Authors: Hilary Wynne
I was going to say something along the lines of it must be all the great sex we’re having, but I take heed of his warning and answer honestly instead. “I feel the same way, Ju
lian.”
Judging by his smile, my answer is well received. We sit quietly for a few mi
nutes.
“What are you doing tonight? Do you want to come over?” I don’t want to push it, but I’d love to spend more time wit
h him.
“I’d love to, but I’m having dinner with my mom at seven. I’m not sure when I’ll be done, but it’ll probably be on the late side. I haven’t spent any time with her la
tely.”
Well, I guess I can’t be upset by that. He doesn’t say much about his family, and this seems a good time to ask a question o
r two.
“Are you and your parents c
lose?”
“I’m very close to my mom. My dad and I are not close.” He says it matter of factly, and I get the distinct impression he doesn’t want me to dig any d
eeper
.
“What about you? Are you close to your par
ents?”
“Yes and no. They’re good parents, and they love me, but they have a different vision for my life than I do, and it strains our relation
ship.”
Julian looks curious. “What’s their vision for you, Alexa?” It’s a fair question, so I respond hon
estly.
“They want me to be married, or at least be getting close to getting married. My two sisters were married by this age, and my parents have been married since their early twenties. Their idea of what makes people happy is also different than
mine.”
“In what way?”
He’s looking at me intently, and I realize we’re having a real “getting to know you” convers
ation.
“They place a lot of emphasis on the importance of money, and I don’t. I like nice things, and I work hard for what I have, but nothing could convince me that money makes people truly h
appy.”
“So let me get this straight. They want you to marry a rich man, and
soon?”
This conversation just took a weird turn. A beautiful, single, rich man is sitting next to me holding my hand. “Pretty
much.”
“And you’re against marrying a man with money?” He says it playfully with a twinkle in his eye, and I know he’s teasi
ng me.
“Nope, just haven’t been asked by one yet. You wouldn’t happen to know any that are in the market, would you? Frank and Claire, my parents, would be so grateful for any help you could give me in that
area.”
One day he will learn I can keep up with his sarcastic teasing. Julian looks directly at me when he replies, and his tone isn’t playful. It’s serious. “I just might know the perfect man for the job, Alexa. Let me get back to you on that
one.”
Holy hell! Are we really having a conversation about marriage? I mean a conversation about marriage and us? Yeah, I’m so not ready to go there. I change the subject back to his pa
rents.
“Where are you going for di
nner?”
Julian lets me change the subject. Maybe he realized it was heading some place a little
crazy.
“Just to their house. My mom, Marisol, is an amazing cook, and her food is better than most restaurants. She wants to cook fo
r me.”
“Sounds nice. Where do they
live?”
“Miami Beach. On North Bay
Road.”
Wow. That area is beautiful and expensive. “Do they live in one of your proper
ties?”
“No, they live in the same house I grew up in. My mom doesn’t like condo living and didn’t want to raise kids that way.” I can’t help but notice how Julian’s face lights up when he talks about hi
s mom.
“Well, your mom and I agree on that. I would prefer to live in a house when I have
kids.”
As soon as I say that, I hope Julian doesn’t think I want to talk about having kids. The marriage and kids conversations are a little heavy and definitely premature. He doesn’t say anything about kids t
hough.
“I think you and my mom would agree about a lot of things. She would like
you.”
“That’s sweet, Julian. I’d like to meet your mom someday.” Not soon, but so
meday.
“It would be hard for her not to like you. You’ll remind her of Isab
elle.”
Oh. This is the first time Julian has brought up his sister since the first night when I asked him about his tattoo. That’s quite a statement he just threw out there. I’m not sure I want to remind anyone of a dead family member, but I’m curious why he thinks that, so
I ask.
“Do I remind you of your sister, Julian?” I can’t decide if it’s creepy o
r not.
“Yes, in certain ways. Isabelle was feisty like you. She had a very quick wit and was great with the snarky comebacks. She was beautiful, smart, loyal, and complicated. I think if she had lived, she would be the kind of woman you
are.”
