CHAPTER SEVEN
JULIETTE WAS the last person Doug needed or wanted to see. He turned and hit the water again, determined to work himself until he no longer responded to her fresh beauty or honest eyes. Until his body was too tired to react to hers and his mind could focus on pushing her for answers. Something he’d yet to try.
So far, each time she peeled off a layer of Juliette Stanton, giving him deeper access to her thoughts, feelings and past, he’d let her set the pace. Never pushing. Never prodding. Never probing further than the limits she set, not even when she’d called her ex-fiancé by name. Some reporter, he thought with disgust, and turned at the edge of the pool, beginning yet another lap.
He thought of this morning’s call to the hospital and his mother’s groggy reply. After the last test on his dad, they’d found clogged arteries that needed bypassing or else he might not survive another attack. They’d performed emergency surgery last night. Unable to reach Doug in his room and he suspected unwilling to try too hard and interrupt his so-called assignment, his mother had endured the hours of his father’s surgery and the long wait alone. He should have been there.
And maybe he would have been if he’d been doing his job as a reporter and not falling harder for Juliette Stanton—the woman who held the answers that would free him up from this assignment and let him go home where he was needed.
He surfaced, coming up for much-needed air, to find her kneeling at the edge of the pool. “Exercise doesn’t accomplish much if you pass out.”
He slicked his wet hair off his face. “I needed to burn off some energy.”
“Looked more like you were working yourself to death. What’s wrong?” She settled herself on the concrete edge, oblivious to getting her dress wet, and propped her chin in her hands, waiting for an answer.
“Bad news at home.”
“Your parents?”
He let out a groan. He had no reason to lie. “My father. He had a heart attack a little while back and they had to operate last night.”
“Oh, Doug. I’m sorry.” She placed her warm, dry hand over his wet one. “Is there anything I can do?”
He doubted she’d appreciate hearing that information was the one thing he needed. He shook his head. “But thanks for asking.”
“Do you need to leave?” The concern in her voice was mixed with a disappointment he couldn’t mistake and the anger and frustration he’d mentally aimed her way all morning evaporated.
“Not right now.” The surgery had gone well and again his father was resting comfortably. In fact, the procedure might well have added years to his life. “Things are actually looking up.”
“I’m glad. I know how much you love them.” Relief etched her features. “Of course I’d miss you if you had to go.”
With her honest, heartfelt admission, the vise clamping his heart all morning eased as well. He couldn’t blame her for the predicament he was in anymore than he wanted to. He’d just needed an immediate outlet for his frustration and guilt. Swimming had helped.
Having her here by his side helped more. “So tell me. What are you doing up so early?”
She shrugged. “I couldn’t sleep.” She met his gaze and heat flared in her green eyes.
Heat he couldn’t misinterpret because the inferno had been burning inside him all night, too. Ever since he’d left her alone in her bed. Walking out when she’d have willingly given herself to him had been the most difficult move of his life. But in the light of day, he could say he respected his actions and, more importantly, respected himself. Given all that had passed recently, that was saying a lot and he had Juliette to thank.
“I had a pretty restless night myself,” he admitted.
She nodded without speaking. What was there to say when silence was comfortable and they could read each other’s thoughts? He shook his head, unable to comprehend the bond and sense of understanding she gave him with her mere presence.
He’d always believed his parents shared a unique relationship, one where wedding vows not only meant something but were strengthened with each passing year. In contrast, Doug’s few long-term affairs had involved lots of good sex and then demands from the women for him to talk and express his feelings when he’d rather be left alone. He’d always ended up feeling suffocated, needing to get out.
What he experienced with Juliette was special. They shared comfortable silence when he wouldn’t mind opening up. She gave him tacit understanding with no strings and no expectations yet he wished she’d demand some. And, most surprising, not only wasn’t he sexually involved, but he’d backed off when she’d offered him more. Because he cared more about her feelings and well-being than his own.
“Restless because of your dad?” she asked, seriously, as if she had no clue what walking out on her had cost him.
He shook his head. “I got that call this morning.” He’d tossed and turned earlier, thinking of her.
“And now? You’re worried and preoccupied?”
“I’m worried, yes. Preoccupied? Not enough to distract me.” Not anymore. “I missed you last night.”
The genuine pleasure in her smile almost made up for his restless night.
