Julianne was sitting quietly on the bed when Wade returned to his cabin. She hadn’t been surprised to find him gone when she woke. He was the captain of a huge ship, after all. He probably had captain-y things to do that didn’t involve spending hours wrapped around her.
She hadn’t tried to leave the room when she woke, but she had gotten redressed. While she felt tempted to further explore his space to see whether she could find a weapon to defend herself, she didn't. She just stayed put. Wade had been kind to her that evening and though he had been angered to discover that she was sleeping on the ship, he had not been cruel.
Though Julianne hadn't been certain at first, she thought now that he might show her mercy.
Just maybe.
If she were lucky.
So while he stormed off, she sat still, thinking about her life and her decisions and how even if she did get hanged, at least it wasn't going to be by Vince. At least she had gotten to see the world. Well, a little bit of it, anyway. Had she gotten married, Julianne knew she would have been an ordinary housewife, plagued with chores and children and cleaning.
At least now she was free.
Wade entered the room silently. He carefully closed the door behind him. His movements were quiet and calculated. He never did anything without thinking about it, Julianne noticed. Even the most minute movements were carefully calculated to bring Wade closer to whatever goal he might be currently pursuing.
Wade placed the key to the door on the desk and looked at Julianne thoughtfully. She wondered where he had gone and what he was going to say to her. She hoped he hadn't killed Nelson. He looked relaxed, but not in the way a man looks after a kill, so she thought her brother must be fine.
Then Wade walked over to Julianne and sat next to her on the bed. His weight pressed the mattress down and she slid closer to him, their bodies touching side-by-side. She tried not to feel aroused, but it was nearly impossible. He smelt of whiskey and of man and she thought of the way his hands had explored her body just hours before.
Wade placed his hand on her thigh and Julianne leaned her head down onto his shoulder. He seemed surprised, but after a moment he began to touch her hair softly.
"Oh, love," he began. "Whatever am I going to do with you?" They sat like that for a very long time before Wade lifted her mouth and kissed her softly. Julianne returned his kisses eagerly, wondering if this was the last time she would see him. She kissed him like her life depended on it, which it did. She kissed him like it was the first time and the last time and all the times in between.
Then Wade pushed her softly back onto the bed and lay down next to her, continuing to kiss her side-by-side. Their hands wandered and explored each other until she finally reached down his pants and grabbed what she wanted.
"Please," she murmured. "One more time."
**
It was all the urging Wade needed.
He didn't intend to kill Julianne and had figured out a way around it. As long as Buck backed him up, Wade knew that things would be just fine, eventually. That didn't mean he wasn't going to take advantage of this moment, though, and it certainly didn't mean he wouldn't make it pleasurable for both of them.
Wade pushed up Julianne's skirts so they were resting around her waist. She wore no undergarments, which surprised him, but he was pleased by the discovery. He placed his hand on her knee and slowly moved it upwards, enjoying the way she wiggled beneath his touch. She seemed anxious to have him again, which he loved. It had only been a few hours since they were last together, but already he found himself missing her.
When he reached the top of her thigh, he gently began to massage her. He felt Julianne's muscles tense beneath his touch, and he kissed her again, harder. He knew she was close to coming, close to being completely his. He wanted to feel her explode, wanted to feel what he had done to her body. She continued to moan and tense beneath him until she was almost ready. He chose that moment to plunge himself into her. As soon as he did, her release was unavoidable.
Wade placed his hand over her mouth as she cried out. He wanted to hear her, but didn't want to alert his men as to what was happening. They didn't need to know how he felt about this woman, not yet. He continued to thrust deeply inside of her, kissing and touching her, until he, too, joined her in climax.
When it was finished, Wade collapsed next to Julianne, breathless. Part of him couldn't believe this sweet creature had really squeezed her way into his life today. Part of him couldn't believe he was going to get to be around her. There was another part of him, a darker part, that dreaded the way he would inevitably begin to feel protective of her, the way he would guard her from harm. He already felt an obligation to care for her. Wade had been in love before. He knew what happened to men in love.
But as Julianne snuggled next to him and closed her eyes, beginning to drift off to sleep in his comfortable bed, he knew that it was already too late for him. He was going to be her protector, no matter what it took.