Stay (27 page)

Danny walks me up to Julian’s and lets me in. He invites me to come and hang out at his place with the others, but I’m ready to be alone, so I politely decline. He gives me a huge bear hug and tells me where he is in case I change my mind. I like Danny. He’s sweet and very open. I wonder if Julian was ever like
that.

It feels weird to be here by alone. I haven’t spent enough time here to feel at home, and I’m not sure what to do with myself. Again, if I was sneaky, I would snoop around his place, but I don’t need to go looking for trouble. I decide a shower is probably a good and safe idea. I love Julian’s shower with all its fancy jets, and I stay in there until my skin starts to prune. When I get out, I change into cut-off jean shorts and a white tank top. I also blow-dry my hair. I feel so much better after showering. The sun and the couple beers I had have made me sleepy, so I get my magazine and lie down on Julian’s bed and start re
ading.

Chapter Twenty-Two

I feel something warm on my stomach, and I slowly open my eyes to find Julian placing soft kisses on my belly. I look at the clock and see it’s six in the evening. I must have fallen asleep. I stretch my arms up, and Julian seizes the opportunity to pull my tank over my head. I’m not wearing a bra, and I can see the approval in his
eyes.

“I’m sorry I’m so late. I’ve been calling you for an hour, but you didn’t answer. I thought you might have left, so I sent Danny up here to check. He told me you were sound asleep in my bed. I loved how that sounded, and I couldn’t wait to get back to join
you.”

“You thought I
left?”

He nods, and I shake my head at him. “I told you I was sta
ying.”

Julian is in jeans and a black V-neck T-shirt. I reach up and pull the shirt over his head and then pull him down to me so I can feel his skin against mine. Our mouths find each other, and the kisses that follow are slow and lazy and so deliciously arousing. Julian is taking his time with me, savoring finding me in such a relaxed state. A warm, smoldering heat is spreading slowly throughout my body, and I feel my desire for his touch growing with each moment. I reach down to unzip Julian’s jeans at the same time he reaches down to unzip my shorts. We’re lying on our sides facing each other. Our mouths are leisurely sliding over each other, and when I slide my hand into Julian’s jeans, I’m happy to find him bare, hard, and hot. I grasp his penis in my hand and stroke him at the same pace his tongue is stroking mine. He moans into my mouth and slides his hand into my shorts. He also finds me bare, wet, and hot fo
r him.

“Mmm … it looks someone forgot to put her pantie
s on.”

Julian teases me with his words as he teases my wet sex with his fingers. He slowly pushes two fingers in and out of me while he drags his thumb up and down my clit. I haven’t let go of his hard shaft, and I continue to stroke him firmly. He pushes his hips into my hand, letting me know what pace feels the best to him. We settle into matching rhythms and lay there stroking each other for a long time. We continue to kiss while looking each other in the eyes. His touch feels so good that I don’t want to come yet. After a little while, he asks, “Does this feel good for you, Lexie? You’re so wet. I want you come fo
r me.”

I lessen my grip for a moment and gently massage his heavy balls. This causes him to moan and bite down gently on my bottom lip. We’re both breathing rapidly, and I can feel his heart beating against my chest. I don’t want to take my mouth off of his for one second, so I whisper into it, “It feels so good that I don’t want it to
end.”

“Are you close? Because I am, and I want to get off with you,
baby.”

I whisper, “Yes,” into his mouth, and his fingers start working faster on my swollen clit. I grasp his shaft harder and also quicken my pace. I don’t let go even as I feel my own climax shooting throughout my body. I’m simultaneously rewarded with Julian’s hot cum on my hand. His body shudders as his orgasm reaches a peak, and we lay there, our mouths still on each other, until the very last drop of pleasure subsides in our b
odies.

I move my hand so it’s resting in his jeans and on his hip. He does the same, neither one of us wanting to break the connection. As we lay there and stare into each other’s eyes, I question why either one of us doubts the realness of what is going on between us. I can only speak for myself, but that was the one of the most passionate sexual encounters I’ve eve
r had.

“That was incredibly hot, Julian. Feel free to wake me up that way whenever the mood strikes
you.”

“I agree. It was hard waking you up though. You looked so peac
eful.”

“How long were you here?” Great, he was watching me sleep. I hope I wasn’t dro
oling.

