Sommersgate House

Chapter Twenty-One Sweet Anticipation

The next three weeks found Julia experiencing complete emotional turmoil which she felt was a little incredible considering she already thought she was experiencing the height of emotional turmoil.

Clearly, Douglas realised what Julia had officially termed (in her own mind) “The Tender Onslaught Strategy (with Vague Tendencies Toward Arrogance)” was working beautifully so he kept right on using it.

The press had taken it into their head that Julia and Douglas were a couple and they were speculating wildly about her and Douglas leaving the ball so quickly. Not to mention Douglas was no longer appearing with his rail-thin, twenty-something starlets and models at every social gathering imaginable but instead squiring Julia and the children all over Bristol and Somerset.

Making matters worse, they all travelled to London to attend Charlie and Oliver’s Annual New Year’s Bash. Julia didn’t want to go so soon after Ruby’s outburst but she couldn’t let Charlie down. Sam arranged for the children to spend the night with her nieces and nephews at her sister’s house.

Julia took Veronika, saying she wanted the girl, who had no family close and no friends to speak of, to have a good time. If she admitted it to herself, she was really using her young friend as a shield.

Once in London, she found out Sam (or perhaps Douglas, she wouldn’t put it passed him) arranged for Veronika to attend a party with her rather than go with Julia and Douglas to the Forsythes.

This left Julia and Douglas together, alone.

Luckily, the New Year’s party was a mad crush and Julia easily lost Douglas. She made certain she didn’t drink too much; she needed all her faculties to utilise in her efforts to avoid him. Further, she didn’t want to do anything to let her guard down.

Christmas night was still fresh in her memory and she knew she was losing ground fast. She decided to nurture her irate frustration at the situation; it was the only thing she had left.

Eventually she found herself alone with Oliver and she decided to take that opportunity to pick his brain, subtly of course, about Douglas’s history. Douglas’s story about his childhood Christmases still had Julia feeling ill-at-ease. In fact, when she wasn’t avoiding Douglas, stewing over him or watching the children like hawks (after the Christmas night disaster), it was all she thought about.

Oliver knew him best and Julia felt that, maybe, he could be a font of information.

After a few questions, diplomatically worded (she thought), Oliver cut eyes to her that were not lit with his usual good-natured light.

“What are your intentions regarding Douglas?” he asked bluntly.

“I… well,” she spluttered. Her intentions with Douglas? She didn’t know what to say, so she said, “I’m just curious.”

Oliver surveyed her for a moment which probably lasted about a second but the intensity of his eyes made it seem like an hour.

“I’m afraid curiosity isn’t good enough, Julia. If you genuinely cared, I would tell you, but since you’re just curious…” He let that hang and when Julia said no more, he excused himself and, for some reason, this made Julia feel like an absolute heel.

She was caught in a mad crush of happy, drunken people as the clock struck down to midnight (and it was never fun to be an unhappy, un-drunken person in that kind of situation).

At “five” she felt a warm hand on the small of her back. At “four” it was an arm that wound around her waist. At “three” it was pulling her firmly around. At “two” it was hauling her against a hard body. At “one” another arm joined it to tighten around her. At the strike of midnight, a sexy, scarred mouth descended on hers in a hard, thorough, unmistakably possessive kiss that seemed to last forever and stole her breath away.

Anyone who saw it would have been in no doubt that Julia and Douglas were a couple.

Regardless how good the kiss was or, more to the point, because of how good it was, and the point it so publicly made, Julia seethed all the way home.

Monique was still (thankfully) in Munich meaning they were all alone at the Kensington house. As Douglas pulled the parking brake up on the Jag, Julia darted out of the car only to have to stand on the steps to wait for him to let her in the house because she didn’t have a key.

I really, she thought, have to think ahead.

Her blood pressure, already nearly at brain attack level, ratcheted up a notch.

Douglas politely, though not trying to hide his amusement, allowed her to precede him into the house. She practically ran up the stairs only to hear him chuckle.

