Promise Me

by Hilary Wynne

“It was good. My appointment with Ellen was good, and after I met all the girls for dinner. It was a nice night.”

  “Sounds like it.”

  “How about yours?”

  There is a heavy pause on the other end of the phone. When Julian does reply I hear the tension in his voice. “Not as good.”

  “Why? What happened?”

  “Nothing. I’m just missing you.”

  Oh wow. Tears well up in my eyes. “Well, we can fix that. Why don’t you come over?”

  “It’s late and I’m sure you’re tired. Maybe we can see each other tomorrow.”

  He sounds sad, which isn’t usual for him. “Or, we can see each other tonight. I can come there if you’d rather not come here.”

  He starts to say something that sounds like another no, but I interrupt him. “I miss you too, Julian. I’d love to see you.”

  He pauses for a moment and all I hear is his breathing. “Okay.”

  “Okay? Great. I’ll see you soon.”

  I can’t help but smile as I hang up the phone. I do miss him and want to see him. I make the decision right then I’m not going to tell him about Luke tonight. I got a sense of the old Julian during the few minutes we were on the phone, and I’d love to spend the night with him and just be together with no drama.

  About thirty minutes later, I hear a knock on the door and when I go to answer it, I find a tired-looking Julian on the other side. The second I open the screen door he pulls me into his arms and holds me close to him. I can immediately sense the tension in his body and know at once something happened today that has him upset. I pull away from him and take a step back, allowing him to pass by me into the house. I take his hand, lead him to my room and shut the door behind us. It’s hard not to miss the look that passes over Julian’s face when he takes me all in. I don’t sleep in much and it’s obvious he approves of the tiny white tank and boxer bottoms I’m wearing. I wrap my arms around him again and breathe his scent in. I freaking love the way he smells; it’s intoxicating. After a few minutes, Julian steps away and sits down on my bed. He’s dressed in a purple t-shirt with a white pair of cargo shorts and black flip-flops. It’s a look I love on him. I slide under my covers at the head of the bed and pat the spot next to me.

  “Come closer.”

  Julian kicks his flip-flops off and crawls onto my bed. He lays his head on my stomach and when I look down, his eyes are closed. He’s breathing deeply and his brow is furrowed. I gently run my hands through his hair and wait for him to tell me what’s going on. After about five minutes he does. His voice is soft and barely audible.

  “Caroline came by the hotel today. She had the baby with her. His name is Joseph.”

  My pulse quickens. I can’t believe she had the nerve to show up at the hotel. I don’t say what I’m thinking though, and let Julian continue.

  “I thought I was feeling better about the situation, but seeing her showed me I’m not. I got pissed, and sad, and then pissed again. She wanted to apologize, but I told her to leave. I can’t forgive her.”

  I draw on every bit of compassion I have when all I really want to do is tell him he should never forgive her. “It’s only been a few days, Julian.”

  He rolls over onto his back so he’s looking up at me. “When I decide to care, or not care about something, it happens. I’ve been very good at shutting off my feelings about things for so long. Or at least I was. I can’t seem to do it anymore and—”

  “And what?”

  “And it’s your fault.”

  What did I do now? “My fault? How?”

  “Ever since you fell onto me in the stairwell, I’ve been unable to get a grip on how I’m feeling. I feel out of control and I fucking hate it.”

  I can’t help but laugh even though he’s being serious. I smile down at him. “It’s called falling in love. Or being in love, and I’m glad you feel it too. I’ve been an emotional basket case since I fell on you in the staircase, and am glad it’s not just me. I spend my days feeling a little out of control. It only really gets better when I’m in your arms. That’s where I find my peace, and my balance.”

  Julian sits up and turns to face me. He pulls me in for the night’s first kiss, and it’s tender and loving. “You make me feel everything, Alexa Reed. Todo. After Caroline left today, I wanted to call you. When I feel out of control I want to be near you. I stopped needing people a long time ago and you changed that. I need you.”

  The kiss that started out tender turns more and more passionate as Julian pours his feelings into it. Somehow I end up under him, his body blanketing mine. We’re holding onto each other as tightly as possible. It’s one of those moments we often share, when we’re both trying to become one. I needed this from him. I need to know he still needs me.

