He Found Me

by Whitney Barbetti

  I brushed the sand sticking to my wet legs before wiping down with the towel. I wrapped the towel around my waist and trudged up the grassy hill, not paying attention to the direction I was headed as I shook my arms, freeing the drops of water that had clung to my skin.

  In an instant, I’d walked right into a wall. Or, it only felt that way. I was chest to chest with a wall of muscle that belonged to one Julian Jameson, currently clothed in a navy blue fitted tee, lying against his torso so that it was perfectly contoured to his muscles. I barely registered the warm hands that wrapped around my bare upper arms, steadying me.

  My breath caught before I tilted my head up, meeting his deep, cocoa powder brown eyes. My eyes moved over that short hair on his beautifully sculpted jawline before meeting his eyes again and I bit my lip. This was the closest I’d been to him, face to face, breathing the same air. I’m not sure how long we stood there, looking at each other. I became aware of his breath, warm on my face. Cinnamon and sandalwood permeated the few inches of air that separated us.

  “Andra,” he said, the sound gravelly in his throat. His hands left my upper arms, and I nearly stumbled backwards from the loss of warmth. He made a move to grab me again, but I stepped backwards, out of reach. My hands gripped the banana peel and water bottle, grounding me, reminding me of what I was doing.

  “I was just swimming,” I blurted out. It sounded defensive. Why?

  Julian allowed a smile to lift one side of his lips. “I know,” he murmured. He looked pointedly at the bikini top before looking back at me. I saw his Adam’s apple bob in his neck before he took a hesitant step backwards. The distance felt like an ocean in regards to breathing room, but I was still wrapped up in his presence and felt the goose bumps rise up on my skin instantaneously. “I was coming to find you. Does seven still work for you?”

  I nodded, and licked my lips. “I was just heading up to get ready. I’m guessing bikini wear is out for wherever we’re going?” I gestured across my body with my water bottle.

  Julian’s eyes raked over my torso. A muscle twitched in his jaw. “Unfortunately, yes. Dinner in a restaurant is what I’d planned on.” His voice sounded gruff and I was pleased that he seemed to be tracking the movement of the droplets of water sliding down my front, disappearing into the towel around my hips.

  I smirked, feeling a little more level headed. “What didn’t you plan on?” I exaggerated a wink, attempting to lighten the heady tension.

  Julian laughed and tucked one hand in a pocket of his khaki cargo shorts. “You. I definitely didn’t plan on you.” He drew his free hand through his hair and shook his head, an amused expression lightening up his features.

  It could have sounded like a line coming from anyone else, but from Julian, it felt natural, and honest. An area deep within my chest bloomed with warmth. I couldn’t help the smile that curved my lips. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  I stepped around him, intending to head to my cabin before his hand on my shoulder stopped me. I looked at him with an eyebrow raised.

  He looked at me with an unspoken question on his lips, eyebrows drawn together in concentration, before reaching behind me, cradling the back of my head. My eyes closed involuntarily and I sucked in breath through trembling lips. I felt his fingers delve into my hair, right under the bun I’d made. And, just as soon as I’d readied myself to be pulled closer, I felt his fingers skillfully remove my hair tie, allowing my hair to cascade down my back.

  I opened my eyes, watching his face as he brushed a hand through my hair, resting his hand on my back right where the hair ended, just below the bikini’s strings. His features softened, his expression turned appreciative. “Wear your hair down,” he murmured, “tonight.”

  I didn’t trust my voice just then. I met his eyes and nodded. His hand slipped away from my back and he smiled tightly at me before abruptly turning away and walking up towards the big house.

  I was slicking a baby oil and lotion mixture over my freshly showered limbs when a knock sounded at my door, loud and quick.

  “Shit,” I muttered, rapidly rubbing the moisturizer over my thighs. My soaking wet hair hung over one shoulder, drenching the towel I had wrapped around my body. I stood up and walked towards the door, clutching the towel tightly around my body as I glanced at the wall clock. It was barely six. It couldn’t be Julian already. Unless he was annoyingly early, which was a possibility.

