Chasing Julia (Rhode Island Romance #2) (14 page)

He flashed a cocky
grin. “Sure you did.”

She tugged at the
hand gripping hers behind her lower back. “You’re hurting me.”

His expression
turned instantly contrite. He brought her hand back around, lifting it to his
shoulder before releasing it. “I’m sorry, baby. Just put your arms around me.
Please? Let’s just dance, okay? I need to hold you. It’s been too long.”

Her reluctance was
short-lived. He felt so good against her, so strong and virile. He was wearing
a black dress shirt untucked over dark blue jeans. The top buttons of the
form-fitting shirt were undone, revealing the sleek lines of his collarbone.
Releasing a helpless sigh, she flattened the palm of one hand against his chest
just over his heart; she wrapped the other around his neck.

He had both arms
curled around her waist again. One hand glided slowly down the curve of her
bottom, pressing her even closer against him.

The beat of the
music was fast, but Tony’s steps were much slower. As their bodies swayed, he tucked
one leg in between hers and shifted in a way that had his taut thigh pressing
against the apex of her legs. She gave a little gasp, unable to prevent her
hips from undulating in a way that had him rubbing her right…there.

His groan was
rough, fraught with need. “God, Julia. I’ve missed you,” he said against her
ear. He brushed his mouth across her temple.

“It’s only been a
week.”

“Too long.”

“A week isn’t
enough time. You didn’t give me time.”

What sounded like a
growl rumbled from his chest. He drew his head back so he could look her in the
eye. “This isn’t the place to talk. Let’s get out of here.”

“I can’t leave
Hannah.”

He released her.
“Stay here,” he ordered. “I’ll tell her where we’ll be. There’s a garden area
just outside the door over there. We’ll come back for her and leave together,
okay?”

She nodded.

He pressed a finger
to her lower lip, his hooded eyes lingering there for a moment. “I’ll be right
back.”

She watched him
weave through the crowd, admiring his height and the breadth of his shoulders.
He made every guy in the immediate vicinity look like an immature frat boy.

He was back within
five minutes. He took her hand and led her towards a side door. “Hannah’s
hanging out with a group of other ladies. She says she’s fine.”

Her body was still
thrumming with the pounding bass of the music as she and Tony stepped outside.
She gave her head a shake, trying to clear it. The air was slightly humid due
to the gushing water fountains nearby. She breathed it in, trying to regain her
equilibrium as Tony led her to a shadowed corner away from a group of revelers
mingling near the outdoor bar.

“You look a little
glassy-eyed,” he said grimly when he turned to face her. He cupped her face in
his hands, tipping it back as his gleaming eyes scanned her features. “Just how
much have you had to drink tonight?”

“I had some wine
with dinner. A couple cocktails. I’m fine, really. It’s just the loud music
still buzzing in my ears.”

He grazed his
thumbs gently across her cheekbones. “I didn’t think this was your kind of
thing. The club scene.”

She arched one
eyebrow. “Why? Because I’m too much of a princess? Mommy and Daddy’s perfect
girl?”

Curiosity flickered
in his expression. “Is that how you see yourself?”

“Don’t you? You
called me a princess once and not in a nice way.”

“Did I?” He traced
her lips with one index finger. “I’m sorry.”

She shrugged one
shoulder.

“I don’t think of
you as a princess,” he murmured. “Or perfect. Perfect is boring. I like it that
you don’t mind getting your hands dirty crabbing with me. I like it that you
drink beer right from the bottle and belly laugh during a funny movie. I like
the way you can get snippety with me. I like it when you push back.” He dipped
his finger between her parted lips and slowly brushed the tip across the ridges
of her lower teeth. “I don’t like it when you run away from me. I don’t like it
when I hear that you came out here to explore your options.” Derision entered
his voice on those last words.

She took his finger
between her teeth and bit down.

He yanked his hand
away. “Ow! What was that for?”

“
I
don’t
like it when you tell me you’ll give me time to think and then you show up here
like some he-man bully just one week later.”

His mouth quirked.
“He-man bully?”

“That’s right.” She
slammed her hands on her hips. “And who told you I was coming here anyway?”

“Audrey. She
overheard you making plans with Hannah.” He scowled. “What did you mean by
exploring your options?”

Julia rolled her
eyes. “That snoop.”

“She cares. They
all recognized how I felt about you months ago.”