Tears actually fill my eyes. That was so not creepy. It actually might have been the nicest compliment anyone has ever given me. I’m at a loss for the right words, so I just lean in, hug him, and whisper, “Thank you,” in his ear. I look down at my watch and realize we’ve been sitting here talking for over an hour. I’m technically still working, so I reluctantly pull away and tell Julian I need to get back to work. We stand up, and he takes me his arms and holds me tightly. I look up at him, and he’s staring down at me. We both smile. All is right in Julian and Alexa world at the m
oment.
“I think we’re onto something here, Ju
lian.”
“Hmm … what are we onto, A
lexa?”
“In case you didn’t notice, we just had a great get-to-know-you session where nobody freaked out, and by nobody, I mean me. And we were able to really talk because nobody’s clothes were rem
oved.”
He laughs at my description of our mini date. “You’re right. Nobody freaked out, and that’s definitely a good thing, but I’m not going on record agreeing with the ‘no clothes being removed’ as a good thing. I’m a big fan of removing your clothes.” Julian the flirt is
back.
“You misunderstood me, Julian. I’m also a big fan of you removing my clothes. I just think it’s good for us to spend time getting to know each other outside of the bedroom. On some levels I feel like I know you so well, and on others I feel like a stra
nger.”
I know it sounded like I was joking when I said we were onto something, but I really wasn’t. Time like this is precious to me, and I feel closer to Julian because
of it.
“I know what you meant, baby, and I agree. Now let’s get you back to work.” He takes my hand, and we walk toward my building. We stop in front, and Julian tilts my face up so I’m looking into his beautiful eyes. They’re mesmerizing. He says what I want to
hear.
“Can I see you tomorrow n
ight?”
“Yes, pl
ease.”
Julian kisses me tenderly on the lips and turns to walk away. I’m opening the door to my building when he calls my name. I turn to look at him and see him place his hand over his heart. It’s the same gesture he made before he pulled away in his car that first night at my house. I interpret it to mean I’ve touched his heart. He definitely has touched mine today. I respond with the same motion and walk into the building on a cloud of air. I send him a text before I get in the ele
vator.
Alexa:
I already mi
ss you
He replies immedi
ately.
Julian:
Yo también, corazón. Yo ta
mbién.
Lauren is sitting at my desk when I walk in. Apparently a customer I had been working with is coming back in today, and she was looking for information on their previous visit. I thank her for covering for me and tell her I’ll deal with these cl
ients.
“Good, because the woman seems like a real pain the in the
ass.”
I laugh because she’s right. “You’re so right, and they won’t be buying anything, so don’t feel left
out.”
I’m right. These clients are just wasting my time. It’s their third time in, and they’re no closer to making an offer. They do help the afternoon pass quicker though, and I’m thankful for that. All the talk about parents has made me think about mine, so I call my mom on the way home from work. We actually have a nice conversation, and she doesn’t bring up marriage
once.
I’m lying in bed at eleven watching a taped episode of
Dancing with the Stars
. I love watching Latin ballroom dancing. Tonight I can’t help but think about Julian and the way he danced with me the other night. The thought of him dancing with me actually makes me hot and bothered. I call him, and he answers right away. He sounds relaxed, and I wonder if I’m waking h
im up.
“Hey, you. I was just about to call. I just got home about twenty minutes
ago.”
“Hey, yourself. Did you have a nice night with your
mom?”
“I did. I told her about
you.”
Hmm … that’s kind of huge. I didn’t expect the conversation to lead off with
that.
“Really? What exactly did you tell
her?”
“She asked me what had put such a big smile on my face. I told her I met a
girl.”
I’m sure right now my smile is bigger tha
n his.
“And she let you off the hook with that answer? No asking for det
ails?”
“No. I think she was too busy picking her mouth up off the floor to ask details. That will come l
ater.”
I steer the subject back to more neutral territory because the whole parent thing makes me uncomfortable. “What time are you coming over tomo
rrow?”
“Probably around seven. I want to run tomorrow, and I’m not sure if I’ll be up for it in the morning. I’m pretty t
ired.”
“Come here, and we can run together. I want to get a workout in
too.”
“That sounds like a good plan, Alexa. I love the idea of watching you get all hot and sw
eaty.”
“Well if that’s the case, let’s skip the run and work out some other
way.”
