Love at First flight

by Marie Force

  “It’ll be over soon. Stay strong for her, Monique.”

  “I’m doing my best.”

  When they got back to his car, Michael surprised Juliana when he said, “Let’s go out to dinner.”

  “Do you have time?”

  “I need to get my mind off it for a while. Help me?”

  “Of course. But before we change the subject, I have to tell you that you handled them beautifully. Both of them.”

  “Do you think so?”

  The insecurity on his face touched her. “I do.”

  “Thanks.”

  “No trial talk for…” she checked her watch, “three hours. Deal?”

  He leaned over to kiss her. “Deal.”

  They went to the Chart House on the Annapolis waterfront and talked about everything but the trial and even managed to avoid talking about Jeremy and Paige. Michael was putting his credit card back in his wallet when an elderly couple approached their table.

  “Mr. Maguire?” the woman asked.

  “Yes.” He stood up to shake their outstretched hands.

  “We just wanted to wish you well with the trial,” the man said. “All of Maryland is pulling for you, young man.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  “Enjoy your dinner and your pretty young lady,” the woman added.

  Michael smiled. “I will, thank you.” After they walked away, he extended his hand to Juliana to help her up.

  “I’m dining with a celebrity,” Juliana teased.

  He put his arm around her. “Shut up.”

  They were still laughing as they walked the dock that led to the parking lot.

  “Juliana?”

  Juliana looked away from Michael and came face-to-face with Pam and David Newman, close friends of hers and Jeremy’s who were stunned to see her with another man’s arm around her.

  “Pam, David.” She tried to hide her shock. Oh God. They’ll tell Jeremy they saw me with Michael.

  They both kissed her cheek while trying not to stare at Michael.

  “This is my friend, Michael.” She made a huge effort to keep her voice normal as she introduced them. “This is Pam and David Newman, friends from high school.”

  With what appeared to be great reluctance, David shook Michael’s hand.

  “What brings you guys to Annapolis?” Juliana asked a little too brightly.

  “It’s our anniversary,” Pam said, looking Michael over with interest. “Three years.”

  “Already? That seems hard to believe.”

  “How’s Jeremy?” David made no attempt to hide his annoyance at seeing her with Michael.

  “He’s doing great. Working hard in Florida. I was down there a few weeks ago.”

  “Be sure to tell him we said hello,” David said. “We’ll have to get together when he gets home.”

  “Do I know you from somewhere?” Pam asked Michael.

  “No, I don’t think so. We need to get going, Juliana.”

  “Well, it was nice to see you guys.” She hugged and kissed them both. “Happy anniversary.”

  “Thanks,” Pam said, studying Michael again before David led her away.

  “Oh my God,” Juliana whispered, trying to catch her breath. “Oh God.”

  Michael put his arm around her and led her to the parking lot. “Hey,” he said once they were in the car. “You haven’t done anything wrong.”

  “David will go right home and call Jeremy. He might not even wait that long. Jeremy was David’s best man. I was a bridesmaid. This is really bad.”

  “Juliana, look at me.” When she turned her eyes to him, he said, “You aren’t doing anything that he’s not doing, too. Surely if David calls him, Jeremy will tell him that.”

  “No,” she whispered. “Jeremy will just freak out. He won’t tell David we’re not seeing each other. He’d never tell him that. They’re going to think I’m cheating on him while he’s out of town.”

  “But you’re not. Come on. Don’t do this to yourself. You know the truth.”

  She dissolved into tears.

  He brought her into his arms. “Oh, Juliana, don’t. You’re breaking my heart here.”

  “I’m sorry,” she sniffed. “It’s not that I’m ashamed to be seen with you, Michael. I’m so proud to be with you.”

  “You are?”

  “Of course I am. I just don’t want them to think I’m cheating on him. I couldn’t bear that.”

  “Then maybe you need to tell them what’s going on.”