“And she and her
girlfriends have been conspiring ever since, I bet. That whole party of hers
was just a way to get us working in close proximity, wasn’t it.”

“Possibly. I told
her to back off, Jules. I don’t need any help getting my girl.”

Oddly, she found
the arrogant tone of his voice very sexy. He was so sure of himself when it
came to expressing his feelings for her. She envied his self-confidence.

It finally struck
her in a deeper way what he’d done. He’d flown across the country for her. Yes,
maybe it was a bit controlling and overbearing. He’d never been that way with
her before that night in Audrey’s office. But she sensed the concern and
uncertainty behind his words and actions. He was sure of himself, but he wasn’t
sure of her.

Something softened
inside of her. “When Audrey heard me talking about ‘exploring my options’, I
was talking about my agenda for this weekend. Going to the spa, sitting by the
pool, you know? That’s all it meant.”

His features relaxed
a little. “I see. And what about us? How much time do you need to realize that
you love me and that we’re meant to be together?”

She couldn’t help
but smile at his persistence. Seeing her smile, he stepped close and captured
her face in his hands once more. “
Have
you had enough time?”

“You move too
fast.” There wasn’t any censure in her voice, only bewilderment mixed with
wonder. Was this really happening? Was she about to step off the ledge and let
go of some of her doubts and insecurities?

He dropped a swift
kiss on her forehead and then leaned his head back to look at her. There was
something in his warm, piercing gaze that shot straight into her heart. “I
hadn’t planned to move this fast, baby. I was going to take it slow, ease you
into the possibility of us. But when I held you in my arms the other night, I
couldn’t wait a second longer.” His raspy voice grabbed her low, right between
her legs. “The thing is, when you find the person you love, the one you want to
spend the rest of your life with, why wait? This is
real
, Julia. I will
never leave you. Do you believe me?”

“Yes,” she
whispered.

Pure relief and joy
washed over his face. “Say it again,” he breathed.

“Yes. I believe
you.”

All her senses and
emotions were magnified as he lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her
tenderly. “Say it again,” he whispered against her lips.

“Yes.”

With a stifled
groan he covered her mouth with his, his kiss hungry and exploring. He wrapped
one arm around her waist, sweeping her against him as he bent over her. He
cupped her head with his other hand, his long fingers pressing against her
scalp.

She clung to him,
her palms against his face, drawing him closer, inviting him to take all that
he wanted. A shudder ran through him when she sucked his tongue into her mouth
and teased it with her own.

She lost all sense
of place and time, completely absorbed in his taste and touch. So this is what
it meant when someone said their heart felt like it was about to burst. That’s
the only way she could describe what was happening to her.

When he gradually
pulled away from her, his chest was rising and falling with the jagged tempo of
his breathing. His eyes gleamed down into hers. “I love you.”

She swallowed. “I
love you, too.”

He smiled the most
beautiful smile she’d ever seen. Something clutched at her heart that felt like
fear. “I’m still scared,” she confessed.

“I know, baby.”

“What if I’m right?
What if this is just physical attraction on my part? What if you’re just my
rebound guy?”

His arms tightened
around her. “Remember when I told you there’d come a day when you’d just have
to trust me. No questions asked?”

She nodded.

“Trust this, Julia.
Trust us. That’s all I ask.”

She took a deep
breath. “Okay.”

He kissed her
again.

They were
interrupted by a loud teasing laugh several minutes later. “Geez, you two. Get
a room!”

Tony kept his arms looped
around Julia’s waist as they both turned their heads towards Hannah who was
standing a few feet away.

She was swaying on
her four-inch heels. “The music has stopped. The party’s over.” Her words were
a little slurred.

Tony glanced at his
watch. “It’s just after four a.m.”

“Wow,” Julia
breathed. “Time flies…”

He smiled at her.
“I think your friend is a little drunk.”

“Looks that way.”

“Why don’t we all
go get something to eat? Get her sobered up before I take you back to the
hotel.”

She smiled at his
thoughtfulness. “Where are you staying?”

“I’m at the Four
Seasons, too.” A fire blazed in his half-hooded gaze, matching the desire
sizzling through her veins.

“Hmm,” was all she
said, but she didn’t conceal the anticipation in her voice.

His eyes held
impatience and promise. “Let’s go.”

Two
p.m. the same day

“Good
afternoon, wife. Sleep well?”

