Insufferable Proximity 2 (13 page)

“Julian!” she cried in frustration. She grabbed his arm, digging her fingers in his skin to keep him still.

“Heaven, please; I can’t…not until I’m done. I can’t allow myself to lose focus…this is serious. This fence is what keeps the intruders out, and I need to fix it now.” He gently moved her away from the door and kissed her cheek before he left.

She was beginning to worry about him. He was becoming as obsessed with safety as he was with Gavin Grant’s return. He hadn’t slept much, and he wasn’t eating enough to keep a cat alive. However, what puzzled her most was that he was refusing sex.

At first, she could understand his reason for avoiding sex. He was worried about her safety, and she loved him for that. Now, she realized that it was something else. Sex had gotten him in a lot of trouble over the years, and she realized that was playing a factor in his decision-making. She could tell that he was afraid he would lose his focus. She knew that was the reason that he was suddenly so fond of avoiding her.

She felt that he needed sex; he was strung too tightly and excessively irritable. She needed to do something about this. She needed to put his mind at ease, the best way that she knew how.

***

Julian spent a sleepless night worrying about Heaven’s escape tactics. He couldn’t afford to let her run about freely right now, yet he couldn’t afford to be near her for extended periods. Although keeping her close would defeat the purpose and put his willpower to the test, he had to do it. He wouldn’t be able to concentrate on his work if he were worried about her running around the grounds. Luckily, Heaven’s hatred of public displays of affection would benefit him since his cousins would be around. She wouldn’t try to tempt him, which would make things much easier.

Julian woke that morning knowing what he needed to do.

“Get dressed; I want you covered from neck to toe. You’re coming with me today,” Julian informed Heaven.

She excitedly jumped out of bed. “You’re going to let me out of this room?”

“No, I’m not letting you out to run freely. I’m keeping you under close supervision.”

“But my mother and aunt are coming today. I told her that we’d have lunch with them.”

“You should have thought about that before you escaped. Get dressed,” he demanded as he headed towards the door.

Heaven took her sweet time getting ready. She had been looking forward to lunch in the backyard with her mother for days. Although Julian didn’t know it would be in the backyard, she’d been confident that she could talk him into it.

When she was done getting ready, Julian led her outside and over to the side of the house he would be working on. She noticed he was keeping his distance from her, and she was tempted to bump into him or push her breasts against his arm.

“So what exactly are we doing?” she asked as she looked at the side of the house.

“
We
won’t be doing anything.” He motioned to the chair. “You’ll be sitting in that chair while I install these new security cameras.”

Having her so close would be a wicked distraction for him. But he wouldn’t get any work done if she weren’t with him. He knew she would end up back in the pool or worse. As antsy as she was getting, he wouldn’t be surprised if she sprinted to the mall.

“Have you talked to your father yet?”

“No,” he answered curtly.

“Don’t you think cameras on the second floor are a bit excessive?” she asked.

“No, a man abducting you twice is excessive. This is a logical means of protection. Besides, don’t forget he made it as far as our room. He was in here with us that night long before he made his presence known,” he said before he climbed the ladder.

The thought gave Heaven chills. She remembered that night clearly, no matter how hard she tried to forget. She was once again thankful for Julian and his fierce need to protect her.

When Julian finished installing the cameras, he went back down the ladder to see that Heaven was gone.

“Heaven!” Julian shouted. He went around the side of the house, yelling her name.

“I’m out back!” he heard her yell and ran to the backyard. He was relieved to see her sitting in the lawn chairs by the pool.

“I told you to stay close to me,” he barked as he walked over to stand next to her chair.

“And I told you that I was tired, but you demanded that I come outside with you while you install more security cameras.”

“Because you try to escape the room every time I leave.”

“Only once, Julie.”

“And there won’t be a second time. I want you in my sight.”

“I’m perfectly safe out here.”

“I don’t want you back here alone.”

“But I’m not alone.” She pointed to the back door as it opened. “I told you they were coming for lunch.”

“I have apple pie and champagne; Coco is bringing the strawberry pie.” Sybille smiled as she sashayed over to the lawn chair next to Heaven. “I hope you’re hungry, Julian.”

“I’ll have to take a rain check.”

“But we’ve made you a feast.” Before Sybille sat down, one of her assistants spread her silk, leopard-print throw over the chair. “Julian, my dearest boy, you
must
invest in some new lawn furniture. This is dreadfully plain, my dear.”

“I like it.” Heaven smiled as she got comfortable. “I can accent it with red.”

“Maybe red with some earth tones. How about shades of chocolate and vanilla with a hint of red. On second thought, maybe more of a brick-toned red.” Sybille nodded as she looked around.

“A strong hint of red.” Heaven grinned.

“I have your pie right here, Toots,” Coco said as she walked over to them.

“Julian, sit down and take a break. You haven’t eaten all day.” Heaven patted the seat next to her.

“I have to get this done.

“You need to eat something.”

“I had a steak and egg sandwich earlier. You stay right here, Heaven, and you’d better not move,” he warned her.

“I won’t”

“Stay close to your mother; I’ll be around front so you yell if you need me.”

“I will,” she replied cheekily.

“I’m serious.” He kissed her forehead before he walked away.

“He’s just worried about you, dearest; don’t be upset.” Sybille patted Heaven’s knee as Coco set the pie on the table.

“I’m not upset, just frustrated. I’m trying to be understanding, but he’s being so demanding. Well, more demanding than usual. He freaked out because I went swimming by myself.”

