Maddie stood just inside the door, a tentative smile on her face, the sunlight pouring in from the large windows behind her. Julia realized she had forgotten how utterly beautiful Maddie was as she took in her dimpled smile and the warmth of her deep brown eyes, her dark, hair curling around her shoulders. Maddie was dressed in jeans, sandals and an embroidered cotton top, looking young and gorgeous. Julia simply stared at her for a long moment.
“You’re here,” Julia finally said.
“I am.” Maddie’s smile widened. “It’s really good to see you.”
Julia felt every emotion she had ever associated with Maddie, but she did not trust her feelings right now and she was not certain if she trusted Maddie either. Julia glanced around, wondering where Vivienne had gone and if she could overhear them.
Julia swallowed. “Sorry. You’ve caught me by surprise. How did you know where I was?”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t.” Maddie shook her head. “I still have your card so I took a chance you might be here but…I’ve obviously shown up at a bad time so I can meet you…somewhere else…later?” Maddie backed up a step toward the door, as if to leave.
Julia closed the short distance between them and reached for Maddie’s arm, afraid if she let Maddie leave now, she might never see her again. “No, please don’t go.” Julia knew that she sounded desperate and probably looked frantic. She quickly released Maddie’s arm and stepped back, embarrassed at her blatant insecurity. She lowered her gaze. “I’m almost afraid to let you out of my sight.”
“Ouch,” Maddie said quietly. “I guess I deserve that.”
Julia was mortified that she had blurted out exactly what she was thinking. “No, no, you don’t. I’m sorry, it’s just that…I’m not sure what to think and I don’t want to get ahead of myself…”
“And get hurt again?” Maddie asked, tentatively reaching for one of Julia’s hands. “I can see that I’ve hurt you, Julia, and I never intended to do that. I honestly wasn’t sure if you’d thought of what happened between us as casual…or not…until this very moment.”
Julia stared at Maddie. It had not occurred to her what Maddie may have assumed about her intentions or their encounter. It had not occurred to her that Maddie knew as little about her as she knew about Maddie. Julia wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, but she would not let her off the hook quite that easily.
“I told you I wanted to see you again. I gave you my card,” Julia said.
“I know you did, but that didn’t necessarily mean it wasn’t casual to you. I couldn’t be sure of anything…including myself to be honest…but I’m here now.”
“May I ask why exactly?”
Maddie nodded. “I haven’t stopped thinking about you and I realized how much I missed you…just talking to you. I kept thinking of things I wanted to share with you. I kept waking up and…” Maddie paused, swallowing deeply. “…and reaching for you in my bed.” She whispered the last few words. When Julia did not respond, Maddie took a step back and started to release her hand. “It’s okay if you’re not sure. I’m in town until tomorrow.”
Julia squeezed her hand, keeping hold of it. “Please…wait.” Julia’s emotions were in free fall and she lowered her gaze, not wanting Maddie to see her panic at the thought of her walking out the door. Julia tried to control her emotions, but she could not and her eyes burned as she blinked away impending tears.
Maddie stepped closer, looking at her carefully. “Are you okay?”
“I didn’t think I would ever see you again.” Julia heard her own voice break.
Maddie cupped Julia’s cheek as she wiped away some wetness beneath her eye a gentle swipe of her thumb. When Julia raised her head, Maddie leaned in and pressed a soft and chaste kiss to Julia’s mouth.
“Oh, querida, I’m so sorry,” Maddie whispered.
The kiss was soft and fleeting, but it stunned Julia in how deeply it affected her. “It’s…can we…let’s go into the conference room in the back, okay?”
As Julia turned around, she noticed Vivienne was sitting in the cubicle closest to the conference room, typing at the desktop there. Julia heard the printer in the far corner of the office come to life and sighed. Vivienne looked busy, but there was very little chance that she had not overheard at least portions of their conversation or seen that kiss, however brief, and Julia had no idea what she would say to her daughter. As they approached, Vivienne simply smiled at them.
