Both lay on their sides, still dressed, to Julia’s relief, and facing each other while they talked. In between the bright flashes and the rolling thunder was the melodious rhythm of the hard-driving rain.
Julia shared more about her life. What was the harm in sharing her brief life with Kevin? It felt good.
“For a long time after Kevin left, I thought that everyone I’d ever come to care about would leave me. Sometimes I still do,” she concluded.
“I’m sorry you had to go through all of that,” Carson comforted her.
“Don’t be. What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger. Isn’t that how the saying goes?”
“Are you stronger?”
In Julia’s mind, she flashed back to all that she’d lived through in the past couple of months, thought about how, when the chips were down, she had had the guts to do what was necessary to survive.
“Definitely.”
When their eyes met again, she no longer heard the raging storm outside. All that existed in the world was Carson and his penetrating gaze.
Her mouth went dry and her skin tingled wantonly for his touch. Secretly she worried that if he touched her, she’d lose control.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured, caressing the side of her face. “Both inside and out. That must be what draws me to you.”
Her breathing thinned beneath his intense gaze. She should say something, she thought belatedly. But what? Everything that managed to surface from her muddled mind seemed clichéd or weak. She doubted that words could describe the myriad of emotions assaulting her senses.
“I’m glad you invited me here today,” Carson went on, as if he hadn’t noticed she’d been struck dumb. “I might never have gotten another chance to do this.”
Julia watched his head descend seemingly in slow motion, and within that time her hopes of his being everything she’d ever wanted teetered. Perhaps she shouldn’t hold such high expectations—maybe then it wouldn’t hurt so much when she was let down.
His lips met hers gently, questioningly, then hungrily.
Julia held back, but discovered that she was fighting a losing battle. His passion was more intoxicating than his wine-flavored lips. His touch ignited a fire she feared would never be extinguished.
Their lips tore apart, leaving them both short of breath.
Julia settled her head within the curve of his neck. She watched the outline of his small Adam’s apple bob while he continued to struggle for control.
She closed her eyes against the caress of his gentle hand against her cheek. That was when her body began its torturous rebellion against her brain’s logic, which preached that it was too soon, and that her heart couldn’t take another disappointment.
When Carson’s lips claimed hers again, she blocked out her inner voice’s sermon and reveled in the sweet magic of Carson’s lips and hands.
“Tell me if you want me to stop,” Carson said in a passion-filled voice.
Stop? She would die if he stopped now. In response, she pressed against him and felt her body instantly surge to life.
Julia was vaguely aware of Carson removing her blouse and even her bra, for that matter, but when his lips deserted hers and descended slowly to the column of her neck, she couldn’t remember how to get air into her lungs.
She moaned wantonly when his tongue brushed against her painfully taut nipple. Her back arched, inviting him to take all of her. She wanted more than anything to lose herself in the folds of his sinewy arms and breathtaking lovemaking.
Carson playfully sucked and licked her breast while removing her skirt and then her panties.
This is you chance to stop him. The singular thought managed to surface from the haze of her mind. Julia shook her head, hoping to bury any suggestion of ending this moment.
When Carson’s hands and mouth had abandoned hers, she opened her eyes almost in fear that he’d changed his mind about what they were about to do. She saw instead that he’d removed his clothes. She couldn’t have dreamed of a better physique on a man if she’d tried. Everything before her was rock-hard: the broad span of his shoulders, his chiseled abdominal muscles, and his throbbing manhood.
His mouth returned to hers, drugging her with his hunger. Her legs opened at the gentle nudging of his knee, but he didn’t enter her just yet. Instead his mouth left hers.
Julia gasped in surprise when his tongue slid expertly into her. Her legs instantly tried to close, but he had been prepared for that and held them firmly in place.
Her moans grew louder and she shamelessly bucked against his probing mouth, only to draw his tongue in deeper. The room tilted on its axis while she could do nothing more than thrash uncontrollably in the aftermath of an orgasmic explosion.
Carson entered the dewy walls of her womanhood in one firm thrust. The length and thickness of him surprised her, as did the feel of latex. She clawed at his back in an attempt to hold on to something during the rocking of their bodies.
He murmured her name repeatedly against the shell of her ear, and filled her with a strange sense of power.
Heat swelled in the center of her being while her moans bounced off every room in the house.
Carson’s strong hands gripped her hips as he drove into her in long, fluid strokes. Their climactic cries reverberated throughout the house as the lovers’ sweaty bodies slumped wearily together.
For the next few minutes they tried to gain control of their labored breathing, then Carson turned to her and said, “Wow.”
Julia laughed. “You took the word right out of my mouth.”
He flashed one of his infectious grins. “You want to go for round two?”
She flattened herself against him. “I thought you’d never ask.”
Chapter 25
Shortly before midnight, Julia slipped into the Georgia Inn, feeling as though she were walking on clouds. It was the best she’d felt in years. Respectful of the late hour, she made sure she moved quietly throughout the house, but no sooner had she reached the staircase than the light clicked on in the foyer.
She glanced up, surprised to see Lilly frowning sternly at her.
