Moments of Julian (14 page)

A wicked part of me wants to join
him.

Instead, I climb in between the sheets
in the middle of the bed and turn the lights out. I lay on my side,
my back to the bathroom.

I listen as the water eventually turns
off and it is a few minutes later before the door opens. Julian
clicks the light off when he sees I am lying in the bed and I hear
him carefully shuffle toward the couch. I faintly hear him climb
under the blanket and it is quiet and dark for a few
minutes.

My pulse is racing and I feel so
keenly aware of him across the room. Every part of me hums with
life and I feel as if I could float right off this bed. I am so
filled with something else I won’t put a name to—it’s an awful lot
like lust—I fear I may explode.

“
Julian?” I say
quietly.

“
Hm?”

“
I don’t like that you’re
so far away.”

I can feel my face flush at the
admission and blood rushes to other parts of my body. But
thankfully it is dark and Julian will never be able to see
it.

I hear him shifting and then feet
shuffle across the room. A second later, the blankets are lifted
and he slips between the sheets.

Julian’s arm slides around my waist
and the shape of his body forms perfectly around mine.

“
Is this better?” he
whispers against my ear.

I am on fire now. What was
I thinking, feeling this sexually energized and inviting a man into
my bed? Am I
trying
to torture myself?

But I still answer “Yes.”

——

When I wake up the next morning, my
head is on Julian’s chest. His hand is resting lightly on my head
and my hand is spread across his breast. Julian’s face is turned
toward me, his nose poking slightly into my hair.

I smile, everything in me feeling
right and comfortable and at ease.

Until I see the time on the
clock.

I swear and jump up. “Julian!” I say
as the sheets tangle around my feet and I half topple out of the
bed. “Our flight leaves in just over an hour!”

Julian sits up and blinks bleary eyes
at me. His hair is sticking up in the back. “You get dressed,” he
says as he closes one eye and rubs the other. “I’ll get the
bags.”

We are a whirlwind of flying clothes
and toiletries and bags. I haven’t gotten ready in this much of a
rush in recent memory and I know I do not look like my put together
self when we hastily make our way to the front desk. We return the
keys, I collect the receipt, and we step out to the curb just as
our taxi pulls up.

I feel tense and I keep checking the
time on my phone as we drive the seven minutes to the airport. The
woman at the check-in counter warns us we might not make it to the
gate in time as she takes my large bag to check.

The second she hands us our boarding
passes, Julian takes my hand in his, and we dash for the security
line.

I am out of breath when we reach the
gate and the attendants are calling our names for the last time.
Julian and I sink into our first class seats and the doors to the
plane are closed.

“
At least the hotel was
close to the airport,” Julian says as he relaxes back into his
seat. “We would have been screwed if we were any further
away.”

“
I’m always so prepared
for trips like this,” I say, my heart still hammering. “What have
you done to me?”

In his eyes, I can see that there is
another dirty joke he wants to make. Instead, he laces his fingers
through mine. He raises our hands to his lips, and presses a soft
kiss to the back of my hand.

I smile as I meet his eyes but
something inside me sinks. The past two days have been perfect. The
best few days I’ve had in years possibly. But they are coming to an
end. What is going to happen when we get back to reality and the
real world?

It’s hard to imagine the bliss
continuing.

CHAPTER TEN

Work is hectic and stressful when I
get home. Every time I sign a new client, I spend the next week
plus on the phone, sorting out details, finalizing contracts,
coordinating with the IT department to be sure everything is moving
along as planned. And I am constantly reassuring the client that
everything is being taken care of.

I work twelve hour days every day for
the next nine days straight after I get home. June turns into July.
I only make it for the last hour of dance class on Thursday and
Tuesday, and Julian is not there. We text every so often. He is
back working again as well, and he’s busier than ever.

I’m also cramming to be sure I will
have a more freed up schedule when my brother Lake gets home. As
many hours as I am working, Gretch is usually staying two hours
longer than I am. She never complains though. I hope giving her her
share of my bonus helps with that.

The light is soft and warm when I wake
Wednesday. I’ve requested the day off and no one objects since
things with the bank have finally been wrapped up. I must have
needed the de-stress. I read the time as nine-thirty when I do
finally rise from the dead.

Generally, I am very much a morning
person. Me sleeping in this late is a monumental thing.

I roll over in bed, rubbing sleep from
my eyes. First thing, I grab my cell phone to be sure there are no
urgent messages from work. There aren’t any. But there is one from
Julian.

Your brother gets home on
leave today, right?

Yep,
I text back.
Kale and I will pick
him up in an hour.

Enjoy your time with him.
Tell him I say thank you for his service.

I will. Thanks.

Maybe we can find time to
do something next week?

I bite my lower lip. Truth is, I
haven’t stopped thinking about Julian for the last nine days and
I’ve been dying to see him. But things have been so crazy and
hectic lately. And now my brother is coming home. I have to
prioritize my family over the source of my romantic
distraction.

We’ll see,
I send, no matter how much I hate the
words.

I can’t stop thinking
about you.

My prideful heart hiccups and the grin
that spreads on my face is ridiculous.

We’ll get that third date
sometime. Hopefully sooner than later.

The wait is killing
me.

“
Sage,” Kale says, his
voice exasperated. He’s suddenly appeared in the doorway. “We have
to go in like half an hour and I know it’s going to take you longer
than that to get ready. Are you seriously going to make Lake wait
at the airport?”

“
Nope,” I say as I jump
from the bed and head for the bathroom. “I promise I will be ready
to leave in thirty minutes.”