“We can get hot and sweaty, then clean, then hot and sweaty all over again. I promise you’ll get a good wor
kout.”
“Promises, promises, Ju
lian.”
“Have I broke one yet, Alexa? He’s referring to his promises of hot sex, but when I answer, I’m not just talking about
sex.”
“No, Julian, you haven’t.” I say it s
oftly.
“And I won’t, baby. I w
on’t.”
We say our good-byes and hang up the phone. I fall into a deep sleep and don’t dream about anything a
t all.
Tuesday ends up being a super busy day at work. My clients who wrote an offer a few weeks ago are back in to finalize details and make their final selections. It’s just me today, because Lauren took the day off, and Ramon is sick. I’m with clients almost the entire day, and before I know it, it’s almost six thirty. Julian and I had exchanged texts earlier in the morning confirming he was going to be over at seven and that we would get dinner after our run. He told me he was going to be busy and in meetings all day, so I didn’t expect to really hear from him. I find I’m okay with not talking to him because I know I’ll be seeing him to
night.
I end up leaving work a little late and pull into my driveway just a few minutes before Julian does. He gets out of his car and grabs an overnight bag from the backseat. I take this to mean he’s spending the night, and I couldn’t be happier. He’s already dressed to run in orange running shorts and a loose, black tank top. Yum. Yes, that’s what I think. He’s yummy. He walks to where I’m waiting for him and leans in for a kiss. Doubl
e yum.
“Nice shoes, A
lexa.”
Julian is staring at my feet and smiling. I love that he appreciates my love affair with shoes. I’m wearing a pair of Dianne Von Furstenberg rose-and-black, snake print, strappy stiletto sandals. They’re a little bold, so I’m wearing them with a simple, black shirt
dress.
“Thank you, Julian. Sorry I’m running late. Work was busy t
oday.”
We talk about our days a little as we walk through the house to my room. It feels good to be able to talk to Julian about what I do for a living. I know he gets it because he’s in the business, and it’s great common ground for us. He sets his stuff in the corner of my room and sits down on the bed. We’re still talking about work, but a vivid image of his naked body in my bed flashes through my mind, and I have to turn and walk into the closet before I end up on, or in, the bed with him. I hang my dress up, put my shoes away, and walk out in my bra and panties. My workout clothes are in a drawer across the room, and I have to walk by Julian to get there. As soon as I’m close enough, he grabs me and pulls me into his arms. He’s sitting on the bed, and I’m standing between his legs. His face is at the same level as my breasts. I can feel his hot breath on my skin, and I start to feel flush. Okay, walking out half naked was a bad idea. Or, a good idea. I can’t d
ecide.
“Mmm … Are you teasing me, Alexa?” He’s kissing my stomach and that spot just between my breasts with soft gentle k
isses.
“Who’s teasing who here?” Julian laughs as I pull away and keep walking to my dresser. My heart is racing, and I need to get some clothes on quickly if we’re planning on leaving my room. I put on a neon-orange-and-gray-striped tank and gray running shorts. I grab a pair of socks and get my shoes out of my closet. Julian follows me into my closet, and I bump into him when I turn a
round.
“Hello. Did you need to borrow something to wear?”, I ask jok
ingly.
“Nope, just wanted to see where all of your shoes live.” He looks around at the shoe boxes that take up more than half of my closet. “Looks like you’re going to need to build an addition here
soon.”
I feel like I’ve been caught with my hand in the cooki
e jar.
I walk around him and out of the closet. I don’t make jokes about my shoes because I know I’m a little excessive abo
ut it.
“It works for now, but I’ll make sure their next home is bi
gger.”
“Next home? Are you planning on moving?” He has a concerned look on his
face.
“Eventually. Probably before the end of the
year.”
“Why?”
“Well, I’m not sure if I mentioned it, but Marissa is engaged, and her fiancé, Kevin, is stationed overseas. He’ll be back in November, and they most likely will either move out of state or move in together. And Shannon practically lives with Cory as it is. I see them making it official around that time too. This is her uncle’s place, and as soon as she goes, I’m sure we all
will.”
None of this is new news, but for some reason saying it all out loud like that just totally bummed me out. Julian’s next question doesn’t help either. “Where will you live
then?”