  “Yes,” she agreed. “I’ll have to.” She looked up at him. “I’m sorry to ruin our evening. Thank you for dinner.”

  He kissed her cheek. “Thank you for taking my mind off the trial.”

  “Can we go home? Please?”

  “Absolutely.”

  They were quiet on the ride, but he kept his hand wrapped around hers. At home, he asked for her opinion on which suit and tie he should wear to court the next day. He laid the two options on his bed. “What do you think? The navy suit and red tie or the gray suit with the blue tie?”

  Juliana studied the choices. “Blue suit, red tie,” she said. “Definitely.”

  “How come?”

  “You’re representing the government, right?”

  “Right.”

  “Red and blue is patriotic.”

  “Good point. Thanks.”

  “I’m going to bed.”

  He put his arms around her. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

  With her hands on his chest, she nodded. “Good luck with everything tomorrow. I’ll be thinking of you.”

  “I’ll be thinking of you, too,” he said, kissing her lightly.

  “Think about your work. Don’t think about me.”

  “Impossible.”

  “Good night.”

  “Night.”

  Hours later Juliana lay awake, her mind racing with unpleasant scenarios. Running into Pam and David had thrown her. She wasn’t prepared to explain her relationship with Michael to them or anyone else. Hell, she couldn’t even explain it to herself.

  When the ceiling above her bed creaked a couple of times, she realized he was pacing. She got up, pulled on her robe, and tied it around her waist on the way upstairs.

  Moving back and forth across his big bedroom lost in thought, he wore only a pair of loose-fitting pajama bottoms that hung low on his narrow hips.

  Juliana tried not to stare at his muscular chest and washboard stomach. “Michael?”

  “Hey,” he said, surprised. “What are you doing up?”

  “Couldn’t sleep. What about you?”

  “I can’t.” He tapped his head. “Can’t turn it off.”

  She went over to him and took his hand. A perplexed look crossed his face when she tugged him toward his bed. “Lie down.” He did what she asked, and she could tell she shocked him again when she lay down next to him.

  He groaned. “Is this supposed to be helping?”

  “Turn over.”

  Keeping his eyes trained on her, he shifted onto his side.

  “All the way.”

  Face down on the bed, he turned his head so he could see her.

  She reached over to massage his back, her mouth going dry as her hand made contact with his warm skin.

  He sighed.

  “Close your eyes.” She moved to her knees so she could massage him with both hands. “Feel good?”

  “Mmm.”

  “Go to sleep.”

  He snorted. “Yeah, right. I’ve got the most beautiful girl in the whole world in my bed, and you expect me to sleep through it?”

  His words shot straight to her heart—and a few other places. When she leaned over to kiss his cheek, his eyes flew open. “Sleep,” she said, brushing a hand over his eyes to close them again. She kneaded the tension out of his shoulders before she worked her way down his back. As his breathing became slow and steady, she applied less and less pressure until she was certain he was almost asleep. She started to move off the bed, b
ut his arm encircled her hips to draw her down next to him. Since it was either fight him and wake him up or stay with him, she chose to stay.

  Chapter 16

  Michael woke up thirty minutes ahead of the three alarms he had set. Turning to find Juliana in bed with him, he thought he was dreaming. Then he remembered the way she had cared for him the night before and was filled with a whole new surge of love for her. Her silky dark hair was spread out on the pillow and one arm was tossed over her head. Michael studied her exquisite face, realizing he wanted to wake up with her forever. He knew it with a certainty he had never felt with Paige and didn’t have a single doubt he could spend his life with Juliana and be completely content.

  After he watched her sleep for at least ten minutes, he remembered the trial was starting today and he needed to get moving. Amused to acknowledge that only waking up to Juliana in his bed could have pushed the trial from his mind on this of all days, he leaned over to kiss her cheek before he got up to shut off the alarms and take a shower.

  He was knotting the red tie she had chosen for him when she stirred.

  “Hey,” she said with a yawn. “What time is it?”

