Adored: Book 1 (The Beloved Series)

by MJ Masucci

  Julian removed the phone from her hand and walked near the window trying to get a signal.

  “Here, two bars.”

  He walked into his bedroom to give her privacy while she called Madison. When she was finished, she came to him.

  “Madison told me that the news said it’s going to storm all night. She told me I should stay until it stops.”

  “And I agree.”

  “I can’t stay here.”

  “Why not?”

  “Where am I going to sleep?”

  “In my bed.”

  Nina frowned at this.

  “I’ll sleep in the loft,” he said as he pointed up.

  “It’s your house. Why don’t you sleep in your bed and I’ll sleep on the futon.”

  “It is my house and you’re my guest. I want you to be comfortable. I’ll sleep in the loft or here on the futon. Take my bed.”

  “Do you have anything I can wear to sleep? I’m not exactly dressed for bed.”

  She wasn’t since she was wearing a tank top and jean shorts. It was perfect for the warm August weather, but not for overnight sleeping.

  “Help yourself. I’m sure I have a t-shirt or something you can wear,” Julian said as he pulled the bedroom door closed.

  Nina opened his dresser and found a drawer with t-shirts. Some smelled like him and she held them to her nose, inhaling deeply. In the end, she chose one that hung down to her upper thighs. A few minutes later, he knocked on the door after

  she already slipped under the covers,

  “Come in.”

  Julian was bare-chested and she felt her stomach flutter as she looked at his defined muscles. His stomach wasn’t a six pack, but actually an eight; a perfect V trailed to the waistband of his jeans. Nina looked with appreciation at the taut sinew that made up the musculature of his arms. He turned his back towards her to get some clothes out of the drawer and it was just as defined as his front.

  “Good night, sweet pea,” he said as he walked out of the room.

  Sweet pea? Why did I call her that? It was a term he had used for Beth until she got older and told him to stop.

  The storm continued and thunder caused the cabin to shake. Julian’s concern for Nina grew as several bolts of lightning struck near the woods. He heard a crack and a huge thump. He looked out the window and in the distance was a tree with the remnants of flame which was quickly extinguished by the pounding rain. Another tree for him to cut for fuel.

  He got out of the loft’s bed, climbed down the ladder and stood in front of the bedroom door deciding if he should knock, which he finally did. Nina answered meekly and he swung the door open.

  “Are you okay in here?”

  “What was that loud noise?”

  “Tree got hit by lightning. I’ll cut it up sometime this week.”

  “Is it on fire?”

  “With all this rain, it’s already out. I just wanted to check on you.”

  As he turned to go, she called to him, “Julian, can you stay.”

  “Aww, Nina, I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

  “Please?”

  “Okay. I’ll sleep on top of the covers.”

  “You can get under the sheets.”

  “I think it best that I sleep on top. It’s warm anyway.”

  As respectful as Julian was, he wasn’t sure if he could be so close to her in bed and not want to touch her. It was safer to be on top while she was under the covers. He settled next to Nina, lying on his back. She stroked his face, scratching at his two day growth of beard.

  “Don’t.”

  “You don’t want me to touch you?”

  “I do, but my resolve is weak and I do not want to take advantage.”

  “Julian, you amaze me.”

  “Go to sleep.”

  She snuggled into the pillow that smelled of him and drifted slowly into a dreamless sleep. The storm finally moved off until only the wind could be heard outside. He was still awake long after NIna had fallen asleep thinking of a way to let her down easy.

  This wasn’t right. They were from different lifestyles; he was older and she was barely just starting her life. About the only thing they had in common was their love of art. Julian would have to tell her. No use dragging it out. He would once again prove how unattainable he was.

  In the morning, he got out of bed first. The sun was up and it was later than he normally slept. He crept out of the bedroom and slipped on his jeans that he had left in the living room. A few minutes later she came out with her raven hair a sexy mess and her lovely legs exposed from the upper thigh down.

  “Good morning.”

  “Morning.”

  From last night, the door of his emotions that he had cracked open, shut.

  “Any coffee?”

  “You probably should go before you get caught. The road is clear since the rain stopped hours ago.”

  Without another word Julian pulled on his work boots and an old shirt with oil stains then headed out the door. He didn’t even look back, making Nina wonder what she had done. She went to his bedroom and pulled on her clothing from the day before, leaving the t-shirt she borrowed on the bed. He was nowhere in sight when she walked to Madison’s car.

  Julian heard the rev of a car engine as he worked in the shed. He had closed the doors so she wouldn’t come looking for him. It was unlike him to be so consistently rude; he was taught better. His mother would be horrified by his behavior and how he treated her, a guest at his home.

  As the engine of the car got fainter, he opened the door to the shed. The woods were silent except for the sound of the wind in the trees. This was the way Julian liked it. He rolled his log splitter out of the garage and got it ready to split the logs he had cut the day before.

  He put his headphones on and started the engine then positioned a log to be split. His back was turned and the noise from the splitter drowned out any surrounding noises. When a tap on his back came, he almost jumped out of his skin. It was Nina and the look on her face told him that she was not happy. He turned off the splitter and took off the headphones.

