Julia’s cell phone buzzed on the floor next to the bathtub. There was nothing like taking a long soak after feeling overtired and overworked. Though the upstairs bathroom was somewhat outdated, the classic Victorian tub still worked well enough to get the job done.

Julia peeked over the rim at her cell phone. It was her grandmother. Again.

She sank back into the tub, submerging her head underwater. Her grandmother was like a dog with a bone. She’d already called four times in a thirty-six hour span. Julia didn’t expect her to stop anytime soon, either. She’d keep calling until she got her way.

Her grandmother must have forgotten how stubborn Julia could be.

Forty minutes later, freshly washed and styled, she made her way into her office. Thankfully her hair was much more cooperative when wet and she’d tamed it into cool, fishtail braid. Since she was working at home, she was dressed down, or at least what she considered down, in jeans, boots, and a sweater.

At the bottom of the stairs, she came to a complete stop, her hand still on the rail. She’d thought it would take them weeks to finish her office, but it looked near complete. She knew they’d worked long, hard hours and that at least Elliot had worked on the weekend. Everything she’d heard about them had been right—they really were the best around.

They’d reframed the front window with new trim and installed two built-in bookshelves with new lighting already. The floor looked like it was ready to be stained and the wainscoting had obviously been done with care.

“What do you think, boss?” Cole said as he walked from the kitchen hallway toward her.

Julia looked at the room and felt a swell of something building inside of her. With him watching, waiting for her to say the right thing, she felt an immense pressure, and it all came out in a loud rush.

“It’s almost done,” she said, her voice too loud for the small space, too forceful. “These are all the things I wanted.”

Cole slung a casual arm around her shoulder. “That means you like it,” he said, decoding her statement. “I get it. You’re overwhelmed with gratitude.” He looked down at her. “You’re short without high heels.” He inspected her motorcycle boots. “I like this look, though. Kind of kick-ass chic.”

“Just what I was going for,” she deadpanned.

He chatted amiably about things that were still on their to-do list while she tried to keep up. Julia liked Cole. She saw him as someone that would get to know her without judging her. He didn’t seem put off by her personality, where most people ran as fast as they could from her.

“Whoa, kind of lost you there for a minute, short stuff.” He playfully bumped her shoulder. “What’s going on over there?”

She had lost herself for a minute. “I just have a lot going on right now, and I’m having a hard time keeping everything together,” she admitted.

“You know, most people don’t try to keep everything together on their own,” he pointed out. “It’s a lot for one person.”

“I have Kelsey,” she answered automatically.

“Well, we’re all going out for pizza and beer tonight. That should clear your head.”

“She’s not going anywhere until she makes a certain phone call,” Kelsey insisted from the doorway, Tucker standing behind her. Julia vaguely wondered where Elliot was.

“Sounds like you’re in trouble,” Cole whispered loudly.

Julia surveyed her office. It was going to be perfect once they finished. She envisioned herself working there, spread out with all her things in front of her.

“Don’t think you can ignore me,” Kelsey persisted. “Your grandmother has taken to calling my phone now and I swear, if I get another call from Mrs. Emily Boumgarten Louzier, I’m going to invite her here for dinner myself!”

“She wouldn’t come,” Julia pointed out.

“She sounds fancy,” Cole commented.

“She likes to think so,” Julia agreed.

“Yeah, well, fancy or not, Mrs. Louzier is an awful tyrant that treats everyone like her own personal doormat, Julia included. She just happens to be very persistent and I’ve gotten four phone calls from her and two from Jones.”

“Who’s Jones?” Tucker asked.

“Her personal valet,” Julia explained. She glanced at Cole behind her and saw Elliot leaning against the closed front door. Obviously, he’d come into the house at some point and she hadn’t heard him. She didn’t like that he could move into her space without her noticing.

“And, why are we ignoring them?” Cole asked.

“I don’t have time for her right now.”

“You don’t have time for your own family?” Elliot said quietly from against the door. He sounded confrontational, maybe even angry.

He stared at her and she found she was able to return the gesture without batting an eye, as she tried to gauge his question. Was he trying to make her feel guilty? Make her feel bad in some way? Was this some kind of test she was going to fail?

“No. Not right now I don’t,” she said after a tense moment that left everyone else in the room looking at each other awkwardly. She turned to Kelsey. “Block her number if you have to. I hope you have a good night.” As she went to turn around, a hand clamped around her upper arm.

“Now hold on there.” Cole laughed. “Don’t turn on the cold and bitchy act. We were doing fine there for a while. Let’s go back to kick-ass chic and pizza and beer. I liked that plan.”

“What makes you think cold and bitchy is an act?” Julia asked, making everyone in the room laugh.

Everyone except her and Elliot.

* * *

Pizza and beer with the Ice Queen was not his idea of a great time. Something about the way she’d blown off her grandmother rubbed him the wrong way, like the woman was nothing but a burden, their relationship meaningless. He and his brothers would have done anything to get more time with their grandmother.

He’d been reminding himself of her ridiculously overpriced wardrobe, admitting, if only to himself, that maybe she intimidated the hell out of him, too.

Plus, there was the fact that she was still a real-estate thief.

It wasn’t hard to conjure his deep annoyance with her, letting it build and burn. The problem was, it was one of those flash in the pan kind of explosions, hot and bright but over quickly.

She listened when people spoke to her, thought carefully about the things she was going to say almost like she was picking her way through a mine field. He found her intriguing, which also annoyed the shit out of him because she was someone he couldn’t forget easily. She was intelligent and concise, and when they were alone, he tended to like her.

Though the scene in her office had his back up. Family was the most important thing to him. He hated to see anyone squander something so important.

Julia ate nothing at the restaurant, just sat quietly at the edge of the booth, her fingers tapping restlessly on the chipped Formica of the table while they ate pizza. Elliot noted that he also didn’t have much to say either, finding it easier to let Cole, Tucker, and Kelsey make inane chatter.

When the meal was over, Cole excused himself so he could shamelessly flirt with the waitress, and Tucker and Kelsey got up to play a game of pool. Elliot looked away, uncomfortable that they’d been thrown together.

“I’ve offended you again,” she said, not as a question.

He didn’t answer. It would be too hard and probably too inappropriate for him to admit why he was annoyed.

“I thought we made some headway on Friday. You were at least speaking to me. But somehow, I’ve offended you again.”

Elliot sighed and rubbed a hand down his face. It wasn’t often that people were so blatant with their questions. Most people would bear the discomfort, never saying it outright.

“I’m sorry,” he told her. He wasn’t sure why he was sorry but he felt like he needed to say it.

“For what?” she asked. Her brow had a slight furrow and she looked genuinely confused.

“For making you feel like you’ve offended me.”

“Haven’t I?” she asked again.

