggie’s?”
“I hope she has room.”
“It’s the off-season. She’s slow.”
“Maggie and Luke own a bed and breakfast inn,” Michael explained to Juliana.
“Well, let me call them all,” Maureen said. “I’ll invite everyone over for pizza, sound good?”
“Sounds perfect,” Michael said, looking to Juliana.
She nodded in agreement.
Many hours later, Michael’s sister Maggie showed them to a fancy room on the third floor of her home.
A natural blonde who favored their father, Sean, Maggie gestured to a doorway. “The bathroom’s right through here, and there’re plenty of towels in the closet. Do you need anything else?”
“No, we’re good. Thanks, Maggie. Just make sure you tell Mom you gave us two rooms.”
She laughed and kissed her brother’s cheek. “Do you think I was born yesterday? Very nice to meet you, Juliana. Very, very nice.”
“You, too, Maggie. Thanks for everything.”
“I’ll see you in the morning. Come on down whenever you get up.”
“Good night.” Michael closed the door and turned to Juliana. “My sisters love you.”
“They’re so nice. And the kids are just adorable.”
“How many French braids did you do tonight?”
“How many girls are there again?”
“Seven.”
“That sounds about right.”
Resting his hands on her shoulders, he leaned in to kiss her. “They all loved you. Almost as much as I do.”
“I just can’t imagine what it would be like to be part of a family like yours. You can tease and bicker and fight, but it’s obvious you all love each other so much. You’re really lucky, Michael.”
“I know I am. Paige was only here once. It was a total disaster. Her complaints were endless: the kids were too loud, my sisters were bitchy to her, my mother didn’t like her. On and on.”
“I just don’t see how…” Juliana shook her head when she thought better of it.
“What were you going to say?”
“I don’t see how you lasted so long with her. I know I shouldn’t say that, but I wonder.”
“I’ve come to realize I was killing time with her.”
“Until what?”
“Until I found you.”
“You say the sweetest things,” she said, caressing his cheek.
“I mean it.” He hugged her. “You know I do.”
She relaxed into his embrace. “Michael?”
“Hmm?”
“Can we go to bed now?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
She giggled as he backed her up to the bed, his eyes hot with intent. “I didn’t know I needed to ask.”
“You don’t.” His lips cruised up her neck. “I’m all yours. Any time you want me.”
Shivering from what he was doing to her neck, she reached down to cup his straining erection through his jeans. “How about now?”
He moaned. “Juliana…”
Trailing a finger up and down the length of him, she said, “Hmm?”
He sprang into action, pulling and pushing at clothes, until he had access to what he wanted.
Delighted to have driven him a little crazy, Juliana laughed at the picture she must’ve made with her shirt pushed up to her neck, her bra pulled down, and her jeans tangled around her ankles.
“What the hell is so funny?” he asked through gritted teeth as he plunged into her.
Juliana’s laughter faded into a gasp. Arching her back to meet his thrusts, she managed to say, “I thought we’d get ready for bed the way civilized people do.”
Slowing the pace of his hips, he rolled her earlobe between his teeth. “How do civilized people get ready for bed?”
“Often, they get undressed.”
“I uncovered the good parts.”
Slipping her hands under his shirt, she eased it up and over his head. “Mmm, more good parts,” she said, running her thumbs over his nipples.
He groaned and pushed into her again as she wiggled under him. “What’re you doing?”
Choked with laughter, Juliana said, “Trying to get my pants all the way off.”
With his foot, he swept her jeans away and then hooked her leg over his hip. “Much better.”
“Mmm,” she whispered. “Michael…”
“I love the way you say my name.” He brushed his lips over hers.
“Don’t stop, okay?”
Laughing, he said, “Don’t worry, stopping isn’t in the plan. Feel good?”
Juliana looped her arms around his neck. “Amazing.”
“So there might be something to be said for uncivilized?”
“Oh yeah…”
He went deep, and she cried out as an orgasm hit her hard and fast.
“God, Juliana…”
She opened her eyes in time to watch him lose himself in her. Moved and astounded by the wonder of it, she held him close to her.
“We can do it your way now,” he said after a long moment of quiet.
“How’s that?”
“Civilized.”
“Why would we want to when your way is so much better?”
Smiling, he brushed the hair back from her face and kissed her.
As he gazed at her with unabashed love, Juliana somehow knew she would never forget this particular moment.