As Julia gasped a negative, he followed it roughly with: ‘I don’t care, we got all the damned foreplay over with months ago. Now. I’ve got to have you now …’
Julia arched herself to the thrust of his body, welcoming him joyfully into her warmth. She felt him tense momentarily at the moment of truth, beating down his desire as he met, then gently thrust through the fragile, unexpected barrier; his whispered moan ‘ mingling with her tiny cry. With the need for gentleness past, he exploded into impassioned lovemaking, bringing them both to a fierce, groaning satisfaction.
Afterwards, lying wrapped in the glow of fulfilment, Julia touched his mouth with a gentle finger.
‘I was wrong. You did hurt me. But only a little.’
‘If I’d known …’
‘I’m glad you didn’t,’ not wanting a single regret. ‘I wouldn’t have wanted it to be any other way. And loving you made it perfect.’
He held her quiet gaze for long moments, then bowed to rest his chin against her bright head. ‘Oh, Julia … Richard was right to warn you. I’m too old, too selfishly staid for you. I can’t live up to your expectations. Can’t give you the kind of loving you deserve.’
Julia smiled secretly against his throat. His words held precious little enthusiasm, he wasn’t even convincing himself any more. However, knowing his background, it was probably the nearest he would ever come to a declaration of love.
‘Piffle,’ she scoffed. ‘Who’s trying to be self-sacrificing now? Richard’s been wrong before. So have you come to that, lawyer-man.’ She tilted her head back to give him a cheeky grin. ‘What was it you both said about lovemaking on the floor?’
For the first time Hugh seemed to take in their surroundings and to Julia’s delight his ears went bright red. ‘I’m going to ache in the morning.’
‘So am I,’ she replied mischievously. ‘You’re a very athletic lover. Very demanding.’
‘Too demanding. No, listen to me Julia …’ as she stroked him teasingly. His face was so beautifully grave that her heart was wrung anew with love and compassion. ‘It’s you I’m trying to protect, not myself. You’re like a shaft of light in my life, all dancing brightness and warmth. All right, so you’ve satisfied me that I’m not my father’s son, but there are other, just as bitter ways to cause pain. Our natures are diametrically opposed. You may love me now, but what happens when you find my rather pessimistic nature oppressive, what happens when you have to live with my wretched stuffiness day in, day out? I know you like to fly in the face of facts, but I don’t have your rather awesome courage in that direction. You know I never would have come to you,’ he said, with slow deliberation. ‘I would have put all my considerable energy into convincing myself that life was better without you.’
‘I know.’ It didn’t hurt. It was part of the way he was, part of the burden that she wanted to help him shoulder. ‘But it wouldn’t have been, would it? And I’m here now. I love you Hugh, and I know that you enjoy my company, you respect me, you make love to me with tenderness and passion. Isn’t that enough to build a life on? A lot of people don’t even start with that. As for your wretched stuffiness …’ she flicked him a provocative look ‘… I changed my mind about that the first time you kissed me. You’re not stuffy, you’re just out of practice in some areas.’
‘Who told you about my mother and father?’
‘Connie,’ Julia answered warily, unsure of his exact mood. ‘I went to Romeo and Juliet last night, and we talked.’
He nodded, heavy lids drooping. ‘So, having had that over-tender heart of yours well-primed, you came hotfooting it down here to play the psychologist.’
Julia stiffened. ‘So? It worked didn’t it?’ She dared him to accuse her of pitying, rather than loving, him.
‘Extremely arrogant of you though, wouldn’t you say?’
‘Damn you, Hugh—’ If only she knew what he was thinking!
‘No, damn you!’ he told her, with a forcefulness that was dismaying. ‘I didn’t want this, Julia. I didn’t want you. I was quite content with what I had. But you changed that.’ He looked at her anew. ‘I should never have asked you to do my typing, but I couldn’t leave well enough alone. You were so … infuriating … disruptive, so full of life, small yet fiery, warming everyone with your glow. I wanted to warm myself too, just enough to take the chill off, so I let myself be seduced by you …’
‘I? Seduced you?’ squeaked Julia, wondering where all this was leading…
‘You know you did.’ His sombre face lightened with a smile that melted her bones. ‘Always. In everything. With your big, baby eyes and your laughing mouth, with your impossible sense of humour and your tiny, accident-prone body. How could I not be fascinated? And you fitted into the palms of my hands as if that was where destiny intended you to stay. My God, how I wanted you that night …’ The memory lay physical hold of his body, and it stirred against her.
‘Your love was one complication too many. It was too sudden, too soon, raising too many painful possibilities. I realised that with you it would have to be all or nothing, and I told myself it would be easier all round if it were nothing. Will you marry me? I know it won’t be easy, but we can try.’
She almost missed it in the welter of doubting words. ‘Yes,’ she said quickly, before he could retrieve his error. ‘Yes, yes, yes.’ And, reassuring him with her honesty: ‘And yes, I know it won’t be easy, but often what’s easy isn’t worth a candle. We’re different, but our differences are complementary. You can keep my feet on the ground and I can lift your head above the clouds. The whole world will be ours.’
‘Ah, Julia …’ He drew her deep against his chest, a mixture of relief and resignation in the warm sigh.
She stroked his grey head. ‘Before you settle in, perhaps you’d better go and put all this in writing. I really should tie you to a contract before you come back to your senses.’
‘I don’t want my sense back,’ he said huskily. ‘But you’re right, we should draw a contract up, now. I feel an urgent desire to insert a rather pressing clause.’
His body nuzzled against hers and Julia giggled at the double-entendre. ‘I never thought of laughter as erotic until I met you,’ he murmur
ed, catching her mouth with his own eager one. ‘Do you think you can manage to do that while I’m inside you?’
‘Hugh!’ Julia wondered dazedly what manner of playful creature she had unleashed on to an unsuspecting world.