“Christ,” he muttered. “I’m not offended, okay. I just—” He hesitated. “We loved our grandmother, a lot. And to think that she’s gone, it breaks my heart. And to hear you say you don’t have time for yours just rubs salt in my wound that mine is gone and you’re ignoring yours.” He hadn’t meant to say all that.

She didn’t say anything for a few minutes and seemed to weigh her words while her eyes looked somewhere over his shoulder.

“You’re adopted,” she said, finally, her eyes cutting to his and away again.

Elliot narrowed his eyes. “I am,” he confirmed.

“You were adopted into a nice family that loves you and supports you.”

Yes, he had been and suddenly he wanted to shrink and hide under the table. How shortsighted he was, being so far removed from his old life that he couldn’t understand anymore when someone wasn’t as lucky as he’d been. “I was lucky,” he admitted softly.

“I wasn’t,” was all she said.

They sat quietly for a few minutes, listening to the balls on the pool table clack against each other. The smell of hot pizza lingered in the air and he debated taking another slice. Julia, still hadn’t eaten a thing.

“Okay,” Elliot conceded, hating that he’d let himself forget, even for a second, where he’d come from.

Julia’s phone buzzed on the tabletop and she picked it up, tapping furiously with her thumbs before slapping it down again. Her lips were compressed in a thin line and her little nose had a wrinkle across the bridge.

“Who are you always texting?” he asked, uncaring that it was a nosy question.

“Emailing,” Julia corrected automatically. “Who am I not always emailing? Investors, my lawyers, my employees, my sales team, the CEO of the company I’m selling H-Surf to, their sales team, their IT team.”

“Wait?” Elliot sat up straighter. “H-Surf? That online artist community board thing?”

“That’s the one,” she confirmed as she signaled the waitress and asked for the check.

“You own H-Surf?” he asked, his eyebrows so far up they might have been in his hairline.

“The name started as a joke. The boards were meant to be temporary, but kind of caught fire.” Her green eyes finally met his, even if only briefly, green and flashing.

“Kind of?” He laughed as she handed some bills to the waitress. He’d read an article a few months ago in a tech magazine that had said the owner of H-Surf was a brilliant yet reclusive computer savant and was one of the country’s youngest multi-billionaires. For some reason, her name hadn’t rung any bells but the name of the company had. He wracked his brain, almost sure the article had referred to her as J. Hawkins, not Julia.

She threw a few bills on the table when the waitress brought the check and stood to leave. Elliot stood too. She looked startled by his presence looming over her so he leaned back a little, giving her some space.

“Good night,” she mumbled quickly. It was very quiet and before he could respond, she was hurrying out the door without a word to anyone else.

He and his brothers had driven to the restaurant in their truck and Kelsey had brought Julia in her own car. That meant that Julia was walking. The idea didn’t sit well with him so he too left, without even a second thought for his brothers, and followed her.

He caught up while she was getting to the sidewalk at the end of the parking lot. He’d called out to her, but she obviously hadn’t heard him. When he finally did catch up and put a hand on her arm, she screamed like a banshee and tried to club him with her purse. It took him a second to grab her arms and pull her close so that she couldn’t get in another shot with her damn bag.

“Julia! Julia!” Elliot said loudly. “It’s just me. Elliot.”

He could feel her breathing heavily against him, her chest heaving as she turned those electric eyes on him and oh boy, was she pissed.

“Don’t sneak up on women in the dark!” She made an attempt to swat at him again, which made him want to laugh. “I could have—”

“What? Beat me to death with your purse?” He laughed as he continued to hold her upper arms. She was so slender, her arms almost as fragile as baby-bird wings in his hands. Without her usual sky-high heels and expensive don’t touch me dresses, she was approachable and not in the least bit intimidating. If anything, she was delicately built, petite in a way she didn’t always appear with her fancy armor.

She stopped fighting him but didn’t try to pull away. When their eyes met, he could see humor there, though her face was a deceptive mask that told him nothing.

“This is a very expensive purse. I wouldn’t use it to kill anyone,” she told him, her voice flat.

It was a joke. He liked it.

“If you aren’t willing to use your purse to defend yourself against strange men in dark parking lots, then it’s probably a good idea that I walk you home,” he told her, playing along.

“You don’t have to do that,” she told him quietly, her eyes moving away from him. Her dark hair was gleaming in the glow of the streetlight, kinking and curling out of its braid. Without overthinking, he reached up and ran his fingers gently over the side of her hair, then cupped her cheek. She sucked in a gentle breath and leaned into his hand, her eyes sliding closed.

“Julia,” he said quietly. “Let me walk you home.”

She nodded but pulled away from him, trying to gain herself some distance. Elliot didn’t let her get too far and offered his elbow for her to hold. She took it, her hand sliding into the crook of his arm as they fell in step together.

“Why’d you do that?” Julia asked Elliot when they were less than a block from her house.

He pulled her just a bit closer, his body tall and solid.

“I don’t know,” he admitted, sounding just as gruff and serious as he always did.

“I can never tell if you’re mad at me or if you just don’t like me,” she explained.

He ran a hand through his hair, the black mane long enough that it fell back into place easily.

“I like you,” he growled. “I don’t want to, but I do.”

Her eyes flipped up to his and quickly away. “Most people don’t like me,” she admitted. “I would understand if you didn’t.”

“I do,” he said again, through his teeth.

“Friend like or sex like?” she asked, her tone utterly guileless.

That caught him off guard but he sure as hell wasn’t going to lie to her.

“Sex like,” he admitted. “Though I’m not in a hurry.”

“I like sex,” she said plainly. “Though I’m not in a hurry, either. I’m very busy right now.”

“Well, when you’re ready, you can pencil me into your schedule.” He meant it as a joke, but Julia didn’t catch it.

“Kelsey’s in charge of the schedule.” Her eyes met his again. “You were kidding.”

His lips turned up then as her cheeks heated and flushed a pretty pink.

“I was. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, I was thinking we could just maybe just get to know each other.”

Julia brought a hand up and pushed back her sleeve to consult her watch.

“It’s only seven,” she was saying. “I can do that.”

Elliot was still staring at her arm. He couldn’t have helped himself if he tried. Julia was a woman like no one he’d ever met before and every time he turned around, he found something else that was totally unexpected.

He’d seen her as the Ice Queen. He’d seen her as a workaholic. He’d seen her in her cool business attire and down-to-earth combat boots. He’d seen her in her pajamas and her ridiculously expensive shoes.

Again, when he hadn’t been expecting another facet of her personality to surface, she’d lifted her sleeve only to reveal a whole lot of ink under her shirt. Granted, he could only see about an inch-and-a-half worth of skin, but what he had seen was covered with color and he hadn’t expected that at all.

He’d stopped, dead in his tracks, unable to move.

“Elliot?” Julia asked. “What is it?”

“Nothing,” he mumbled. “Sorry.”

“Bullshit,” she demanded, taking a small step back from him, trying to gain some distance. She was so damned skittish.