“
Who have you been
texting?” Kale asks, his eyes narrowing in on my phone in suspicion
as he follows me. “You’re suddenly awfully chipper. Are you seeing
someone?”

I’m in too good of a mood to be bugged
by his surprise.

“
Maybe,” I say, raising an
eyebrow at him and closing the door in his face.

Gotta run,
I text Julian before stripping down.

I take a record fast shower. I twist
my hair into a sleek bun for lack of time and throw on a simple
dark blue dress and a pair of white pumps. After grabbing my bag
and phone, I dart downstairs and Kale and I slide into the car with
exactly thirty minutes before our brother is scheduled to
arrive.

“
I’m impressed,” Kale says
as I back out of the garage. “I thought there was no possible way
you’d be ready in thirty minutes.”

“
I am an impressive
woman,” I say as we head out.

“
Seriously,” Kale says,
shaking his head. “Who are you sleeping with? I haven’t seen you in
this good of a mood since… Well, I can’t think of since
when.”

“
I’m not sleeping with
anyone,” I insist, glaring at him.

“
Bull,” he says, staring
me down.

“
Seriously,” I say, my
good mood dampening. I can tell Kale doesn’t believe me and that
makes my fingers curl into fists around the steering wheel. “Kale,
I haven’t slept with anyone since I was in high school.”

He’s silent for a moment and I can
feel him studying my face. “You’re serious about this, aren’t
you?”

“
I’m pretty sure I don’t
look like I’m joking.” I glare at him and can see that he feels bad
for pushing this so hard.

“
I’m sorry,” he says. “I…I
didn’t know.”

I sigh and shake my head. “It’s fine.
Just…back off on it, okay?”

“
Yeah, sorry.” His eyes
fall from my face to his lap. Kale doesn’t feel too many deep
emotions, but I can tell he does feel bad for pushing me. “But
you’re dating someone?”

This brings my mood up, but just a
bit. “I don’t know if we’re exactly dating, but we’ve seen each
other around quite a bit.”

Kale nods. “I’d ask more details, but
I’m pretty sure you’ll just have to repeat it all when we pick up
Lake. You know he’s going to grill you too.”

“
Goodie,” I
say.

——

Kale and I stand next to the baggage
claim and keep our eyes glued to the exit door. Floods of people
keep coming out, but no one in fatigues yet.

It’s been nine months since we’ve seen
our brother. He’s been in Iraq for a long while and he’s already
finishing his third tour. He informed Mom last time he talked to
her that he plans to do one more tour before he stays home for
good.

As long as he doesn’t get himself
killed before then.

There have been four guys in his unit
killed in the last seven months.

A new wave of people starts moving
through the door and then I spot a small group of men in uniform.
Two faces I don’t know come first.

And then behind them, comes my
not-so-little little brother.

A smile breaks onto both of our faces
and I take five long strides that would have been a run if I hadn’t
been wearing heels, toward him and wrap my arms around his
shoulders. We both laugh as he hugs me tight, lifting me up off my
feet.

“
You’re all in one piece,”
I say as I press a kiss to his cheek.

“
For now,” he chuckles as
he releases me. I back up and he embraces Kale.

“
What’s this I hear about
you going full time with the modeling stuff?” Lake claps a hand on
Kale’s shoulder. “Someone can make a living just posing in front of
a camera with all their clothes still on?”

“
Well, he
is
still living with
me,” I taunt. “And it doesn’t look like that’s going to change any
time soon.”

“
Hey,” Kale defends. “I’ve
got a gig next week that is paying over a thousand dollars for the
shoot.”

“
And Sage makes that in
what? Thirty minutes at her job?” Lake says with a wink in my
direction.

Despite the teasing, Kale laughs
too.

Lake collects his bag and we head
toward the parking garage.

“
Nice ride, sis,” Lake
says as I unlock my car. I pop the trunk for him and hold it open
while he puts his bag inside. “Things must really be going
well.”

“
And you haven’t even seen
her new place yet,” Kale says as he climbs into the back
seat.

“
How about we don’t talk
about money?” I insist as I close the back door and climb into my
seat. “How’s life in the Marine’s been?”

Lake shrugs and buckles up. “About the
same as it was last time.”

“
You sure you want to do
another tour?” I ask as I back up and head out of the garage.
“You’ve been pretty lucky so far. Why push it, Lake?”

“
I believe in what I’m
doing, Sage,” Lake says and the tone in his voice says that it is
time for the conversation to be over.

Lake isn’t one much for words. There
is something inside of him that I wouldn’t quite call darkness, but
it isn’t all light and rainbows either. He keeps it to himself and
all we can do is try to not let that hurt too bad. In the end, the
best we can do is to be there for him.

We head to Woodinville in quiet and
pull into the restaurant our parents told us to meet at. Drake and
Kaylee and the kids are there as well. It’s crazy, and loud, and
messy with the kids, but it’s an amazing feeling to have all my
family back together again.

Something I wouldn’t trade for the
best bonus in the world.

CHAPTER
ELEVEN

For the first time since I got back
from Toronto, I don’t have anything pressing on my time Thursday
evening. Lake is out doing something with Kale and Drake. Mom and
Dad are doing their thing. Work is slowing down a bit toward
normal.

I felt guilt free heading to ballroom
tonight.

Half the class is already there when I
get to the building. I set my bag down along the wall and sit to
put my shoes on. The first time I’d worn them they’d cut into my
feet. They are incredibly tight and have now molded themselves to
the shape of my feet. But they do make my legs look incredible when
I dance.