Cortez maneuvered the SUV through the snowy terrain with the skill of a seasoned professional. “Lexi told me when I asked about your favorite things to do to unwind.” The sexy curve of his mouth tilted into a smirk. “Sad thing was, she said you never take off the time to come here.”
Julia shrugged and took a refreshing breath. “My life’s been my work.”
“Let’s see if we can change that.”
With reluctance, Julia tugged her eyes away from the mountain scene beyond the passenger window. “Cortez, what are you doing?”
He didn’t answer. She hadn’t expected him to be ready with a reply and urged herself to just enjoy this for what it was: an impromptu getaway.
She scarcely noticed when he parked the truck at an angle before a tiny cottage. The resort boasted a mountain lodge with two four-star restaurants, a twenty-four-hour café and bar. Guests resided in the rugged yet plush cottages dotting the grand expanse of the property.
Cortez left the truck and then walked around to open Julia’s door. When she moved to jump out, he stopped her.
“What I’m doing is trying to get back in here.” He brushed the back of his hand against her heart.
In spite of the frigid temperatures, Julia felt like melting. The words stoked her love and desire for him all at once. Linking her arms around his neck, she took his mouth in a throaty kiss that sizzled as a helpless moan vibrated in the back of his throat.
Keeping her against him and never breaking the kiss, Cortez carried Julia from the SUV. He kicked the passenger door shut with the tip of his boot and headed for the cabin door. Julia shivered when a wave of heat replaced the chill of the air. Weakly, her eyes fluttered as she tried to observe her surroundings. Cortez’s kiss, however, removed any desire to do anything other than continue kissing him.
He didn’t stop, but continued walking until he stood in the middle of the bedroom. Effortlessly, he continued to carry Julia, now cradling her full backside in his palms. Massaging the globes encased beneath her jeans, he deepened the kiss while pressing her more firmly into the stiffness straining the zipper of his jeans.
Julia raked her nails across his rough jaw. She tried to breathe amidst the onslaught of the kiss and didn’t care that she couldn’t. Her entire body was on fire for him, yet she tried to stifle her urges against being too aggressive. Cortez must’ve sensed that, for his touch was blatantly teasing. He sat on the bed, having her straddle him there and continuing the enticing duel between their tongues.
Weakly, Julia ground herself against him. She could have become orgasmic simply from the delicious friction of his shaft nudging her center.
“Cortez, please,” she moaned, when he halted her grinding by lifting her a tad off his lap.
“What do you want?” He hid his gorgeous face in her neck and intentionally goaded her.
Losing the war with herself, Julia released a frustrated sound and pushed him to his back. A moment later she was out of her ski jacket along with the matching sweater and the bra beneath it.
“That’s it,” Cortez muttered, allowing his hands free rein over her dark skin.
Julia bit her lip while he cupped her breasts and flicked his thumbs across her nipples. She bowed her head and lavished his face and neck with sweet kisses as she sought the bulge pushing against his jeans.
Cortez cupped her hips, lifting her easily until her breasts were neatly perked before his mouth. Julia wilted when he drew a nipple past his perfect teeth. The suckling sounds that resulted filled them both with increased sensation. Giving into his needs of aggression, Cortez flipped her beneath him and made quick work of unfastening her jeans. Julia wedged her feet from the cozy coral-colored ski boots that matched the sweater she’d worn. When she was clothed in only the flimsiest of panties, he began to pleasure her. Draping a lengthy leg across his shoulder, he nudged his nose against the moistening middle of the undergarment.
“Cortez…” She gasped, eager to feel him without his clothing. “Please.”
To silence her, he thrust his tongue deep into her mouth, loving the helpless sound that followed. He skirted his fingers along her trembling body and felt her shudder when they glided ever so smoothly inside of her.
Once more Julia felt powerless to do more than greedily absorb the delight he invoked. She rode three of his fingers in wild abandon, softly ordering him not to stop and to do what he was doing a little faster. When he hinted at withdrawing, she clamped a hand on his wrist and prevented him.