He reached out quickly, grabbing her wrist and bringing it up to his chest, and gently pulled her sleeve back a few inches. There was no natural skin color to be seen.

“I just wasn’t expecting this, that’s all,” he told her. When she tried to pull her hand back, he held on anyway. “Stop, please.”

“Don’t lie to me,” she said softly. When she looked up at him he was hit with some of the most unfathomable emotions he’d ever seen from her. Her eyes held a world of vulnerability, but she was so determined and proud that she continued to speak, no matter what it might cost her. “I don’t care how hurtful what you might have to say is, but please don’t lie to me.”

“No lying,” he promised, tugging her wrist gently back into the crook of his elbow.

She hesitated, only for a second, before joining him. When they got to her house, she let him in, no questions asked, and even let him pick the movie.

* * *

“What time is Kelsey coming home?” Elliot asked Julia around eleven.

Instead of a movie, they’d ended up watching three episodes of some sci-fi show he hadn’t seen in ages. They’d started off on the long side of the sectional with a few feet between them, but between bathroom trips and Julia’s work breaks, they’d ended up right next to each other. His legs were stretched out onto the coffee table and she sat cross-legged, one of her knees resting on top of his leg. He wished like hell he could figure out what she was doing on her computer, but there was just no way. It was nothing but a jumble of numbers that she typed at warp speed, then fifteen more pop-up boxes appeared and then disappeared. She had one big laptop and then two tiny ones all running at the same time. But she’d also focused on the TV, commenting on the theory of time travel and engaging in conversation.

“Oh.” She looked up and checked her watch again, teasing him with those little bits of ink again. “I just assumed she was heading back to the city. She doesn’t like staying here.”

“Do you want to call her?” he asked without moving. “I can stay until she gets here if you want.”

She looked down at him with a confused look on her face. “Are you only staying because you’re afraid to leave me alone?”

Elliot laughed and dropped his feet from the coffee table and sat up. “No, that’s not why I stayed. But I should get going.”

“Okay.”

She watched him carefully as he got up and grabbed his jacket off the back of the couch. She barely moved when he leaned over and kissed her on the top of the head.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Julia. Lock up when I leave.”

He laughed as he got out on the sidewalk, and dialed Cole’s number, and wondered how long she sat there wearing that stunned expression.

* * *

The next morning, Julia showered and dressed in a classic Burberry blazer over a cami and black skinny jeans. Then she sat on the bed and tied on her Christian Dior black-leather wingtip cutout oxfords, alternating between wondering why Elliot hung out with her last night and telling herself to stop thinking about Elliot altogether.

She stood up and rolled her eyes on her way to the dresser to put on her rings and bracelets. She was muttering to herself to stop being such a woman when a subtle cough came from the door. When she looked over, Cole was standing there with a wide smile stretched across his face.

“Good morning,” she greeted.

“I came to tell you how heartbroken I am that you brought my brother home with you last night and ditched me. But then I found you in here talking to yourself and now I realize that the only rational explanation for both things is that you’re bat-shit crazy.”

That made her laugh out loud, which seemed to take him a bit by surprise. The expression on his face made her feel self-conscious, all those years of her grandmother’s criticism making her feel as though she were laughing at the wrong time or at the wrong thing. Her smile faded and she looked away uncomfortably as she finished getting ready.

“Since you spent all night flirting with the waitress, I figured you wouldn’t be too hurt if I ducked out early.”

Cole, without invitation, waltzed right into her room and laid himself down on her unmade bed, arms behind his head, big boots hanging off to the side.

“Since you’re all gaga over Elliot, I figured our relationship had already fizzled out and it was time to move on,” he explained, then he shot her a hang-dog expression. “I’m deeply wounded that you’ve dumped me for my brother.”

“I didn’t dump you and I’m not all gaga over Elliot,” she argued.

“Well, he had to call me for a ride late last night and wouldn’t give me any details, so I’m assuming that means they’re pretty juicy.”

“We watched TV. I worked and we talked. He was very nice.”

“Elliot was nice?” Cole pretended to be shocked. “Elliot? Are we talking about the same person?”

“If you’re finished?” she asked with raised eyebrows. When he held out his hand as if giving her permission to proceed, she did. “I wanted to talk to you and your brothers about this contractor’s software I’ve been working on. Kelsey and I have an appointment in the city and I wanted to discuss it before I left.”

“Well,” he said as he got off the bed. “If we can pry Tucker and Elliot from their mad dash to finish your office, we’ll be all set.”

When they got downstairs, both men were there and she couldn’t believe how close they were to being finished.

Julia hurried down the hall to get Kelsey, her heels clicking on the hardwood. Elliot looked over his shoulder at her retreating form from where he was helping Tucker install a light fixture above a bookcase. When she came back in the room, he eyed her from head to toe, then smiled and winked.

She did nothing, feeling awkward in front of everyone and a little stunned that he’d done that in the first place.

“Yeah, boss?” Kelsey came in, prepared with a tablet in her hand.

“I need you to take a few notes and we’ll go from there.” When Kelsey agreed, Julia asked for Tucker, Elliot, and Cole’s attention. “I wanted to touch base with you about the contractor’s software that we talked about. I know that Tucker and I have talked about what would make it better and more user-friendly, and I appreciate his input. I wanted to put out a few ideas to all three of you. You can think about them, talk about them, and then get back to me. I’d like input from all three of you as to what you’d be looking for in something like that: what kind of materials should the program give a builder access to? Could it have a running list of general building code so that if an error was made, the builder would know? Should it link to a supply store so the builder can order or make a list straight from the software?” Kelsey made notes while the men looked at each other. “I also want you to think about where you want this to go. We can finance the build of the software and deal with processing it and distribution. We’d all be doing a variation of the job that I do now as head of H-Surf. Or, we can build the idea and a prototype and sell it to the highest bidder. I also want you to decide if this is something that you want to do as Williams Construction or as individuals.” Julia looked up at Kelsey. “Are you ready to go?”

“Oh God, am I ever!” her assistant gushed. “Are you guys all set here today?”

The men, more subdued now, nodded.

“Guess we have some stuff to talk about while we work,” Tucker said to his brothers.

* * *

It was four o’clock when Julia and Kelsey got back to Troy and pulled in the driveway of Julia’s house. They’d both been buffed and waxed within an inch of their lives and had both had their hair done. It had been a nice few hours, even if had been over an hour each way to get there. Kelsey had talked practically non-stop about looking at more property in Troy, not impressed with the condo she’d looked at. Julia considered Kelsey moving to Troy with her, and had questioned her, making sure it was a move she really wanted to make. She was adamant though, and they’d then started talking about buying a more substantial piece of property, as opposed to a condo.

“Tucker, Cole, and I are going to a movie. Do you want to come with us?” Kelsey asked for what must have been the fifth time.