She was beginning to detest his chuckle. For fifteen years she rarely heard it and now it seemed to ring in her ears on a daily basis. At the top of the stairs she whirled to wait for him and watched as he took his time ascending like he had all the new year.

“I want you to release a press statement that says we are not an item,” she demanded irritably when he was four steps away.

He completed his ascension and then stopped several inches from her. Towering over her, he looked down at her, not down the length of his nose, as used to be his wont, but directly at her, eye-to-eye.

“And why,” he drawled, “would I do that?”

“Because we’re not a couple!” She wanted to stamp her foot at having to point out what she thought was the obvious.

He quirked a brow.

She was a woman prone to dramatics but not to violence.

Not until that moment.

She was saved from doing something she would regret by the door opening below.

Visions of Monique drifting in, wafting malevolence and baring fangs, made Julia’s chest tighten painfully.

Instead, from their vantage point at the top of the stairs, they saw Veronika enter on a giggle and then lose her footing and crash to the floor.

Julia and Douglas both descended the stairs rapidly, Douglas (of course) made it to the bottom first. Julia was wearing high-heeled, strappy bronze sandals and couldn’t catch herself in time at the bottom and ploughed into Douglas. To steady herself, she grabbed his waist with both hands. Worried about Ronnie, she didn’t pull her hands away but she peeked around his body and saw Veronika sprawled on the floor, her legs out in front of her and a loopy grin on her face.

Ronnie slowly lifted a curled hand, thumb extended then jerked it toward herself and said gaily, “Drunk!”

“Oh dear,” Julia sighed, releasing Douglas’s waist and moving around him. “We need to get her upstairs,” she told him, all the time looking down on Veronika.

“Sham’s very nie-sh,” Veronika slurred to the approaching Julia.

“She’s lovely,” Julia murmured to her as she bent down beside the girl and heard Douglas join them. “We’re going to get you upstairs to bed.”

“I am lucky,” Ronnie stated while Douglas silently put one shoulder under Ronnie’s armpit while his other hand grabbed her wrist and pulled it around his neck, lifting her up to her feet. Through his actions, Ronnie spoke. “To have you,” she motioned to Julia with her head, an action that threw her off balance and made her stumble, forcing Douglas to right her, “as friend.” She went on. “And you,” she turned to Douglas as he started walking her towards the stairs, “are hero!” she finished triumphantly.

Julia had no idea what Ronnie was talking about but she had no time to consider it as Ronnie made an unmistakably unpleasant noise.

“Quick, upstairs to the bathroom,” she told Douglas urgently.

Douglas didn’t hesitate. He reached down and slid an arm around the backs of Ronnie’s knees, hefted her up and swiftly moved up the stairs. By the time Julia made it to the door of the bathroom, Veronika was on her knees getting sick in the toilet.

Julia rushed forward passed Douglas to pull the girl’s dark hair out of her face and kneeled down to soothe her by stroking her back and murmuring to her. All the while, she did her best not to get sick herself at the sight, the sound and the awful smell.

“I’ll leave you to it,” Douglas said from the doorway, feeling his part in this current drama was done.

Julia just nodded, thinking, saved by the drunk Russian girl.

Days later they were back home at Sommersgate and Julia was coming in from running errands, entering by the kitchen door.

“Hey Mrs. K,” she greeted the older lady, “I could do with a cuppa. You need a break?”

Mrs. K turned peculiarly sparkling eyes to Julia and opened her mouth to answer when Ruby rushed into the room followed by Lizzie. They were both panting at their mad dash and they, too, had sparkling eyes.

“Auntie Jewel!” Lizzie puffed.

The children had survived the Christmas Night Meltdown valiantly. For several days they were quiet and introspective and Ruby had stopped shouting altogether (and Julia found, knowing the reason behind it, she now missed it). But they were beginning to pull out of it having had a great time with Sam’s family. Indeed, Julia had a queer sense that Ruby’s breakdown had allowed them all to settle more thoroughly into their new lives and begin to truly come to terms with their loss and start healing.