Julia turned to Maddie. “Maddie, this is my daughter, Vivienne Cantara. Vivie, this is Madalena Francisco.” They shook hands and said hello politely and Julia indicated the conference room with her hand. “Go on ahead, Maddie, I’ll be right in.”
Julia watched Maddie walk through the doorway before she turned to Vivienne. “So how much of that did you hear?” Julia whispered as she felt herself blushing.
“Enough to know that she is the something crazy that you did,” Vivienne whispered back as she glanced toward the conference room. “Are you okay, Mom?”
Julia smiled at her daughter. “I have no idea. Are you?”
Vivienne smiled back. “Just a little surprised. I didn’t think you had it in you.”
Julia placed her hands on her waist in a defiant pose. “Give me some credit, Vivienne.”
Vivienne stifled a laugh with her hand. “Is this a mid-life crisis type of thing?” It was barely a whisper.
Julia bit her lip, looking her daughter in the eye. “No, this is…serious,” she mouthed almost silently.
Vivienne looked surprised. “Wow. Okay. Do you want moral support or privacy?”
“Privacy now, moral support later?”
Vivienne smiled as she grabbed her purse. “I’m just going to grab my price sheets on the way out. I’m assuming I should cover the open house alone?”
“Do you mind terribly?”
“No, it’s good experience for me,” Vivienne said as she rounded the desk. She stopped and hugged her mother, placing a warm kiss to her cheek. “She’s gorgeous, Mom. Good luck,” she whispered as she walked away, stopping to pick up her copies on the way out.
Julia walked into the conference room and Maddie met her gaze from across the room.
“Hi.” Julia smiled as she walked toward Maddie.
Maddie met her halfway and they tentatively embraced until Julia pulled her close, sighing deeply as Maddie’s hands pressed firmly against her back. Sense memory washed over Julia as she inhaled Maddie’s familiar scent and she pulled her impossibly closer. Julia melted into the embrace, her intense physical attraction for Maddie nearly overwhelming her.
Julia made a conscious decision to reign in her desire, to keep her wits about her and take things slowly. Julia wanted to talk to Maddie, to determine where they stood with each other and what they both wanted. Julia had to force herself to release Maddie and pull away.
Julia found Maddie running her gaze slowly over her face, and then down her body, a small frown on her face.
“You feel thinner. Are you thinner?” Maddie asked.
Julia blinked in surprise at the uncannily accurate scrutiny. “How did you—?”
“I remember everything about you,” Maddie said quietly. “Some days, it’s all I can think about.”
Surprised at the response and the open look of longing on Maddie’s face, Julia lowered her gaze and stepped away, rubbing her forehead to get her bearings. “I may have lost a little weight,” Julia admitted.
Maddie moved to keep Julia’s gaze on her own. “I think it was more than a little and you didn’t need to lose any weight.”
“Well, thank you, but I wasn’t really trying to,” Julia told her.
“Jule, are you ill?”
The shortened version of her name caught Julia off guard and she turned her back to Maddie and tried to slow her breathing. The last time Maddie had called her that had been in the throes of passion and Julia could not think about that right now. Julia shook her head. “No, no, I’ve just…it’s been difficult.”
&
nbsp; Maddie closed the distance between them and touched Julia’s shoulder. “What’s been difficult? What happened?” Maddie asked her quietly as she moved in front of Julia.
Julia rubbed her forehead. “You happened, okay? You happened and then you disappeared and…it hit me pretty hard.”
Julia could see that her revelation had stunned Maddie. Julia watched the color leave Maddie’s face as she swallowed repeatedly. “Oh Julia, I never meant to hurt you.”
“I know that. We made no promises.” Julia shrugged. “I needed to lose some weight anyway.”
“You most certainly did not,” Maddie said firmly, sounding indignant.
“I was getting a little−”
“What? Curvy? Sexy?” Maddie asked loudly.
“Fat.” Julia sighed. She had never been entirely content with her body, but in the brief time they had been together, Maddie had made her feel comfortable, sexy, and even beautiful.
Maddie shook her head. “That’s ridiculous. Julia, you’re gorgeous.” Julia saw Maddie’s gaze wander over her body. “So incredibly gorgeous.”