Julia blinked. “Huh?”

Tony’s
toffee-colored eyes were warm with concern as they traveled over her face. “How
do you feel?”

“Horrible.” Her
skull was pounding. She carefully rubbed her eyes, feeling remnants of mascara
lurking in the corners. “What are you doing here?” she asked groggily.

A shadow fell
across his features. He cocked his head to one side, observing her more
closely. “You don’t remember?”

“Remember what?”

He frowned. “This
morning. Our wedding?”

She felt a knot in
her chest. “Our
wedding
?”

The little dog
wriggling against Tony’s bare chest gave an impatient yip as if ordering Julia
to get with the program.

Tony patted its
head. “Shush, Max.” There was a trace of impatience beneath the disbelief in
his voice as he narrowed his eyes on Julia. “Are you teasing me, Julia? Are you
saying that you seriously don’t remember marrying me at nine o’clock this
morning?”

Her stomach roiled.
She clapped her hand over her mouth, tossed the bedcovers aside and lurched out
of bed. She raced to the bathroom on shaky legs and fell to her knees in front
of the toilet just in time.

There wasn’t
anything left in her stomach, and she was doing the dry heaves when she felt a
hand holding back her hair and a cool, damp cloth placed against the back of
her neck.

“Christ, baby. I
had no idea champagne would affect you like this.”

She couldn’t look
at him. She swiped the back of her hand across her damp mouth. She flushed the
toilet. Oh, God, he’d now seen her at her absolute worst. “I’m not a champagne
kind of girl. One glass is all I can tolerate.”

“Then why did you
insist I order a bottle with our brunch?” His tone was flabbergasted, not
accusatory.

“I did?”

He rubbed her back.
He sighed deeply. “You really don’t remember… This is crazy.”

She was suddenly
very aware of her naked butt cheeks on display and the way her bustier was
pushing her breasts practically to her chin. She sat on her haunches and
crossed her arms across her chest. “What the hell am I wearing?”

He chuckled softly.
“That was Hannah’s idea. You said you liked it. I like it, too.”

She folded her arms
tighter. “I guess from the fact that I’m still wearing it that we didn’t have
sex?”

His hand stilled on
her back. “No. We didn’t. You crashed on me after our champagne brunch in bed.”
His fingers trailed gently across her naked skin above the bustier line.
“Believe me, you’ll remember when I’ve had sex with you, baby.” He pressed a
kiss between her shoulder blades.

She stiffened, very
aware of how grimy she looked and felt. “I want to take a shower.”

“Good idea. I’ll
order some lunch. I want you to take some aspirin, but you need to eat
something first.”

“I don’t think I
can.”

He gave her
shoulder a gentle squeeze before moving towards the doorway. “You will.”

As soon as he
closed the door behind him, she rose to her feet and hobbled over to the sink.
Her toiletry bag was hanging from a hook. She must’ve moved her things out of
the room she’d been sharing with Hannah.

Why didn’t she
remember?

She brushed her
teeth three times and swallowed a cup of mouthwash. She looked at her
reflection in the mirror.
Agh
. Her raccoon eyes were bloodshot, her hair
was sticking up all over, and she had a pillow case crease on her right cheek.
She looked horrid.

She was
married
?

She fumbled with
the fastenings of the bustier, carelessly ripping the lace material as she
tugged it and the thong off and threw them in the corner. She wouldn’t be
wearing that uncomfortable, ridiculous getup again. And she’d said she liked
it? More likely Hannah had said it looked fabulous.

“
Really
, Hannah?”
Julia muttered.

She stepped into
the glassed-in shower and turned the knob, setting the water to a tepid
temperature that she hoped would help clear her foggy head.

What had happened?

She remembered
leaving the MGM. Tony had hailed a taxi. They’d gone to some twenty-four hour
diner off the strip. Tony had ordered bacon and eggs and toast for her and
Hannah and steak and eggs for himself.

Okay, those were
pretty vivid details. Maybe if she started with the little things the rest
would come back to her.

Hannah had been a
little more lucid after they’d finished eating. Tony had made her drink a
couple cups of coffee. Then Hannah started prying into their relationship. Were
Julia and Tony an official couple now? And Julia, ever honest and open with her
best friend, had confessed that she loved Tony.