“Well, those old clichés are worth something and absence definitely made my heart grow fonder,” she said.
He groaned. “You’re killing me.”
“I should hope not. There’re too many other things I want to do with you first.”
Doug knew better than to ask. He knew her answer could only get a man who’d promised himself hands-off in deep trouble. “What things?” he asked anyway, in a voice rough with wanting. Asked as he extended his hand to touch her even though he’d sworn not to.
“Well, for one thing, I want more of those soul-deep kisses you’re so good at.” Her lashes fluttered as she spoke, modesty rearing its endearing head.
That did it. He grasped her waist and pulled her into the pool. She yelped in surprise and toppled into his waiting arms.
“No fair,” she said, sputtering, but she wasn’t angry. She was smiling. Laughing, too. His arms remained around her waist as her feet found the bottom of the pool. She pushed down on her dress hem which insisted on floating up around her at the surface.
He chuckled. “Maybe not, but I’ve finally got you where I want you. You’re in my arms and I’ve cooled you off. Which of those things is a problem for you?”
She splashed a handful of water at him. “Neither, and you know it. It’s just your methods that are a little unorthodox.”
He splayed his hands in front of him as if fending her off and grinned. “You said yourself you wanted to experience everything. I’m just helping you along. Besides…” his voice dropped in direct proportion to his deepening feelings, “I want to be with you, too, and right now we’re all alone here.”
She looped her arms around his neck and leaned against him, bringing them together in a teasing, tempting way. His body, never relaxed when she was around, grew hard with wanting. He’d started this by dunking her, now he could live with the consequences.
“How can a girl argue with a man who’ll go to such extremes to get her in his arms?” she asked.
“She can’t.” He extended his hand, easing her back so he got a full-bodied view. Her light-green cotton dress clung in all the right places and had turned sheer enough to reveal her puckered nipples through the wet fabric. Suddenly those soul-deep kisses she mentioned held tremendous appeal.
“Is this what you meant?” He grasped her face in his hands and feathered a light kiss across her damp lips.
She purred in response. Juliette arched her back until she felt his rigid arousal against her thigh, but his lips lingered and teased not letting her any closer. Nowhere near the heavenly kisses she knew he could give. “Not even close,” she murmured.
His laugh rumbled deep in his chest and settled heavily inside hers. “How about this?”
His tongue traced the seam of her lips with languorous strokes. A delicious fluttering arose in her stomach, accompanied by a wave of longing so strong her knees nearly buckled. As his hands threaded through her hair and tugged at her scalp, an erotic rush of sensation and emotion washed over her, then eased away. Much like the water surrounding her now, the carnal stirring beckoned to pull her deeper, yet it remained steadfastly out of her reach. A prelude to the indulgences they could share if only he weren’t torturing her with slow and seductive moves.
Since meeting Doug, the wanting and yearning inside her had built to epidemic proportions. Not only did she want to experience the full range of desire, she yearned to do it with Doug—the man who’d given her back both her confidence and belief in herself and relationships.
If she had to stoop low to get him to cave, she had no problem doing so. After all, they’d both benefit.
“Well?” His lips vibrated against hers.
No man could resist a challenge, especially one to his sexual prowess. She felt herself smile as she spoke. “You can do better.”
“You have no idea.” He grasped her around the waist and hauled her close.
He held her head steady with his hands. His tongue slipped inside her mouth and the explosive fireworks in her body began as he devoured her with a completely masterful, seductive kiss. The kind she’d sought and needed. The kind that left no doubt as to how he felt, no doubt they both desired the same thing.
He splashed his hands into the water, shifting and moving her wet dress until he held her waist in his palms, giving him easy access, enabling him to ease his long fingers upward, to tease the underside of her breasts.
An urgent pull began between her legs, a steady pulsing that resulted in damp heat she recognized despite being surrounded by water. “Oh, my.”
He groaned in response. “Are you satisfied yet?” he asked, even as he left a damp trail with his mouth, from her lips, across her cheek until he reached her neck and nuzzled insistently.
She’d never be completely sated, not until he was joined deep inside her. “Satisfied with the kiss?” she asked. “Yes. Satisfied, satisfied? No way.” Between kisses, she sucked in a ragged breath. “How about you?”
“Satisfied means you’ve had enough and I’ll never have enough of you.” As he echoed her earlier thoughts, the rough timbre of his voice touched her soul. His words touched her heart.