  “I’m not having this Julian. You’re not pushing me away.”

  He inhaled deeply, “I don’t want to push you away, but I think it’s for the best. I was thinking about it last night. We’re from different lifestyles. You’re younger than me and just starting your life. You can find someone your own age.”

  “I don’t want someone else. I want you. I like you. I think we can be good for each other.”

  “I’ve hurt people by pushing them away. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “By treating me the way you have, I’m hurt. Why don’t you let me make the decision if I want to walk away?”

  Nina stood there glaring at him with her arms crossed looking sexy and defiant, her raven colored hair blowing in the wind.

  He scratched at his chin, “Nina, I’m not sure that I’ll ever change. Would you want to be with a man that can’t open his heart? I’m sure there are many men that would easily do that for you. You’re beautiful and sweet.”

  “Why can’t we try?”

  She didn’t wait for an answer, but instead pressed her lips against his, running her fingers through his thick hair. It took him seconds to respond and he opened his lips letting her slip her tongue between them. He roughly pulled her against him, hungering for the feel of her body. They stayed locked together for several minutes before she broke the kiss.

  “You haven’t answered my question?”

  “I will. I’ll try with you, but I know you’ll tire of me.”

  “Julian, I doubt that. I have to go.”

  “Why did you come back?”

  “Because I can’t stop thinking about you.”

  He said nothing as Nina got into her car and he watched her leave the driveway. She waved to him and was gone. It was then that he realized his heart was pounding and he was breathing heavy. Nina made him feel alive, more than anyone had in a long time.

  He sta
rted back working on the logs until he was finished. The weather had turned unbearably hot overnight. He pulled off his shirt and wiped his face. This was a perfect time to go for a swim. As he walked through the woods to the water, he whistled.

  The best thing about living so far off the beaten path is that you could do whatever you wanted without worrying. The twenty-eight acres included a large flowing creek bed. The rain last night had raised the level and it was nice and cold. He removed his clothing and boots then slipped into the rushing water.

  He thought about Nina and her sexy little body sleeping in bed next to him. This morning he had wanted to kiss her cheek before he got out of bed, but he resisted. She would’ve been confused if he kissed her then asked her to leave.

  Now he had consented to…to what? A relationship? A date? He didn’t even know how they could define it. I guess I’ll just have to see how it plays out. He checked his watch and noticed it was after noon; he decided to call Maureen.

  Julian didn’t bother getting dressed and only slipped on his boots as he walked through the woods to the cabin. There was no one near enough to his property to see him naked anyway. That is until he got to the edge of his lawn. A large dark blue car with tinted windows sat in his driveway.

  Julian kicked off his boots and quickly pulled on his boxer shorts, shoving his feet back in his boots. The back door to the car opened as he stood there with the rest of his clothing in his hand. He held his breath until a man stepped out of the back of the vehicle. Vito Caro.

  He had never met the man, but during his research on the internet, he saw pictures of him. Vito Caro was a short, stout man with a wide chest and eyes as black as coal.

  “You Julian?” he asked as he pointed.

  Julian decided to play dumb, “Yes, sir. You have me at a loss, though. You are?”

  The front door swung open and a large imposing man with white hair stepped out of the car, “You should watch your mouth.”

  Julian took a few steps back.

  Mr. Caro put his hand on the man’s arm, “I’ll handle this, Lou.”

  The man who Julian now knew as Lou shut the car door and leaned against it. Julian couldn’t see his eyes behind the sunglasses, but he was pretty sure they were shooting daggers at him.

  “I’m Vito Caro. My daughter, Nina, said she takes a painting class with you?”

  Julian walked towards Vito and when he saw Lou reach inside his jacket, he froze. The shorter man made up the distance and extended his hand. Even though Vito was short, his hand was large and Julian’s was dwarfed by it.

  “Pleased to meet you, Mr. Caro. Yes, Nina is a student in my painting class.”

  “She can’t seem to stop raving about your painting skills. Are you teaching any other classes?”

  “Uh, no. This is the first one I’ve been asked to teach. Do you mind if we go inside? I’d like to get dressed.”

  “You always walk around naked?”

  “Not usually. I was taking a dip in my creek.”

  “Your creek?”

  “Yes. About five hundred feet back I have a creek on my property.”

  “Yeah, sure. Come on, Lou.”

  They followed Julian into the cabin and waited while he dressed in his bedroom.

  “Thank you for waiting,” he said when he came back to the living room area. “Can I offer you something to drink?”

  “No. I got things to do. I wanted to ask if you would take Nina on as a private student. She tells me that her class ends in a few weeks and she would like to study more.”

  “I normally don’t teach privately, but I could make an exception. Your daughter is talented and with a little cultivation she could be even better.”

  Julian realized it was a ruse by Nina to allow her to spend time alone with him after the class at the Annex ended.

  “Where would you teach her?”

  “I have a studio on the top floor of my shed…um, garage.”

  “Which is it, kid?”

  “It’s a garage, but I call it a shed, like an outbuilding.”

  “Can we see?”

  “Of course. Follow me, please,” Julian was doing his utmost to be polite. The last thing he wanted to do was incense the man.