“No, Kelsey,” Julia told her firmly. “I’m going to take a nice walk to the market, grab a few things, and spend tonight in.”

“Suit yourself.” Kelsey shrugged as they got out of the car.

For reasons she didn’t want to explore, Julia didn’t want to go inside the house. She felt nervous about seeing Elliot again, worried that maybe he’d think she expected something after he’d pressed a kiss to her forehead the night before. The worst part was, she thought she might be the one who expected something from him and she didn’t quite understand why she’d feel that way or what to do with it. So, instead of walking into the house, she hit the sidewalk and headed to the market a few blocks away, with that confusing mess inside her head.

* * *

“Julia? You’re going now?” Kelsey yelled down the sidewalk.

She was obviously avoiding going back into the house, for what reason Kelsey wasn’t sure. Julia kept her cards so close to the vest they were practically part of the fabric. She suspected it had to do with Elliot, and while that was part of her plan, she didn’t want Julia to be uncomfortable in her own home.

When Kelsey got a negligent wave over the shoulder in answer to her question, she assumed that meant yes and goodbye all in one.

With a shake of her head, she climbed the porch steps and entered the house, her hair perfectly blown out, her body freshly waxed and buffed, and feeling fabulous.

“Well, don’t you look nice?” Tucker said she approached him in the office. She liked him. They’d clicked right away and he reminded her of her brother Gianni. He had a steadfastness to him, something that just screamed that he was solid as a rock. Just like her brother.

She’d gotten the distinct impression that he found her attractive, their first meeting full of flirty smiles. Once he’d found out she was gay, he’d backed off in that respect, but had still come out a solid friend.

“Thank you,” she said with a smile and a curtsey.

“Where’s Julia?” Cole asked as he looked around her toward the door.

Kelsey hazarded a look at Elliot who also seemed invested in her answer.

“She snuck off to the grocery store. Seemed like she was in a hurry to get there,” Kelsey told them.

Elliot stood up suddenly and looked at Cole. “Are you all set here?”

“Uh, yeah. All set,” Cole said, his forehead crinkled.

Without another word, Elliot dropped his tool belt at the door, grabbed his coat, and walked out. Kelsey looked up at Tucker and smiled, feeling immensely satisfied with herself. He smiled back, leaned an elbow on her shoulder, and chuckled.

“What the hell are you two up to?” Cole asked suspiciously.

“Someone in this room is match-making,” Tucker informed his younger brother.

Cole seemed to take that in for a second and then looked at the closed door. “Well, shit,” he replied, propping his hands on his hips.

* * *

Elliot knew from his experience the night before that it would be wise of him to announce himself well before he got into purse-whacking range. So, as he jogged up the block and crossed the street, he yelled to get her attention.

“Hey, slow down! I don’t want to get hit by your purse again so don’t make me grab you.”

The view from behind was breathtaking, her backside high and round and mouthwateringly squeezable. She and Kelsey had gone into the city and gotten their hair done, and Julia’s hair was straight, which he hadn’t seen in the short week he’d known her. Straightened, it was long enough that it touched her amazing ass.

She was probably the only woman to click her way to the grocery store in high heels on the sidewalk in town, but the streets of Troy had never looked so good, if you asked him.

Julia turned to look at him as he caught up to her and he could see questions in her eyes. She was so guarded and he wondered how much ground he’d lost with her in just one day. That one look was why he hadn’t had many meaningful relationships in his life, because he hadn’t ever found a woman who was worth sorting though all of the difficult emotions with. Usually, when a woman swung one way or the other on the emotional scale, he backed off, not knowing how to handle it. Sometimes, he didn’t want to put the effort in to figure out how to handle someone.

He found himself in the new position of wanting to change that.

“Why are you always wandering off by yourself in the dark?” he asked.

“It’s not dark, it’s dusk,” she corrected.

“It’ll be dark by the time you come out of the store,” he countered.

“Yes,” Julia conceded a moment later. “Are you here to defend my honor if the need arises?”

Elliot started walking slowly, waiting for her to follow. When she did, he continued their conversation.

“Absolutely. That and a couple other reasons.”

“And what reasons are those?” she asked after a few moments of deep thought as they got to the store and she grabbed a cart.

“Like I’d give away all my secrets on our second date?” he scoffed.

“Second date?” There was a question in her voice as they headed to the produce section. “Are you sure?”

“I’m counting last night as our first date,” he informed her. “Casual conversation and doing something together that we both enjoy—watching Dr. Who. Seems very first-date-like to me.”

“Well,” she said as she began carefully choosing oranges. “In that case, I would say that probably last Friday was our first date. Awkward conversation after an uncomfortable introduction which ended with both of us wondering if we even liked each other.”

“Hmm,” Elliot considered, liking that she was willing to play along. It was like low-key flirting. “So, that makes this our third date?” he agreed. “What happens on the third date?”

“You’re asking me?” Julia looked up and raised her eyebrow.

“I guess not,” he agreed with a shrug as she finished sniffing every orange on the display and chose one. She moved onto the pineapples and began poking, shaking, and sniffing those, as well. “I’d think more getting to know you bullshit,” he said.

“I’m not in the habit of prying information out of people, Elliot. If you want to tell me something, you will. If I’m curious, I’ll find out on my own.”

“Do you mean like all of the information you’ve willingly shared with me?”

“I’ve never claimed to be an open book,” she returned. “I’m not good at making friends and I’m not always sure how to act around people.” She shrugged, embarrassed, but kept her pineapple search going. “I’m a better listener than talker.”

“Speaking of talking, my brothers and I did some talking about your software thing.” Elliot swiftly changed the subject after seeing how fast the conversational track was going downhill.

“Our software thing,” she corrected.

“Cole and Tucker had some questions for you. Guess they’ll ask them tomorrow.”

“Cole already called me twice,” she told him. “No questions from you?”

He watched as she moved efficiently through the store and filled her cart with a handful of fruit and vegetables, and not much else. She looked so amazing, concentrating so hard on what she was doing, her hair sliding over her shoulder and in front of her face, while she clicked on the linoleum floor with her intimidating shoes. Her armor.

She offhandedly told him about some of the questions Cole and Tucker had asked and then told him her answers to their questions. She did it without bias, not trying to sway his decision one way or the other.

While she shopped, she obliviously garnered looks from all types of people in the store. He noticed the man in his late twenties at the meat counter, waiting on bated breath for her to notice him, but she didn’t. The mother in the deli, with two children hanging off her cart, stared at her as she was choosing her produce. When they were in an aisle, he watched as a teenage girl took out her phone, took a picture, and texted it to someone.

Julia noticed none of these things. She paid no attention to anyone else, concentrating on her groceries and minding her own business. Elliot said nothing about the food in her cart, but added a few things for himself since he planned on eating at her house.

She just didn’t know that yet.

* * *

He’d put a can of soup in her cart.