  I poked my head in between the curtains shielding the window next to my door. I was able to make out the short black bob hair style and the trademark black clothing. Rosa.

  I quickly flipped the deadbolt and opened the door. Even with my state of undress, Rosa walked into the cabin and waved her hands at me. “Kind of an odd time of day to be showering, isn’t it?” she asked as she sat in the chair closest to my wood stove. It was an oversized leather armchair, and Rosa’s favorite place to relax when she was in my cabin.

  I walked behind the kitchen island that served as a seating area, wringing my wet hair into the island’s steel sink. “Got a date.”

  Rosa sighed. I chewed my lip ring nervously, waiting for the speech she had on the tip of her tongue. When she didn’t say anything, I walked back into the bathroom to grab the microfiber towel I used to dry my hair before returning to the living area.

  Rosa watched me as I scrunched my hair with the towel, not saying anything. After a minute of me standing there, in only a towel, I turned into my bedroom and quickly threw on some yoga pants and a zipped hoodie. I rubbed some Moroccan oil into my hair before grabbing a second microfiber towel, throwing the first one into my hamper.

  She was still in the arm chair, eyeing me shrewdly. I huffed a little and sat on my sectional, continuing to towel-dry my hair. When she still remained silent, I gestured wildly towards her with the towel in hand, indicating that I was waiting for her to say what she wanted to say.

  Rosa laughed softly. “You’re going to break another heart, Annie.”

  “It’s only one date,” I scoffed.

  “He’ll be here for another month. You just met him yesterday. And after tonight, you won’t see him again.”

  Rosa knew me better than anyone, even better than Six. She knew my modus operandi. Though I never dated in the traditional sense, she knew that I never saw the same man more than once. Dylan was the only exception, but I worked with him, and he never asked for more from me after our one night.

  “I’ll still be here, so of course I’ll still see him,” I answered, a little defensively. Rosa never actually interfered in my life outside the ranch. But I could understand her concern this time. This was the first time I’d held any interest in a tenant.

  “I don’t want to get involved, it’s your life. But I don’t want an unhappy tenant or any sort of awkward-” she waved her hand in the air, searching for her word “-tension.”

  I sighed and sank further back into the cushions, setting the towel down as I met her eyes. “What do you want me to do?” I asked. Truthfully, I would do anything for Rosa. She was the mother I’d lost, the girlfriend I was deprived of, the protector I never really had. “Should I cancel?”

  Rosa sat up in the chair and rubbed her knee thoughtfully. “No. No, don’t cancel. But don’t let it get serious. Or if it does, don’t drop him when you get skittish.”

  “I’m not skittish, Rosa. I just can’t make promises that extend further than the bedroom.”

  “Ah!” Rosa clapped her hands over her ears. “I don’t need to know that!” She said in protest. “All I’m asking is that you don’t push him away tomorrow if you actually like him. What is the harm in a summer romance?”

  Rosa was visibly uncomfortable having this conversation and immediately guilt flooded in, overpowering the pull I instinctively felt towards Julian. I scooted towards her and grabbed her arm. “Rosa.” I waited until she met my gaze. “If we have chemistry on our date, I promise you I won’t let it get awkward. If we don’t have chemistry, it won’t be awkward,” I said earnestly.r />
  Rosa smiled at me, still uncomfortable, but patted my hand. “That’s all I wanted to hear. Now,” she started, wiggling her eyebrows at me, “what are you wearing?”

  We spent the next fifteen minutes picking out my dress – a one shoulder black dress that hugged my figure, stopping just above my knees. The top half was black lace, tied with black ribbon over one shoulder, with a thin black belt cinching my waist. I paired it with black platform heeled shoes that had horizontal glittery gold stripes on the heels. I wore my hair, curly and wild, over the bare shoulder and put some quartz dropped earrings in, fingering the delicate gold wire that wrapped around the stone.

  Rosa left after giving me a hug and a reminder to tread lightly.

  While I usually avoided wearing makeup during the day, I knew enough about it to give me the look I desired. I applied heavy black liner and gold eye shadow, smudging it into the black liner so it wasn’t a clean line, and then two coats of mascara. Nude glossy lips completed the look. I spritz on some perfume and twirled in front of my floor length bedroom mirror.