  He showed Vito and Lou his studio. It had been awhile since he had been up here and it was a bit dusty.

  “Doesn’t look like you work here much.”

  “I run a graphics design business and it’s kept me busy lately. I would like to get to painting regularly and I could if I had a student.”

  “How much?”

  “Say, twenty an hour.”

  The man started to laugh, “That the best you can do?”

  “Is that too much? I don’t really know what the going rate is.”

  “I’ll pay you fifty an hour. Don’t shortchange yourself. I expect to see progress from Nina for my money.”

  “You will, sir. I promise.”

  “Boss, we gotta go. You got that thing in a few hours,” Lou said.

  “Thanks, kid. Take care of my little girl. I guess she could start this weekend if you got the time. Otherwise, you can work out a schedule with her—say twice a week?”

  “Sure. I’ll talk to her. I have her cell from the student register,” he lied.

  “Good.” Vito clapped Julian on the back hard, almost causing him to cough and then he tromped down the stairs with Lou.

  He watched them get into the car and drive away as the tires kicked up mud.

  What did I just do?

  Chapter 4

  That evening, Julian texted Nina letting her know that he was paid a visit from her father.

  Your father dropped by this afternoon. He wants me to give you private lessons. Was this your doing?

  Do you not want to teach me?

  I’m afraid that painting will not be the only thing encompassed in my teachings.

  Can we discuss this tomorrow? My father said I was to start Saturday.

  I’ll see you at noon. Be careful driving up here.

  Tomorrow then.

  Goodnight, sweet pea.

  Nina didn’t text Julian back and he went about his summer evening ritual of sitting on the porch in the dark watching the fireflies while he sipped a glass of red wine. He knew that he was on the cusp of something big. Nina wasn’t just “some girl” even though he tried to tell himself that.

  The next morning Julian woke up early and as he stared at himself in the mirror with water dripping from his face, he decided to shave. It had been a few days, but his beard was very thick. He liked an old-fashioned shave with a straight edged razor like his father had taught him.

  He lathered his face and carefully stroked the razor over his skin until he removed all the hair. He cleaned the sink and turned on the shower. The bathroom was smaller than he liked, but the stall was big enough for two people as he had found out with his last girlfriend, Carly. She had been the only woman he had brought here, besides Maureen and now Nina.

  Julian used to have an apartment in town until he decided he preferred to be alone. This was the perfect place for it. Not many visitors and he could keep his own schedule. Nina didn’t realize how little interaction he had with people in the past few years.

  At eleven-thirty, he went to the garage and climbed the stairs. He needed to clean a bit before Nina arrived. The surfaces were dusty and he had to stretch a canvas to put on the easel. As he wiped around the shelving that held his paint supplies, he spied the old brown leather couch he kept in the corner and removed the sheet from it. Sometimes when Julian painted, he grew so tired that he would end up sleeping here for the night.

  He pushed open the double windows and as he did, Nina was pulling into his driveway causing a grin to bloom on his face.

  “Hey, sweet pea, up here.”

  She looked up and smiled, “Why do you call me that?”

  “Come up here.”

  He went to the top of the stairs and waited for her to ascend them, the grin never left his face.


  “Well, tell me.”

  “I don’t know. You’re sweet and small like a pea. If you don’t like it, I’ll stop.”

  “I like it. It’s cute. You called me that the other night.”

  “I know.”

  Julian took her by the hand and led her into his studio.

  “I love this. You paint up here a lot?”

  “Not recently, but I did. I’ve been busy lately.”

  Nina walked around the room and stopped at a sheeted stack of paintings leaning against a wall.

  “Can I see these?”

  Julian walked over and removed the sheet. She flipped through the canvasses.

  “This one is beautiful.” She gestured to a painting he had done of the creek and surrounding foliage in a fall setting.

  “I did that a couple of years ago,” he said leaning over her shoulder.

  “You’re very talented.”

  “So are you. Shall we get started?”

  She turned and buried her head in his chest.

  “Nina, what is it?”

  “I don’t want to paint today.”

  He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, “What would you like to do then?”

  “I want to talk. I want you to know more about me.”

  “Oh, okay. We can talk. Would you like to sit on the couch or go outside?”

  “We can sit here.”

  Nina walked ahead of him to the couch, sat at one end and he sat at the other.

  “You shaved your beard. I like seeing your face without it. You’re very handsome.”

  “I thought you wanted to tell me about you?”

  “I do.”

  Julian chuckled, “Go right ahead.”

  “I’ve lived a very sheltered life thanks to my father. I didn’t always live here. We lived in Brooklyn. When I was fourteen, my mother had enough of my father and she divorced him. She lived here before she met my father and decided to move back. My grandparents were still alive back then and I have an aunt and uncle who live here, too.”

  “I don’t remember you when you were younger from town. But back then, I was at college and I sold my house. I would stay with Maureen’s family when I came home for holidays.”

  “I remember seeing you a time or two when I was younger and of course you substituted at the high school a few times. Even up here my father watches me. That’s why I have Frankie. He said there are people that can get to me if I’m not near him. I know my father does illegal things and there were times when we couldn’t go out at all. I didn’t understand back then.”