Right then, they seemed to be lit up with happiness and expectation.

“What’s up?” Julia asked, unable to stop a grin from spreading across her face at their jubilation. Ruby scrambled forward and grabbed Julia’s hand, giving it a hearty tug. Their excitement was catching and she let out a little laugh. “What’s happening?” she inquired again.

“Just come with us,” Lizzie ordered bossily, grabbing Julia’s other hand and pulling more strongly.

They led Julia to the leather couches of the entryway where Douglas and Willie were standing around the furniture. A fire blazed in the grate and Willie was looking down at something on the floor while Douglas watched Julia approach, his eyes roaming over her appreciatively (as he seemed inclined to do more often than not).

“Will someone tell me what’s going on?” Julia blurted, deciding it best to ignore Douglas. If she didn’t, she knew her palms would sweat or her knees would buckle or her stomach would do somersaults or, in her weakest moments, all three.

“Look!” Ruby pointed at a strange, plastic box with a handle on top and lots of holes all around.

The kind of box in which you carried a small animal.

Looking at the box, Julia felt her palms start to sweat, her knees begin to get weak and her stomach prepared to do somersaults.

“Look, look, look!” Ruby cried, no longer able to contain herself.

She sprinted forward then dropped to her knees and she fidgeted with the box but Julia already knew.

She knew.

She remembered, somewhat hazily, but she remembered muttering to Douglas the morning after their first night together.

Therefore, she knew.

Then Ruby had her prize and turned around, cuddling a fluffy, perfectly white, beautiful, squash-nosed, incredibly adorable Persian kitty in her arms.

“Unka Douglas bought them for you!” Ruby squealed.

Julia’s eyes filled with tears. She couldn’t help herself; she couldn’t have controlled her reaction if she was SuperGirl. She missed her own cat and had never been without an animal for this long in her life. It was better than an emerald (which was pretty fantastic), it was better than a diamond watch (which was absolutely tremendous), it was the best present she’d ever received.

With one quick step forward, she reached out her hands and Ruby easily gave up the kitten to Julia who practically snatched it out of her niece’s arms.

She didn’t notice Ruby whirl back around as she pulled the kitten up to her face and rubbed it against her cheek.

She turned glistening eyes to Douglas.

She didn’t know what to say.

More kittens were produced, two more to be exact.

“Uncle Douglas got one for each of us girls,” Lizzie declared cheerfully but Julia only had eyes for Douglas who, for his part, was watching her back with a look of tenderness (albeit a somewhat smug tenderness).

“I’m getting a dog,” Willie declared at this point.

Julia opened her mouth and then closed it. She opened it again and then, again, closed it. She brought the kitten down to snuggle him on her chest and shook her head as if to clear it.

“Aren’t you going to say something?” Lizzie demanded, eyeing Julia incredulously.

Julia was speechless.

“Sometimes,” Willie put in, his words and tone far more mature than they should have been, “there’s nothing to say.”

The kittens caused havoc in the household, nearly making Ronnie fall down the stairs and giving Mrs. K fits as they scratched at every available surface (including undoubtedly priceless silk rugs). The children ran around playing with them and chasing them, which caused the once silent-as-a-tomb Sommersgate House to ring with happy noise.

That weekend, Julia decided to take a walk to clear her head. She put on her mucky cowboy boots, a pair of jeans, a dusky pink fleece and wrapped a long, pink and lavender-striped scarf around her neck. The day was bright, sunny and bitter cold.

The children had gone to the stables with Douglas to ride. Douglas was spending an extraordinary (for him) amount of time at home and had made a habit of being home on the weekends.

Julia found this most annoying, even though there was once a time, not very long ago, when she demanded that he be at home more.

She tried to avoid them. She wanted to avoid them. But she found, as if they had minds of their own, after only fifteen minutes her feet took her toward the stables.

