My mouth falls open. “Really?”
He raises his brow and throws me a sexy smirk. “Really.” I jump into his arms. “Oh.” I pull back and stare at the invitation. “You want me to come as I am?”
His eyes search mine. “It’s you that I want.”
I bite my bottom lip to stifle my stupid smile. “I’m twenty-six today, Julian.”
“Then I owe you twenty-six orgasms. Get on your back and open those pretty legs.”
He pushes me back and I fall onto the bed with a giggle. He crawls over me, and I can feel his erection against my stomach as his lips trail down my body. He pushes my legs apart aggressively, and his tongue sweeps through my wet flesh, making my back arch off the bed.
“Happy Birthday, baby,” he whispers to me. “Let me in.”
I stand at the airport check-in desk like I’m a groupie waiting to be let into a rock concert.
Julian Masters is my rock god.
He’s checking us in for our flight, and it’s clear to see that the stewardesses are all swooning over his every word. He’s wearing a charcoal suit, a light blue shirt with a navy tie, expensive shoes, and his customary designer watch. My man is tall, dark and handsome. He oozes power, money, and enough sexual energy to light up a universe.
Sorry, girls. He’s all mine and he’s taking me to Rome for my birthday to give me twenty orgasms. Suck it and weep, bitches.
I smile goofily to myself. What is this frigging life? I have a hot man taking me to Rome and shit.
This is how the other half lives. Now I’m doing it in style. I take a quick picture and send it to Emerson with the caption:
Ready for Rome
xx
Julian turns back to me, frowning when he sees me and my exaggerated smile. “What’s that look?” he asks.
“This is my ‘I’m so happy I could burst’ look.”
He smiles softly.
“I’m sure you see it on my face all the time,” I add.
He shakes his head. “I’ve never seen it before in my life.”
I take his hand in mine. “I’ve been wearing it for a week now, Mr. Masters.”
“Oh, that. I did wonder if you were ill.” He smirks. “You’re very easily pleased, Miss Brielle.”
I smirk back at him. “Just the opposite, my love.” His smile fades as his eyes hold mine.
Shit, I just called him my love. Why did I do that?
I reach up and kiss him softly on the lips to try to distract him.
He takes my hand in his. “Let’s get going.”
I stare at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. My hair is down, full of soft curls. My makeup is smoky, and I’m wearing a soft pink evening gown, which I bought yesterday, along with some matching pink stilettos. I know why he gave me his credit card now. He knew I had nothing to wear that was up to the standard of the places that he would be taking me.
“Are you ready?” he asks from the door.
I feel like a queen. Our room at the Rome Cavalieri is nothing short of spectacular. It has a huge gold, gilded bedhead over the king size mattress. Oversized paintings of angels line the gold walls, and tapestry rugs cover the floors. I’ve never seen such luxury.
He holds my hand out to open up my body to him, and his hungry eyes drop down every inch. “You look so fucking beautiful, I can’t stand it.”
“You don’t look too bad yourself, Masters.” That’s the understatement of the year. He’s wearing a black dinner suit, and that beautiful face of his shines for me. He’s one hell of a date. His two-day stubble shows a hint of salt and pepper in his whiskers, and it’s enough to drive any female insane.
We recovered from our little my love slip up this afternoon. I don’t know why I said it, but the fear on his face when I did took me back a little. I thought that maybe he was softening to the idea.
Maybe not…
He leans down to kiss me, and his hands roam to my behind so he can pull me close. I can feel his erection through his pants.
“Is that thing always hard?” I ask.
He smirks. “When I am around you. Yes.”
“How do you manage to think when all the blood in your body has travelled down to a dick that size?”
He chuckles as he takes my hand and leads me out to the living area. “Flattery will get you everywhere.” He glances at me. “I got you something.” “What?”
He guides me to the drawer of the desk and takes out a black velvet box.
“What’s this?” I whisper when he passes it to me.
“Your birthday present.” “This is my birthday present.” I gesture to the room. “You are my birthday present.”
“Having you all to myself in this room for the weekend is a present for me, not you. Open it.” He smirks, watching me intently.
I open the box and my breath catches, my eyes rising to meet his. “Jules, no. This is too much.”
“Nonsense.”
He’s bought me diamond stud earrings. They’re rose gold surrounding two huge diamonds. “I can’t accept these.”
He kisses me as he pushes the hair back from my face. “Yes, you can. You’re the first woman I’ve ever wanted to spoil. Let me do it.”
I nervously take out my earrings and put the new ones in. Then I look at myself in the mirror and my eyes fill with tears.
His face falls. “What’s wrong?’
“Nobody has ever bought me a gift like this before.”
“If it’s any consolation, I’ve never bought a gift like this before, either.”
