by Sophia Renny
He would because she’d asked him to.
But not for long.
Now that he’d had a taste of her, he ached for more. God, he’d never felt this possessive over a woman. Never felt like such a…caveman, going all alpha male on her. He wanted to claim her, mark her…
“Looks like you could use a drink.”
Tony spared a brief glance at his brother who had come to stand beside him. He took the bottle of beer Joe extended towards him. He guzzled half the cold liquid down then swiped at his mouth with the back of his hand.
“I’d ask what’s bothering you, but, based on where your eyes have been these last ten minutes, I think I know,” Joe said.
Tony watched Julia talking with Audrey and Collette. He released a frustrated sigh. “I think I might have scared her off. I think I moved too fast.”
“What did you do?”
“I kissed her. Things might have gotten a little out of control. And I told her that I’m love with her.”
Joe gave a low whistle. “Wow. You did move fast. How did she react?”
“She was into the kiss. Way into it. And then she panicked.” He kept his gaze on Julia, hoping his brother hadn’t seen him wince. “She says she needs time to process.”
“Huh.”
They were silent for a few moments. They drank their beer.
“She said something to me and Willa earlier,” Joe confided. “She said she didn’t like the way you and I have treated her like she’s made of glass.”
Tony frowned. “Maybe I did once. Not anymore. I’ve been tough with her lately. I’m not afraid to push her buttons.”
“What are you going to do now?”
Tony hitched one shoulder. “Give her the time she’s asking for,” he admitted, unable to conceal his impatience. “But not too long.”
“I’m glad I was finally able to talk with her tonight,” Joe said. “She said she’s over what happened between us and that she’s ready to move on. I believe her.”
“I do, too.” He threw a glance at his brother. “Now if I can just get her to believe in me and her as a couple.”
Joe clapped his hand on Tony’s shoulder. “Good luck.”
Five days later, Tony was attempting to do some bookwork at his office when Audrey called his cellphone. The call was just the distraction he needed from his muddled thoughts. So far, he’d kept his promise to Julia and hadn’t made any attempts to contact her since the previous Friday. But his patience was wearing thin.
“Tony,” she said without preamble. “We have an emergency.”
He sat up in his chair. “What’s wrong?”
“I was at Julia’s office this morning reviewing the final invoices from the party when her friend called.”
“Hannah?”
“I think that’s the name she said. I was sitting in the conference room. She left her office door open. I couldn’t help but overhear.”
“And?”
“She and her friend are going to Las Vegas.”
Tony frowned. “Okay…”
“Doesn’t that bother you?”
Hell yeah, it bothered him. “She’s free to go where she wants,” he said with nonchalance.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why?”
“It appeared to me that she’s very stressed. I overheard her telling her friend that she’s looking forward to letting off some steam, exploring her options.”
Tony stood up from his desk and started pacing the floor. “Exploring her options?”
What the hell did that mean?
“That’s what she said. I heard her tell her friend to book a girl’s getaway weekend.”
“When?”
“This weekend. I heard her say Southwest out of T.F. Green, this Friday. And they’re staying at the Four Seasons.”
“Huh.” He balled his free hand into a fist.
“So, what are you going to do?”
“What do you expect me to do? She’s entitled to have her fun. She’s not glued to my hip.”
“You’re not worried about her hooking up with some random guy?”
He wanted to slug something. Hard.
“Stop it, Audrey. Julia’s not that kind of girl.”
“I don’t know, Tony. These past few months have been really tough for her. And she’s not thinking clearly. She was so distracted today when we were reviewing the catering numbers.”
“Thanks for letting me know.” His tone was brisk.
“What are you going to do?”
“That’s for me to know. Thanks for calling, Audrey.”
After hanging up on her he sat back down and pulled up the Southwest Airlines website on his computer screen.
Exploring her options?
The only option she was going to be exploring this weekend was him.
Chapter Eleven
Julia basked in the afternoon sunshine in her poolside lounge chair at the Four Seasons. Earlier in the day, she’d enjoyed a luxurious massage and a nap while Hannah had gone shopping. They’d both just had a swim in the beautiful private pool. Now they sipped the fruit smoothies they’d purchased at the cafe and talked lazily of nothing important.
The temperature was perfect, still hovering close to eighty degrees. Julia had slathered on sunscreen and wore a wide-brimmed sunhat. On a whim, she’d purchased a daring red bikini at one of the shops at Mandalay Bay next door. She’d lost all the weight she’d gained since the break-up. These last couple of weeks, she hadn’t eaten much at all.
Hannah’s impromptu invite to fly to Las Vegas for the weekend was proving to be the perfect balm for Julia’s frazzled nerves. Away from Providence, from work, from Tony, she was able to think more clearly, to take a step back and ponder all that had happened the previous Friday night in Audrey’s office and all the things Tony had said and done before that time.
Or she could choose not to think at all.
