Come Away With Me (The Andrades) (16 page)

She cried out and thrashed against his hand. He held her easily and continued to pump his fingers in and out of her.
When she was nearing climax, he stopped and looked up at her. “You know you want to say yes to me. Don’t fight it. Give yourself to it.”

He moved his fingers within her again, pausing to tug on her clit gently with his teeth, while never taking his eyes off her. “
Say yes, Julia.”

A wave of heat rose within Julia that consumed her.
She came with her eyes open, staring into his dark ones while crying out, “Yes. Oh, yes. God, yes.”

As she came back to earth, she thought, “What did I just agree to?”
She realized she’d asked the question aloud as he rolled onto his back and lifted her so she was once again above him.

“Everything,” he said with a
lusty smile.

His answer sent a nervous thrill through her.
What is everything?

He took one of her hands and wrapped it around his still throbbing erection.
She didn’t need more prompting than that.

I may not be up for everything.

But I’m down for this.

She eagerly took him in her mouth and took him to heaven.

In the dark of her heavily flower-scented apartment, Gio held a naked, sleeping Julia in his arms and stared up at the ceiling. He couldn’t remember a time in his adult life when he’d hit anyone. He didn’t do that. He stayed in control.

Until Julia.

From the moment he’d decided to bring her to the wedding with him—an act that had been uncharacteristically impulsive—he’d become someone he didn’t recognize. Emotion was best left out of most decisions. A cool head and determination equaled profit.

His philosophy hadn’t made
him a lonely man, as some might expect. He knew he wasn’t a bad-looking man, but he was also jaded enough to realize that he could have been much less attractive and still gotten laid on a regular basis. Wealth did that. It was the ultimate aphrodisiac for enough women that he hadn’t realized until he met Julia how bored he’d become with the predictability of it.

Julia was like
a day of sunshine after years of rain. Everything about her felt good—too good.

Fucking her should have made me want her less.

I should be gathering my clothes and calling for my car.
Instead, he pulled Julia closer against him. He looked around. The light in the miniscule bathroom illuminated the room enough for him to see the entire place from where he lay. One wall had a small cupboard, a portable stove top, and a microwave. A wooden chair and table were covered with small boxes.

A police car went by outside
, the siren blaring loudly through the thin walls. He ran a hand absently down the back of her head and buried it in her long hair.
I don’t even let women sleep over at my place—why do I think moving her in would work out?

He looked down at her peaceful profile.
Because the alternative is leaving her here again, and that is not going to happen.

She stirr
ed against him. “Are you awake?” she whispered.

He ran his hand through her hair again. “Yes
, and enjoying watching you sleep.”

She stiffened. “I hope I was
n’t drooling or anything.”

He felt uncharacteristically lighthearted and joked gently,
“Gentlemen don’t wipe and tell.”

She
slapped his chest playfully. “That’s awful. Funny, but awful.”

He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. “
I don’t have a reputation for being the nicest man. You’ll have to get used to it.”

She raised herself up
on one elbow and looked down at him, gloriously unselfconscious about her nudity. “You say that like we . . . like we . . .”

He tucked a loose tendril behind her ear. “
We?”

She
looked down at him and chewed her bottom lip. “Tonight was wonderful, but it didn’t change anything between us.”

He pulled her back down against him. “I’d say it changed everything.”

“What happened to us wanting completely different things?” she asked.

He leaned down and kissed her shoulder. “I’d say we’ve proven that theory wrong.”

“I’m being serious.”

“If you’re hoping for a declaration of love, Julia, you’re not going to get one. That’s not who I am. But I want you beside me in my bed each night. I want to wake up to you. I can’t stay away from you no matter how many times I tell myself I shoul
d. For now, let that be enough.”

She closed her eyes and laid her head down on his chest.
“I don’t want you to buy me anything.”

“I won’t give you a
goddamned thing. I promise.”

She pinched his side lightly. “You’re such an ass.”

“But you’re coming home with me.”

“Yes,” she said softly.

It was the sweetest word he’d ever heard.

Julia called in her resignation the next day and no one seemed surprised. She’d done it during the day because she couldn’t face Tom and Paul. She wasn’t ready to answer the questions they’d ask.

Gio sent a driver over
midmorning to pick her up and bring her to his apartment. It felt unreal handing his driver luggage as if she were going on a vacation. She couldn’t meet the driver’s eyes.
Does he know? Does he care? Has he done this a hundred times before?

He grunted when he picked up her second case—the one that was full of her samples, her tools
, and all of her magazines.
Hey, hey
.
Be careful with that. That’s only my life in there.

The drive to Gio’s building
uptown gave Julia far too much time to think. Through the car window, she studied the blur of pedestrians on the sidewalks and wondered what had brought each of them to New York.

How many of them reached their dreams? How many found themselves lost on tangents that distracted them long enough that their dreams slipped away?

The bellman met Julia at the curb and took her luggage with a smile. He led her to the elevator and rode with her, silently, to the top. The entire experience was surreal. An older man in a suit opened the door to Gio’s apartment and introduced himself as Miles, the butler.