  “I love you. So much.”

  “I love you too. And I’m sorry I have been giving you such a hard time the last few days. I know I haven’t been very easy to deal with.”

  I pull away from his embrace for a minute so I can look him in the eyes. “Please don’t apologize for how you feel, or act. You’re amazing. You have a lot on your plate and it would be very unfair of me to expect you to just act like everything is the same as before. I just want you to love me. That’s all.”

  Julian kisses my forehead, then my eyelids, and finishes with a gentle kiss on my lips. “I could never not love you. You’re in my heart, mi amor, para siempre.”

  Chapter 8

  I can’t help but smile when I wake up to a sleepy and sexy Julian next to me. “Good morning, baby. It’s almost nine. We probably should get up.”

  Julian shows no signs of urgency and pulls me to him with one arm and holds me tight instead. I can feel his warm breath on my shoulder. “Mmm. I’d rather stay here all day.”

  “Me too. But you have a hotel and business to run and I have clients at eleven.” I attempt to pull away, but he tightens his grip on me.

  “If you agree to go back to Sanibel with me Saturday night and Sunday, I’ll let you go.”

  I immediately feel anxious. Sanibel? The last place we were truly happy. The place where we agreed to spend the rest of our lives together.

  “Are you going back this weekend for work?” I know it’s a stupid question, but I need to know if he’s planning something.

  “Sí. I need to check on some of the renovations. I was supposed to go up last week, but things got crazy and I didn’t go. I told the architect I’d meet with him on Saturday. I was going to go and come right home¸ but I thought it would be nice for you to join me, and make a little trip out of it. We did have a good time last time we went.”

  “A good time? That was only a good time to you?” I’m trying to stay calm and hope my playfulness and sarcasm cover my nerves. I can’t help but wonder if he’s planning some kind of reenactment of that weekend; one that ends with my ring being put back on my finger.

  Julian’s mood turns serious. “It was the best weekend of my life.”

  I think we both get lost in a few of the memories of that weekend for a moment. “It was perfect and I’d love to go with you. I’m supposed to work on Sunday, so I’ll have to see if I can get someone to cover for me. I can let you know later, okay?”

  Julian’s smile makes my heart melt. “Okay.”

  I try to get up again and he still won’t let me go. I give him a quick kiss and try to wiggle away. “You said you’d let me go if I agreed to go. We really need to get up.”

  With his arms wrapped around me, Julian does some kind of quasi-wrestling move so I’m on my back and he’s between my legs, his face near my bare stomach.

  “I lied. I’ll let you go after I’ve felt your sexy body cum for me.”

  One look in his lust-filled eyes lets me know he isn’t joking. This man wants me, and the heat I see in his gaze makes me forget the time. Julian’s warm breath tickles me as he places a few sweet kisses across my belly. When he runs his moist tongue across my hipbone, I moan out loud and involuntarily raise my hips. �
�Mmm, someone wants this. Can I taste you, baby? Is it okay if I make you cum with my mouth?” As he’s asking me these ridiculous questions, he’s running his tongue slowly around the inside of my thighs. He’s kissing me everywhere but where I need it most, and it’s driving me insane.

  “Oh my God, stop teasing me please! I can’t take it.” To show him I’m serious, I grab his head and move it so it’s right between my legs. He chuckles softly just before he licks me in slow, wide circles. When he pulls my clit gently into his mouth and starts to suck on it, I lose all control.

  With one hand on his head holding him to me, and the other grabbing my sheets, I grind my taut lower body into Julian. “It feels so fucking good.” My voice is ragged and desperate. “Please don’t stop.” Julian doesn’t stop. Instead he slides two fingers into my sex and thrusts them in and out in a pace that matches what he’s doing with his tongue. I’m dripping wet and unable to hold back any longer.

