Chapter Seven
A new tension slithered through Julia’s veins now. Ten at night, and she and Ryan had arrived back at her apartment a few minutes ago. They’d stopped at the flat Ryan and Caleb shared for Ryan to pick up some of his gear. Now that the door closed behind them, her apartment seemed too intimate. Ryan’s scent ghosted around her, enticing and seductive. He took up space, the air in her kitchen.
“I’m knackered,” he said, holding his hands in the small of his back and leaning back. “I swear the painting prep was more exhausting than anything I’ve done this year.”
“You’ve used different muscles. Have a hot bath while I clear the spare room for you. The bathroom is down the passage on the right.”
“No, I’ll help.”
“Go and have a bath.” Sharp and terse. She bit her lip at the appearance ofBitch Julia. Consciously lowering her voice, she tried again. “If you use the bathroom first, then I can jump into the shower straight away.”
He nodded, his sexy lips perking up into the beginnings of a smile. “You’ve seen me naked before.”
“Bathroom.” The sudden need to laugh tugged at her, and she pointed. “Go.” To her relief, he left and she waited until his footsteps faded before she sagged against the kitchen counter. She didn’t understand how he did it. Yesterday morning she’d been so certain she wanted a divorce. Ryan was muddying her thoughts, confusing her. Now she didn’t know what she wanted, what to do for the best. He’d sounded sincere about the photos—she didn’t sense he was lying.
With a sigh, she strode down the passage, grabbed clean linen, and continued to her spare bedroom. He was splashing around in the water already, his husky voice singing a classic Jackson song. She smiled before she could stop herself. Heck, why didn’t she admit the truth? In two days he’d charmed her all over again. She didn’t stand a chance.
Julia finished making the bed for Ryan and cleared away some of the surface clutter that had encroached into her guest room. Once she was satisfied, she wandered to her own room, collected her robe and paused. She sank onto her bed. No, as weak as she was feeling now, it wasn’t a good idea to walk into the bathroom and jump into the shower with Ryan still lolling about in the bath.
So she sat there, waiting and trying not to imagine the beads of water covering his chest, trying not to listen to the husky ballad he was singing—something she hadn’t heard before but one that echoed the need stirring inside her now. The singing coming from the bathroom trailed off.
She froze, sucking in a breath when she heard the water gurgle down the drain. Then her imagination turned redcoat. A vision of his broad shoulders filled her mind as she conjured details from the past. His trim waist and hips. His sexy tattoo. His muscles flexing with each rub of the towel along his limbs. One of her towels. A low-level buzz bloomed in her sex. A pithy curse escaped, and she leaped to her feet. The movement made her conscious of the way her clothes clung to her skin, the lace of her bra abrasive against her nipples.
“Julia, I’m done.”
“Thank you.” A boon to her sanity. “The room is ready for you.” She opened her door and came face-to-face with him. Her steps faltered. “Good night, Ryan. Thanks for helping me today.”
“Goodnight, Julia.” He entered the spare bedroom and closed the door behind him, leaving her standing in the passage, gaping at the wooden barrier between them.
Well, what had she expected?
Yanking from her reverie, she stalked into the bathroom and shut the door. The room was steamy after Ryan’s use, and those ridiculous visions ran through her mind again, springing into sharp relief.
“Fuck.” She cursed again because it felt good on her tongue. Her mother would scold her for the bad language. Susan would for certain, if she’d been present. Julia stripped off her clothes and jumped under the water. It was only lukewarm and should have dampened the desire streaking through her veins. But the temperature heated all too quickly.
“Heck,” she muttered.
She grabbed her scented gel and applied it with rough, scrubbing motions of her shower buddy. Maybe she could rub out her desire. Didn’t happen. On completing the brisk wash, every inch of her skin tingled. She shut the water off and toweled dry. In her bedroom, she smoothed chocolate body butter on her limbs.
Her body revved up again, her skin prickling all over. Damn it all. She slapped on the last of the lotion, switched off the light and jumped into bed. This fantasizing—it had to stop. It wasn’t smart, even if it was grown-up!
Julia closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep.
A shout woke her. High and terrified, it seemed to hang in the air. Her heart raced and a ripple of goose flesh rose on her arms and legs. She half sat, unsure if she’d had a bad dream or if it was something else.
Another low cry sounded, and she jumped off the bed. She switched on her light and was through the door, standing before the doorway of her spare room in seconds flat. A third cry propelled her forward. She opened the door and rushed to the bed. The light from her room allowed her to make out his form. Ryan was still asleep, but he was twisting and turning, moaning in the throes of a dream.
“Ryan, wake up. Ryan.” Gingerly, she reached for his arm. “Ryan.”
His eyes snapped open, wide and unfocused. “Julia?”
“Yes, you were shouting. A bad dream?”
“Yeah.” He sat up with a grunt and swiped his hand across his face. “Thanks. I’m sorry I woke you.”
Julia stood, trying to keep her gaze off his bare chest, his dragon tattoo. She ignored the urge nipping her heels, the one telling her to slide right into bed with him. “I’ll let you get back to sleep.” Like a coward, she fled back to her room. She slid beneath the sheets, her mind too busy to rest.
Seconds later, she heard the pad of footsteps.