She kept looking down at it and wondering why he’d done that. Next was a bag of chips. Twice she’d tried to veer out of the aisles and into the checkout line, but he’d grabbed the end of the cart and redirected her to the frozen section where he was currently picking out a pint of ice cream.

How did they go from tenuous civility to buying groceries together in one day?

“Now, we’re done,” he told her with a small smile as he added his ice cream to the cart. Before she could move, he casually drew her hair over her shoulder and then draped his arm there, leading her to the cashier.

He stood behind her as she loaded everything onto the conveyer and as she waited, she could feel him playing with her hair. He’d stared intensely at her as they shopped the aisles. That coupled with his gratuitous hair fondling and she was getting turned on.

In the middle of the grocery store.

She could feel his breath on the back of head, stirring her hair and her incredibly latent libido, which, of course, was ridiculous.

“Something wrong?” he asked quietly in her ear, that warm breath tickling her neck and ear.

“Cut it out,” she told him through clenched teeth over her shoulder, bringing her cheek perilously close to his lips.

His smile was mischievous and he laughed when their eyes met. “What?”

Without answering, she pushed her cart forward as it was now her turn and studiously ignored him until he took out his wallet when the cashier told her the total.

“I’ve got it,” she told him.

“What kind of third date would it be if I didn’t pay?” he asked as he handed his card to the cashier who could have cared less who paid.

“Fine,” she answered, even though she didn’t agree.

There were two paper bags, and they each took one as they began the walk back to her house.

“Can I ask you something?” Elliot asked her as he looked down at her.

She shrugged and screwed her mouth up to the side. “I guess so.”

“Are you a vegetarian?” he made the question sound very grave, very serious.

Obviously, that wasn’t something she was expecting and she look up at him quickly as they walked. “No.”

“You didn’t buy anything other than fruits and vegetables.”

“I got chocolate,” she argued.

“I don’t care if you are,” he explained. “Just trying to get to know you.”

“Why?” she asked seriously.

“C’mon. It isn’t obvious?” he asked.

“That we’re attracted to each other.” Julia filled in the noticeable blank in his question.

“Well, yes. That too,” he agreed. “But, that I like you, Julia. I’m trying to spend some time with you to get to know you.”

She wanted to ask why again but refrained and instead said nothing. Why on earth would he like her, she wondered? She wasn’t even very friendly most of the time. She worked too much and talked too little. Her past was a literal nightmare of despair that she tried not to think about, yet was unavoidable at times, not that he knew that. Sure, she looked good and dressed nice and he looked good, but was that enough? What did he really want?

“Stop thinking so hard,” he told her as they reached her block. “It isn’t that complicated.”

“How do you know?” she asked.

“I guess I don’t,” he admitted. “But I’m willing to find out.”

She was quiet again until they reached her walkway. Cole’s truck was gone as was Kelsey’s Porsche.

“Would you like to come in for dinner?” Julia asked. “I was going to make a salad, but could probably rustle up a can of soup if you’d like.”

He smiled at her then and she swore something inside of her caved in a little. It was like he could see inside of her, see how much extending that invitation took from her and he appreciated it. He accepted it and maybe her.

“That sounds nice.”

* * *

“Why don’t you go change and I’ll start the soup,” he told Julia after they put the bags down in the kitchen.

“Why would I need to change?” she asked.

“So that we can sit on the couch and watch movies again and you can be comfortable.” He looked up at her while taking things out of the bags and setting them on the kitchen island. “C’mon. I’ve already seen you in your pajamas,” he reasoned. “You don’t need the protection from me.”

“What protection?”

“The untouchable fancy clothes and shoes,” he replied. “The high heels that say, don’t touch me, peasant.”

“I don’t think you’re a peasant,” she told him.

“That’s good,” he agreed and told her honestly, “You don’t need to be untouchable with me, Julia. I won’t hurt you.”

It took her a second, but he could see her thinking and coming up with her answer. “Okay. I’ll start the salad when I come down.”

It was only briefly that he wondered why he was pushing her so hard, or rather, why he was pushing himself on her. He liked her and not just that, but when he looked hard enough, he saw a lot of himself in her. The wariness, the constant struggle between wanting to close yourself off and knowing you shouldn’t. He’d been there and sometimes he still went there. Julia, seemed to live there, but when he looked at her he could just see that there was so much more inside of her.

For him, it had taken a lot of time and a lot of patience to get him out of his shell. He couldn’t explain why, but he wanted to do that for Julia. The fact that he got a hard on every time she moved could also be part of the reason that he wanted to spend so much time with her, but even he knew that it went beyond that. They were what his grandmother would have called kindred spirits.

With that in mind, he dug around her kitchen until he came up with some utensils and a pot, and began heating his soup on the stove. While he did that, he emptied the rest of the groceries on the counter and folded the paper bags neatly in case she wanted to use them again.

He was standing at the stove again when she came back into the kitchen and he was stunned almost speechless. He couldn’t tell if he liked her better in the ridiculously expensive clothes that fit her like a glove or yoga pants and a T-shirt. She was standing in the doorway, almost shyly pulling the hem of her T-shirt down over the hips of her gray pants, her hair up in a high ponytail. Her long-sleeved shirt was light blue and had a picture of two eggs, sunny-side up and some bacon in the shape of a smiley face, and it said Wakey, Wakey, Eggs and Bakey.

He laughed when he read it. “I’m loving your T-shirt collection,” Elliot told her.

“Thanks.” She went into the kitchen and put some things in the refrigerator.

“Are you going to make a salad?” he asked.

“Did you want some?”

“No,” he told her as he took his soup off the burner and turned around to watch her.

“I think I’ll just have an apple and some grapes,” she murmured, taking her dinner to the sink.

Elliot didn’t say anything as he was barely holding himself back by a thread. He was so tempted to stand behind her, as she washed the apple, and nuzzle his face into her neck. His hands would rest on her hips and he’d squeeze her, pulling her body back into his as he inhaled her citrus scent. Her round behind, so soft, would press into him and he’d strain against her. He swallowed audibly at the thought and fought the urge to adjust his jeans.

Julia was oblivious as she finished with her fruit and grabbed two bowls from the cupboard and handed one to him for his soup and put her grapes in the other. She fished in the silverware drawer and handed him a soup spoon, an honest-to-God soup spoon, which he didn’t realize anyone but restaurants owned.

She sliced her apple deftly. “Want to eat in front of the TV?” she asked absently.

“Sure,” he said thickly.

She looked up from her task. “Everything okay?”

He wanted to take a page from her playbook and be completely honest with her, just tell her he was so attracted to her that he couldn’t even think straight, but didn’t.

“Yeah, everything’s good,” he said to her. “You all set?”

“Sure. What do you want to watch?”

She walked into the living room with her bowl and he trailed behind her, willing himself to settle down. She powered up the television, same as the night before, and put on the next episode in the series that they’d started watching. Partway through she started in on some of her computers, down to only two for the night, and eventually around nine o’clock got up to make coffee.