“Hone
stly?”

“Al
ways.”

He squeezes my hip. “I lied here next to you for about a half an hour before I started touching you. The minute I did, you started waking up. I love how your body responds to my touch. It’s so
sexy.”

“Well that must have been exciting,” I say sarcastically. I’m really uncomfortable with the thought of him just lying there watching me
sleep.

“I know you’re being sarcastic, but it
was
a turn on. You’re a very beautiful woman, and I loved coming home and finding you asleep in my bed. You obviously felt comfortable, and that’s huge. Don’t turn it into something bad or w
eird.”

He definitely knows how to turn things around. “Nope, nothing bad or weird tonight. Only good stuff, Ju
lian.”

I get his big, happy smile, and my hearts
melts.

“Are you still hungry, or did you eat?” Julian asks as he gets off the bed and heads into the bathroom. He comes back out naked a few minutes later and grabs a pair of black cargo shorts from a dresser drawer. Every time I see him naked like this, I get turned on. I’d forgo eating if he comes back to bed. I present my best and final
offer.

“I haven’t eaten anything since this morning, and I’m starving. But I can forgo eating if you want to get back in bed.” I’m still lying on the bed, topless with my shorts unbuttoned. I strike what I believe to be a seductive
pose.

Julian chuckles and backs away from the bed. “That’s the best offer I’ve had all day, Alexa, but I told you earlier I plan on fucking you all night. In order to do that, I need some strength, and I’m starving too. So get your sexy ass out of bed and join me in the kit
chen.”

I get that now familiar feeling of warmth and longing between my legs as I watch Julian’s own sexy ass disappear down the hallway. We might not have the emotional thing down yet, but we definitely are scoring all As in the sex department. I put my shirt back on, use the bathroom, and join him in the kitchen. Julian must have thought the whole beach group was joining us for dinner because there’s enough food for ten people. Dario has outdone himself and sent over all of his best d
ishes.

“There’s a ton of food here, Julian. You should call Danny, Rafi, and the others and have them joi
n us.”

“Are you sure? That was the plan, but I don’t want you to have to spend any more time with them if you don’t wan
t to.”

“Your family and friends are great. I ended up having a nice after
noon.”

Julian calls Danny and invites him up. Danny, Gabby, Rafi, Sonia, Marco, and Steve are all still hanging at Danny’s, and they say they’ll be up shortly. Julian asks me if I want to invite any of my friends over for dinner. I’m not sure they’ll want to come down to the beach if we’re not going to be here
long.

“Are we going out tonight?” Yesterday Julian had mentioned something about going out dancing. I’ll go if he wants to, but I really would rather st
ay in.

“Do you wan
t to?”

“Do you?” We’re both trying to please each
other.

“Actually, I’d rather turn music on here, eat, have some cocktails, and r
elax.”

“That sounds perfect. I’ll call Marissa and Shannon and invite them. However, I would appreciate you putting some clothes on. You look way too good half n
aked.”

My comment draws a laugh from him. “Well maybe you should put some more clothes on too. You know, like a
bra.”

Oops. I forgot I didn’t have one on. I follow him into the bedroom and pull out a bra and a brown, black, white, and dark-purple tie-dye camisole with thin, crisscrossed back straps and layered, raw-edge ruffles at the hem. I keep my jean shorts on and slip back into my Tory Burch flats. I feel like we’re having a little party now, so I duck into the bathroom and apply a little makeup and touch up my hair. I have a great glow from the sun today, and I think I look pretty. I go around getting ready like I’m at home, and when I finally look at Julian, he’s just sitting on the bed staring at me. He has on black cargo shorts and a gray resin, washed, fitted Henley T-shirt that really fits his upper body.
Damn.

“See something you like, Julian?” I feel playful and flirta
tious.

“
Sí
, Alexa. I like seeing you here, in my room, getting ready and feeling so comfort
able.”

“I’m not sure how any woman stands a chance against your charms, Julian. You sure have a way with words, among other things.” He once again has said the perfect
thing.

He smiles warmly at me. “Just calling it like I see it, A
lexa.”

I walk over to the bed, and he pulls me onto his lap. He slides his hand underneath my tank and caresses my breast. “You always look beautiful. I can’t take my eyes off of
you.”