My eyes search his.
Ask him now. Just do it… ask him.
This question has been burning a hole in my brain for over a week.
“Have you ever been in love, Julian?”
His eyes hold mine and he shakes his head softly. “No.”
My stomach flutters with excitement and my traitorous smile breaks free.
“You like that answer?” He smirks down at me as he brushes the hair back from my forehead.
“Yes. I like that answer a lot,” I breathe. I feel my confidence return. Is it evil that I’m excited that he’s never been in love before? There’s a chance that I could be the first woman he loves. It may be small, but still, a chance is a chance.
“I’m ready to be romanced in Rome now, Mr. Masters.”
He raises his eyebrow. “You are aware that you are with somebody who has no idea how to romance, right?”
“Any time spent with you, Julian, is blissful and romantic to me.” I smile up at him.
He chuckles and pulls me toward the door. “This is why you are perceived as ditzy, Miss Brielle. You really don’t have any idea what you’re talking about.”
I giggle as he pulls me down the corridor by the hand.
This is the best night of my life already.
Julian
I’m listening to her breathing as she sleeps. Bree’s on her side facing me, her small hand resting in mine. Her long, dark hair has been braided into a loose plait for bed. Her beautiful big lips are slightly parted, and her dark eyelashes fan out above the cheekbones of her porcelain skin. They begin to flutter every now and then, as if she’s dreaming. I can’t take my eyes off of her, just in case I’m the one dreaming and she won’t be here with me when I wake up.
The white blanket pools around her. I lift it carefully and tuck her back under it to keep her warm. She becomes restless for a moment and then kisses my hand before she drifts back to sleep.
This is it-the stuff you read about.
Peace.
I smile and tuck a piece of hair behind her ear, then I lean in and kiss her lips softly with complete reverence.
She’s fucking perfect in every way. I’ve never met a woman like her. We connect on every level: mind, body, and soul.
She’s got me.
I don’t want to be anywhere else on Earth but here with her doing this.
It’s weird.
We went out for dinner last night, and we talked and laughed for hours. Then we danced and she sang to me, I get an image of her singing up at me on the dance floor and my heart constricts, making me frown. After that we came home and made love, and she sang to me some more while I laughed at her terrible voice.
What is this feeling?
She rustles about. “Jules?” she mumbles sleepily.
“I’m here, baby,” I whisper, wrapping my arm around her to pull her close.
She smiles, her eyes still closed, and snuggles into my chest. Moments later I can tell she’s asleep again by the rhythm of her breathing.
I need to go to the bathroom, but I’m not getting up because then I’ll have to let her go. I kiss her forehead and close my eyes.
Having her in my arms is as close to Heaven as I’ve ever been.
Brielle.
The candle between us flickers, casting a subtle shadow on Julian. We’re in a romantic Italian restaurant drinking champagne limoncello cocktails after devouring the most beautiful meal in the history of good food.
“Can I ask you something?”
He smiles. “I assume you’re going to, anyway.”
I giggle and hold my glass up to him. “Your mother told me about Masters Group and what your role is there.” “Okay.”
I frown. “Why are you a judge when your family’s business is so successful?”
“I studied law at university so that I could work in the family business. But then….” His voice trails off for a moment. “I had all the stuff happen with Alina and I needed a distraction, so I threw myself into studying harder. Somewhere along the line, the family business wasn’t enough for me.”
I watch him as I try to imagine him back then. “What happened when she told you she was pregnant?”
“I demanded a paternity test.” I frown.
“I slept with her on the first night we met.” He shrugs. “I knew she slept around. She knew who I was, about my family’s wealth.” “Is that what you thought? That she was after your money?” I ask.
He sips his drink and his eyes glaze over. “I did.” “Until?”
“Until she died.”
“Did you fight often? Sorry for asking questions, I’m just trying to get my head around being married to someone and not be in love with them.”
“It’s okay. I’ve never talked about this stuff with anyone other than Spencer and Sebastian.”
“Spencer and Sebastian?” I frown.
“My two friends.” He sips his drink and smiles. “You know, the ones from the back of the school hall?”
My eyes widen, and I giggle. “Oh, them. Spencer and Sebastian. Even their names sound naughty.”
“They’re trouble, that’s for sure.”
“What do they do?”
“Sebastian owns a mining company. He’s divorced, no kids.” He smiles fondly. “And Spence is an architect who has fucked his way around the world… twice. He designs skyscrapers, and he chooses to live between here and New York.”
I smile. “You’re close to them, I can tell.”
“They’ve kept me sane over the years. They know me better than anyone. We’ve been through a lot together.” He puts his hand up to the waiter, silently asking for two more cocktails.