Lizzie and Willie were already in their saddles with Ruby sitting alone on a beautiful, shining chestnut horse. As Julia approached, she watched Douglas swing expertly up in the saddle behind Ruby and her heart did a little flip.

She told her feet to turn left. They refused. She told them to turn right. They, again, refused. Before she could begin to escape, Lizzie saw her.

“Hey, Auntie Jewel!” she shouted.

Douglas had his back to her and, at Lizzie’s call, he whirled the animal around expertly so he could watch her arrival.

“Don’t mind me,” Julia called. “You guys go on. I’m on my way to –”

“You should let Uncle Douglas teach you how to ride,” Lizzie suggested, obviously thrilled at her wonderful idea.

Julia sighed. Lizzie was definitely beginning to be a problem.

If she was truthful with herself, which she was being less and less these days, she would have admitted that she wanted to see him. However, she did not want a riding lesson. She loved horses, she loved all animals, she just didn’t particularly like riding them. She wouldn’t have wanted to ride a camel either. Or an elephant. Definitely not a horse.

“That’s okay.” She was amongst them now, all of them looking down at her. She gently stroked the soft muzzle of Willie’s horse (a beautiful grey which Julia knew Gavin liked to ride). “I’m good on my own two feet.”

But she heard rather than saw Douglas hit the ground and then Ruby was moved from Douglas’s horse to the front of Willie’s.

Julia watched in alarm.

“Is that wise?” she asked Douglas.

“He’s strong and he’s good in the saddle. She’ll be fine,” Douglas replied with confidence and Julia stiffened as he came toward her. “Now let’s see about you.”

Julia glanced at Willie whose face was glowing at his uncle’s compliment. It almost made her want to give in but then she saw Douglas leading the big chestnut toward her. The horse was bigger than all the others and Julia took a step back.

“They can sense fear,” Douglas informed her.

“I know!” she snapped. “I’ve seen enough cowboy movies. They always say that in the cowboy movies.”

Douglas grinned.

She narrowed her eyes at him.

That was when he smiled.

“Oh all right,” she gave in, mainly because the children were there and she was trying to retain as much dignity as she could considering she knew she was going to lose it all in mere minutes. “What do I do?”

While she had both feet planted firmly on the ground (thankfully) and Douglas adjusted the stirrups, he patiently and competently explained what she should do. She listened as intently as she could considering how much she loved his voice and what it did to her insides. As this went on, the children cantered around them, giving them a wide berth.

“You ready to go up?” Douglas asked, motioning to the horse with his head.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she grumbled, reaching out as he taught her and taking the reins and the pommel, putting her left foot in the stirrup.

She was pleased she’d heaved herself up to straighten her leg but it all fell apart somehow and she began to fall backward. She didn’t go down as Douglas’s hand found her bottom and gave her a firm push. She ignored the hot imprint his hand left like a brand on her behind, swung her leg over and forced her foot in the opposite stirrup.

He continued instructing her as he walked her and the horse around in circles, his hand on the horse’s halter. She never took her hands off the pommel but did as he said in every other way. When he suggested she take her hands from the saddlehorn, she tried it but immediately felt herself sliding off so she grabbed on again.

“You have to use your legs,” he noted.

“You’ve told me that already, like ten times,” Julia muttered.

“Then do it,” Douglas suggested good-naturedly.

She tossed him an irritated glance. “If I could, don’t you think I would?”

“Julia, I know your legs are far stronger than that.” His voice was full of warm familiarity and humour both of which played pleasant havoc with her insides.

Nevertheless, she wanted to clobber him.

She tried harder, did better and he stepped away, allowing her free reign, calling instructions to her. She was actually doing it and was rather pleased with herself when she led the horse in a wide, slow circle then back to Douglas where she successfully pulled the beast to a halt.

“Well done,” Douglas complimented her, his eyes shining with admiration, like she’d just won Ascot.