It had been early afternoon when she and Hannah had arrived the day before. After getting situated in their guest room, they’d walked up the strip to the Forum Shops at Caesars where they’d spent several hours ambling through the various stores before having an early dinner at a restaurant that specialized in Mediterranean cuisine. On the way back to their hotel, they had stopped for a while to watch the water display at the Bellagio. When they had returned to their room, they had sat and enjoyed their view of the strip for a while before Julia had tugged the curtains closed and suggested they call it a night. Hannah had made a joke about how old they were getting as she’d switched off the light between their beds. “It’s only nine o’clock!”
Yawning as she spoke, Julia had reminded her friend that they’d been up since four o’clock in the morning east coast time.
They had a return flight on Monday morning. It was fortunate Julia hadn’t had any events booked this weekend. She’d needed this break. She’d been to Las Vegas several times in the past for one event industry conference or another. She had no desire to see any shows or hit the casinos. The Four Seasons was a non-gaming hotel; it fit her agenda perfectly. Hannah was a shopaholic and had already planned another shopping excursion for Sunday. She hadn’t been at all put out when Julia said she’d rather laze around the pool all day and maybe get another massage.
Hannah was the best.
Julia took another sip of her drink and lifted her face to the sun. “This was the best idea ever, Han. Thank you.”
“You needed it.”
“Yes, I did.”
Hannah flopped onto her stomach. She removed her sunhat and shook out her shoulder-length brunette hair. She turned her face towards Julia. “Has the distance from him helped bring you to any kind of decision yet?” she asked quietly.
“I don’t know.”
“How much time is he giving you?”
“He didn’t say. Not much.” A shiver raced through Julia as she remembered the dark passion in Tony’s voice when he had told her he would come after her if she took too long to thi
nk things through.
“I love how he went all dominant on you,” Hannah said, clearly on the same wavelength. “I like a guy who isn’t afraid to take charge.”
Julia pressed her icy drink cup to her hot cheek. “Let’s not talk about him right now, Han. Okay?”
“Sure, hon.”
They were both quiet for a while. Then Hannah propped herself up on one elbow and gave Julia a sly grin. “Let’s go dancing tonight. We haven’t gone to a club in ages.”
“Where do you want to go?”
“It’s Vegas, baby. The sky’s the limit. Let’s get some suggestions from the concierge.”
Julia had packed a sexy, shimmering silver club dress on the off-chance that she and Hannah would go out. She definitely had some energy and pent-up emotions to burn. “Okay.”
Tony liked to dance. She felt a stir of regret over the missed opportunity to take ballroom dance classes with him.
She had so much fun when she was with him.
He made her smile. He made her laugh. He made her forget everything except the pleasure of his company.
So why was she holding back?
Because she’d had her heart broken? Her confidence in herself, in her own desirability had been bruised. Any woman in the same circumstances would feel a spark when an attractive man held her hand or touched her face or kissed her. Wouldn’t she?
She thought about the way she had felt sitting on the pier with him, or walking along the beach. Just talking. How it had seemed that her world contained more vibrant color and light whenever he was near.
He knew her. Only recently had she begun to realize that he probably knew her better than Joe did. Tony probed beneath the surface. He stirred her up, pushed her buttons, got argumentative. Especially in the last month. It was as if he’d been wearing kid gloves around her all these years. Now the gloves were off.
She liked that.
He made her think beyond the perfect wedding day to the days and days after that, to the possibility of a forever with him.
Honestly, he was all the things she desired in a potential husband.
She did love him. She always had. But was she in love with him?
Was she drawn to him, in part, because of her worry that she only had a few good years left to start a family?
God, what a horrible thing that would be to wake up one day and realize she’d only used him to suit her own selfish purposes.
He wanted to marry her. He’d bought a house for her, for Pete’s sake. It didn’t get more real than that.
She didn’t doubt him. She doubted herself.
This is what happens when your self-confidence gets broken, she thought. Everything was all jumbled around inside her brain. She had no problem making work decisions, no problem juggling several demanding clients at once. But it was very, very hard to make heart decisions when one’s heart was still feeling bruised.
A pool attendant came by offering Evian mists for her and Hannah along with some ice waters. As Julia brought the bottle of water to her lips, she felt someone watching her. She peeked over the rim of her sunglasses, scanning the surroundings. The pool area was busy with a mix of families, couples and singles. There was a group of college guys across the way who’d ogled her and Hannah when they’d first arrived, but those guys were now occupied with a bevy of fawning college girls.
There didn’t appear to be anyone looking at her. Not blatantly anyhow.
Still…
She turned to Hannah. “I think I’ve had enough sun for now. You?”
Hannah yawned. “Yeah. Let’s go in. I’m hungry. Think I’ll take a nap later. This is the life, huh?”
The club, located at the MGM, was at full capacity. The DJ was the main attraction. Most of the crowd was facing the stage, waving their arms in the air as he worked the DJ booth with consummate skill.
Electronic dance music pulsed. Multi-colored strobe lights flashed. The thump, thump, thump of the invigorating beat echoed the pounding in Julia’s veins. Caught up in the energy of the crowd, she pumped her fist in the air and swiveled her hips.