Julia shivered, her desire for this woman making her head spin. “I’m glad you think so.”
“Querida, I do.”
Julia blinked at the term of endearment. “So…you’re Portuguese?”
Maddie looked surprised by the unexpected question. “Yes. Half Portuguese actually, half Brazilian.”
Julia ran her gaze over Maddie’s face. “It’s a beautiful combination.”
Maddie blushed. “Thank you. Vivienne’s last name is Portuguese, isn’t it?”
“Yes, her father is Portuguese. Apparently, I may have a type.” Julia rolled her eyes.
Maddie smiled. “So, Eleanor’s Dad, is he…?”
Julia shook her head. “No, Jason is fair skinned, and the one exception to my apparent preference, if I think about it.”
“So, Vivienne’s father…that’s how you’re familiar with the language.”
“Well, that and it’s a part of the culture in this area. So, are you going to tell me exactly what you said to me in Portuguese the night we were together?”
Maddie blinked in surprise. “You remember that?”
“I remember everything about that night.” Julia stared at her, instinctively knowing that Maddie did not want to reveal what she had uttered to Julia in the throes of passion. “And I know you weren’t being completely honest with me about what you said.”
Maddie shook her head. “No, I wasn’t and I’m sorry. I just didn’t expect to feel the things you made me feel.”
Julia exhaled. “So it wasn’t just me, then?”
“I’m here, aren’t I?” Maddie whispered, her eyes wide, her expression open.
Unable to resist any longer, Julia pulled Maddie into a hard kiss, lips pressing and tongues seeking as she tried to control the incredible attraction simmering between them. Julia finally pulled away from the kiss, but held onto Maddie tightly, trying to slow her breathing. She wanted nothing more than to get lost in Maddie, but she would not let herself completely trust this, not yet.
“So I guess I didn’t exaggerate in my mind how good it feels to kiss you,” Julia whispered near Maddie’s ear.
“Kissing you makes me forget my own name,” Maddie whispered against her neck.
Julia pulled away and looked at Maddie. “What are we doing here…exactly?”
“Spending time…getting to know each other…figuring things out. Is that okay, for now?”
Julia felt herself smiling. “Yes, I think so.”
Maddie’s answering smile was brilliant. “So…can I take you to lunch?”
Julia tried not to stare at Maddie as they settled into their chairs on the oversized deck of the restaurant called Ishmael’s. They both ordered a glass of Riesling before Julia became completely distracted by Maddie pulling her sunglasses up onto her head to hold her hair away from her face. Maddie’s gaze moved over the fishing boats in the harbor, the ocean breeze lifting loose strands of her curly hair.
Maddie turned to her and smiled. “This is a great view.”
Julia kept her gaze on Maddie. “Especially from where I’m sitting.”
Julia watched Maddie’s smile get bigger and she ducked her gaze for a moment before looking back up at Julia. “Thank you.” Maddie inhaled deeply. “So…Vivienne is beautiful, although I wouldn’t know she was yours at first glance.”
Julia laughed. “If you spent a little time with her, you’d see the resemblance. Sometimes I want to scold her for her sarcasm or snarky remarks and then I realize she sounds just like me, so I can’t. I’m sure I will be further interrogated about you the first chance she gets.”
“Will she be okay…with this?”
“She already is.”
Maddie looked surprised. “Oh, okay. How is Eleanor?”
Julia smiled. “Getting way too smart for me, thank you for asking. How’s Gabriel?”
Maddie nodded. “Good. I told him…about you, that I wanted to see you again.”
Julia was pleasantly surprised by the revelation. “Oh?”
“I was having a bad day, missing you…and then my parents did something that really upset me. Gabe and I were talking and I started to cry. Poor Gabe. I told him everything after that.”
“Is he okay about it?”
Maddie smiled. “Yeah, he encouraged me to get in touch with you.”
“You needed encouragement?” Julia asked quietly.
“I did because, well, the way you make me feel scares me…and I thought I’d waited too long.”