“Don’t look at me like that. It’s more the horse than me.” She didn’t like the way his compliment made her feel, all tingly and happy. Well, she did like it; she just didn’t want to dwell on it. “I can’t imagine why someone would do this of their own volition. I’d rather pet him and feed him apples than ride him.” She finished, leaning forward and running her hand down the horse’s neck.

“Take your feet out of the stirrups,” Douglas commanded unexpectedly.

She lurched up and the horse danced sideways at her sudden movement.

The children had wandered further away, Lizzie riding expertly in a gentle gallop while Willie and Ruby were doing a sedate saunter.

“Julia, take your feet out.” He was using that tone that brooked no argument and was standing so close to the side of the horse that she felt his heat through her calf. She was certain he would take her foot out himself if she didn’t do as he said.

She did as he said.

No sooner had she done it, than he grabbed the saddlehorn in front of her, put his foot in the stirrup, and, in one lithe movement, mounted the horse behind her. Both he and she in the saddle pushed her straight up the pommel as he put his other boot in the stirrup.

He reached around her and grabbed the reins from her unfeeling hands.

“What are you doing? This horse is going to collapse under the weight of us. This is cruelty to animals!” she cried, somewhat hysterically, wanting off, wanting to escape, wanting his lean body not to be pressing against hers from her bottom to her shoulder blades.

“Swing your leg to the side and straddle the pommel,” he ordered.

“What?” she screeched then went on, “No…” Then she realised if she did, she might be able just to hop off so she changed her mind and agreed immediately, “Okay.” She swung her right leg to the side so she was straddling the saddlehorn sideways just as he commanded but one of his arms slid around her waist and tightened before she could slide off.

Foiled, she thought.

“I’ll show you why people like to ride,” he said, his voice low and husky in her ear.

She was staring intently at the ground and therefore saw his leg tighten on the side of the horse and they bolted forward. She yelped, twisted her torso and wrapped her arms around him. As they galloped, with each beat of the horses hooves, she slid closer to Douglas.

“Are you insane?” she shouted over the wind rushing in her ears.

He subtly moved the reins and the horse turned gracefully to the left and she held on tighter. She was face to face with his muscular neck, which was a part of him she especially liked (not that there were parts of him she didn’t like). To avoid it, she forced herself to face forward and grab the horse’s mane. She tried to be gentle but she knew she was holding on for dear life.

And then, moments later, it swept over her. The realisation that Douglas knew exactly what he was doing and that the horse knew too. Horse and rider were in perfect synchronisation. She felt herself and her fingers relax and began to enjoy it. It was a risk but the risk was so thrilling and they weren’t going too fast, they weren’t out-of-control, they were safe.

Julia was safe, with Douglas.

Once she relaxed against his body, she understood exactly why he loved to be out on the horse, the wind, the crisp air, the speed, the strong beast between his legs, completely at his command, it was everything that was Douglas. And she began to love it too.

He was rounding Sommersgate and when they were within sight of the stables again, he slowed the horse to a canter then down to a roping amble.

“That wasn’t so bad was it?” His voice, again at her ear, asked quietly.

“I suppose not.” She knew she sounded surly but her guard was down, he was all around her, she could smell…

Her body tensed.

She could smell the Lalique cologne.

She closed her eyes and sighed.

“I’ll buy you a horse.” Douglas was either ignoring or oblivious to her warring emotions.

His words snapped her out of it.

“You will not!”

One of his hands captured her wrist and fiddled with the diamond watch, a watch the like that no one should wear for a simple stroll in the countryside.

She stifled a groan.

“You like it when I buy you things,” he murmured.

She wished she could move her head so he wasn’t speaking in her ear. His voice seemed to rumble through her like a shudder.

“I do not,” she retorted sharply, lying through her teeth.

His stubbled cheek slid across hers to move her hair out of the way. They were nearing the stables now and she was glad of it. His rough cheek was pressed against her smooth one and it felt nice, too nice.

“You love it,” he whispered.

“You are truly the most irritating man I’ve ever met,” she snapped in order to cover the fact that he was absolutely right. He knew it and, worse, she knew it.

