Chapter 13
"Yes, Selena," Grace said into the phone as she dressed for work. "It's been a week. I'm fine."
"You don't sound fine," Selena said skeptically. "You still sound a little shaken."
Truthfully, she was. But she was safe thanks to Julian. And she hadn't seen poor Rodney afterward.
Once the police had statements from them, Julian had taken her home and she'd done her best not to dwell on it. "Really. I'm okay."
Julian came into the bedroom. "You're running late." He took the phone from her and handed her a Danish. "Finish dressing," he said to her, then he turned his attention to Selena.
Grace frowned as he walked out of the room and she couldn't hear him talking.
As she dressed, it dawned on her just how comfortable she'd become with Julian. She absolutely loved having him around. She loved taking care of him and having him take care of her. The mutualness of their relationship was wonderful.
"Grace," he said as he stuck his head back into the bedroom. "You're still running late."
She laughed as she slid her high heels on. "I'm going, I'm going."
When they got to the front door, she realized he didn't have his shoes on. "You're not coming today?"
"Do you need me to?"
Grace hesitated. She actually liked being able to have lunch with him and tease him between sessions. But then, she was sure it was boring for him to sit up there hour after hour, waiting for her. "No."
He gave her a hungry kiss. "I'll see you tonight."
Reluctantly, she let go and hurried out the door to her car.
It was one of the longest days in history. Grace sat at her desk, counting the seconds until she could get her patient out the door.
When five o'clock came, she gave poor Rachel the bum's rush for the door, then quickly gathered up her things and went home.
It didn't take her long to get there. She frowned as she saw Selena waiting for her on the front porch.
"Something wrong?" Grace asked as she joined her.
"Not hardly. But I'll give you a word of advice, break that curse. Julian is a major keeper."
Grace frowned even more as Selena left her and headed to her Jeep. Bemused, she opened the door.
"Julian?" she called.
"I'm in the bedroom."
Grace headed up the stairs. She found him lying in a most yummy way on the bed with his head propped up on one arm, and a single red rose lying on the mattress before him. He was so incredibly gorgeous and inviting. Especially with those dimples flashing, and with a light in his celestial blue eyes that could only be called impish.
"You look like the cat that ate the canary," she said quietly. "What did the two of you do today?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing," she repeated doubtfully. Now why didn't she believe that? Because he looks just a little too mischievous.
Her gaze fell to the rose. "For me?"
"Yes."
She smiled at his clipped, short answers, and dropped her shoes by the bed before pulling off her hose.
Looking up, she caught Julian's very interested stare as he craned his neck to watch her. He smiled again.
Grace picked up the rose and smelted its sweet fragrance. "It's a nice surprise," she said, kissing Julian on the cheek for it. "Thank you."
"I'm glad you like it," he whispered, running his hand along her jawbone.
Reluctantly, Grace withdrew and crossed the room to place the rose on the dresser and open the top drawer.
She froze. Lying on top of her clothes was a small hardcover copy of Peter Pan with a big red ribbon tied around it.
Gasping, she took it in her hands and untied the ribbon. As she flipped to the first page, her heart skipped a beat. "Oh, my God, it's a signed first edition!"
"Do you like it?"
"Like it?" she said, her eyes misting. "Oh, Julian!"
She launched herself at him and rained kisses all over his face. "You are so wonderful! Thank you!"
For the first time, she saw him look embarrassed.
"This is just..." Her voice trailed off as she glanced to her closet. The door was slightly ajar, and the light inside was on.
Surely, he hadn't...
Slowly, Grace approached it. She opened the door wider, and looked inside.
Joyous tears filled her eyes as warmth spread through her. Her shelves were again covered in books. Her hand shook as she reached out and ran it over the spines of her new collection.
"Am I dreaming?" she whispered.
She felt Julian behind her. He wasn't touching her, yet she could feel him with every pore, every sense of her body. It wasn't physical, but it was earth-shattering. And it left her breathless.
"We couldn't find all of them, especially your paperbacks, but Selena said we got the most important ones."
A single tear fell down her cheek as she saw copies of her father's books. How had they managed to find them?
Her heart pounded as she glanced at all her favorite titles: The Three Musketeers, Beowulf, The Scarlet Letter, The Wolf and the Dove, Master of Desire, Fallen, The Lawman Who Loved Her, on and on it went until it made her dizzy.
Overwhelmed and giddy, she let the tears fall down her cheeks.
She turned about and threw her arms around Julian. "Thank you," she wept. "But how? How did you do this?"
He shrugged, then reached up to wipe away her tears. It was then she noticed his hand.
And what was missing from it.
"Not your ring," she whispered, seeing the light skin on one of the fingers of his right hand where the ring had been. "Tell me you didn't?"
"It was just a ring, Grace."
No it wasn't. She remembered the look on his face when Dr. Lewis had asked to buy it.
"Never," Julian had said. "You've no idea what I had to go through to get this."
But after hearing his stories of his past, she had a good idea. And he had sold it for her.
Trembling, she stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him fiercely.
Julian froze in shock as her lips touched his. She'd never before reached out to him in such a manner. Closing his eyes, he clenched his hand in her hair, letting it spill down his forearm as he moaned into her mouth.
His head spun from the taste of her. From the feel of her. From the way she kissed him as he'd never been kissed before-
With the whole of her heart.
It shook him all the way to his cursed soul.
In that moment, he truly wanted time to stand still. He didn't want to live another second without her in it. Couldn't imagine a day when he didn't have her by his side.
He felt his control slipping. The pain of madness sliced across his head and his groin simultaneously.
Not yet! his mind shouted. He didn't want it to end. Not right now. Not when he was so close.
So close...