  “Oh my God, Julian. I’m coming! “ My voice tapers off as my monumental orgasm wracks my body. The sensation that started in my toes rolls up my body like a wave and shatters into a million pieces leaving me limp and breathless. I try to push Julian’s head away because the sensitivity I’m feeling on my clit is overwhelming, but he doesn’t let me. He keeps licking and sucking and thrusting his fingers in and out of me until I’m begging him to stop.

  “You have to stop now, I can’t handle it anymore. It’s too much, Julian.” Julian ignores my desperate pleas and wraps his arms around my thighs, his face still buried in my sex. I start to whimper. “Julian, please, it’s too much.”

  Julian’s tongue slows and I feel his fingers sliding out of my channel. I take a deep breath and try to shift away only to feel his grip tighten on me. The thought that he was done is quickly dispelled when I feel the slight pressure of his finger moving lower and lubing my other entrance with my own juices. As Julian delicately massages me there, he continues to run his tongue through my slickness. I don’t know if I want him to penetrate me like this, but I can’t find my voice to tell him to stop. I’m lost in a sea of sensations that have me drowning, and as I search for the right words to tell Julian my thoughts, I feel his finger slide into me. The sensations are conflicting. The pressure is slightly painful, yet so pleasurable at the same time. Julian knows this is new to me and continues to be gentle. He moves his finger slowly, in and out, letting me get used to this new experience. He’s still working me with his mouth and shows no sign of stopping.

  My soft moans serve as an indicator that I’m enjoying what he’s doing, so he doesn’t question if it’s okay. The longer this goes on, the more comfortable I’m becoming with it, and I’m able to relax my body. I find myself pushing into his thrust with my hips allowing him deeper access. The first time I do this I hear a deep throaty groan come from Julian. His desire, his tongue and his fingers are taking me somewhere I haven’t been before, and the feeling is exhilarating. My thighs begin to tremble as my second orgasm begins to build in my core. Julian notices and takes his mouth off of me long enough to ask me a question. His fingers keep moving inside of me.

  “You like me touching you like this, don’t you? You’re so fucking sexy and you taste so good. Does it feel good when I lick your sweet pussy and play with your ass, baby?”

  It’s hard to speak because my senses are so heightened and I’m overwhelmed to say the least. The smell of his body and mine joining together in this erotic act, the sight of him moving between my legs, the feel of him touching me in my most intimate places, and the taste of him on my lips from our earlier kisses have me sizzling from sensory overload.

  My voice is barely a whisper when I push it out. “Yes. It feels so good. You make me feel so good.”

  My legs start to shake as my orgasm grows in intensity, and right as I’m about to explode, Julian slides his finger out of me, gets on his knees, and thrusts his rock-hard shaft into me. Oh. My. God. His dick hits the sweet spot in me, and what follows truly is the most exquisite sexual feeling I’ve ever experienced.

  Julian makes me cum harder than ever before. He always makes me feel incredible, but this is different. I look down at my knuckles, which are turning white as I grip the sheets with all of my strength. I feel my toes curling involuntarily and I’m finding it hard to stay still. I feel so out of control and I can’t fight it; don’t want to fight it. I want to just feel every single sensation. Julian gets into a strong and steady rhythm, and as he slides in and out of me, the attack on my senses continues. We’re staring at each other and connecting on the deepest level two people can. We’re fucking, making love, talking to each other with our eyes and our bodies, and holding nothing back. I can see in his eyes that he’s mine again. I reach up and put my hand gently on his chest and he slows his thrusting. “I love you. My God, I love you so much.”

  Julian reaches for both of my hands, threads his fingers through them, and puts them over my head. He leans down so his face is next to mine, his lips a breath away, and rolls his hips into me steadily as his own orgasm races through his body. After the last kick, he lets go of my hands and lies himself half on me, half off, his head on my chest. His breathing is rapid and shallow, and I wait for it to slow before I speak. I turn to look at the clock and what I see snaps me back to reality. What a buzz-kill.

  “Crap, Julian, it’s almost ten. I have clients at eleven. I have to go.” Talk about getting lost.

  Julian chuckles a little. “Okay, mi amor. You can get up. I’m done with you for now.”

