I fell asleep with his breathing in my ear, his heart beating against my shoulder, and my mind calm, knowing that we were already in love.
Chapter 12
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Matt
Falling asleep with my exquisite woman in my arms filled me with more joy than I would have thought possible. As Julia’s breathing slowed to a gentle hum, I loved the feeling of her relaxing against me completely.
My mind was already reeling at the possibilities. I could take her to the jeweler that my friend recommended, and start shopping for an engagement ring.
Once I’d explained everything to her father, hopefully Julia would want to move in with me soon. I couldn’t wait to make her breakfast most mornings, and know every detail of her life.
One of the random fantasies that popped into my head was her entertaining her friends in the back garden while I and my staff fetched them snacks and drinks all afternoon.
I was going to treat her like a princess. Spoil her as much as she’d let me.
Loud buzzing pulled me out of sleep, but it was too dark outside to be morning.
Julia grumbled sleepily as I rolled her off my shoulder to jump out of bed and dig around for my pants to find my phone.
It was my publicist Nancy calling at one in the morning. She quickly told me that due to a cancellation there was an open spot on an Italian cooking show tomorrow evening, and if I got on a plane within the hour, I could promote my new book there. Since it was being released in Italian this week, it would be perfect.
My head reeling, I arranged for her to send a car, and then hung up.
“What’s wrong?” Julia asked blearily.
“Nothing’s wrong, sweetheart. Do you want to come to Italy?”
She sat up, running a hand through her rumpled hair. “What — now?”
“Yes. You can come with me, and as soon as this talk show is done, we can spend a day or two just hanging out.”
She laughed, then stopped. “You’re not joking.”
“Of course not. It’ll be a blast. But we have to leave right now. I can have Nancy contact a stylist in Italy to get you some clothes, and whatever else you need, when we arrive.”
Julia’s mouth hung open for a second while I quickly got dressed. “I have work in the morning,” she said.
“Yeah, but Ethan will understand, won’t he?” I pulled my pre-packed suitcase from the giant walk-in closet. Opening it on the bench at the end of the bed, I added one of my favorite ties that always looks great on TV and threw in a pre-packed shaving kit.
“But I’m working on the Oak Tables restaurant project this week,” Julia said, wrapping the sheet around her as she stared at me as if I’d lost it completely. “Do you always just take off at a moment’s notice like this?”
“Not too often. Every other month or so. My PR team works really hard to keep me in people’s minds as a go-to guy for stuff like this.”
Snapping the suitcase shut, I went over to sit beside her. “Think of it as an adventure,” I said, taking her hands. “You can sleep on the plane, and wake up in time for dinner in Italy.”
“Thanks, but I can’t,” she said, shaking her head. Her soft blonde hair fell into her face, so I pushed it back with my fingertips.
“Come on,” I smiled. “You’ll have a much better time with me than Jerry, I can guarantee it.”
Her eyes closed as she shook her head. “I’m still pretty new in this job. I need to prove to Ethan that I’m dependable.”
“He knows that you are. He’s a good guy, he’ll forgive you. And Jerry won’t even notice if you’re gone for a few days.”
I brushed my lips across her forehead, but she pushed me away. “Real Italian biscotti and the best espresso you’ve ever had,” I said temptingly, knowing that I sounded like I was begging.
“No,” she snapped. “Matt, I love that you’re so into your work, but you can’t expect me to drop everything and follow you.”