He chuckled, the sound so close to her, she felt it in the pit of her belly.

The children were already back to the stables and were dismounting. Douglas pulled his horse to a halt and quickly swung his leg off so he was down before she could jump down. He grabbed her waist and she knew she could not protest in front of the children as he slid her slowly off the horse, the entire way down just inches from his body. It was enough to be meaningful sexually but not explicit, for the children.

She was back to wanting to clobber him.

That or throw her arms around his neck and promise to marry him.

“Irritating,” she grouched because it was the only thing she could do.

She was imprisoned between his body and the horse. He lifted her face by placing the side of his gloved fist under her chin. If he was going to say something, it was lost as the children interrupted.

“Now you can come riding with us!” Willie called, having helped Ruby down.

She pulled her chin from Douglas’s hand and sidled sideways, away from him and his damned horse.

“Great!” she shouted back to Willie, trying to sound more enthusiastic than she was.

Ruby ran toward her. “You and me need horses!”

She took her niece’s hand and without a backward glance, started leading her to the house.

“We’re a little ways off from that, Ruby-girl,” she said loud enough for Douglas to hear and she knew he heard because she could hear his chuckle.

It took every bit of willpower she had not to turn back and, at the very least, poke her tongue out at him.

Instead, she set her shoulders, mentally shook off the warmth that had stolen into her body, ignoring the ice that she knew was melting from around her heart and headed resolutely to the house.

She still had the scent of his cologne in her nostrils and she knew she was losing ground fast.

In fact, she knew she was just plain losing.

The problem was, it felt like winning.

Douglas was not happy.

In fact, he was angry.

Not at his stubborn, pig-headed bride-to-be or at least not because she was stubborn and pig-headed. That, he found, was actually a rather endearing trait of hers.

True, he would have preferred Julia to be spending her time choosing flower arrangements, drafting wedding invitations and spending long nights squirming under him as he did all of the delicious things he fully intended to do to her. Not spending her time engaging in a head-to-head battle with him for her body, heart and soul. However, he was enjoying the battle, mainly because he knew he was winning and the interim was just sweet anticipation. Anticipation that caused a slow ache that he knew would be magnificently fulfilled once he eventually triumphed.

No, he was angry because of the unknown Tony.

And he was further annoyed because of his mother. He’d just put down the phone from talking to her.

She wanted to come home to Sommersgate.

Now was most definitely not the time for Monique’s return.

In fact, Douglas had decided, there was never going to be a time for Monique to return.

Unfortunately, when he told this to his mother and, considering the frequency he, Julia and the children needed the Kensington house, informed her as well that she would need to find elsewhere to live, Monique had flown into a rage.

He listened to her tirade without reaction and then said, “Sam will find a few flats for you to look at in London, choose one.”

“A flat? You want me to live in a flat?” she snapped, acting as if he told her he’d find her a nice cardboard box on a relatively safe street corner.

Douglas didn’t answer.

“Am I to have any say on this flat?” she seethed.

“If you have requirements, call Sam tomorrow morning.”

He was finished with the conversation and although she spluttered and raged for several more minutes, he eventually finished the call. Monique, being Monique, would not take his actions without a fight but whatever she did, he knew he could handle.

However, he had bigger things to worry about because, tonight, Julia was out with Tony.

Tony, apparently, was a friend from Indianapolis who was in Bristol for some business.

Tony, apparently, was a beloved acquaintance that had Julia in throes of ecstasy at seeing again.

Tony, definitely, was a man.

It was nearly ten and Julia had left the house at five to meet Tony (the man) for drinks and dinner. Carter had taken her and she was to call when she wanted to come home. The children were all in bed and Douglas felt that any responsible guardian should have long since returned, preferably around six.

Therefore, in Douglas’s mind, she was late. Very late. Even unforgivably late.

He was just about to go find Carter, ask where she was and bring her home, kicking and screaming if he had to, when the man himself knocked on the study door.

“Sir?” Carter called.

Douglas’s head came up.