“I’m sorry.” Julia blushed. “I thought I was being quiet.”
“You were. In fact, I was afraid that I’d already missed you.”
Julia had never seen Lilly look so grave. Afraid something had happened to Robin, she put her hand over her heart. “Has something happened?”
“I guess you can say that. I need to talk to you.”
“Robin…” Julia barely choked the name from her throat.
“Robin is fine. She’s upstairs asleep.”
Relief, fast and intense, weakened Julia’s knees. When her mind cleared, she was still faced with a very solemn-looking Lilly.
“Can I talk to you in the study?” she inquired.
“Of course,” Julia replied, still clueless as to what could be so urgent and grave as to transform the usually vibrant Lilly.
Julia followed Lilly’s long, quick strides down to the private study. Once there, she was instructed to close the door behind her.
Obediently, Julia did as she was told, then looked questioning at Lilly. “Now can you tell me what’s going on?”
“Funny. That was exactly what I was going to ask you.”
Julia had the unnerving feeling that she’d just crossed over into the twilight zone. Was she supposed to know what Lilly was talking about? “I’m afraid that I don’t follow you,” she said.
Lilly promptly jerked open a drawer to the secretary that stood between them and placed a gun on the desktop.
Julia’s eyes fell to the .357 Magnum and her mouth instantly went dry. It was her gun. “How?”
“It was unusually drafty upstairs tonight. I went into your room to grab a blanket for Robin. Imagine the heart attack I nearly had when I reached up on the top shelf of your closet.”
Julia had no problem picturing the scene Lilly had just described. She also had no problem imagining the number of gossipi
ng buddies Lilly must have called. She glanced back up at Lilly and decided to play it cool. “I’m sorry if it scared you.”
“Never mind that. Why is this hidden in your room?”
“Why else? For protection.” Julia forced a smile. “Surely I’m not the only woman you know who carries a firearm.”
“As a matter of fact, you are—this kind of weapon, anyway. Most people out here carry rifles, and that’s for hunting. This is not used for hunting.”
“Of course not. Look, it’s a registered weapon. Where I’m from women can never be too careful, that’s all.”
“And where is that exactly?” Lilly crossed her arms as if preparing for an interrogation.
Julia took the defensive. “Look, I apologize if the gun frightened you, but I’m well within my rights to carry a gun for protection.”
Lilly simply stared at her.
“Look.” Lilly jabbed her fists against the sides of her hips. “I like you, Julia. But I’m well aware that I don’t know much about you or where you’re from.”
Julia remained quiet.
“I just want to make it clear that I don’t want any trouble here. Do we understand each other?”
“Perfectly.”
The silence that hovered between the women was deafening. Lilly’s intense gaze probed Julia’s; then finally she nodded with satisfaction. “All right. I guess I’ll see you in the morning.”
With a tight smile, Julia nodded and retrieved her gun before leaving the study. She managed to stifle the alarm bells ringing in her head while she climbed the stairs to her room. Her secret longing for Moreland to be her and Robin’s new home crashed and burned before her eyes.
She should have known this would happen. Everything was just too perfect. Her eyes blurred at the thought of leaving the quaint town, but her heart broke at the thought of leaving Carson.
Frankie swore he’d never seen a storm quite like this one. In fact, he was quite amazed that he’d managed to keep his car on the road.
“Are you sure you know where you’re going?” Nicholas inquired, twiddling with the temperature and defrost buttons.
“You’re more than welcome to drive,” Frankie snapped. “And stop playing with those. You’ve got the windshield all foggy.”
“Whatever, man,” Nicholas barked back. “I was just trying to help.”
“Yeah. Well, don’t.”
The jet of air blasting through the vents muffled Nicholas’s retort. It was just as well, Frankie decided. The last thing he wanted to do was start an argument.
After a long pause, Nicholas perked up again. “You know, for the life of me, I don’t know why my father brought you back into the organization.”
Frankie stiffened. It had been a question that had floated through his mind, but he had chosen to ignore it. His last job had been more than four years ago. It had been a job some of the Montellos had considered a failure, but to this day Frankie didn’t.
“I don’t kill children,” he stated flatly.
“Children are witnesses. Children grow up.” Nicholas matched his tone.
“A man must have his boundaries. Uncle Vinny understands that.”
Nicholas snorted with a half laugh. “A man’s boundaries are his weaknesses.”
This time Frankie laughed. “You’re young and wet behind the ears. This business is nothing but a game to you. Your father says knock this guy or that guy off and you’re stupid enough to get addicted to the adrenaline rush.”
“Whatever, man.” Nicholas kept his gaze focused on what little road they were able to make out in front of them.
“Sooner or late you’ll search for ways to steal back that soul you’ve sold to the devil.” Frankie no longer knew whether he was talking to Nicholas or himself.
“Sounds like you regret coming back,” Nicholas said.
Suddenly the motivation behind Nicholas’s questioning became crystal clear. So this was why Vinny had pushed his son on him. He wanted to know whether Frankie was still trustworthy.
“I’m good at what I do,” he answered, and refused to expound.
