Julie turned back to me, a smirk tipping the side of her pretty mouth. “You should probably put me down before any other neighbors think I’m being assaulted,” she whispered.
“Why?” I held her with one arm and tucked a loose hair behind her ear. “I’m enjoying my welcome.”
She held my eyes, taking in a slow breath through her nostrils as her smile faded. Instead of putting her down, I yanked her closer.
“Check us out,” I whispered. “I can finally carry you over a threshold.” I went through the open door with her in my arms, her eyes wide and still on mine.
“Fake marriage complete,” she said with a nervous chuckle. “Although, I don’t know if that counts.”
“Says who?”
She smiled and gave me a slow nod. “I guess there are no rules.”
“Not with us,” I rasped, kissing her cheek before I slowly set her down. Dragging my bags from Julie’s stoop, I shut and locked the door behind me.
“Everything is set up for you,” Julie said, rubbing her hand against her chest as if she were calming herself down. When I’d set her down on her feet, my body had slid against hers as I’d pulled away, like an accidental caress. I bit back a smile at the blush bleeding into her cheeks.
“I set out clean sheets and towels in case you feel like taking a shower tonight. I even wrote the Wi-Fi password on a Post-it by the desk, so you should be all set.”
“Thanks. This is a great hotel.”
She laughed, crossing her arms as she leaned against the wall. “I work in the morning. I’ll set up coffee for you, and you can help yourself to whatever you want for breakfast. Dunkin’ and a great Italian bakery are in walking distance if you feel like venturing out. Do you have to go into the office tomorrow?”
“No, the space won’t be ready for a few days. Are you sure I won’t bother you if I work out of your spare room?”
She shook her head. “I told you. I like working from the alcove. The light is good, and now that my neighbor tends to my yard, the view out the window is nice.” Her eyes darted around the room before they came back to mine, a tiny smile pulling across her lips. “I like having you here. So it’s not a bother or hassle. Stay as long as you need to.”
“You’re a lifesaver, Jules.” I slung one of my bags over my shoulder. “And go ahead and tell me I told you so. I know it’s eating away at you.”
“No, I’m good. I’ll wait until you’ve gotten a good night’s sleep and can appreciate it. Do you need help bringing anything inside?”
“All I need right now are my clothes and my laptop. The rest can wait in my truck. That is, if you think it’s all safe in a Bronx driveway.”
“Hey,” she said, poking my shoulder when I laughed. “I can say things like that, you can’t. But yeah, good policy in general to take your valuables inside,” she said on a yawn. “I’ll follow you upstairs.”
I shook my head and nodded up the carpeted staircase. “Ladies first. Lead the way.”
Letting her go ahead of me was less about being a gentleman and more about the view of her ass in those leggings. I’d have to keep myself in check while I was here, but it was a relief not to feel the need to talk myself out of it when the air charged between us or tear my eyes away from the soft curves that she still tried to hide.
I couldn’t be obvious, but the guilt over sneaking a peek had lifted once I’d realized I was in love with her.
“It’s not very fancy. I had a lot of plans for this house that got derailed for…reasons.” She sighed and motioned to the futon. “I left you a blanket too. Nate took the TV, so sorry about that.”
I nodded and dropped my bags on the floor, still fuming whenever I thought of him staying in here because it was too much to take care of Julie when she was sick.
“He can keep it if it means he stays away from you.” I shot her a scowl over my shoulder.
“He’s gone and never coming back, so stop having dreams of beating him up.” She shook her head.
“I don’t think I can do that. And I don’t watch much TV anyway. I’ll have to drop a star on Yelp for this place, but I can manage.”
“I understand.” Her gaze drifted over my shoulder. “Now that I look at it, I hope your legs can fit on the futon. I thought it was a big enough size, but—” she looked me up and down “—maybe just for most people.”
“I’ll be fine. I’ll take a shower and turn in. Go to bed.” I took her face in my hands. “And thank you. I’ll buy you breakfast for your troubles.”
“You aren’t any trouble. I told you.” She reached up to grab my wrists. This seemed to be our default stance since our fake wedding whenever the air got too heavy between us. I’d frame her face, locking my gaze to hers instead of roaming down her body and battling the temptation to taste her mouth again. She’d clutch on to me but keep me at a distance.
These were the moments that would be hard, when I’d have to fight with myself not to take more because I wanted everything for us, but for her, I’d find a way.
