Adored: Book 1 (The Beloved Series)

by MJ Masucci

  “Julian, maybe you should take me home.”

  “Is that what you want?”

  “No, but I don’t want to be selfish by demanding anything of you. You seem upset.”

  “I’m not upset. What do you want?” he asked softly.

  Nina stood up, placed her cup on the small kitchen table and walked to him. She started by removing her sweater, then unbuttoning her blouse.

  “Nina, what are you doing?”

  “I thought it was obvious.”

  “It is, but…”

  She said nothing and walked to his bedroom where she continued to disrobe. He leaned against the doorjamb watching as she slipped under the covers, naked.

  “Are you joining me?”

  “You’re giving me little choice.”

  “You have a choice but I didn’t think you could resist a naked woman in your bed.”

  “A naked woman maybe if she was anyone but you.”

  Julian tore at his clothing pulling down his underwear, which revealed his cock was as rigid as a pole. He scrambled into bed next to her and put his hands behind his head.

  “Are you just going to lay there?”

  “You wanted to lead, so I leave it up to you.”

  She shyly kissed him on the corner of his mouth then pushed the covers back so she could climb on him, straddling his belly. They stared at one another for several seconds before Nina leaned down to plant kisses on his face. Julian removed his hands from behind his head to stroke her legs, his hands coming dangerously close to her cleft.

  He softly kneaded the flesh of her inner thighs then moved to cup her ass and move upward, running his fingers along her ribs. She shuddered against him.

  “Are you cold?”

  “No, just happy.”

  Nina pinched his nipples and he gasped into her mouth then lay upon his chest as he embraced her, loving the feel of her breasts against him. Julian gently stroked her spine with his fingers.

  “You have such lovely soft skin,” he said as he moved her hair to kiss her neck, twisting it around his hand.

  She sucked at his lower lip, nibbling and exploring the contours of his face with her mouth and tongue. Her fingers wound into the thick hair on the sides of his head and gently tugged to pull him towards her.

  Julian thrust his tongue into her mouth, seductively sliding it against hers. Nina moaned loudly and shifted her hips, so her sex was in contact with his cock. Slowly she moved, slicking his length with her juices and was rewarded with a moan of appreciation from him.

  “I need to fuck you.”

  “I thought you were letting me take the lead?” she said as she grinned wickedly at him.

  “I am, but I’m telling you what I need.”

  His eyes grew dark and eyebrows knitted as if he were deeply concentrating, then he closed them.

  He opened them when he felt her getting off him.

  “Sweet pea, what are you doing?”

  “I’m relinquishing control to you.”

  “I’m not sure I can be gentle the way I feel now. You should be on top.”

  Julian hovered over her and she put her hand on his cheek.

  “I can handle it.”

  “Baby, I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “You won’t. I want it.”

  “Get on all fours.”

  Nina looked at him with fear.

  “We haven’t tried this position before,” he said.

  But she had and she didn’t like it. Caden had been rough with her. She hesitated and turned her head away from him.

  “Sweet pea, what’s the matter?”

  “I don’t like that position,” she whispered, not looking at him.

  It started to dawn on Julian why and he began to lose his erection as anger took hold. He cursed and pulled her towards him.

  “I should have knocked is teeth down his throat.”

  “It’s my fault. I should have told him no. I regret having sex with him.”

  “Nina, I would never hurt you. If you don’t want to try that position with me, then it’s fine. I’m not forcing you to do anything you don’t want to do.”

  “I know. I want to try it with you. I know you won’t hurt me.”

  But the seed was planted in his head and he wasn’t sure he could ever make love to Nina in that position without it bringing back horrible memories for her.

  Julian settled in behind her as they both lay on their sides, her back to his front, as he splayed his hand against her stomach to hold her against him. He pulled the covers over them and buried his head in her neck.

  “I love you. Intimacy is not only sex. It’s being close. Why didn’t you tell me what happened with Caden?”

  “I knew it would upset you.”

  “He scarred you.”

  “He did but I want you to make me forget.”

  “I’ll try my best.”

  Julian curled around her and she fell asleep in his arms.

  Chapter 14

  “Julian? Are you up there?”

  He was just putting the finishing touches on the painting for her birthday along with some other surprises.

  They had spent the last month in domestic bliss. During that time, Nina had spent very little of it at her mother’s home. She had talked Julian into getting new furniture for his cabin. Gone was the futon and in its place was a comfortable couch.

  They had spent almost every day talking about getting married. Julian couldn’t decide which one loved the other more. They both decided that their love was a need like one needs water rather than a want. They needed each other.

  “Nina, you can’t come up here. I’m doing something very special and you’ll ruin it if you see it before I’m ready.”

  She stood on the stairs whining, but he told her to go in the house until he was ready to show her what he had done. He planned this for several weeks. Nina had initially sat for the painting and then Julian put the finishing touches on it. He was planning on building a new home on the property and this would be hung in one of the rooms. It was unfortunate that the cabin had very little wall space to accommodate such a masterpiece.

