Stealing Her (Covet 1)

He cut himself off abruptly and cursed. It almost sounded like he was going to refer to himself in the third person. He’d been pretty arrogant but never done that before, not in his entire life.

“Just trust me on this, okay?”

I breathed in and out, I studied his muscular form and the way it towered over me. His green eyes raked across my skin like he wanted to permanently burn me with his stare. “Alright,” I whispered. “Any other skeletons I should know about? Long-lost sisters? Brothers? A great-aunt who inherited a duchy?”

His lips pressed together in a grim line.

“I was kidding, Julian.”

His smile was forced. “Yeah, I know. I’m sorry, I’m just exhausted, and last night was longer than I imagined it would be.”

“Tell me about it,” I agreed. “Why don’t we just watch a movie and hang out later this afternoon?”

His grin was wicked as he responded. “Izzy, are you asking to Netflix and chill?”

I burst out laughing and then covered my hot face with my hands. “I know I’m red, like really red. I guess I am?” I peeked through my fingertips to see longing on his face as he pulled me into his arms and kissed the tip of my nose.

Another new Julian thing.

He rarely kissed me on the mouth anymore.

Always on the cheek, the forehead, the nose, the guy even kissed my hand last night. In public he had kissed me, and I could feel the women in the front row shoving each other out of the way for a chance to glimpse his perfect ass and biceps.

“Where’d you go?” Julian whispered, still holding me tight. A thrill washed over me, and it almost felt like we were getting a second chance, like this was new, and then every time I’d get excited I’d remember his cryptic words about breaking my heart and wonder why he was so doubtful of this connection between us.

“Sorry, I was just thinking too hard, about everything.”

“That’s fair.” He wrapped an arm around me and led me out of the bathroom. He was still limping a little bit. He grabbed a chilled bottle of white wine from the fridge, and two glasses, then walked me over to the couch and helped me sit before he did the same.

Such a gentleman in his own home.

Then again, Julian had been a lot of things, but he always opened doors, he always had perfect manners. Maybe that’s why I had slowly been going insane.

Everything was controlled with the precision of a surgeon’s knife.

There was no freedom in perfect manners and polite smiles.

Only heartache and gilded cages.

“So . . .” I poured us each a glass and reached for the remote at the same time he did.

His hand covered mine.

And I stared.

And stared.

Unease trickled down my spine. “Julian?”

“Yeah?” His chest heaved as he looked down at our joined hands. At the tattoo that was on his thumb that hadn’t been there before. A T with an X through it. What an odd thing to put on your body.

“That’s new. When could you have possibly done that without me noticing?” I rubbed my thumb over it. Why did his hand suddenly feel so foreign?

After a long pause, he exhaled, rubbing his fingers back and forth across mine.

“Relax, Izzy.” He grinned and gave me a shrug. “We’ve been looking into purchasing a small company called Inkbox that makes temporary tattoos. They went viral online, and we were testing the product to see if it actually worked. The day before the accident I did a few, and they seemed invisible. But I noticed them the other day. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything, I promise it’s not a big deal.” He squeezed my hand.

I released a breath. “Sorry, I’m being ridiculous. I just . . . things have been so different since the accident. You’re different.”

He tugged me closer to him and pulled my feet onto his lap. “Bad different or good different?”

I licked my dry lips. “Honestly?”

“Always.”

“Good different,” I confessed. “You seem happier, but not just that. You seem stronger, more willing to stand up for yourself.” I sighed. “To stand up for me.”

“That’s what I wanted to hear.” His eyes darted from my mouth to my eyes and back down to my mouth. The low hum of the TV filled the room, images flickered, but all I saw was him. My old Julian, the one who used to stare at me the way he was now, it was almost like amidst the greed and chaos, he’d finally found his way home.

Finally.

Tears filled my eyes. “It’s really you.”

“It’s me.” He cupped my face and pressed a soft kiss to my mouth then started pulling away. Maybe insanity was taking over, maybe I just needed to feel his mouth longer. I hooked my arms around his neck and pulled back.