In response, she reached for the waistband of his trunks and slid her fingertips deep inside, until she touched the coarse line of hair on his stomach and the smooth, wet tip of his penis.
“Aah, Juliette.”
No man had ever said her name with such passion or reverence. And she’d never needed another man as much as she needed this one. She needed him deep inside her, filling her, easing the ache and emptiness. She pressed her palm down more firmly, then cupped his rigid shaft in her hand, learning his hardness and length, his velvety softness.
Behind her, she heard a distinct rustling of bushes, a sound that brought her out of the desirous haze that had surrounded them. Her surroundings became clear, from the empty pool to the shifting of leaves, a similar sound to the one she’d heard earlier. She jerked her hand free and stepped back quickly.
Doug ducked under the water, cooling himself off, she assumed, while hiding from view. A couple passed the outskirts of the pool, hands held tightly, and neither looked Juliette and Doug’s way.
He surfaced and she braced her hands on his shoulders. “That was close,” she said.
“We were closer.”
She inclined her head. “And does that bother you?”
He ran a frustrated hand through his wet hair but didn’t answer.
“Us being intimate and your fantasy…Do they have to be mutually exclusive?” she asked.
He looked into her eyes, his deep blue gaze unwavering. “I’m not sure.”
“But I am. You said you needed to see you could put a woman’s needs before your own. You’ve done that with me. Physically, you walked away when your body would rather have stayed. Emotionally too. You’ve listened to my stories and half answers about my ex-fiancé and my family without ever pushing for more.”
He let out a harsh laugh. “It’s not like I’ve bared all to you either.”
She smiled and touched his cheek with her hand. “I’ve told you about my fear of storms and a tree house my dad built. You’ve admitted you were adopted and explained how you were starving on the streets,” she said in a low, soft voice. “That’s hardly comparable.”
“Maybe not. But you listened to everything I said and you understood without passing judgment.” A hesitant yet charming grin edged the corners of his mouth.
“That was easy. I’m interested in you.” Juliette made her way to the edge of the pool, her wet dress heavy and restricting.
“Where are you going?”
After pulling herself out, she wrung out the soaked cotton material. She shivered, surprised the air that had been so hot and sticky earlier, could now cause a chill. Especially when her body was still so overheated and warm. “Back to my room to take a long, hot shower.”
“Sounds good.” His eyes dilated and she knew he had the same longings she did, both of them sharing a steamy enclosed shower together.
And she wanted it to happen. Desperately. But she also knew about waiting for the right time and now wasn’t it. He obviously wanted her, but his fantasy was keeping them apart. She looked around for her sandals and saw them floating in the pool. She shrugged, knowing they were a lost cause anyway. “Right now you need space. Time to think. But when I catch up with you later, you should know one thing.”
“And what would that be?”
She met his gaze, hoping her heart and her desire were there for him to see. “Our fantasies can coexist and I know just how to convince you. By the time I’m finished, you’ll no longer be uncertain.” She heard the certainty in her tone and realized her bravery and boldness came much easier now. Outwardly, anyway. “And Doug?”
He swallowed hard, his throat moving upward with the force of the movement. “Yes?”
“You won’t be unsatisfied either.” Before she could blush or tremble or exhibit anything else that would betray her nervousness, she turned and left him alone in the pool.
Alone, unsatisfied and wanting her. But if she had her way, they wouldn’t be apart for much longer.
* * *
DOUG WATCHED her sassy retreat. He wondered if she realized her outward bravado hadn’t fooled him a bit. She was learning boldness as she went along. The closer they became, the more sure of herself she grew. He was glad to know he had a hand in something good in her life.
He took her sandals in one hand and lifted them out of the water. Her laughter when he’d pulled her in still rung bright and cheerful in his ear. She’d been a good sport and they’d had fun. He’d laughed at first, and was aroused the entire time.
Doug hefted himself out of the pool and made his way back to his room. He spent the day reading the paper on the terrace and generally making himself scarce while he digested his situation. His life. His feelings.
Feelings for Juliette. There was no denying her impact. Like a comet, she’d hurtled into his life and, if he never saw her again, he’d never forget the view or its effect on him. Without a doubt, she redeemed him, something he hadn’t realized he’d needed. But he’d been a one-track, career-minded nearly lost soul before meeting her. He hadn’t thought of anyone’s feelings when it came to a story. Except his father’s, Doug thought wryly. And the irony wasn’t lost on him. Ted Houston had a bigger heart than anyone Doug had ever met. It had taken Juliette to make Doug realize he wanted to be like his old man in more ways than being a journalist.