“Miss Julia phoned, she’s ready to come home. The problem is, the Bentley has a flat tire. It’ll be awhile to fix so I wondered if I could use the –”

Instantly, Douglas surged to his feet and stated, “I’ll get her.”

He grabbed his keys, Carter explained that she was at the South American restaurant that Douglas introduced her to and she’d be waiting on the pavement in twenty minutes.

It took all of his willpower not to speed through the winding roads to Bristol. He did this because the last thing Julia and the children needed was for him to crash his car. Further, if he were to crash his car, he would also miss the opportunity to wring Julia’s neck.

Or make her pay in a decidedly more pleasurable way.

He parked his Jag on the double yellow lines outside the restaurant and saw her immediately, standing out on the pavement as she promised. She was wearing a pair of her close-fitting jeans, high-heeled boots and a military-style, cranberry-coloured, velvet jacket. She had a woolly scarf wrapped round and round her neck and a matching fitted cap pulled snug on her head, forcing her thick blonde hair to press lushly around her face.

She also had her arm linked through the arm of a tall, lean, bald man and she was leaning into him like she wanted him to absorb her.

Douglas gritted his teeth and did his best to control the rampaging jealousy he was experiencing as he exited the car and stalked toward them.

Tony was one of those bald men who actually looked good bald, he was expensively dressed and exceptionally groomed.

None of this benefited Douglas’s mood.

Julia noticed Douglas approach and, to his shock, her face lit up in a smile.

“Douglas! Yay!” she shouted and pulled away long enough to clap her hands several times, claps that were muted by the wool mittens she wore. Then she stopped abruptly and half-stumbled, half-collapsed into her friend.

Douglas ignored her bizarre behaviour, figuring she was going to try to score a point by rubbing his face in her relationship with this Tony. But as he finally arrived at the couple, she surprised him by immediately disengaging from Tony and linking her arm through Douglas’s. She then leaned into him and he had to brace himself as he took on most of her weight.

“Tony, now you get to meet Douglas!” she announced happily as if this was her most fervent wish and then she swung her face to his, her green eyes sparkling. “I’ve been talking about you.”

Douglas didn’t know what to say because he had no clue what she said.

He regarded the pair warily, uncertain of her mood.

She gestured vaguely between the two men. “Tony, Douglas,” then she paused and said, “Douglas, Tony.” And then she giggled as if this was tremendously funny.

Tony was smiling indulgently at her and came forward to give Douglas a warm handshake.

“Mojitos,” he said in an effort to explain Julia’s strange behaviour.

“Ah,” was the only way Douglas could reply.

“If you’re trying to say I’m drunk, Tony Harrison, then… well, you’d be right!” Julia cried, turned to Douglas, pressed her breasts against his arm and lifted happy eyes to his. “I love mojitos.”

“I’ll have to remember that,” Douglas murmured, trying to ignore her soft body and failing miserably.

His comment made Julia giggle which made Tony’s grin widen.

“You better get her home, I’ll be seeing you,” Tony said and Julia jerked awkwardly away from Douglas and lurched back into Tony’s arms, hugging him tightly with her arms around his neck.

“I miss you, Tony.” Douglas could hear the catch in her voice and, for some reason, it made his chest tighten.

“I miss you too, babe,” Tony gave her a firm squeeze and then let her go, guiding her carefully back to Douglas who again felt her clamp onto his arm and lean into him heavily. “You bring her back to Indiana sometime soon, would you?”

Douglas found it somewhat odd, and pleasingly telling, that this man was expecting him to be able to do anything with Julia. He nodded, said his good-byes and started to lead her away.

“Oh, and Douglas,” Tony called and Douglas turned back to Tony who was grinning madly at him. “Good call with that kitten,” he finished then he tipped up his chin sharply.

For the first time in his life, Douglas found himself in an exchange of meaningful masculine nods with another man. And after this, his earlier bad mood evaporated completely and he felt at peace with the world.

