“You came,” he whispered, almost not believing his eyes.
“Yes.” She looked around the dark room.
“I’m glad.” A smile tugged at his lips. She was nervous. It was evident in the way her eyes avoided him, how she pressed the nail of one of her fingers into her thumb. They were small tells for someone so confident.
Henry extended his gloved hand, palm up, fingers wide. Holding his breath, he didn’t know what to expect. There was no doubt in his mind that they wanted each other. No,neededeach other. He needed her desperately, and he hadn’t known how ardently until his lips touched hers.
Julia ever so slowly placed her hand at the top of his wrist and pulled his glove off.
Panic and worry seized him. “Don’t,” he croaked, not knowing if she would accept his scars.
“Trust me, Henry,” she whispered, before she pulled at the offending object.
He did trust her, completely. She was his anchor, everything he needed, and he wouldn’t let her go.
Without hesitation, she took his other hand in hers, removed the other glove, and dropped them both. Ever so softly, she trailed her fingers over the scarred flesh. The movement was so gentle and tender that it nearly brought Henry to his knees.
Julia placed her hand in one of his. Little splashes of paint in a variety of hues decorated her delicate skin. His fingers closed around hers, and Henry knew without a shadow of a doubt that this was the feeling he had searched for. It was exactly what he had been longing for these past three years. It was a feeling of absolute completeness—of belonging.
He pulled her toward him, their bodies perfectly aligned. Wrapping his free arm around her small waist, he brought her impossibly closer to him, so there was no space between them. He could feel her nipples through the thin layer of her chemise, and God, how he longed to see them, to taste them.
Henry bent down, his lips hovering over hers for a brief moment. He stared into pools of magnetic blue that had always reminded him of the sky just before the sun peeped through the horizon. The morning gave him the feeling of a new start. It was exciting and full of possibilities. That’s what she had always been to him, a new beginning.
After years of doing everything his mother wanted, their relationship was the only thing that he had done for himself. Being with Julia St. John had made him feel alive. She gave him the courage to want more, and by God, he wanted her.
He wanted Julia beyond anyone and anything in the world. “Tell me why you’re here, Julia?” he asked in a low gravelly voice. She shivered at the deep timbre of his words.
Henry released her hand and ran his through her long dark tresses. He still couldn’t believe the sight of her like this, so unbound and free. It was what he had left behind, the opportunity to see her in such a state should’ve been lost to him forever. But now she was his again, and he would not let her go.
“I-I want you.” Her voice was honest as she stared at his lips. “I need to feel something … just once.”
He knew the feeling. For years, he had felt nothing but the pain of his own failure.
Bending down, he brushed his lips softly against her cheek ignoring the last part of her comment—just once. This would not be their only time together. They would have an eternity, if he had any say in the matter.
He slipped her robe off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor. Brushing his lips against hers, he committed the curve of them to memory. No, this would not be their last time. One glorious taste of her showed him what a complete idiot he had been for leaving. How could he let her go now?
She sighed into his mouth, opening for him. He lifted her into his arms as if she weighed nothing, causing her to giggle like she once did when he would sneak a kiss at a ball.
He carried her over to the chaise lounge and set her on her feet. Removing his banyan, he placed it down on the chaise before he turned to her. He stared into her eyes, hoping and praying that he wouldn’t see doubt or regret, but all he saw was acceptance and desire.
Henry fought back a grin, feeling proud of his now muscular form.
In a bold move that shocked him to his bones, Julia slipped the nearly transparent chemise down. Slowly allowing it to glide down her body, revealing pieces of silky pale flesh to him. His mouth watered in desperation. Her dusty pink nipples were puckered and begging for him. Her abdomen, smooth and flat, led down to a triangle of dark curls.
Henry reached out for her with shaking hands, embarrassed by the sight of them, but once again, his beautiful, bold Julia shocked him and brazenly took his hand and placed a kiss on his scarred fingers.
The movement was tender and kind, filling his heart with an emotion he had not felt in years. She was the only woman he had ever had a true connection with, and he wanted it again more than anything.
“Lay on the chaise,” he instructed her, wanting to take his time so that he could savor each precious moment he had with her.
He tried to restrain himself, but he desperately wanted to claim her. But this was her first time. He would not rush it or treat her like a common whore but cherish every moment.
Cherish her.
Julia sat down, her eyes on him. His gaze hungrily prowled her body, noticing the contrast between the paleness of her skin and the dark velvet furniture.
In one fluid motion, he pulled his nightshirt over his head. Julia’s eyes widened at the sight of him. For a moment, he worried that he had frightened her, but a wicked gleam filled her eyes.