  Tugging on his suit coat, he sat down next to her on the bed to tie his shoes. “Six thirty. Go back to sleep.”

  She ran his silk tie through her fingers. “Are you okay?”

  Dumbstruck, he watched her fingers slide over his tie. “Yeah,” he was finally able to say.

  She held out her arms to him, and he sank into her tight embrace. “Get ’em,” she whispered, using Rachelle’s words for encouragement.

  He pulled back to look at her. Trailing a hand down her face, he brushed back her hair and kissed her. “I’ll call you when I get out of court.”

  “I’ll be waiting.”

  He left her with one last kiss.

  Juliana went back to sleep for a couple of hours. When she got up, she made Michael’s bed and threw in a load of laundry before she went downstairs to flip on the television and find her cell phone.

  On the local news at the top of the hour, she caught a glimpse of Michael going into the courthouse. A pack of reporters followed in hot pursuit as he moved quickly up the stairs. The camera cut to a standup shot of a blonde reporter gesturing to a fleet of media trucks with large satellite dishes on top. “As you can see, it’s quite a circus here at the courthouse. Back to you in the studio.”

  Juliana put the television on mute and dialed Pam’s number at work.

  “Pam Newman.”

  “Pam, it’s Juliana.”

  “Oh. Hi.”

  “Um, listen, about last night…”

  “If you’re worried David’s going to tell Jeremy, I think I talked him out of it.”

  “I appreciate that, but there’s something you should know.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Jeremy and I are… well… we’re—”

  “Spit it out, Juliana.”

  “We’re not seeing each other right now.”

  “Since when? What happened?”

  “Almost a month,” Juliana said, finding that hard to believe.

  “Because you’re seeing that other guy? He’s the prosecutor who’s been on the news with the Benedetti trial. I figured that out this morning.”

  “Yes, he is, but he’s not the reason Jeremy and I aren’t together. I swear to God, Pam. That’s not it.”

  “Then what? I can’t imagine this world without you and Jeremy together. What happened?”

  “Have you ever had a fight with David that you tell everyone about and then wish you hadn’t when he does something wonderful to make it up to you?”

  “Of course. All the time, actually.”

  “Well, I’d rather not get into the why and how of it, if that’s all right. I just didn’t want you and David to think I’m fooling around on Jeremy while he’s away. That’s not the case.”

  “What’s going on with you and that sexy lawyer, Juliana? You two were awfully cozy.”

  “I’m not sure. But I wouldn’t want Jeremy to hear about it through the grapevine because it would upset him.”

  “He won’t hear it from me, but I can’t make any promises about David. He was pretty spun up about it last night.”

  Juliana winced. “I’m sorry. It was your anniversary.”

  “Don’t worry about it. Do you need anything, Juliana? Are you okay?”

  “I’m just fine. Thanks.”

  “Call me soon, will you? I want to know what’s going on.”

  “I will,” Juliana promised and ended the call. She had done what she could to put the lid on that situation. Turning off the television, she went upstairs to shower and get dressed so she could spend her day off cleaning her mother’s house.

  Juliana was riveted to the lengthy coverage of the trial’s fourth day on the six o’clock news, which included the daily interview with Michael on the courthouse steps. According to his reports to her each night, the trial was going as well as he could hope for so far, but he was frustrated by the defense team’s propensity to drag everything out. One witness he hoped to get in and out in half a day spent two full days on the stand.

  He had called a short time ago to say he would be home around eight and to pester her once more about going with him to Rhode Island the next day. Juliana put him off yet again because she didn’t feel right about going. What would his family think when he brought home someone new just a few weeks after he broke up with his fiancée? Not to mention someone who wasn’t quite free of her boyfriend of ten years?

  Because she hadn’t heard from Jeremy she was hopeful that David had resisted the urge to report in to him. Imagining Jeremy’s reaction to hearing she had been out on a cozy date with another man, she shuddered. No matter what else happened, she didn’t want to hurt him if she could avoid it.