Juliette. She’d enabled him to forget all the trouble in his life, even if just for brief moments in time. She’d allowed him to feel more than guilt, pain and concern over his father’s health and his own personal agenda. More than mere arousal, although the stimulation was carnal and strong and wouldn’t abate anytime soon.
And she’d obviously made it her mission to seduce him. She believed if they slept together, he wouldn’t be doing so at her expense, but at her pleasure.
His heartbeat tripled and his pulse kicked into high gear. She was as persuasive as she was beautiful. In the pool, he hadn’t been able to keep his hands off her, despite his self-imposed promise. And for the first time since laying eyes on Juliette Stanton, he didn’t care one bit. Why? He slammed his hand against the bed in his room. Why? Could it be because he was falling in love with his Runaway Bride?
Doug jerked back, reeling as if he’d been hit over the head with a sledgehammer, though a sledgehammer would probably be more subtle. His past relationships had fallen so far short of love, he figured he wouldn’t know the emotion if it bit him. But here he was contemplating the possibility. A complication he’d never anticipated, but should have.
He couldn’t pin down the moment she’d become a part of his life. He’d been subconsciously studying her each time he’d seen a picture of Juliette and Stuart Barnes, or Juliette and her father, the senator. He’d admired her even then.
He’d been blindsided in Secret Fantasy’s lobby a few short days ago. And he’d been putting her feelings, emotions and needs before his own from the minute they’d been introduced. He rubbed a hand over his eyes. So was he falling in love? He had no idea, but he couldn’t deny his feelings were strong.
And he hadn’t a clue how to handle the emotions or what they meant for his personal or professional future.
A knock sounded at his terrace door. As if he’d summoned her, he turned to see Juliette. She stood by the closed screen, appearing fresh in her lemon-yellow, loose flowing skirt, camisole and blouse. She was obviously nervous, twisting her hands together, then clenching and unclenching her fists. She couldn’t hide her emotions and he loved…Doug coughed. He loved that about her.
He waved her inside. She walked in and slid the screen door shut behind her. “Hi.”
“Hi, yourself.” He rose from the bed, wondering if her timing had been heaven-sent. To force him to face his feelings before he could go into denial.
“Doug? What’s wrong? You’re looking at me like you’ve never seen me before.”
An apt description. She could read his thoughts too well. He needed to push those emotions to the back of his mind and concentrate on what Doug, the reporter, needed.
As if. There was no way he could maintain that promise to keep his distance any longer—because that promise had been made a lifetime ago. Before his earth-shattering revelation. And with each passing second, his certainty grew. He’d fallen in love with Juliette Stanton.
Had he been blindsided? Definitely, but he could list the reasons he’d fallen with ease. She was everything he’d never experienced in a woman and everything he desired. Fresh, unjaded, despite past hurt, and as open and honest as she could be under the circumstances. She knew how to reach out to him when he was in pain and just being around her eased his distress.
He remembered the time his father had attempted to encapsulate his relationship with Doug’s mother. Always a man good with language, sensible words had failed him. “Your mother has the screws that fit the holes in my head,” Ted Houston had said. Doug had merely stared at his father, baffled by the description he’d thought was crazy when he heard it. One he’d never truly understood, not even after going through several unsuccessful affairs of his own.
More snippets of that father-son conversation came back to him now. “She listens to me, son, and that’s rare in a woman, believe me. So if you find one that listens and understands, that’s more than half the battle.” Ted had laughed. “The other half doesn’t need mentioning. Your hormones’ll make their opinions known but your head and your heart will lead you in the right direction.”
His father was right. Doug’s hormones didn’t need mentioning. But he’d been following his heart from the minute he’d laid eyes on Juliette in the lobby, letting her set the pace, allowing her to ask the thought-provoking questions, putting her needs before his own. His head had taken over last night, forcing him out of her cottage and away from her bed before he did something they both might regret later.
He thought of his father’s words and how they related to Juliette. As he’d told her this morning, she’d listened to everything he said. Without passing judgment, she’d been there and she’d cared. He exhaled a slow groan. The tables had turned. Though he still needed information, still wanted to be able to look himself in the mirror, he already knew with certainty he could and would put Juliette first.