Julia, cheerfully ignoring all this, waved gaily at Tony and hummed happily to herself as she walked somewhat unsteadily to the car and he helped her in. By the time he’d joined her, she was strapped in and babbling enthusiastically.

“I just love that place. I’m so glad you introduced me to it. You’ll take me again soon?” Before he could answer that startling request she cried out, “Oh!” And again, before he could react she asked, apropos of nothing, “Do you know any gay men?”

“Um… no,” Douglas replied cautiously, uncertain where she was going with this new topic of conversation and mentally reminding himself to make certain Mrs. K stocked the ingredients for mojitos in the house. He started the car and pulled away, heading toward home.

“I’ve just had an idea!” she exclaimed brightly. “Tony said he might be here for business once or twice a year, isn’t that fabulous?” Again, she gave him no time to respond and carried on. “So, we find him an Englishman and then maybe he’ll stay here forever and we can all have barbeques again and Super Bowl parties.” He glanced at her only to see her face fall. “You don’t have the Super Bowl here, do you?”

He didn’t answer, he didn’t need to, she reversed her displeasure and happily babbled all the way back to Sommersgate planning Fourth of July outings, fondue parties and what she called “Oscar Nights”.

For his part, he was pleased – no, thrilled – to learn that Tony was gay.

When he parked the car in the drive, she got out and did not hurry to the door but waited for him. Further, when he took her hand, thinking she still might need steadying (and because he damned well wanted to), she didn’t resist but walked with him, hand-in-hand to the house.

“I’m so glad you came to get me, I hate calling on Carter,” she admitted and he found himself slowing their pace, making the walk longer so he could draw out this moment. She would come to her senses soon, her mind would kick in, the walls would come up and he found he was enjoying this too much to let it go.

“Why?” he asked as he pushed the door open and they walked through it together.

“Because it seems so, you know, servant-y.”

Douglas laughed quietly, closing the door behind them. “Darling, essentially he is a servant.”

She gave a faux shudder. “I can’t get used to it. To me, we’re all just family.”

At her words, something inside him shifted and along with it the ache for her intensified, turning into need. This need was so consuming, it blurred his vision, it wiped his thoughts, all that existed in the universe was her scent, her hand holding his and the sound of her voice saying those words that still hung in the air.

Her hand tightened in his as she tugged it gently, pulling him to a halt.

As he looked at her upturned face, he was experiencing something he’d never felt in his life.

He was dazed.

Her happy face turned concerned.

“Are you okay?”

“Fine,” he answered distractedly.

“Douglas?”

“Hmm?”

She laughed, that sexy laugh she had, low in her throat and he focused on her.

“Why do I have the impression you’re looking at me but you aren’t seeing me?” she teased.

She actually teased.

He felt his body tighten as the yearning intensified.

“I see you,” was all he said but what he meant was he saw her everywhere, in his thoughts, in his dreams, in his home, in his car, in his bed, everywhere.

She interrupted his preoccupation. “I never properly thanked you for Fred.”

“Fred?” He was losing it, losing the thread of the conversation, losing everything with the overwhelming desire to lift her in his arms, shackle her to his bed and do things to her that would force her to agree to bind herself to him legally and in the eyes of the children, her family, her friends and God.

She broke into his thoughts. “The kitten, he finally has a name.”

That got his attention.

“You named him Fred?”

She giggled. “I didn’t name him Fred, Willie did. He and I traded, since I couldn’t pick a name, I let Willie name my cat and I get to name his dog when he gets one.” She tilted her head adorably. “I’m thinking ‘Babykins’ is a sweet name for a dog, what do you think?”

“I am not addressing a dog as ‘Babykins’,” Douglas replied gruffly.

“Babykins it is!” Julia chortled and then, shocking him to his core, she leaned into him, kissed his cheek just like she had her first night at Sommersgate, tugged her hand gently free and headed to her room, humming the whole way.

Leaving him watching her go and knowing that he was quite emphatically done with sweet anticipation.

It was time for victory.