“That hardly answers the question, now, does it?”
Frankie risked pulling his eyes from the road. “It answers the question perfectly.”
Nicholas shrugged, but held a smile. “I’m sure we’ll see once we get to Moreland.” His hand caressed the lining of his gun. “We’ll see.”
Robin woke, smiling, at the crack of dawn. Today was the day she and Bobbi had agreed to a rematch with Stanley and the boys, and she couldn’t wait. She sprang from the bed with a jolt of energy, then stopped short when she saw her mother packing at the foot of the bed.
Her heart sank.
“W-what are you doing?” she finally found her voice to ask. Her mother hardly glanced in her direction.
“We have to leave,” she said flatly.
“But why?” she asked. When her mother didn’t answer, Robin’s vision blurred. “B-but what if I don’t want to go?”
Her mother sighed with slumped shoulders. “Please don’t make this harder than it already is.” She looked at Robin. “It’s just time for us to go.”
Tears trickled from Robin’s eyes. “B-but I like it here. You said that you liked it here. Why do we have to go?” She knew she was behaving like a baby, but it didn’t matter. She had to convince her mother to stay. She loved Moreland. She loved Lilly, Rick, Bobbi and Carson. She and Bobbi had hoped to become sisters. They dreamed about it and talked of little else.
“We’re not going back to him, are we?”
Julia stopped what she was doing and gave her a pained look. For a moment she thought her mother would burst out crying, too, but instead their eyes met and held for a long time before her mother spoke.
“I understand that you’re disappointed, Robin. And I’m sorry.”
Robin’s bottom lip quivered and she struggled to do the right thing and not throw a fit. Those things had never worked with her mother, anyway.
“I laid some clothes out in the bathroom. Please hurry and get dressed.”
Wordlessly she stomped past her mother, well aware that such an act was just as bad as talking back to her. When she reached the bathroom door a thought occurred to her. “Has Mr. Webber fixed the car yet?”
“No,” her mother said. “We’re just going to have to get bus tickets.”
Robin frowned. “To where?”
Julia jerked toward her. “I’m not in the mood for twenty questions. Will you just go do what you were told?”
Shocked, Robin could do no more than stare at her mother. She’d never snapped at her like this before. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask if she’d had a fight with Mr. Webber, but then she thought better of it.
“Yes, ma’am,” she mumbled under her breath as more tears spilled over her lashes.
Carson arrived at work earlier than usual. He’d hoped to knock out as much of his work as possible so he could get over to the inn to see Julia. However, it was almost impossible to concentrate on anything with his thoughts drifting back to last night.
His smile broadened whenever he pictured her face. Even now he could hear the way she spoke his name. Such things were addictive.
“Mrs. Julia Webber,” he said, then nodded. He liked that. It had a nice ring to it. Of course, that was wishful thinking. He shrugged. What was wrong with dreaming? “Mrs. Julia Webber,” he repeated, and laughed at his own behavior.
Carson picked up the small stack of boxes by the rear door of the shop and saw that Julia’s alternator had come in. Of course, he hadn’t placed the order until two days ago. He should be ashamed of how he’d tricked her into staying in Moreland, but he wasn’t.
One day, preferably after their third child, he’d tell her the truth about what he’d done. Maybe by then she’d be amused by the story. He laughed again.
An hour later, he placed the 1962 Chevy Impala up on the car lift and proceeded to replace the alternator. It wasn’t long before he realized that somethin
g else was wrong with the vehicle.
Puzzled, Carson rechecked his work but still had the same results.
Absorbed in what he was doing, Carson didn’t hear the footsteps approaching.
“How’s it coming along?”
He jumped and pivoted toward the voice. “Julia.” He smiled. “What are you doing here?” He moved from beneath the car and reached for a nearby rag to wipe his hands.
“I came to see about the car,” she said matter-of-factly.
Carson got the distinct feeling that something was wrong. “Everything is coming along fine,” he fibbed.
“Really?” she questioned with a slight rise of her eyebrow.
“Let’s just say that I’m determined to get the job done.”
“That’s no answer.”
Had he detected irritation in her voice? He shifted uncomfortably. “What’s the big rush? You’re not thinking about leaving us, are you?”
He’d expected her to answer with a quick “no” or “of course not,” but instead she hesitated, then said, “I can’t stay here forever.”
“Of course you can,” he assured her, but she didn’t appear to be swayed. “I don’t want you to go.”
For a long, heartbreaking pause, she said nothing.
“You don’t want to go either,” he added.
Her eyes deserted his, and he knew the simple act meant she’d made up her mind.
“But I thought that after last night—”
“Last night was wonderful,” she said in a small voice. “I will never forget it…but I can’t stay.”
His hurt paved the way for disappointment; then anger steamrolled everything in its path. For a brief moment he believed she’d purposely led him on—that she’d intentionally made him feel things he’d been determined to bury with Karen.
“If you’re unable to fix the car today, I’ve asked Pierce to drive me and Robin into Columbus. We can grab a bus from there.”
His anger drained out of him as he stared at her in shock. “You’re leaving today?”
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