“Want some coffee?” she asked from the seat next to him.

“No way,” he answered easily enough, his feet propped on the coffee table again. “I’d never get to sleep.”

“Mmm,” she hummed in agreement. “I’ve heard that gets worse with age.”

He looked up sharply at her to find her eyes laughing down at him, her face straight. He was starting to wonder if she ever laughed or smiled, as he had yet to see it. Even if she didn’t, he could read the joke in her eyes.

“Shorty, I’m like a fine wine. I only get better with age.”

Her tips turned up slightly, which pleased the hell out of him despite it not being a full-blown smile. She headed to the kitchen and after a few seconds, he heard the water running and her clanking around. He got up to join her and this time, he couldn’t help himself when she stood so invitingly against the counter in front of the coffee machine.

She’d heard him come into the room so he didn’t bother announcing himself. Without hesitating, he stepped up behind her and placed his body directly against hers, his hands starting on her shoulders and skimming down her arms. Unlike his fantasy, instead of going for her hips, he held her hands when he got to them, intertwining their fingers, his palms on the top of her hands, and wrapped them around her waist, hugging her from behind.

“Do you think I’m too old?” he asked quietly, resting his cheek against hers. There was a big difference in their ages, he approaching forty and she still in her mid-twenties.

“No.” Julia shook her head, making their faces rub together. “And I didn’t say you were too old. Besides, this will keep me up half the night too,” she added, pointing to the coffee.

“Then why are you making it?” He was still comfortably holding her from behind and even better, she didn’t seem to mind. In fact, she might have leaned farther into him.

“Because I still have work to do tonight,” Julia told him.

Elliot lifted his head in mock surprise. “I thought you and I were going to stay up late, talking and bonding and sharing all of our deepest, darkest secrets.”

She untangled their arms then, unlaced their fingers, and turned to lean her backside against the counter, and faced him.

“What makes you think I have any deep and dark secrets?” Julia asked, her eyes wide with sarcasm.

Taking advantage of their position, he caged her in with his hands on either side of her body. She was looking up at him, the end of her ponytail tickling the tops of his hands as she stared at him with those electric-green eyes. “I know we got off to a rocky start and that’s on me, but I like you.” As he spoke, he could hear his own voice deepen as he pushed the words out. “I think you’re thoughtful and probably the smartest person I’ve ever met. That doesn’t scare me. Deep, dark secrets?” he murmured, his forehead touching hers. “I think you’ve got them, just like I do. Those don’t scare me either.”

She surprised him when she reached up and rubbed her delicate hand against his rough cheek. It seemed so natural for him to lean down and gently brush his lips against hers and for her to reciprocate the action. Those perfect cupid’s bow lips of hers were so soft against his, and she smelled so incredible, so fresh and bright.

He pulled away and smiled at the slightly dreamy expression on her face and placed another kiss on her forehead.

“Fix your coffee, woman,” he told her before walking out of the room. Maybe, just maybe, he was gaining some ground with her.

* * *

The man was gigantic. That was all Julia kept repeating in her mind. He was just so enormous.

It wasn’t until he’d fallen asleep next to her on the couch during the third episode of Dr. Who, that she’d gotten the opportunity to watch him so freely without the chance of being caught. She’d stared, hard, and memorized his features. He had a five o’clock shadow that when she thought about it, she had never seen him without. There were some gray whiskers in there, stark in the forest of their black brethren. He had a few freckles on his nose and some wrinkles around the corners of his eyes.

But what brought about her sudden realization of his gargantuan size, compared to her, was when she’d contemplated taking off his boots so that he’d be able to sleep more comfortably. He didn’t have a car and it was too late to call one of his brothers, and Kelsey was in the city. Not that she’d call her. Kelsey was already trying to throw her and Elliot together, she didn’t need any more fodder for her cause. So, Julia decided she’d help him with his boots and let him sleep on the couch.

She stood there, at the coffee table just staring at his feet and wondering how she would ever be able to help.

“What’re you doing?” Elliot’s voice was deep from sleep, and gravelly. It was one of the sexiest sounds she’d ever heard.

“I was going to help you by taking off your boots,” she told him, her eyes meeting his for a second and then focusing on his hands, casually stacked on his flat stomach.

“Why are you taking my boots off? Were you planning to take advantage of me while I slept?” Elliot smiled, looking relaxed and still somewhat sleepy.

“Yes,” she admitted without the hint of a smile. “The third date is an indicator for sex.”

“These are now my least favorite pair of boots,” Elliot said flatly.

They stared at each other for a few seconds.

“What’s this about sex, now?” he asked, sitting up, his feet dropping onto the floor.

“I looked up third-date protocol. The third date is considered the sex date. It’s the average number of dates considered appropriate before having sex with a new partner.”

His gray eyes were steady on hers, steamy and searing he watched her and murmured, “Is that so?”

“And I liked kissing you,” she said on a rush. “I’d like to do it more.”

He nodded, but didn’t laugh which she appreciated. She knew damn well she tended to make a fool of herself in situations like these by saying the wrong thing or not being coy enough. Elliot didn’t seem bothered in the least bit.

“I liked kissing you too,” he agreed. “Cole told me we can’t sleep together because you’re a client and we’re working for you.”

“If you’re bad in bed, I promise not to fire you.”

Her chest swelled when he laughed at her joke. She loved that he understood her, that he got her jokes even if her delivery wasn’t stellar.

“So, you’re saying you want me to spend the night so we can have sex?” She nodded. “Have you been sitting there the whole time I was asleep planning this?” She nodded again, truthfully.

Elliot ran his hand down his face and let out a chuckle under his palm. He then stood, tall and towering over her, but completely unintimidating.

“I like a woman that knows what she wants,” he said, one eyebrow raised. “But I don’t want to push you or make you uncomfortable. Why don’t I stay and we can fool around a little, then go from there?”

“Deal,” she said with a nod. Then she began gathering her things and packing up for the night.

Elliot sat and took his boots off with ease, smirking at her when he put them aside. She led him up the stairs and felt his eyes on her behind like a physical caress. She wished he would touch her. She’d had sex before, but she also wasn’t the most experienced. She wasn’t at all sure what she liked best or how to let him know those types of things. She worried she would do it wrong. It would be far easier if he were the one leading her, touching her first, so she would know what to do.

When she went into her bedroom, he waited by the door.

“There are some new toothbrushes under the sink in the bathroom if you wanted to use one,” she offered, her back to him.

“Thanks.” He walked casually across the room, whistling softly on his way into the bathroom. The noise abruptly stopped when he got to the doorway.

“What is it?” Julia asked.

He smiled back at her, the hot look back in his eyes. “Just an awful lot of girly things. Everywhere.”