“No clue.” This really isn’t a good subject. Julian senses it and changes the
topic.
“You ready t
o go?”
“Yep.” We walk outside and stretch for a few minutes before we take off. I pull my hair back into a ponytail and ask Julian how far he wants to run. We agree on seven miles. I have a couple of different routes I run, and he lets me lead the way. I’ve been thinking about running with Julian ever since we talked about it last night. I’ve been wondering how fast he runs, if he likes to talk, does he listen to music? I have no idea what his routine is, so I just do my thing and hope for the best. After about five minutes, I realize Julian is going to let me dictate the pace. I run at a decent speed, and he clearly has no issues keeping up. We don’t talk at all, which is actually okay with me. I usually use this time to think. I really started running after Brady died. I found that the rhythmic pounding of my feet on the pavement would block out the demons I was fighting. Pretty soon I grew to enjoy it. It’s a different type of therapy for me and something I need to do at least a few times a
week.
The only thing I can think about today though is this gorgeous man running next to me. Julian left his T-shirt at my house, and out of the corner of my eyes I keep catching glimpses of the muscles in his legs, stomach, and arms flexing. I can’t look directly at him because I know it will be too distracting. His body really is stunning, and I smile on the inside knowing I’ll be enjoying it later tonight. Julian catches me sneaking a peek and winks at me. I know he knows I was checking him out. I can’t help but notice how in sync our bodies move as we run next to each other. Physically, we’re undoubtedly compatible. I pray we can stay on the same page emotionally as well. When we get back to my house, we go inside and grab a few water bottles. We sit in the kitchen as we cool
down.
“That was a good run.” I look at Julian, and he’s smiling, sweaty, and sexy as
hell.
“That was a great run. Great scenery.” I know he’s referring to me, and my heart swells. He makes me feel so confident and beau
tiful.
Eventually, we head to my bedroom. I think about the shower we took together at Julian’s, and I hope for a repeat. However, it seems Julian has other ideas. He closes and locks the door behind us and takes his shoes off. I do the same. He pulls me to him and presses his sweaty body to mine. He does the same with his eager mouth. We haven’t really touched each other since Saturday night, and all of the desire we have been holding in comes pouring out of both of us. There are times when no words are needed, and this is one of those times. I can feel how much Julian wants me. There’s a quiet desperation in his touch, and I get it. I crave his touch as well, and tonight I’m not interested in him being tender or gentle with me. He pulls away from me for a moment and reaches down to get a condom from his bag. While his back is to me, I quickly finish undressing. His eyes blaze with lust when he turns and finds me naked. A soft groan escapes from his throat. He doesn’t say a word. He just pulls me up into his arms. I wrap my legs around him and let him carry me to the bed. I’m feeling a little self-conscious because we did just get back from a run, but Julian seems totally okay with not taking a shower
first.
Julian sits me down near the edge of the bed so my legs still touch the floor. He positions himself over me, between my legs, and presses his erection into me. I lift my legs and wrap them around his waist and pull him closer. He rocks into me several more times, and each time I feel the heat of his hard penis pressing against my bare sex through his shorts. I’m dying to feel his skin against mine, so I reach up and pull both his running and compression shorts down. I wrap my hand around his hard shaft and stroke him firmly. He allows me to pleasure him this way for a few minutes, and I’m so turned on by the look of lust in his eyes that I can’t help but move my hips in a small circular motion. He finally stands straight up, and I’m forced to let go of him. His eyes stay on me as he rolls the condom on. He strokes himself a few times, and I feel the heat that has been building between my legs start emanating throughout my body. He’s biting his lower lip in an incredibly erotic way, and I want his lips back on mine. I no longer feel shy or self-conscious. I feel hot, horny, and
needy.
“Kiss me.” The words sound like the command the
y are.
Julian bends down and places his lips on mine. He pushes his tongue into my mouth at the same time he pushes his finger into my swollen sex. I don’t wait for him to ask me if I’m ready or if I want him. I’m beyond ready, and I tell h
im so.
“Yes. I’m ready for you, Julian. All of you. Please, I want you inside of me. Pl
ease.”
