Chapter 14
The next few days were the best of Grace's life. Once she got used to Julian's rule of no kissing and hot, intimate touches, they fell into an easy relationship that amazed and delighted her.
She spent her days at work, often meeting Julian and Selena for lunch, and her nights lying in Julian's scrumptious arms.
But with every day that passed, the knowledge that he was going to leave at the end of the month cut her all the more.
How would she be able to bear it?
Though the subject was never far from her mind, she refused to bring it up again. She would just live for the moment, and worry about tomorrow when it arrived.
Saturday night, they met Selena and Bill at Tip's in the Quarter. Though more touristy than the original Tippitina's, it was Zydeco Night and she wanted Julian to hear the music New Orleans had made famous.
"Hey!" Selena said as they approached the tables in the back. "I was beginning to wonder if you were no-shows."
Grace felt her face flame as she remembered what had kept them. One day, she was going to learn to lock the bathroom door when she bathed.
"Hi, Julian, Grace," Bill greeted.
Grace smiled at Bill's plaster cast, which Selena had painted with fluorescent colors.
Julian inclined his head to Bill as he held a chair out for Grace, then took a seat beside her. As soon as a waiter came over, they ordered beer and nachos while Selena kept the beat on the table with her hands.
"Come on, Lane," Bill said, his voice testy. "We'd better dance before I kill you over that incessant noise."
A little envious, Grace watched them walk off.
"Would you like to dance?" Julian asked.
She loved to dance, but she didn't want to embarrass Julian. There was no doubt in her mind that he had no idea how to do a modern dance. Still, it was incredibly sweet of him to offer. "That's okay."
He didn't listen. He rose to his feet and held his hand out to her. "Yes, you do."
As soon as they reached the dance floor, Grace realized the man could dance as good as he looked.
Julian knew every step as if he'd been born to it. In fact, he had perfect moves, graceful, yet incredibly masculine and sexy. Grace had never seen anything like it. And judging by the envious glares the women around them were directing at her, she figured none of them ever had either.
By the time the band ended the song, she was breathless and hot. "How did you-"
"It was a gift from Terpsichore," Julian said as he dropped his arm over her shoulders and held her tightly against his side.
"Who?"
"The Muse of dance."
Grace smiled. "Remind me to send her a thank-you note."
When the next song started, Julian did a double-take as he looked to his left.
He frowned.
"Is something wrong?" Grace asked as she followed the line of his gaze.
He shook his head and rubbed a hand over his eyes. "I must be seeing things."
"Seeing what?"
Julian looked back through the crowd, searching for the tall blond man he'd seen out of the corner of his eye. Though he'd barely caught a glimpse of the man, he would have sworn it was Kyrian of Thrace.
Standing an easy six foot five, Kyrian had always been a hard man to miss in a crowd, and he'd owned a very distinctive and deadly swagger.
But Kyrian here, in this time, was impossible. It must be the madness returning to him-it was making him see things.
"Nothing," he said.
Putting the matter out of his mind, he smiled at her.
The next song was slow. Julian pulled her into his arms and held her close as they swayed gently to the beat. Grace wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his chest where she just breathed in the warm, sandalwood scent of his body. She didn't know what it was about his smell that literally turned her inside out, but it made her mouth water for him.
With his cheek against the top of her head, he stroked her hair as she listened to his heart pounding. She could have stayed like that forever.
But all too soon, the song ended. And after two more fast ones, Grace had to sit down. She just didn't have Julian's stamina.
As they headed to the table, she realized Julian wasn't even breathing heavily, but his brow was damp from sweat.
Julian held the chair for her. Sitting close beside her, he reached for his beer and took a deep drink.
"Julian!" Selena said with a laugh. "I had no idea you had moves on you like that."
Bill rolled his eyes. "Lusting again, Lane?"
Selena punched her husband in the belly. "You know better than that. You're the only boy-toy I want."
Bill cast a skeptical look to Julian. "Yeah, right."
Grace saw the shadow fall over Julian's face. "You okay?" she asked.
He smiled those dimples at her and she forgot her question.
They sat in silence, listening to the band while she and Julian fed each other nachos.
As Grace pulled her hand away from his lips, Julian captured it, then brought it back to his mouth to lick a bit of cheese from her fingertips. His tongue brushed against her skin, setting fire to her entire body.
Grace laughed as desire spread through her. How she really wished they had stayed home. She would love to strip Julian's clothes off his body and lick cheese from it for the rest of the night!
She was definitely going to add Cheez Whiz to her grocery list.
His eyes glowing, Julian moved her hand to his lap, and nuzzled her neck just a bit before pulling back and taking another drink of beer.
"Here, Selena," Bill said, drawing Grace's attention back to them. He handed her a napkin. "You might want to wipe the drool off your chin."
Selena rolled her eyes at him. "Hey, Gracie, I need a bathroom break. C'mon."
Julian leaned back to let her rise. He watched Grace vanish into the crowd, then almost on cue, women started moving in.
His stomach drew tight. Why did they always have to gravitate toward him? Just once, he'd like to be able to sit in peace, and not have to fend off the hands of women who didn't even bother to learn his name before they started groping.
"Hey, baby," an attractive blonde cooed as she stepped up first. "I like the way you dance. Why don't-"
"I'm here with someone," Julian said, narrowing his eyes on her in warning.
"You and her?" the woman laughed while indicating the direction Grace had vanished with her thumb. "C'mon. I thought you'd lost a bet or something."
"I thought she was his pity date," another woman said as she and a black-haired friend joined them.
Two men appeared out of the crowd. "What are the three of you doing back here?" the men asked their dates.
The women passed a regretful look to Julian.
"Nothing," the blonde purred as she cast one last glance at Julian, then turned around and left.
The men glared at Julian.
He arched a taunting brow at them as he took a casual drink of beer. They must have realized the stupidity of fighting him, because they gathered their women and left.
Julian sighed in disgust. No matter the time period, some things never changed.
"Hey," Bill said, leaning forward over the table. "I know you've been spending a lot of time with my wife lately, you better not be moving in on my territory. You hear me?"
Julian took a long, deep breath. Not him, too. "In case you haven't noticed, my only interest is in Grace."
"Yeah, right," Bill sneered. "Don't get me wrong, I like Grace a lot, but I'm not an idiot. I can't believe you're the kind of guy who goes for a cheeseburger when there are so many filet mignons waiting for you."
"I personally don't give a damn what you believe."
Grace hesitated as she and Selena rejoined Julian and Bill. The tension around Julian was tangible. His grip on the beer bottle so tight, she wasn't sure how he kept from shattering the glass.
"Hey, Bill," Selena said as she draped her arms over her husband's neck. "You wouldn't mind if I had a dance with Julian, would you?"
"Hell, yes, I'd mind."
Immediately, Julian excused himself and went to the bar.
Grace quickly followed.
He ordered another beer as she came up behind him.
"You okay?" she asked.
"Fine."
He didn't sound fine. He definitely didn't look fine. "You know, I can tell you're not being honest with me. Now, 'fess up, Julian. What's wrong?"
"We should leave."