She was confused for a minute, unsure of what he was talking about and then rushed into the bathroom with a squeak, pulling down the bras and panties, that were hanging from the shower curtain, and threw them in the bathroom closet. When she was stalking out of the bathroom, he grabbed her arm before she could get past him and planted a kiss on her lips. That seemed to stop her embarrassment and her lips softened as she gently kissed him back.

“Cute. I want to see you in every single one,” he told her before slipping into the bathroom and closing the door gently.

Cute was not the word she would have used to describe her bras and panties, but him wanting to see her in them changed the tone of the comment. It had gone from something teasing to sexy in an instant and the ripples it left reverberated through her.

She wanted Elliot. She wanted to touch him and see him. All of him. She wanted to know what it was like to be with a man like him, someone so masculine and so sure of himself. Her previous partners had been younger and more effeminate. They gentled around her, making their voices soft and talking to her as if she were a rabid dog.

Elliot wasn’t afraid to challenge her. Instead of talking to her like she was missing brain cells, dumbing things down for her, he watched her like he was trying to figure her out. That in itself was sexy. It was freeing in a way, to have someone want to get to know you for you, not get to know you so they could figure out how to fix or change you.

“Your turn,” Elliot said, coming out of the bathroom. He’d washed his face, droplets of water still on the edges of his temples and his nose. He’d run his hands through his hair, the black strands damp and slicked back, curling at his neck. His T-shirt was in his hands, his jeans unbuttoned and showing not just what color his boxers were, but just how far down his body hair went. Down across his muscled stomach, pointing in a straight line, and lost underneath the waistband of his boxers. “Julia.” He smiled when her eyes flicked back to his. “Your turn.”

She took her turn quickly, using the facilities and cleaning up as best she could. Opening the closet and rummaging in the basket, she grabbed the first thing she could match, a bra and panty set that were nearly brand new and softer than silk. When she looked in the mirror, she could see her nipples as she knew she’d be able to. She let her hair down and trying not to overthink it, went back into the bedroom.

Elliot’s eyes widened when she stepped back into the bedroom. He was lying on the bed, his jeans gone, one arm thrown casually behind his head. He let out a soft whistle and held out a hand to her.

She took it, letting him lead her to the bed and onto it, where she straddled his lap with his guidance.

“Can I touch you?” he asked.

The lights had been dimmed in the room, just a soft glow from her bedside lamp illuminated them. His skin looked almost golden, though she knew hers was probably milky white. His big hand on her stomach confirmed it—the paleness of her body compared to his work-roughened tanned hand. He had a light dusting of hair on his knuckles and scars on every finger.

“That is some ink,” he commented, his eyes taking in her arms.

She didn’t want to talk about her tattoos. She didn’t really want to talk at all. The movement of his hands on her skin was mesmerizing. One stroking a soft path on her stomach, the other cupping her neck. She could feel him hard under her lap and naturally pressed herself down, grinding against him.

He pulled her to him, his thumb caressing the pulse point at her throat as his lips met hers. For a man that could be so brusque, he was surprisingly soft with her. Not meekly soft or tentative, but in a way that made her relax into him. She felt comfortable in her own skin, unafraid to relax and give him control.

Part of her often-raised anxiety levels had to do with keeping herself in control all the time. Elliot was strong enough and competent enough that she felt a calm settle over her when they were together. He didn’t make her nervous, quite the opposite, in fact.

It was strange, but decidedly soothing.

Julia took her time exploring the parts of his body that she could reach. His broad chest and thickly muscled arms were hot under her palms, his nipples pebbling at her touch. His hips flexed underneath her, pressing his hard length against her. With what seemed like no effort at all, he flicked her bra open with one hand, his fingers deftly skilled.

Instead of being annoyed with his well-practiced move, she was impressed.

She sat up and let it slide off her arms, hooking it to the post on the footboard of the bed.

“I like that you hang your girly stuff everywhere,” he growled, his cheeks a flushed and ruddy red as he looked at her body. He raised his hands to cup her breasts, his thumbs and forefingers wasting no time in rolling her nipples between them.

“I’m marking my territory,” she said, her voice husky.

His answering smile was quick, just a quirk of his lips before he sat up to meet her chest to chest.

“You’re funny under all that serious,” he noted, his hands sliding down to her backside and squeezing her cheeks. He wasn’t gentle about it, his fingers grasping her hard and strong. She sucked in a breath, her eyes slipping closed at the sensation. It was rougher than she’d ever been touched but it sent a spiral of pleasure through her. Her back arched as she pushed herself farther into his grip.

He touched her then, the fingers of one hand exploring her over her panties while the other still held her behind, squeezing and pulling her cheeks apart.

And she liked it. God, how she liked it. Her hands held him by the neck, unsure if she was trying to hold on for dear life or pull him closer so she could devour him. Her mouth was open and slack, nothing escaping but small breathy moans and squeaks. His fingers continued their ministrations, rubbing her in long luxurious strokes that ignited fires along every inch of her skin and he did nothing more than touch her and encourage her.

He whispered words meant to stimulate her, things that probably shouldn’t be said out loud or might be considered vulgar, and they did their job. Her body was weeping for him, opening to him desperately, willing to take whatever he might give.

“Yeah, baby, that’s it,” he murmured, pressing hot, openmouthed kisses to her throat. “Show me what you want.”

Her body undulated against his hand, wanting more than he was giving, searching for something just over the horizon that she couldn’t reach. A frustrated mewl escaped her, her shoulders shaking with the force of it.

Elliot let out a low laugh, a chuckle that shook his chest against hers.

“I hear you, baby. You need more.” His fingers left her, and he flipped her onto her back, sliding down her panties, hooking them on the post of the headboard and sending her a wink. On all fours, he walked himself back until he hovered over her lower body. With no words and just one hand, he instructed her to spread her legs, and she obeyed without question.

The look in his eyes as he saw her for the first time was enough for her to go along with any plan he might have. It was hard to interpret, the intensity of his gaze sharp, like he was taking in every detail, but there was also a hardness that had come over his body. He’d stiffened, holding himself still as he continued to do nothing more than look at her.

And she did nothing more than watch him, legs spread, ready for his next move.

His eyes never left her body, staring at the heart of her when he used a hand to softly stroke her thigh. In one stroke, he went from her knee and all the way down where his thumb caressed her damp flesh boldly. The heat of his hand against her own steamy wetness was enough to make her suck in a sharp breath, the contact not nearly enough yet more than she’d expected.

“You’re a beautiful woman, Julia,” he murmured, his thumb, slick now, spreading her open to his gaze.

“Thank you,” she whispered, her answer automatic, knowing that was the polite response.

His warm breath brush across her pelvis. Trying to control her reaction, she fisted her hands in the pillow under her hand, hiding her face in her arm in the process. She squirmed, waiting for him to make his next move.