He brought Julia’s
luggage to Gio’s bedroom and asked if she would like him to unpack for her. The question surprised Julia. He was about her father’s age, and the idea of him unpacking her things made her uncomfortable.

“You do that?”

“Of course, Miss Bennett.”

“But then you’d see all of my
. . . stuff,” she said and blushed.

A small smile stretched the man’s lips. Blandly, he said, “Whatever you prefer. I don’t mind.”

“Because you’re used to it?” She couldn’t contain her curiosity. “
Are
you used to it? Does Mr. Andrade have many women stay here?”

“I really can’t say,” he said and took a step to leave.
“If there is nothing you need I’ll leave you to unpack.”

Julia nodded in understanding. “You can’t tell me because of some butle
r-boss confidentially agreement? Gotcha.” She put one of her bags on the bed. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable with the question. I mean, does it matter anyway what the answer would have been? If you said that he’d had a hundred women live here already, what would I do—run? I know this isn’t permanent. It’s not even a good idea, really. It’s just that he asked me when I was . . . when we were . . . I couldn’t think. I should have stalled—given myself time to think this through. Because here I am now . . . wondering if I made the right choice.”

Miles stopped at the door and turned back to look at her.
“Miss Bennett?”

Julia raised a hand to stop him. “You don’t have to say it. I shouldn’t have asked. Don’t risk losing your job by telling me anything.”

“I was wondering if you were hungry.”

Julia covered her eyes with one hand and wished she could disappear. “Oh. Yes.
Food. No. I mean, no. I’m not hungry. Thank you.”
Stop talking.
Why did I think I could do this?

Instead of immediately leaving, Miles cleared his throat and said, “I have worked for Mr. Andrade since his mid-twenties. You are the first woman who has ever brought luggage.”

Julia lowered her hand. She didn’t want to read too much into that information. “Really?”

With a slight incline of his head, Miles said, “I have also never made breakfast for anyone except Mr. Andrade.”

Although there was nothing in Mile’s expression to hint how he felt one way or another about her staying there, she was touched by what he’d revealed to her. “Thank you, Miles.”

“You’re welcome, Miss Bennett.
Mr. Andrade had me clear out the other bedroom for you to use as a studio. Please tell me if you need any help setting it up.”

He closed the door behind him
, and Julia sat on the edge of the bed she knew she’d share with Gio that night.
A studio?
For me?

I don’t need that
unless I’m staying for a while.

Like
, moving in.

Holy shit.

Did I just move in with Gio?

Gio came home to Julia that night
, and every night for the next week. Beyond the lovemaking, he enjoyed having her in his apartment. They fell into a comfortable pattern over the next week. They made love each night, woke early, and often made love again.

The more time he spent with her, the more he enjoyed the simple pleasures.
Watching her wake in the morning. Wondering what she would say today that would make his unflappable butler turn away to hide a smile. Coming home and having someone to talk over his day with.

For the first time in his life
, Gio found himself sharing stories about the project he was working on. He found Julia’s ideas refreshing and often thought provoking. Although he wouldn’t admit it to anyone, she was the reason he turned down the Atwater deal. There were other projects he could work on, ones that were less controversial, one he could be proud to discuss.

Her opinion mattered to him in a way that no one’s had before. It both scared and inspired him. Just as she did.

Julia had meant what she’d said. She didn’t want money from him. She didn’t want gifts from him. Although she didn’t immediately apply for another job, she used her time during the day to add to her jewelry line. Each night when he came home she had a new piece to show him, and a new story on how she had reached out to another jewelry store.

It would’ve only taken
one call from him for her to make the sale. But she had made him promise not to make that call. She wanted to do this on her own. And for reasons he couldn’t explain to himself, he wanted her to have that. He wanted her to know that she had done it on her own. The more they spoke, the more he understood the sale of the jewelry was as much about the journey as it was the money.

G
io didn’t ask himself what the future held for them. He had her in his life, in his bed, and for now, that was enough.

Julia stepped out of the apartment building one morning and watched a long black stretch limo pull up beside her.
Maddy again?

The back
window rolled down and an older woman with dark brown hair done up in a sophisticated chignon waved for Julia to approach the limo. Everything about her said refined sophistication. Julia looked over her shoulder and then pointed at her own chest in question.

The
beautiful older woman nodded impatiently, and Julia walked over.
Maybe she’s lost and needs directions to some charity event?

“Julia Bennett?”

“Yes?” Julia answered in confusion. “Do I know you?”

“No, but
I know you, and we need to talk.” The driver came around and opened the limo door for Julia to enter.

Julia looked back and forth from
the Cogent Solutions building ahead to the dark interior of the vehicle. “I have an appointment I need to get to this morning. I can’t be late.”

The woman
leaned out and gave a small smile. “This will only take a few minutes and could be quite a lucrative opportunity for you.”

“
You’re interested in my jewelry?”

“I don’t discuss business in the street
,” she said coldly and sat back in the limo.

They say opportunity knocks. No one ever mentioned that it could pull up beside you in a limo.
Am I crazy to think about getting in? My life is already so off course.