  Julian heard chopping outside the garage and looked out the window. In the past few weeks, he had taught Nina how to chop wood for the fireplace and that is what she was doing. He opened the window to yell out to her.

  “Darling, what are you doing? It’s your birthday.”

  “I have pent up energy. I need something to do.”

  “I’ll be ready to show you in another hour. Be patient.”

  He shut the window and went to a drawer that held some of his paints. He needed to double check that the box was there. Julian moved it around so many times since he obtained it that he wasn’t sure where he put it. Everything was ready for tonight. The sun would be setting in another hour and he would be ready to show her everything.

  When he came in the house, Nina was stretched out on the couch with her eyes closed. She yawned and her eyes fluttered open.

  “Sleepy?”

  “Very. I had a busy day today.”

  Frankie and her mother had taken her to breakfast, giving Julian time to take care of some of his errands for her birthday. Later, Vito and her brothers took her to lunch. Julian declined joining them since their relationship was still a bit icy particularly after his talk with Vito two weeks ago.

  “Yes, you did. I hope you have some energy for me tonight. I have some things planned for you.”

  “Oh, finally I get to see what you’ve been up to in the studio?”

  “Yes, baby, you get to see. I’m going to shower and then it's surprise time.”

  He quickly showered, adding a bit of gel to his now shorter hair. Nina had given him a haircut at the start of October. His thick black hair no longer fell into his face and it was more stylish. She had taught him how to use the gel since it was foreign to him. Previously, he would brush it and go or throw on a ball cap.

  When Julian came out of the bathroom, Nina was patiently s
itting on the couch eyeing him in his low-hanging towel.

  “Plenty of time for what is on your mind,” he said winking at her.

  “How do you know what is on my mind?”

  “Oh, baby, I’ve seen that look many times.”

  “Jerk!”

  “Yes, but I’m your jerk.”

  Julian dressed in black jeans and a soft gray cashmere sweater. He dabbed on cologne that she had recently bought him. As she put it, she was domesticating him. He told her she was turning him into a metrosexual.

  “Okay, sweet pea. Ready for your surprise?”

  “It’s about time! I’m absolutely bursting.”

  He took her by the hand and led her to the garage.

  “Stay here.”

  Julian left her at the bottom of the stairs and hurried up so he could prepare his surprise. When he was finished, he brought a bandanna down with him which he put around Nina’s eyes and tied it at the back of her head.

  “Is this really necessary?”

  “Yes, it is, so stop being grouchy.”

  He carefully led her up the stairs and brought her to the middle of the room.

  “Stay there until I tell you to take off your blindfold.”

  Nina tapped her foot and heard a drawer open and close.

  “Okay, take the blindfold off.”

  She pulled it off and her mouth dropped open. He had decorated the studio with clear Christmas lights. The entire room was illuminated by them. Several vases of dahlias and red roses adorned the area. Julian was kneeling on one knee in front of her with a black box in his hand which he opened as soon as she removed the blindfold.

  “Nina Caro, would you do me the honor of accepting my marriage proposal? I’ll be the happiest man alive if you do.”

  “Oh, my God. You’re asking me to marry you?”

  He stood up and removed the ring from the box, a two and a half carat princess cut diamond with round diamonds lining the thick white gold band. Julian held it out for her to slip on her ring finger; it was a perfect fit. Nina began to cry and he took her in his arms.

  “Happy birthday, sweet pea.”

  “I love it, Julian,” she cried into his chest.

  “Your mother said you would.”

  She pushed away from him, “My mother?”

  “Yes, she helped me pick it. I wanted one with far more diamonds but she said you would like something less busy.”

  “She was right. I love it and I love you.”

  “You haven’t answered my question?”

  “Yes, yes! A million times yes. But what about my father?”

  “We had a talk a couple of weeks ago. Though he’s still not thrilled at the thought of you marrying an outsider, he gave me his blessing.”

  “And my brothers?”

  “They’re never going to like me, but I’m not marrying them. Are you ready to see your other presents?”

  “Isn’t this enough?”

  “I want to show you what I’ve been doing up here.”

  He took her over to his easel which was covered with a sheet. He pulled it off and she covered her mouth with her hand. It was beautiful.

  When Julian had asked Nina to pose, she had been naked, lying on the floor on her stomach with a sheet over her behind showing just a hint of ass cheek. Her back had been completely bare and Julian had her pin her hair up to show her neck.

  “It’s me.”

  “Yes, baby, it’s you.”

  “It's going to go to waste; there’s nowhere to hang it in your house.”

  “I’ve been thinking about that. I have so much land and want to build a bigger house.”

  “I thought you liked the cabin?”

  “I love the cabin, but you can’t house a family in such a small place.”

  “Does that mean you want to have babies?”

  “Not just have them, have them with you. But we have plenty of time for that. Let’s be together for awhile before we consider children.”

  Tears started to spill over Nina’s cheeks.

  “Sweet pea, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to push you.”

  “These aren’t tears of sadness; they’re tears of happiness.”