Cortez made do with his free hand, tugging his heavy sweater and undershirt over his head. Julia released her grip on his wrist to drag her nails across the flawless expanse of his broad chest and shoulders. She scarcely noticed him undoing his jeans and tugging them away along with his boots and underwear. Her fingers explored and massaged the soft hair that curved adorably over his head, and she reveled in the feel of his bare chest against hers.
He’d taken care of protection and held her thighs apart to receive his body. Julia’s nails dug into his skin and created faint half-moon impressions where she gripped him. Wavering moans rumbled from her throat as he entered her, one beautifully stiff inch at a time.
He was still for a while once he was buried to the hilt. Julia, however, moved desperately, and he could barely hold out against the pleasure of it. Still, he wanted to relish the feel of her, the feel of himself inside of her.
“I love you. I love you, Cortez….”
The sound of her voice next to his ear stripped his restraint. As though another switch had been turned on inside him, he captured her thighs in a vise grip and took her with fierce lunges that forced cries of pleasure from her throat.
Cortez rested his head on her chest, loving the sounds emerging every time he thrust deep into her wet sex. Soon, his own sounds of satisfaction were emerging and he was weakened completely. Julia took advantage, pushing him to his back again and taking him with a fierceness of her own. She braced herself when their fingers linked and circled her body erotically before rising up and down on the length that throbbed with life and power inside her.
Simultaneously, they came, exploding in a wave of love, need and want. Their linked fingers eventually weakened, and Julia slid down to lie across his chest. They remained there wilted and sated for a long while.
Cortez kissed her hair, inhaling its fragrance and dragging his fingers through the clipped dark locks. “Let’s get dressed.”
Julia would have laughed if she’d had the strength. “Now?” she managed.
“Mmm-hmm.”
“Right now?”
“Right now,” he confirmed.
“Why?” she whined. “What’s the hurry?”
“Tell you what,” he rose slightly, causing her to shriek and topple off, “We’ll shower first.”
“Why?” She whined again, tousling her hair as she frowned up at him. “Where are we going?”
He kissed the end of her nose. “Dinner.”
“You okay?” Cortez asked, a smirk on his handsome face as he watched her eyes widen when she cleared the entryway of the cozy living room.
Julia simply nodded, taking in her lavish yet comfortable surroundings. The space was decorated with cream-and-gold furniture. Soft yellow light glowed from the candle-style lamps while flames blazed in the fireplace, casting their heat against the small, food-laden table next to it.
“When did you do this?” Julia whispered, walking farther into the room.
Cortez shrugged, “I had some time.”
Julia whirled around to face him. “What are you up to? Really?” she asked.
Cortez’s warm brown eyes narrowed as they roamed the length of her body. The sweater she wore outlined her heart-stopping curves. The mauve color flattered her flawless, dark complexion while the draping collar offered brief glimpses of bosom. Instead of giving Julia an answer to her question, he prepared two glasses of champagne.
Julia propped her hands on her hips, watching Cortez lift a glass of bubbly toward her. “Wha
t’s the occasion?”
“Let’s eat,” Cortez said and offered his arm.
The silver serving dishes covering the table held succulent grilled chicken breasts in a light cream sauce, a zesty onion-and-broccoli dish, rice pilaf, salads and golden buttered rolls. It was all very delicious, but Julia could barely concentrate on it. Each time she raised her eyes across the table, she found Cortez watching her. His stare was so intense that it was unnerving.
“How was it?” Cortez asked later, once they had finished the coffee.
Julia wiped her mouth with a white linen cloth. “It was great. What’s next?”
Pushing himself away from the table, Cortez walked over to help Julia out of her chair. “How about sitting in front of the fire?”
Already completely off balance by the events of the evening, Julia could only nod. Smoothing her hands over her comfy joggers, she let him lead her to the sofa next to the fire.