  Leaning forward from the sofa, she reached for the clicker to change the channel as the news ended. She had just sat back when she was startled by the sound of glass breaking and tires squealing in the street. Before she could move to see what was going on, the glass coffee table in front of her shattered. Juliana sat frozen in shock for several seconds until she felt something dripping on her face. Reaching up, her hand came back covered in blood.

  She screamed.

  Someone pounded on the door. “Juliana, open up! It’s Officer Tanner.” He banged on the door again. “Juliana!”

  She crawled over the back of the sofa to avoid the glass that seemed to be everywhere and opened the door.

  “Are you all right? Oh, Christ, you’re bleeding. Shit! I went around the corner for one minute to take a leak.” He called for backup and an ambulance and dug a handkerchief out of his pocket. “Sit down. Here, on the stairs.” He pressed the cloth to her forehead, which seemed to be the source of the blood coursing down her face.

  Stars danced in her eyes, and sirens wailed in the distance as she fought to stay conscious. In a matter of minutes, the house was full of cops and paramedics. They carried her into the dining room to lay her down so they could clean her wound and apply a butterfly bandage to her forehead.

  The cops scoured the room for evidence. Under the remains of Michael’s coffee table they found a large rock. Juliana swallowed hard when she realized that if she had leaned forward to change the channel one second later the rock might have hit her rather than the table. The thought made her sick.

  A buzz went through the room when the cops discovered a message painted in red on the rock. “What does it say?” one of them asked.

  “‘We’ll find her.’”

  “What the hell does that mean? ‘We’ll find her?’”

  “Rachelle,” Juliana whispered in a panic. “They’re talking about Rachelle, the witness in protective custody. Someone needs to call Michael. Right now.” She tried to push herself up but the room spun, making her nauseous. “Call Michael,” she begged Tanner.

  He unclipped his cell phone from his belt. “What’s the number? I have it in the car.”

>   Juliana gave him Michael’s cell number and then squeezed her eyes shut as her head began to throb.

  “Mr. Maguire, Officer John Tanner. We’ve had some trouble at your house. You need to come home right away.”

  Juliana could hear the muffled sound of Michael yelling into the phone.

  “She’s hurt, but she’s okay.” He told Michael about the rock, the message, and Juliana’s worries about Rachelle. “Yes, of course. I’ll be right here with her.” He hung up the phone, and turned back to Juliana. “He’s coming.”

  Michael’s heart lodged in his throat. Hurt but okay. What the hell does that mean? Hurt how? He drove like a maniac through the city. When he turned on to Chester Street, the police lights, ambulance, and crowd gathered on the sidewalk in front of his house turned his blood to ice.

  He pulled his car into the first available spot on the street and didn’t care that he left the car door hanging open in his haste. All he could think about was getting to Juliana. “Let me through!” he yelled when he reached the outer edge of the crowd. “Goddamn it! Let me through!”

  The crowd parted, and a police officer who recognized Michael lifted the yellow crime scene tape for him. He flew up the stairs and into the house, stopping dead in his tracks when he saw Juliana lying on the dining room floor covered in blood. “Oh my God,” he gasped. For a brief nauseating moment he thought he was going to faint.

  She raised a hand to him. “I’m okay. It looks worse than it is.”

  He dropped to his knees next to her and rested his head on her chest. “Oh, baby, what did they do to you?”

  “We think a piece of glass from the coffee table nicked her forehead,” Officer Tanner said.

  “Where the fuck were you? She could’ve been killed!”

  The young officer paled. “I’m sorry, Mr. Maguire. I left for five minutes to go to the bathroom. They must’ve been watching me.”

  “Do you think?”

  “Michael, please.” Juliana’s fingers combed through his hair. “Don’t yell at him. It’s not his fault.”

  Michael fought back tears, and as he gathered her into his arms he was hit with the shakes. “You could’ve been killed,” he whispered.