  “We have a lot of decisions to make and you have to decide what kind of wedding you want.”

  “I don’t.”

  “You don’t want a wedding?”

  “No, not at all. We can have a civil service.”

  Julian scratched his head, “Your father won’t like that. He said he wanted to throw us a big wedding.”

  “I know what he wants and I don’t want it. I have what I want: you.”

  “You’re going to have to tell him. He wasn’t too keen on me even asking you to marry me. He said we’re too young and he doesn’t know me well.”

  “I don’t care. This is my life and I want to start it with you as soon as possible.”

  He looked at her puzzled.

  “Julian?”

  “Uh, yeah.”

  “You haven’t said anything.”

  “I’d marry you tomorrow if we could, but I think we should wait at least a little while after our engagement. Your father might think I knocked you up.”

  “It’s not for him to think. I’ve spent too long doing what he wants and obeying his rules.”

  “Why don’t we wait a little while and then decide.”

  Headlights skimmed the ceiling as a car pulled into the driveway. Julian looked at his watch.

  “That would be your third surprise.”

  “You got me something else? I think the portrait and the engagement are enough.”

  “You’ll like this very much.”

  He grabbed her hand as he heard a car door slam. They ran down the stairs and greeted Thad who had a small Husky dog with bright blue eyes on a leash. Recently, Julian had introduced Nina to the Tallmans. She fell in love with the four remaining puppies they had from Sasha’s and Eagle’s litter.

  One of the male pups clung to her each time they visited. He licked her face and followed her around whining for her to pet him. Now, when he saw Nina, he pulled at his leash and Thad let him go so he could run to her. The puppy jumped on her as she kneeled down to pet him.

  “Is he for me?”

  “Yes, sweet pea, he’s yours.”

  The puppy was a little over four months old and fortunately for Julian, he was house trained.

  “My mom isn’t going to let me keep him.”

  “You leave him here. You’re here all the time anyway and soon this will be your home, too.”

  “Are you two shacking up?” Thad asked.

  “We just got engaged,” Nina held out her hand for him to check out the ring.

  Thad whistled, “That’s a nice rock you got there. Congratulations.”

  “Thanks,” Nina said and went back to playing with the puppy.

  “Julian, are you sure after what my father told you?” Thad whispered.

  “My father was wrong with what he told Jesse. I have reason to suspect my father’s business partner. Let’s discuss this another time.”

  “I gotta go. I want to see the kids in costumes at the mall.”

  “We would go but we have more important things to do.”

  “I bet,” Thad said as he got in his car.

  After he had left, Julian told Nina that he had one more present for her.

  “You don’t need to spoil me. I can’t believe all you got me.”

  “You’ll need these gifts.”

  He went to the back of the garage and took a big cardboard box from behind his truck. The puppy practically knocked him over with his interest in the box and Julian had to put it down before he fell. He took the leash from Nina so she could open her last gift. Inside was a food and water bowl combo, some chew toys and a large dog bed.

  “I have a bag of puppy chow in the house. What are you going to name him?”

  “Bear.”

  “Bear?”

  “Yes, he looks like a little wooly bear. He’s s
mart, too.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I taught him to sit last time I was over at the Tallman. Watch.”

  She gave the command to sit and Bear cocked his head at her then sat.

  “Well, shit, you really did teach him to sit.”

  “Can we go inside? I’m chilly out here.”

  It had begun to get windy and a fine drizzle had started to come down.

  “Take Bear inside. I’ll shut everything up and bring in your gifts.”

  Later, after Julian had secured the garage and made a fire, they sat on the new couch watching the flames dance. Bear slept in the corner of the room on his new dog bed. Soft jazz was playing on Julian’s iPod and he pulled Nina up to dance, holding her tightly against him. He smiled down at her, tenderly kissing her lips as she closed her eyes.

  “I can’t remember a time when I’ve been so happy. Thank you for this.”

  “No, Julian, thank YOU for this. I never thought it could be this way.”

  They continued to dance even after the song stopped and a less danceable song came on. They moved together and held each other. Nina’s phone began to ring and “My Way” played in the background.

  “It’s my father.”

  Julian held her tight, not wanting to let her go.

  “Let me go,” she said half-heartedly.

  He just kept dancing with her until the phone silenced. A few seconds later, the phone started to ring again and Julian regrettably let Nina go so she could answer it. He tried not to eavesdrop on her conversation but the cabin was small and short of him plugging his ears, he couldn’t avoid it. Patiently waiting for her to finish, he went into the kitchen to open a bottle of wine.

  “My father offers his congratulations.”

  “I bet he does,” he mumbled.

  “Julian! He’s happy for us and wants to pay for the wedding.”

  “And what did you say to that?”

  “I told him there isn’t going to be a wedding.”

  “Is he blaming me for it?”

  “No, I told him it’s my decision and you would have it either way.”

  “I imagine he wasn’t very happy.”

  “No, he was not, but I said it’s my choice. He said we would talk about it.”

  “I see an argument in your future.”