A loud gasp escaped Julia’s lips when Cortez’s mouth fell upon hers the moment they touched the sofa. She moaned in response to the slow, sensual thrusts of his tongue and arched herself close to his body, aching to feel his hands on her.
Cortez’s large hands traveled the length of her thighs, and then he tore his lips from hers and settled them against her neck. The weight of his heavy, muscular form pressed Julia back into the cushiony sofa as his mouth trailed lower.
Julia threaded her fingers through his soft hair and enjoyed the caress of his lips. Just before he touched the generous swell of her breasts, he stopped.
“What’s wrong?” Julia asked in a breathless tone, her midnight gaze wide.
“Will you marry me?” he asked, the look in his eyes as sincere as could be.
Julia blinked several times, knowing she’d heard him wrong. When she felt him push something cool and heavy onto her finger, she swallowed past the lump in her throat while staring at the glittering diamond. “Corky…”
Cortez pulled her up from the sofa and watched her. “Will you marry me?” he repeated.
Julia looked down at the fabulous ring and took a deep breath. “I—I can’t.”
“You what?” Cortez asked, the beginning of a frown starting to cloud his very handsome face.
“I can’t marry you,” Julia told him, her eyes still on the ring.
“You’re saying no to me?” he asked, shocked. A deep crease had formed across his forehead.
Julia blinked the tears away from her eyes. “I’m sorry.”
Cortez shook his head as if to clear it. “Are you serious?” he asked. “You said you loved me. Or was that just the moment talking?”
She winced. “You know that’s not it.”
“Then what?” Cortez whispered, his hands tightening around her arms. “Julia?”
She tilted her head to the side. “Cortez, I can’t. I can’t give you an answer now.”
“Can you give me a reason?”
Julia stared into his eyes for a long time. She was about to lose herself in the sensual warmth of his gaze but refused to let that happen. She pushed herself away from him, unable to make herself tell him she believed he was only with her now because he had confirmation about Correll. “I just can’t put myself through that again with you. Or your family. I just can’t.” She leaned on the most obvious reason.
“What the hell do they have to do with us?” Cortez asked, moving off the sofa and standing behind her.
“Please, you know what they’ve always thought of me. How low they always treated me.”
Cortez pulled her around to face him. “I want you to marry me. Me, Julia. Not my family.”
“I need time, Cortez. Lots of it.”
“Will you change your mind?”
Julia had no answer to that question. “Can we just not talk about this now?” she asked, moving closer to link her arms around his neck. “Can thinking about it be enough?”
Cortez nodded. “For now. For now it can.”
Following the emotional mountain trip, Cortez and Julia immersed themselves in work. For the next two months, Julia was swamped in preliminary tasks in preparation for her show. Cortez was involved with prep for his show as well, but he still had responsibilities to the station in Detroit until the expiration of his contract. Usually it was Cortez who made visits out to California. Julia was quite content with the way things were going. Cortez, on the other hand, was furious.
“What in the world?” Julia whispered when she pulled into her driveway one afternoon to find him there. “You’re not due here until next weekend,” she said as she stepped out of her Benz.
Cortez lifted himself from the side of his car and walked over to her. “I came for an answer to my question.”
Startled, Julia stepped back to assess his seriousness. “I’m not ready to give you one.”
“You’re not ready to give me one?” he slowly repeated. He crossed his arms over his chest and walked over to her.
“Cortez?” Julia called in a warning tone. She didn’t like the determined look on his face one bit.
Grabbing Julia and pulling her close behind him, Cortez led the way to her front door. Choosing not to cause a scene in the driveway, Julia unlocked the door and waited.
“What’s the waiting really about, Julia?” he asked when they stepped into the foyer.
Julia blinked at the way Cortez spat the words at her. The cold, deep tone of his voice, however, did not shake her confidence. “So you’re tired of waiting, Corky? Well, join the club. I’ve been waiting for years. It’s silly, really, since you were the one who wasn’t afraid to take the leap all those years ago. At least you’ve always had the assurance of knowing that I love you.”