Because he loved her.
He extended his hand and led her inside. “Welcome. It’s not as big as the cottages, but it’ll do.”
She glanced around, taking in the dark wood furniture, hardwood floors, beige decor and smiled. “It’s so masculine. So you. Makes you wonder if Merrilee matches people with rooms as well as with their fantasies.”
He laughed, though he felt anything but light with his secrets, lies and omissions standing between himself and what he was coming to realize was his true fantasy—Juliette herself.
He didn’t ask himself where that put his story and professional future. He already knew he had no answers. “So what brings you to my end of the world?” he asked her instead.
She caught her lower lip between her teeth. “I need to talk to you.”
“Sounds ominous.”
“It isn’t really, but you need to bear with me.” She paced the room and he remained silent, giving her the time she seemed to need. Finally, she settled herself on his bed, knees curled beneath her. “I’d planned to do this the seductive way, but I’m finding I can’t.”
Her simple button-down shirt was opened to reveal a mere hint of lace, and yet it was supremely seductive to him. This woman could be covered from head to toe and he’d still get hot and bothered just looking at her. But she obviously had more on her mind than tempting him right now. “What is it?”
“What’s more intimate than sex?” she asked.
Hearing her say the word, he nearly choked right there. “I’m not sure. You tell me.”
“Truths. Secrets. Private revelations. Once two people reveal those, they’ve shared something deeper and more meaningful than a physical joining. You’ve already given me that intimate gift by sharing your past.”
He nodded, unable to speak. He’d told her a lot, but he hadn’t revealed all. Doug inhaled deep. “Go on.”
“I intend to reciprocate.” Her wide eyes bore into his. “And once I do, we’ll be on more even footing. I’ll have let you inside me, so to speak.” An incredible flush stained her cheeks a bright shade of red. “And you’ll know for certain you’ve put me first.”
How could he believe he’d completely put her first considering the lies and omissions that stood between them? That and his guilt. Neither of which he’d figured a way out of yet. And neither of which she knew anything about.
So, he resisted the urge to touch her. If he didn’t exercise restraint now, he’d take her right now on this bed and satisfy both of their fantasies at their personal expense. He needed to hear what she had to say first. Needed this intimate, emotional bonding she wanted to give him. And not for his story or career. What he’d do with those truths, he’d have to deal with later.
She inclined her head and a red curl eased over one shoulder, as she inched closer on the bed until she sat next to him, until her heady scent surrounded him and set his already raw nerves on fire. “And once you believe you’ve gotten your fantasy, then we can make love.”
“Juliette.” What he meant as a warning came out resembling a low growl.
She merely smiled. That sexy, I-know-it-all smile. Only she didn’t.
Sleeping with Juliette would be the answer to a dream, his and obviously hers, too. She wet her lips with her tongue and he followed the movement, recalling doing the same thing this morning, tasting her in excruciatingly slow detail.
And that’s how he’d make love to her, Doug decided. Excruciatingly slow, exquisitely tender. He wanted nothing more. But he curled his hands into tight fists, knowing he’d never be that free. Not until he’d admitted all. And he hadn’t figured out how to do that without losing her forever.
“I’ve got secrets that no one knows. Not another living, breathing soul except my sister, because there’s been no one I trust. Until now. I trust you. Because you’ve put me first. You’ve made me feel cherished and special.”
“That’s because you are.” Doug swallowed a curse. He was in purgatory, that awful place between heaven and hell.
“Thanks to you, I believe that. But in case you’re wondering why this sudden revelation, it’s not just about getting closer to you. I need your advice. Because what I’m about to tell you can affect so many people’s lives.”
He cleared his throat. “I have to admit you’ve piqued my curiosity.” Little did she realize the people whose lives would be most affected by her revelation sat together in this very room.
Doug the reporter was on the verge of gaining the information he needed—the very reason he’d traveled to Secret Fantasy to begin with. Doug the man was on the verge of being in Juliette’s arms and inside her body.
Yet all of him was teetering on the brink of losing everything he now realized he held dear because he was gaining that information in a deceitful way. Something he’d known going into this charade.
But it was no longer a charade, no longer a means to salvaging his career. It was his life. She was his life and he didn’t want to lose her.