  Butterflies flew around my stomach, frantic. I pressed a hand there and looked at myself in the mirror, and saw the nerves reflected in my gold-green eyes. I’d implied to Rosa that chemistry with Julian was hypothetical when I knew it wasn’t. There was no doubt that we had chemistry. Which only complicated my promise to Rosa to not cause tension or discomfort.

  The knock on the door did nothing to calm the butterflies, but I strode to answer nonetheless. I laid my forehead against the smooth wood surface for a moment, breathing in deeply, bracing myself for what was waiting for me on the other side of the door. I pushed away and then pulled it open with more force than necessary.

  Immediately I met Julian’s eyes. Our eyes remained firmly focused on one another for a beat before Julian’s thickly-lashed eyes swept down. The way his eyes glided down me felt as physical as the touch of a hand. My arms were once again covered in goose bumps. The space that separated us was strained with undeniable, raw tension.

  I took the opportunity to take in his dark charcoal suit. It was tailored perfectly to his body and paired with a white dress shirt and skinny black tie. The way he wore the suit hinted at the muscular quality of his body. The hair on top of his head was that perfect mussed-up-but-still-neat style. In his hand he held a bouquet of white roses.

  I tried to relieve some of the toe-curling tension by gesturing towards the bouquet. “Where did you manage to find those?”

  Julian held up his hand and looked at the bouquet, seemingly embarrassed. “I didn’t realize the florist shop in town was closed on Saturdays unless you had an appointment. Luckily, I ran into a cousin – or sister, not completely sure – at the grocery store-”

  “Mac’s grocery,” I interjected. “His sister-in-law owns the flower shop. You probably ran into Mac’s wife.”

  Julian nodded, “thankfully she took pity on me and opened up the cooler for me to snag these.” He held them towards me and ran a hand through his hair when I grabbed them in both hands.

  I smiled. “Thank you. Let me put these in water before we leave. Come in,” I motioned with my hand.

  As soon as Julian stepped up into the cabin, his presence invaded the room, stifling what little breathing room I had left. I noticed that the heels I was wearing made us almost the same height. “Whoa,” I said a little breathy. “You’re…tall.” Which sounded stupid, even to me. It wasn’t as if it was the first time I’d been face to face with him.

  Julian smiled wide, allowing that perfect dimple to dip into his cheek. “I’m 6’4”. You must be, what, 5’10” or 11”?”

  I nodded, backing up to give myself a little more space. “These heels add several inches, but yes, I’m quite tall.”

  Julian stepped closer. I backed up another step. The click of my heels on the hardwood brought me back to what I was doing and I turned to fill my favorite blue and white Moroccan vase. It was one of Six’s many gifts he sent me on his travels for work. My hand traced the pattern absentmindedly for a moment before I refocused and assembled the roses into the vase.

  Julian leaned forward on the opposite side of the kitchen island, bracing his hands on the granite counter. “You look incredible, by the way.”

  My eyes went straight to his hands. I eyed them almost warily. Not for the first time, I wondered what I was getting myself into.

  “Thanks,” I replied, fluffing the flowers. “You’re not so bad yourself.” I peeked at him beneath my lashes, noticing he was ever-intently watching me. He made me feel shy. I was not shy. I turned around, vase in hand, setting it on the counter near my window, and tried to calm my nerves. This was just a date, Andra. Get it together.

  When I turned around, he cocked his head at me. “Are you ready?” His gaze was curious.

  I smiled and grabbed my clutch from the table by the door, waiting for him to join me. When he walked out the door ahead of me, I switched off the lights, turned on the porch light, and locked the door behind me.

  Julian’s convertible was already on, humming from the narrow gravel driveway next to his cabin. The top was on tonight, which was good because the dust from the road would make us cough violently and our eyes would stream tears. And I wasn’t wearing waterproof makeup.

  We walked to the convertible without speaking, the sound of my heartbeat loud in my ears. The sun was low in the sky and my heels kept sinking into the soft soil. I crossed my fingers I wouldn’t fall and tried for as much grace as possible each time I yanked my heel out of the grass.

