Van
With Julia’s hand in mine, my thoughts were uncharacteristically distracted. Instead of thinking about the beauty at my side, I was rethinking my conversation with Albert. I wanted to be as open as I could with Julia without scaring her more than she already was.
The reality was that we were all concerned about the cabin. It was more than that. There were also red flags at the guesthouse.
Jonathon said that when he opened the house, things seemed out of place. Nothing overt. Nothing to scream that there had been intruders. While seventy-plus acres wasn’t massive, it was too much land to keep fully monitored. Having the two men staying at the guesthouse should scare off any local kids looking for a place to fool around. That was Jonathon’s thought. He said the options in and around Ashland for teenagers were limited. It wasn’t unusual for them to break into seasonal homes and hang out. Their intent wasn’t malicious as much as it was for a place to do whatever it was they wanted to do.
As I opened the door to our suite, Julia released my hand, and wrapping her arms around herself, she sighed. “Can we stay locked in these rooms?”
“We can do whatever you want.” I tried for humor. “Of course, if we do that, you may have to tell the state patrol I have you held captive.”
Coming closer, she wrapped her arms around my torso and laid her cheek against my chest. “Hold me captive.” Her soft blue stare looked up through her lashes. “Right here.”
Julia had no idea how much I wanted that, how I wanted to sever her connection to the outside world, take away her distractions, and keep her all to myself.
Closing her eyes and lowering her chin, her words were muffled against my shirt. “I’m worn out.”
With my thumb and forefinger, I lifted her chin until her stunning blue orbs were fixed on my gaze. “Let me take care of you.”
Her eyelids fluttered. “Sleeping wrapped in your arms for the next month sounds like the answer.”
“First things first.” I turned the small lever in the doorknob, locking the door from the suite to the hallway. “You’re now captive. My prisoner to do with what I want.”
“You can’t scare me, Van. I’ve yet to find anything you want not to my approval.”
Taking her hand, I led Julia into the attached bathroom.
“What is your plan, Mr. Sherman?”
“My plan is for you to relax, to forget about anything beyond these walls, and rest, knowing you’re safe and loved.”
As I reached for the hem of Julia’s sweater, she lifted her arms, allowing me to pull the soft top over her head. Without a word, she grinned my direction, patiently waiting for my next move.
“I love undressing you.” My gaze locked on the way her camisole tented over her hardening nipples. “You’re a treasure, Julia. I’m so fucking lucky to have found you.”
Her arms came up and around my neck. “I’m glad you found me.”
“I don’t want you to regret that, ever.”
“I don’t. There’s us and the world. I won’t give up on one because of the other.”
Fuck the world and everyone else in it.
Crouching down, I closed the drain and turned on the water in the bathtub.
As the large tub began to fill, I tested the water. Standing, I brushed Julia’s lips with mine. Lifting her by the waist, I sat her on the edge of the wide vanity and tended to her socks, before tugging down her slacks. The pile of clothes on the floor grew as the bathroom warmed and the bathtub filled.
With her wearing only the camisole and panties, I took a step back. My lips curled as her cheeks blushed with pink. “You’re fucking gorgeous. I want you to know that I see how stunning you are every time I look at you. Never doubt that I’m awed by you.”
“I’m feeling underdressed.”
“No, beautiful. You’re still overdressed.”
As I took a step closer, Julia’s fingers went to the buttons on my shirt. The suit coat and tie were lost long ago.
“If the plan is for me to get in that giant bathtub,” she said with a grin, “I don’t want to get in alone.”
My hands ached to touch her as she slowly undid the buttons. One by one she loosened their grip, leaned forward, and left a kiss on my chest. It wasn’t until she’d pushed the material over my shoulders that I stepped between her knees and lifted the camisole over her head. Julia’s long blond hair cascaded down her back as her round globes heaved with a deep breath and goose bumps scattered over her skin. She leaned back, pressing her pert breasts toward me and putting her weight on her back-stretched arms.