“If you love me, then why are you taking so long with this answer of yours?”
Julia rolled her eyes, frustrated by his single train of thought. “I need time to think, damn it!”
“You’ve had long enough to think!” Cortez said, pointing a finger in her face.
Julia slapped it away. “You jackass! There’s no way in hell I’ll marry you if I have to be forced into an answer!”
“I’m not forcing you,” Cortez argued, his gorgeous eyes narrowing dangerously.
Julia raised her hands in the air. “What the hell do you call it, Cortez? You know, if you want a woman who’ll bow and scrape to your every whim or somebody who’s socially acceptable and has been raised to your standards, then—”
“Please, Julia! If I wanted that, I’d be with Renee!” Cortez bellowed, wincing as soon as the words left his mouth.
“Go,” Julia whispered, turning her back so he couldn’t see her tears.
Cortez started to move toward her but stopped himself. “To hell with this,” he growled below his breath and stormed out of the house.
Cortez refused to waste any more time in California and returned to Detroit with an invitation in his pocket. The morning after his fight with Julia he found a small, white envelope lying on his office desk. It was an invitation to Darius Kelly’s birthday party. Cortez grimaced, rubbing his fingers across the raised print on the card. He knew he’d be there because Julia would be there. Whatever happened between them, he’d never be able to get her out of his mind.
The soft knocking on the door interrupted his thoughts and he turned. When he saw Renee in the doorway he didn’t bother to greet her.
Renee took a deep breath and walked inside the room. “I hate this.”
Cortez reclined behind his desk and watched her coolly.
“We used to be so close before. Can’t we get back to that?”
“We’re close enough.”
Renee shook her head, searching for a way to break through the wall of ice Cortez had built around himself. “I really think we should try before the audience begins to notice.”
Cortez looked up and reared back a bit in his chair. “You know I’m done here once my contract is up.”
Renee bristled.
“Good morning, you two,” Cora Wallace called in a bright voice a
s she walked into the office. “I was out and about and thought I’d drop in to check on you,” she explained. “I’m happy to see you two together.”
Cortez shifted his attention back to his desk. “Don’t get too excited, Ma.”
Renee couldn’t stand it any longer. She ran from the office, before her emotions got the best of her.
Cora leaned against her son’s desk. “Baby, how can you—”
“Do you want to be my date for this party?”
Cora frowned. “Party?”
Cortez picked up the invitation and handed it to his mother. “Darius Kelly’s birthday party Thursday night.”
Cora rolled her eyes. “I don’t think so.”
“I know Uncle Leon will be there. Ma? Come on now. I need a date to this thing, and it’ll really help if she’s gorgeous.”
Cora smiled and waved her hand at her son. “Stop with the flattery. I’ll go. But I do wonder though how you got an invitation to this thing. Or should I even ask?”
Cortez sighed and fiddled with the cuffs of his plum shirt. “Julia didn’t invite me. You can bet on it.”
“Hmph, right.”
Cortez suddenly became too weary to stand or sit behind his desk. He walked across the room and dropped to the suede sofa in the corner.
“Baby?” Cora called, concern for her child etched into her face. “Honey, don’t do this to yourself.”
“I love her, Ma, very much.”
“But look at how hurt you are,” Cora whispered.
“If I’m hurt, it’s because I hurt her. So many times. I’ve finally wised up, and it’s too late. She doesn’t trust me. She’s not playing hard to get, I’d know that. She’s genuinely hurt, and I don’t blame her. I have to do something to get her to see that I don’t look down on her or think she’s not good enough. I can’t let her get away, but I don’t know how to stop it from happening.”
Cora listened as Cortez recounted all that had happened between him and Julia. He was so exhausted by the time he was done talking that he drifted off to sleep. For the first time, Cora Wallace had no doubt in her mind that her son truly loved Julia Kelly.
As Good as the First Time Page 16