  He opened the passenger door and I slid in, smiling my gratitude, before he softly closed the door and made his way around to the driver’s side. The leather was warm and comforting, and the interior smelled of sandalwood – just like its owner – with a faint trace of cinnamon. My eyes landed on the pack of cinnamon gum in his cup holder.

  The driver’s door opened and he slid into his seat, smiling at me before rummaging through the center console. He tossed me a small black case. “Here, you pick the music.” He started backing out and heading down the driveway before I turned my attention to my lap.

  I zipped open the case, pausing for a second at the first disc that greeted me. The CD design was white with yellow and blue paint splatters. OneRepublic. I flipped through the next few discs, noting the eclectic mix of modern day rock/pop, indie, soundtracks to some older movies, and 70s and 80s rock.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Julian sneak a few glances at me when I said nothing, still flipping through the pages of CDs. Towards the back, I found what I least expected. I recognized the way the Q was styled immediately. I paused longer on this disc than the others. I let my hand sit on the disc for a moment before looking at him. We approached one of the state highways and Julian headed east, towards the interstate.

  “You listen to this?” I asked, tentatively. I worried my lip ring with my teeth, stifling everything I wanted to say.

  Julian turned towards me, searching my eyes. “I do.” His eyes did not once glance at the disc I was referring to. How did he know?

  A moment later Julian slipped a hand to the headrest behind me and gently glided his fingers down the nape of my neck. “I noticed this, yesterday morning. When we met.”

  I knew he was referring to the tattoo inked on the back of my neck, but the touch of his fingers over the word marked into my skin sent tiny bolts of desire down my spine. He shifted his hand back to the steering wheel, and his eyes to the road. I swallowed hard. Despite the yearning I felt for him, I couldn’t help the suspicion that narrowed my eyes. “Did you already have this CD when you saw my tattoo?”

  I knew it was probably vain to assume he bought this disc after seeing my neck tattoo, but I couldn’t help it. It seemed suspicious. I’d never dated someone who listened to Queen. Well, truthfully, I never really dated anyone.

  Julian laughed easily beside me. “Well, if you haven’t noticed, your tiny little town doesn’t have any music stores. It’s not like I made a mad da
sh for Denver to search high and low for this disc. But,” he paused, looking at me again, “I can’t lie to you. I didn’t have this disc in my car yesterday afternoon.”

  I drew my eyes together in confusion. “Then where did you get it?”

  “I’m remodeling a house about thirty minutes from the ranch. I go up there to check on the progress from time to time. I had the disc in my larger case in the storage there, and I grabbed it when I went up there this morning.”

  Oh, right. I had forgotten he was remodeling his big fancy house – Rosa’s words – not too far from the ranch.

  “Do you want to listen to it?” he asked, interrupting my thoughts.

  “Hell yes,” I said, sliding the disc out of its holder and into the CD player. I zipped up the case and put it back in the center console. A few seconds later, the bass of the stomp-stomp-clap of “We Will Rock You” reverberated the inside of the car, pumping through the floorboards and the seats. I looked over at Julian with a grin and he laughed, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel in time with the beat.

  I regarded Julian for a minute, willing him to look at me. When he finally did, I asked, “Can you please pull the car over?”

  Julian cocked his head to the side with worry, but did as I asked, pulling off the shoulder of the highway and onto a grassy area. I didn’t wait for him to say anything and instead opened my door, stepping out into the grass, closing my door behind me. I leaned my back against the car, closed my eyes, and calmed my breathing for a moment before Julian had rounded the car to where I was. I opened my eyes again, his presence blocking out everything else.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, concern etched into his face, creating lines between his eyebrows.

  I nodded, swallowing the tension that had stymied my voice. I pushed off the car, standing just a few feet from Julian. I heard my heart pounding in my ears but I stepped closer to him anyway, paying little attention to the anxiety rushing through my veins. Looking him in the eyes, I murmured, “I just need to do this.” Before I could allow the protesting voices in my head change my mind, I reached forward and grabbed the back of his neck. I pulled his face slowly towards mine and took one deep, fortifying breath before I crushed my lips to his.