It was slow in coming, Elliot taking his time exploring her most private parts. She felt his fingertips and thumbs as he caressed every inch of her. His nose brushed the crease of her leg and she heard his intake of breath, a low, humming sound directly following it.

“I might just sleep right here,” he said, his voice no more than a whisper.

She lifted her head to look at him, the sight of his dark hair between her legs almost too much for her to bear. There was something about looking down her body at him, past her naked breasts and hard, pointed nipples, and beyond her stomach covered in gooseflesh and her freshly waxed mound. Their eyes met, his glowing in the dim lamplight.

“Then I can taste you whenever I get the urge,” he explained.

“I was hoping you had the urge now,” she confessed.

“Oh, I do. If you only knew all the things I wanted to do to you right now,” he answered cryptically, rubbing his nose along her again, this time closer to where she so desperately needed him. “I want to take my time. I want to enjoy every inch of you.”

“Okay,” she whispered, her legs shifting open even more on their own volition.

His eyes never left hers when he pressed his stroking thumb to her entrance. Already slick and ready, her body welcomed the intrusion, opening for him. He hooked his hand around her, his palm pressing against her most sensitive area, causing an involuntary full-body shiver to overtake her. She tightened, not just around him, but everywhere. Her arms tightened around her head, her fists in the pillow. Her toes curled around the balls of her feet, her heels digging into the mattress.

Elliot continued, slowly guiding his thumb in and out, his palm building a familiar pressure.

Julia almost didn’t dare to look, having never had anyone but a physician with their face so close to her, but she just couldn’t help herself. She was too curious, wondering what he was doing if he wasn’t using his mouth on her as she’d been expecting. With a slitted eye, she gazed at him as he watched himself manipulate her body intently. There was a fierce look on his face, one that she’d seen before when he was concentrating diligently. He had his lower lip hooked between his teeth as he worked, his nostrils flaring.

Seeing him like that sent a flood of desire surging through her. Elliot murmured encouragingly, speeding up his ministrations and within moments, she was lost.

Exploding into thousands of tiny shards, her skin tingling with the release of them all, she let go. Her fingertips pulsed as she gripped the pillow, her thighs shook as they held Elliot’s shoulders.

He gentled, removing his thumb when the aftershocks wore off. Boldly, he spread her wide open again with his thumbs and licked up her center. She nearly shot off the bed, her hips rising into his waiting embrace. He tasted her, savoring her release, almost reveling in it. He worked her until she was boneless, still underneath him and still wide open to him. His lips trailed kisses up her body, stopping to pay special attention to her nipples until she couldn’t take it anymore. When he finally settled his hips between her legs, she realized he was still partially clothed.

“The third date is the indicator for sex,” she reminded him, still breathless.

Resting on his elbows, he smoothed the hair off her forehead and placed a kiss there. “I was never any good at following rules.”

“But…” Julia wasn’t sure how to respond, her mind taking a long break.

“I think I might get that urge to taste you all over again.”

Their eyes met and she felt a smile tug at her lips. His face softened.

“You should probably stay here then,” she whispered. “I’ll help you with your rogue urges.”

* * *

Several hours later, in the pitch black of the early morning, Elliot woke only to realize that he and Julia were both completely drenched in sweat. Julia was half on top of him, one of her legs intertwined with his, one of her hands fisted on his chest while he held her incredibly close. The heat they were generating was enough to spark a fire.

He threw the duvet cover back to let out the heat and she stirred briefly.

“So hot,” she murmured sleepily. “Like lava on Mustafar.”

“Is it always so hot in here?” he rasped, unsure what she was talking about.

He leaned over and cracked open the window behind the bed, to let in some much-needed cool air, and flopped on the bed, enjoying the breeze.

“Better?” he asked her a second later.

Julia was already back asleep.

When he woke again a short hour later, the sun was just starting to light the room. This time, he found himself chest to back, his leg over hers, his arm up by her breasts where they held hands.

Her tattooed arm was just under his nose and he was, once again, blown away by the immensity of the whole thing. He lifted himself up onto his elbow, taking advantage of the quiet moment to admire the artwork. The top, her upper arm and shoulder, was covered in beautiful and bright colors and patterns. Flowers, from what he could see, birds and fairies, but the farther down her arm he looked, the colors leeched out, becoming muted and darker. It was all gray and black with shadowy figures and what looked like bricks, he thought.

He adjusted again, so that he could roll her on her back to get a better view. His eyes quickly cut to her breasts, which were distracting. Perfect in size and shape, tipped with the ripest raspberry nipples. He had to tear his eyes away, chiding himself on learning better self-control, then let it go. He’d exercised plenty of self-control when she’d offered herself up to him the night before. She’d been ready, her body nearly begging for him to take her, but he’d refrained.

He wanted her fiercely, his cock ached for her as if it knew already that paradise was within reach, but, he wanted more for her. More than some arbitrary rule she read on the damn internet. He wanted them to forge their own way, make their own rules. So, he’d held back and he’d keep doing so until she understood that when they had sex, it wouldn’t be because they could or should. It would be because they had to.

Elliot inspected her other arm, distracting himself from his deep thoughts. This arm was the opposite of the first. Dark and sinister on her upper arm but fading into a compilation of characters and scenes from Peter Pan. The most haunting part of the piece was a portrait on her upper arm of a little girl in black and gray. She was maybe six years old with pigtails and the most haunted expression on her little face, the letters RIP boldly inked underneath.

Even as he inspected the artwork, Julia slept deeply. Elliot quickly nuzzled her neck, kissing the tender skin there. He’d thought that he should go downstairs, make some coffee, and get to work before his brothers arrived, but as his exploration of Julia’s neck and shoulders continued, she wrapped her leg around his hip and began rubbing it up and down. The sensation was enough to drive him mad, her smooth skin rasping against the hair on his legs. Her eyes were closed, but there was a slight flush to her cheeks and her lips had parted on a breath.

She was so hot against his hip and even in sleep her body was trying to accommodate him. He pressed a hand to the small of her back and pulled her closer, grinding his hip into her sensitive flesh. Her back arched at the contact and those amazing lips emitted the sexiest, breathiest whimper he’d ever heard. Her hands, small and hot, were resting on his ribcage, and if she’d had any fingernails, they would have been leaving marks.

She was close, her body wound up from rubbing against him all night. He knew how she felt, his cock leaving a small trail of pre-cum on her belly. He pressed again, rhythmically, letting her ride his hard edges as she needed, letting her ride that wave of sleepy lust and taking him along with her.

He bent his head to suck the pulse point on her neck and she quietly exploded underneath him. Her back bowed, fingers sinking into his skin, her heel digging into the back of his thigh, which all ended when she let out a ragged breath and a tiny sigh.

Then she promptly fell back into a deep slumber.

Elliot was rock hard.

Frustrated but not angry, he kissed her forehead, covered her with the duvet, and headed to the bathroom.

He’d definitely need a cold shower to start his day.