This time I’m the one who stands up. We’ll never leave this room if he keeps touching me like that. “Let’s go before we end up back in bed … or against the wall
…
or in the sh
ower.”

Julian groans and follows me from the room. While he gets the food out, I call Marissa. She and Jenna are hanging out at my house and want to come join us. Shannon is out with Cory. I put Julian on the phone, and he gives them directions, tells them how to get into the garage, and where to park. After I get off the phone, I start helping Julian get ready for this impromptu gathering. He shows me where everything is in the kitchen, and we end up setting up a pretty serious spread. Julian pulls out a few bottles of wine from the wine refrigerator in the kitchen and sets them on the table. He asks me if I want something to
drink.

“Are you having anyt
hing?”

“I’m going to have a vodka tonic. But I can make you whatever you want. Or you can have wine or beer.” He leads me out of the kitchen into an area nearby that serves as a butler’s pantry. I have him make me a vodka/cranberry and walk back into the living room as Danny and the others come walking in. Within minutes, everyone is eating and drinking. Julian turns on music, and just like that we’re having a party. I grab a plate and head out to the terrace. Gabby follows me and asks if it’s okay if she joi
ns me.

“Of course.” I sit on one couch, and she sits opposi
te me.

“I’m sorry we didn’t get to talk much today. It was kind of a strange day, and I hope you didn’t feel uncomfort
able.”

I have no idea what she is referring to, but I hope nobody sensed Julian and I were on the
outs.

“I had a nice time. It sucked that Julian had to leave to go to work, but everyone was very frie
ndly.”

“It was a shock he was there at all. I’ve been with Danny on and off for a year, and I’ve only seen Julian at the beach one other time. And that was just for an hour or so. He’s always working. That must bother
you.”

I’m not sure if she’s making innocent conversation or if she’s on a recon mission. “I understand he has to work a lot. We haven’t been together long enough for it to bother me yet. Maybe at some point it will, but I’m not upset about today.” I already had the impression Julian was a bit of a workaholic, and this just adds more credibility to my tho
ughts.

“Do you mind if I ask how long you’ve been seeing each o
ther?”

Yes, I do mind. I think this but don’t say it aloud. I’m not sure where this is heading. “We just met a few weeks
ago.”

“Serio
usly?”

“Seriously. Why?” Now I want to know where she’s going with this. My heart is starting to race, and I prepare to hear something I don’t wa
nt to.

“I just assumed you’d been seeing each other for a while, that’s
all.”

“And why is that, Gabby?” She’s actually starting to get on my nerves with her evasiveness. She started this convers
ation.

“Hone
stly?”

Geez, what’s with these people having to ask if they should be honest? Didn’t anyone ever teach them lying i
s bad?

“Yes, honestly. If you have something to say, I’d appreciate you just spitting it
out.”

So she does. “Alexa, nobody has seen Julian bring a date to any family or friend function. I’ve been to many of them over the last year, and I’ve never seen him with someone, not even once. He even came to a wedding alone. But honestly, that’s not even really it. Julian looks at you like he’s totally in love with you, and you look at him the same way. I just assumed you’ve been together for a w
hile.”

Oh whoa. I actually choke a little on my drink. Luckily I’m not forced to respond because just then Julian walks outside with Marissa and Jenna. Thank you, girls! I introduce them to Gabby and excuse myself to go back inside with them. I didn’t want to say anything to Gabby because I’m sure she’ll share whatever I say with Danny, and he would probably share it with Julian. I just dodged a bullet, but I can’t get her words out of my mind. I do know what she was seeing though. I’ve seen the flashes of love in his eyes. I have since the first night we were together. It’s what freaked me out so
badly.

I don’t want to get all bogged down in emotional stuff while we’re having a party. I show the girls where the food and drinks are and introduce them to the others. I’m not surprised they fit right in. I stand back a little and watch all these people orbiting around each other, and I can’t help but be amazed at how seamless my and Julian’s worlds have blended together. The only thing that’s missing for me is Luke. In any other circumstance, I would have invited hi
m too.

Julian comes to me and takes my free hand in his. “What are you standing here thinking about, A
lexa?”

I turn and kiss him softly on the lips. “Only good things, Julian. I pro
mise.”