Julia nodded, thinking about what Maddie had said about her life and how her family would not approve of this. “Can I ask what your parents did to upset you so much?”
Maddie sighed. “Sure. They ambushed me at a family dinner with a blind date when I have repeatedly told them I am not interested in dating any man, and even if I was, it would never be this man.” Maddie shuddered. “He had a bad dye job and a mustache straight out of bad 70’s porn. He reeked of cheap cologne and cigarette smoke.” Maddie shook her head. “I hate smoking. He tried to impress me by how much money he makes. I do just fine on my own, thank you very much…and have my parents met me?”
“Apparently not,” Julia said with a small smile. “You watch bad 70’s porn?”
Maddie smiled. “No.” She looked at Julia. “It was pretty awful. He wasn’t even interested in me as a person. He just kept staring at my breasts.”
Julia leaned forward. “Oh, honey, I’m so sorry, your parents should not have done that, but I can’t really blame him for staring. Your breasts are magnificent.” Julia hoped that the comment was the right blend of flattery and humor and she was delighted as Maddie laughed, letting out a small snort.
“I wouldn’t have minded if you’d been the one staring at them,” Maddie said.
Julia smiled at the blatant desire on Maddie’s face. “Good to know.”
“God, Julia, I’ve missed you.”
Julia relaxed just a little bit. “I’ve missed you, too.”
Chapter 10
When Julia tried to pay for lunch, Maddie took the billfold from her. “Don’t even try it. I asked you.”
Julia smiled and allowed her to pay, then reached for her hand. “Would you like to see my house? We can talk there.”
Maddie agreed and she followed Julia’s car into the driveway of a Victorian style home overlooking the water, the sunlight glittering along the water’s surface beyond the sloping lawn. There was a separate garage and carriage house on the property.
Maddie stepped out of her car and looked around. “This is your house?”
“Yes. Vivie lives in the carriage house.” Julia turned toward the front porch. “Please come inside.”
Maddie had known that Julia was successful and had expected her to have a nice house, but never imagined this property on the water that was worthy of being featured in a magazine. Maddie followed Julia silently onto the large front porch, through the front
door and into a large foyer. Maddie looked into the living area on the left and a small dining room to the right as Julia locked the door behind them. The house was bright, the woodwork painted white, with gleaming hardwood floors, Native American style area rugs and simple but tasteful furnishings. Maddie could easily picture Julia living here. She turned and found Julia watching her.
“Your home is somewhat like you,” Maddie said.
Julia raised her eyebrows. “Oh? Older? High maintenance?”
Maddie smiled and shook her head. “No. Classic and beautiful,” she whispered.
“Thank you.” Julia crossed her arms in front of her and Maddie suspected that Julia felt as nervous and uncertain as she did. Julia averted her gaze and threw her purse and keys on a table by the door and Maddie did the same.
“Would you like a tour?” Julia asked quietly.
Maddie wanted nothing more than to have Julia in her arms again, to kiss her, to touch her, but Maddie did not know if Julia wanted the same thing or if she should tell Julia that. She tried not to let her gaze linger on Julia’s curves.
Maddie shrugged and smiled, “Sure. Of course.”
Julia stared at her, licking her lips, an undercurrent of hot and thick sexual tension flowing between them. “What would you like to see first?” Julia whispered, one of her eyebrows cocked in what Maddie assumed was amusement or challenge.
Maddie shook her head and smiled, thinking that Julia was either teasing her or giving her the opportunity to ask for what she wanted. It also occurred to her that Julia was afraid to make herself vulnerable again. Maddie inhaled deeply and threw caution to the wind.
“I would really like to see your bedroom.”
Julia exhaled a long, shuddering breath and reached out her hand to Maddie. Maddie took it and Julia led her slowly up the slightly winding wooden staircase to the second floor. They entered a bedroom at the back of the house and Julia pulled her inside. Maddie was momentarily distracted by the view of the water through the windows overlooking the harbor as Julia shut the door quietly behind them. Julia’s headboard was wrought iron with a design of vines and leaves, the bedding white.
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