“I don’t want you swimming by yourself either. Not with a maniac’s accomplice possibly on the loose,” Coco added and Sybille nodded.

“We don’t know that he had an accomplice; there’s no proof.” Heaven preferred to believe there was no accomplice.

“And there’s no proof that he didn’t,” Coco replied.

Heaven felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She was a lawyer; she should know that, but not knowing it was easier to handle.

“Julian’s afraid that something might happen to you again, and he will protect you any way that he can. I know you don’t want to hear this, but I am very happy that he’s going to these extremes to protect you,” her mother explained. She knew men, and how some of them could react after such a traumatic event.

Coco nodded adamantly. “I agree.”

“He wants to lock me up and keep me safe; while I want to celebrate the life we almost lost. I want to celebrate it with him every step of the way. I just want things to be like they were before.”

“The two of you had different reactions to what happened to you. That’s perfectly normal,” Coco said as she began serving the pie.

***

“Everything all right?” Julius asked, pulling a flask from his pocket as he watched his cousin Julian storm towards them.

“That is the most stubborn female I have ever met in my life!” Julian raged, grabbing the flask from his cousin and taking a liberal drink of the fiery fluids within.

His cousin Royce grinned. “That’s because she’s the only female you’ve ever cared about in your life. Love changes the dynamics.”

“Love changes everything,” Julius added.

“Then add the near-death experience on top of that. I’m sure her stubbornness is just a side-effect from the trauma she experienced. That’s bound to alter anyone’s psyche,” Royce explained.

“Trust me, she’s
always
been stubborn.” Julian passed the liquor back to his cousin. He realized his cousin was partially right; the incident had changed both he and Heaven a bit.

“She’ll level out once things get back to normal,” Royce tried to reassure him.

“No, she won’t. Once she gets her mind set on something, there’s no stopping her,” Julian corrected him.

“Maybe you should give her a little more freedom,” Julius suggested.

“Absolutely not. I want to lock her away in my room until Gavin is dead. I should have killed that motherfucker when I had the chance.”

“We still have a chance. I know the warden—maybe I could pull some strings,” his cousin said with a grin. Julian believed him; Julius was a bit dangerous, and he loved a little chaos.

***

Yesterday, Julian didn’t get much work done. He’d spent the majority of his day checking on Heaven. Even though she was with her mother and aunt, he couldn’t stop himself. He wouldn’t make that mistake today; he had too much work to make up from yesterday. He wanted her safe in the room, where he could check on her with just a call.

Heaven wasn’t thrilled with his decision, but she wouldn’t fight him. He was working himself to the bone to keep her safe; how could she deny him?

By afternoon, she was going a little stir-crazy. She’d never been so bored in her life. She could think of a million things she would rather be doing than sitting in the room. She had never been one to have conversations on the phone, unless they were work-related. However, she had found herself so bored that she was even willing to talk on the phone to her mother. She had come somewhat to appreciate her mother’s dramatic flair and the long, drawn-out stories that she told. They made the time go by faster.

It was times like this that she wished she had a stack of work before her. She would be able to get so much done, but she had no idea what was going on at the firm. She didn’t even have a case to help someone work on. That was when she decided to call Ayden and see how everything was going, so she called his direct line.

“Ayden King.”

“Hi, Ayden!”

“Well hello, Sevigne, what a pleasure to hear from you. How are you?”

“I’m so thankful you’re all right; we’ve been very worried about you. How are you feeling?”

“I’m feeling very thankful that my soon-to-be-ex wife is such a horrible shot,” he chuckled.

“Me too. How are you feeling…physically? Are you all right?”

“Yes, I feel amazing considering what happened.”

“Good. So how is everything at work?” Not only was she worried about him—she was also in desperate need of some information. Hell, she’d settle for gossip right now.

“Things are getting back to normal. Well, somewhat normal. It’s not the same without you and Julian here though.”

“We can’t wait to get back.” Heaven was counting the days until she got back to work.

“How is Julian?” Ayden asked, and Heaven could hear the stress in his voice.

“Still stubborn.”

“He still doesn’t want to talk to me?” Ayden’s voice was full of sadness.

“Not yet, but I’m working on him,” Heaven reassured him.

“Thank you so much, Sevigne, that means the world to me.”

“Of course. So have you found a replacement for Gavin Grant?”

“Yes, Clive Baker. I’ve known him and his family for years. His father and I went to college together; they have no skeletons in their closet. He is an honest, hardworking man and also a great defense attorney.”

“Good. What about Gloria Gray?” She had been thinking about how unfair it would be if Gloria lost her job.

“Mr. Grant’s secretary?”

“Yes.”

“Well, she has been helping Ian out around the office for the time being. I’m not sure whether Mr. Baker will keep her on although I will suggest it.”

“Is there any way that I could contact him? She’s a good secretary, and she has been part of the firm for a long time. I’d hate to see her go. I don’t think she should pay for Gavin Grant’s actions.”

“I agree; I’ll talk to him as well. I’ll email you his number first thing in the morning.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re most welcome. Keep talking to Julian for me.”

“I will.”

“Oh, and Sevigne, I almost forgot. A reporter did a big spread on your ordeal; it made the front page.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me?” She felt her blood boil at the thought of being so exposed.

“No, he even included your business email in the article.”

“Who is the reporter? I will have his job by noon,” she hissed.

“I think this could be a good thing. The public is responding, and people are showing you a lot of support. There have been thousands of emails and calls in regard to your health. People have even stopped by the firm to see how you were doing or just to drop off flowers.”