“How long is that rental?”
“Until the end of the month, with an option to renew beyond that if I want to.”
He drew her naked body against his, kissed her neck and then nibbled her ear, making her shiver.“Move in here when the rental ends.Sleep with me every night.Let me take care of you and your kids and give you a soft place to land after what you’ve been through.I swear on my life and the lives of everyone I love that you’ll always be safe with me.”
“Jules!Are you up there?”
Isla gasped as Julian hustled her back into his room.
“Who’s that?”she whispered.
“My brother Griffin.”
“What’s he doing here?”
Julian pulled on a pair of joggers.“I don’t know, but I’ll get rid of him.”
Isla got back in bed and pulled the covers up to her chin, embarrassed to have nearly been caught naked by one of his many brothers while still processing Julian’s offer for her to move into his house with the kids.
God, she wanted to.She wanted to spend every possible minute with him and to help him form a bond with the kids, but she was worried that she couldn’t trust her own judgment anymore, that what felt so good today might not feel as good in a month or two or six or a year.What if she went all in with him, and it didn’t work out?She’d be right back to picking up the pieces again, not to mention she would’ve allowed her kids to fall in love with a man who didn’t do forever.
At least he never had before.
She believed him when he said everything was different with her, but she was still hesitant to move in with him only a few weeks after they first met.
From downstairs, she could hear him talking to his brother but couldn’t make out what they were saying.Her phone vibrated with a text that she checked since Mrs.V was with the kids and had reported they were both asleep when Isla had asked her friend if she minded her being gone for a while longer.
Take your time,Mrs.V had replied.We’re fine.I’m going to bed myself soon.
The new text was from Tenley Black, a Hollywood stylist Isla had actually heard of.Hi, Isla, this is Tenley Black.Julian asked me to reach out to help get you ready for the premiere next Saturday night.We’re running tight for time, but if you’re available tomorrow, I could come by and show you some options.I can also recommend hair and makeup if you’re interested.Julian said to give you the works!
Isla had responded to the surreal message, telling Tenley she was available tomorrow, when Julian came back into the room.“I just got a text fromTenley Black, the stylist to thebiggest stars in the world, who wants to help get me ready for next Saturday night.How do you even know her?”
Julian, who’d looked a bit annoyed when he returned, smiled at her question.“Well, a funny thing happened a couple of years ago whenLos Angeles Magazinedid a feature on the city’s most eligible professionals and named me LA’s most eligible attorney in this silly article that went a little viral.”He stretched out on the bed next to her.“It had me fending off marriage proposals while I dealt with my brothers, who thought the whole thing was hilarious.”
Her lips quivered from the effort not to laugh at his pained expression.
“Don’t you dare laugh.It’s not funny.”
“It’s a little funny.I had no idea I was sleeping with LA’s most eligible attorney.”
He rolled his eyes.“Anyway, the article raised my profile in every possible way and led to invitations to things I was ill-prepared to handle on my own.So Flynn set me up with Tenley, and now I’ve set you up with her.”
“Flynn, as inFlynn Godfrey?”
“Yes,” he said, laughing.“I told you I’ve known him all my life.We went to high school together, and our parents are friends.That’s why we’re invited to the premiere in the first place.”He linked his fingers with hers.“I should probably mention that the only other woman I’ve ever dated seriously was his sister Aimee, from the time I was eighteen until about twenty-one.”
“Did you love her?”
“I thought I did at the time, and I was crushed that it didn’t work out.Since I met you, I’m not as sure that I was in love with her the way you need to be with someone you want to go the distance with.”
“What happened?”
“She wanted marriage and kids and the whole nine yards, and I was in no way prepared for anything like that, so we broke up, and it was devastating.I’ve never had an actual girlfriend again until now.”
“But you dated a lot, I’m sure.”
“Some.Ever since I joined the firm, I’ve been too busy for anything other than casual hookups every now and then.”