  Thank God. I couldn’t handle any more of him this morning. I scoot away from him and sit on the edge of the bed for a minute. “Gracias. I appreciate the furlough. I need a break. That just about sent me over the edge.”

  Julian rolls onto his back, and the sight of his tanned, ripped stomach, long legs and semi-hard shaft send a zing through my body. Holy crap, I’m addicted to this man. He places his hands behind his head, making him look even sexier, and flashes me the Bauer smile. “Sí, that was pretty hot.”

  “How are you even remotely still hard, Julian? I can barely walk.” It’s true, I’m on my feet and my legs are wobbly.

  “You’re standing in front of me naked, Alexa. I can taste you and smell you on my lips, on my tongue, on my hands. How could I not still be turned on?”

  I see him start to harden at the thought of what we just did. “Well, I can’t help you with that.” I make a swirling motion with my finger and point to his dick.

  I walk toward my bathroom and look over my shoulder at the beautiful man in my bed.

  “At least not right now. I’d love to return the favor tonight though. So imagine my taking you in my mouth and licking and sucking you until you can’t see straight. Okay?”

  I hear Julian groan and laugh seductively behind me as I shut the bathroom door. I look in the mirror as I reach in to turn on the water in the shower, and I’m amused by what I see. I have a glazed look in my eyes and the words “well-fucked” could have a picture of me next to them in the dictionary. Wow. I try and shake off the memories of what Julian just did to my body so I can concentrate on getting ready for work, but as I begin to wash between my legs I’m reminded he was just there, staking a claim on me. I’m swollen and I know I won’t be able to stop thinking about his touch for a while.

  I gather all of my willpower and make myself think about my day. There’s no way I’ll be able to wash and dry my long hair so I make sure to keep it dry. I finish showering quickly and when I pull back the shower curtain, I find a still-naked Julian standing there holding a fluffy white towel out to me. I guess I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t hear him come in. Once again, I’m aroused by the sight of his naked, muscular body and am thankful he didn’t join me in the shower; I really need to get ready. I’m starting to feel stressed about the time. I step into the towel Julian is offering, and he wraps me in it and pulls me to his chest. He kisses me on the nose and smiles sweetly.

  “Thank you for last night, and this morning. W
e needed this.”

  By “this” I guess he means the emotional re-connecting we’re doing. He could also mean the earth-shattering sex. I certainly needed that!

  I kiss him softly on the lips. “Thank you. I agree.” I step back out of his embrace and quickly run the towel over my body. I hang it on the hook behind the door and turn to see Julian stepping into the shower. He glances back over his shoulder and winks at me. Well, I think he does, I’m too busy looking down at his perfect ass to really know.

  My family and friends always give me crap about the fact that I usually pick out my clothes the night before. I’ve done it my whole life. If I don’t feel good in what I’m wearing, I’m bound to have a bad day. It’s been that way for as long as I can remember. My habit proves to be a huge help today because I’m running so late. After I pull my hair into a low ponytail, put on a little makeup and brush my teeth, I slip into an all-white, belted peplum sleeveless dress that makes me look even more tanned. The belt is black, and I could always wear black shoes with it, but I’m in a fantastic mood and feel like wearing something with a pop of color. During one of my dark “I’m an idiot so I broke up with Julian days” I was shopping on line and found a funky pair of Sophia Webster four-inch sling back heels on sale. They are striped with black and white on part of the shoe, and tangerine and white on another part. They have a cute, black bow at the toe and a tangerine heel. They are a little wild, and when I made the impulse buy, I didn’t know if I would ever wear them. After sliding them on and looking at them in the mirror at all angles this morning, I’m glad I did. I love them and they make this outfit.

  I’ve been so busy trying to get myself out the door that I’ve hardly paid attention to what Julian has been doing. When I come out of my closet he isn’t in my room anymore. I find him in the kitchen making me a cup of coffee. I flash him a sincerely appreciative smile. My smile disappears when I look down at my watch and see I have about thirty minutes to get to The Promenade. I have serious buyers coming in at eleven, and it’s going to look so bad if I’m late. I take my travel mug from Julian and look around for my purse. I throw a banana in it and start to follow Julian out the door.