She was feeling buzzed. A good buzz. She and Hannah had shared a bottle of wine at dinner. They’d each had a mojito when they’d first arrived at the club at around eleven p.m. After dancing for a couple of hours, they’d sat at the bar for a while and enjoyed another round before heading back to the dance floor. That had been at least an hour ago.
She was happy. She wasn’t thinking of anything. There was just the music, the steady beat, the joy of letting go and feeling unencumbered.
Someone bumped into her from behind. A body pressed up against her. Too close.
Damn it. Some randy jerk was not going to spoil her mood. This had happened a few other times already tonight. Guys getting too close to her and Hannah. This one was grinding his pelvis against her bottom.
Asshole.
She spun around and glared at him.
He looked like a college guy. Clearly drunk.
“Back off,” she yelled.
“Come on, sweet thing. I’m just dancing. Just having a little fun.”
“I didn’t give you permission to touch me.”
“Can’t help it. It’s crowded. Someone pushed me.”
As she continued to glare at him, he held up his hands in mock surrender and backed away.
She exchanged an eye roll with Hannah before returning her attention to the DJ.
A few minutes later he was at it again.
She twisted away from him. “I said back OFF!”
He pouted. “Don’t be such a bitch.”
Suddenly, someone grabbed the guy’s shirt collar. “The lady said to back off. Touch her again and you’ll regret it.” The owner of that voice shoved the college guy hard. College guy reeled backwards. His belligerent expression after he caught his balance quickly evaporated into trepidation. He held up his hands in appeasement and slunk away.
Tony?
“Tony? What are you doing here?”
He stood directly in front of her. Close enough that she felt the warm heat radiating from his body. He didn’t look pleased. “What are you doing here?” he asked, his tone seething.
“Dancing. Having fun.” She was shouting to be heard. “Why are you here? Are you following me?”
“Yes, I am,” he shouted back without a trace of apology in his tone. “Good thing, too, from the looks of it.”
She glowered. “I had it under control.”
“Hardly.”
“You were supposed to give me time and space. Why are you here?”
He moved closer. He gently grasped her chin between thumb and forefinger and bent his head down to hers. “Keeping an eye on what belongs to me,” he said close to her ear.
Heat coiled low inside her belly. She fought to suppress an exhilarating surge of desire. “I’m not a possession. I don’t belong to you. I belong to myself.”
Hannah moved into their space. “Tony? Wow. What are you doing here?”
His mouth compressed in a grim line. “That seems to be the question of the night.” His penetrating eyes returned to Julia.
“Go away,” Julia implored, dismayed by how quickly and easily she fell under his allure.
He narrowed his gaze, scrutinizing her face. “How much have you had to drink?”
“I’m not drunk.”
“You look it.”
Her glower turned defiant.
He released her chin and grabbed her hand. “Let’s dance.”
She tugged against his firm grip. “No.”
He ignored her, pulling her along as he walked towards the back of the dance floor where it was slightly less crowded and noisy. He turned around to face her, wrapped his other arm around her waist and drew her against his body. He kept her hand clasped in his and brought it up to rest on his shoulder before he released it. Now he had both arms around her waist; his hold tightened.
She shoved her hand against his shoulder. He didn’t budge. “You’re being mean,” she f
umed.
“Am I?” he said with a smirk. He grabbed her hand and brought it behind her waist keeping it clasped in his. This brought her fully against him, her breasts thrusting forward, rubbing against his chest.
His eyes skimmed downwards. A smile of blatant male appreciation tugged at his mouth as he ogled her exposed cleavage. “Nice dress.”
“Pervert.”
“Almost as nice as that little red bikini you were wearing by the pool earlier.”
“You were there? You were watching me?”
“Me and every other straight guy in the vicinity. You were the sexiest woman out there.” His eyes seared into hers. “Not sure I like my girl flaunting her wares to every Tom, Dick and Harry Dick in Las Vegas. Only I should have that pleasure.”
“I thought I felt someone watching me. Where were you hiding?”
“I was on the upper patio.”
She still couldn’t believe he was here, holding her. The buzzing in her head accelerated along with the beat of her heart. “When did you get here?”
“This morning. All the flights yesterday were sold out. What did you and your friend do last night?”
She detected a hint of worry in his voice. The little devil inside of her had her answering flippantly, “We went to see Thunder from down Under and partied with the boys until three in the morning.”
He flashed a cocky grin. “Sure you did.”
She tugged at the hand gripping hers behind her lower back. “You’re hurting me.”
His expression turned instantly contrite. He brought her hand back around, lifting it to his shoulder before releasing it. “I’m sorry, baby. Just put your arms around me. Please? Let’s just dance, okay? I need to hold you. It’s been too long.”
Her reluctance was short-lived. He felt so good against her, so strong and virile. He was wearing a black dress shirt untucked over dark blue jeans. The top buttons of the form-fitting shirt were undone, revealing the sleek lines of his collarbone. Releasing a helpless sigh, she flattened the palm of one hand against his chest just over his heart; she wrapped the other around his neck.
He had both arms curled around her waist again. One hand glided slowly down the curve of her bottom, pressing her even closer against him.