No sooner are the words out of my mouth than I feel Julian’s hardness slide into me. It feels incredible, and I instantly feel connected to him in a way I haven’t for a few days. He starts out in a slow rhythm, making sure I’m comfortable with him inside of me. I savor the feeling of his gentle strokes but quickly realize I want more. I wrap my hand around the back of his neck and pull him down so my lips are on his ear. I suck on his earlobe and dip my tongue in his ear. I can taste the sweat on him, and it makes me wetter. I whisper what I want fro
m him.
“Fuck me, Ju
lian.”
Julian’s whole body tenses, and he pauses. I imagine he’s thinking he heard me wrong. He pulls back so he’s looking
at me.
“
Otra vez
, A
lexa.”
I was right. He wants me to say it
again.
“I want you to fuck me, Ju
lian.”
Oh wow. Now I know what happens when Julian is given that green light. He wraps one arm under my ass and scoots me further up the bed without pulling out. He lifts my left leg in the air and rests it on his shoulder. My right leg is bent at the knee, and he pushes it out gently with the palm of his hand. Then Julian does exactly what I asked him to. He fucks me, hard, and with each thrust I feel my body open for him. This is exactly what I needed and wanted. I close my eyes and let myself get lost in the steady rhythm. I feel a delicious touch on my sex, and I open my eyes to see Julian working me with his fingers. I’m swollen and sensitive, and the pressure of Julian’s hard dick against my clit has left me very aroused. I arch my back and raise my hips in the air. Julian slows down his thrusting and focuses on getting me off. It doesn’t take long for me to orgasm, and when he feels the rush start in me, he resumes his driving rhythm. I look up at him, and we lock eyes. His own release quickly follows, and I don’t look away until the very last shudder of Julian’s orgasm sub
sides.
Julian slowly pulls out of me, and we lay there next to each other as we catch our breath and come down from that incredible high. I turn on my side and look at him. He’s staring at the ceiling and looks deep in thought. Julian has been pretty quiet all night, and it’s starting to make me question if something is going on with him. He’s acting normal, but not ta
lking.
“You’re very quiet tonight, Julian. You haven’t said more than a hundred words since you got
here.”
He gives me a little smile but still doesn’t say any
thing.
“Okay. You stay here and keep being quiet. I’m going to go shower, and then we can eat.” I’m only half joking. What’s up wit
h him?
I start to get off the bed, and he grabs me and pulls me back down so I’m under him. He’s propped up on one elbow and rests his other hand on my
belly.
“There are a million things I want to say to you, Alexa. I’m quiet because if I open my mouth and start talking, I’m not sure what’s going to come out. You’re not ready for all this, and I don’t want you to
run.”
His words scare me. Ready for what? What is he hiding from me that would cause me to run? Oh crap. He also has some big secret he’s keeping. I don’t want to know, but I have to
know.
“You said no secrets, Julian. What the hell are you hiding from me?” My voice is shaky when it comes out, and it’s evident I’m scared by whatever it is I think he’s going t
o say.
He looks perplexed. “No secrets, Alexa. I’ll tell you anything you want to know about me. All you have to do is ask. I want you to know everything. I told you that the other n
ight.”
“Then what are you talking about. Why would I run?” I really am con
fused.
“Are you ready for me to tell you how I’m feeling about you? About us? About what I want and what I need from you? If you say yes, and you really mean yes, then I won’t hold back. I don’t want to hold back.
Pero no creo que este listo
. Am I r
ight?”
Oh no. This is Julian holding back? The last few weeks have been incredibly intense in every way. We just met each other, and I personally have opened up to him more than I even thought was possible for me. He knows how much I care about him. Doesn’t he? I know he cares too. I know he wants me. He’s asking if I’m ready to know more. I do. I want to know everything. But then he’ll want to know everything too. It’s how he is. And I’m not ready for him to know everything abo
ut me.
I nod my head indicating that yes, he’s right, I’m not ready. He looks crestfallen, and it breaks my heart. I’m second-guessing my decision when Julian gets out of the bed and heads toward my bathroom. His posture is rigid, and I know he’s really disappointed. I want to follow him, but I don’t. I hear the shower turn on. I’m a little mad right now. Why can’t he just let things be? I feel like he’s always mad or disappointed in me. We were having a good night. We had a good run and then great sex. Why can’t that be e
nough?