Hannah had let out
a loud whoop, drawing the attention of the other diners. She’d flagged down
their waitress and had ordered mimosas to celebrate. Even Tony had had one.
Julia remembered being happy, relaxed…nervous but also filled with growing
anticipation.

Yes, she remembered
feeling slightly nervous about going back to the hotel too soon. She wanted to
sleep with Tony. But the less confident part of her was thinking about all the
other women he’d been with. How would she compare? She hoped he wasn’t
expecting a sex goddess in bed. She’d never exactly considered herself to be
wild and uninhibited in the sack.

So, she hadn’t put
up a fuss when Hannah insisted they all go into the small casino attached to
the diner and test their luck at the slot machines.

“This has been your
lucky day, Tony,” Hannah had cajoled. “Let’s see if it continues!”

Julia remembered
asking Tony for a twenty. She remembered winning, the sound of bells, lights
flashing. She remembered throwing her arms around Tony’s neck and pressing
little kisses all over his face.

“Let’s get out of
here,” he’d murmured against her neck, his voice dark and sexy and promising
sweet, delicious sin.

And it was all
fuzzy after that.

When she emerged
from the bathroom a while later, wrapped in one of the hotel bathrobes, Tony
was sitting at the table by the window. He’d thrown on a pair of dark blue
cargo shorts, but his chest was bare. He lifted a silver dome off the plate in
front of him. “I ordered fruit, yogurt and some dry toast. Okay?”

“That’ll work.”

She tugged the
lapels of the bathrobe tighter across her chest as she slid into the chair
across from him. She was very aware of her nudity beneath the robe. She felt
his intense eyes on her as she pretended interest in the view of the strip. It
was almost the same view as the one from her and Hannah’s room.

She swiveled her
face to his. “Where’s Hannah?”

He gave a dry shake
of his head. “Still sleeping it off, I imagine. That girl is one crazy chick.”

Julia looked around
the room. “Where’s the dog?”

“Max is taking a
nap in the closet.”

She looked at Tony
askance. “You put him in the closet?”

He shrugged. “The
concierge gave me a pet carrier to put him in and some other supplies. Good
thing this is a pet-friendly hotel.” An amused smile tugged at his mouth. “You
were planning on sneaking him in under your wedding dress and pretending you
were a shotgun bride.”

Her eyebrows shot
up. “I had a wedding dress?” How could she not remember
that
? “Where is
it?”

“It was a rental. I
had to pay extra because you wanted to wear it back to the hotel so I could
carry you over the threshold in it. I had to have it returned by one o’clock or
get charged triple.” Seeing her dismay, he reached across the table and
squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry. Hannah took pictures. You can see them later.”

Julia brought her
free hand to her head. “Oh, God. I need a drink.”

He released her
hand, picked up a spoon and wrapped her fingers around it. “No more drinks for
you except for water. Eat some yogurt.”

She concentrated on
eating the yogurt, her thoughts and emotions churning inside of her.

Tony’s calm voice
brought her gaze back to his. “We only had one mimosa at the diner,” he said
consideringly. “You weren’t drunk when we got married, Julia. Your eyes were
clear and wide-open when you said your vows to me.” He shook his head. “It
must’ve been afterwards. After we rescued Max and dealt with all that. It was
eleven o’clock by the time we got back here. We were both starving. You
insisted on ordering that bottle of champagne to celebrate. And you didn’t eat
much, now that I think about it. I was way too distracted by the lovely image
of you sitting next to me in bed to pay attention.”

“I don’t know why I
did that or why you let me. The stuff goes right to my head.”

His smile was
tender. “Now I know why. You were nervous about our wedding night—or wedding
morning in this case. You probably thought it would relax you. We finished
breakfast. I had an amazing time removing your dress and your silk stockings. I
was kissing you when all the sudden you passed out on me. That was that.”

She felt her bottom
lip wobble. “I don’t remember,” she whispered. And, to her dismay, a big fat
tear rolled down her cheek.

Seconds later, she
was on Tony’s lap, cuddled close. “You’ll remember, sweetheart. Once the
alcohol clears, you’ll remember everything. I know you will.”

“What if I don’t?”

“Trust me.”

She curled her hand
around his neck and snuggled closer. “Where were we married?”

“The Little White
Wedding Chapel.”

“That’s where
Willa’s friend, Shirley, got married,” she remembered.

“That’s exactly
what you said when the taxi drove by the place on the way back to the hotel.
You yelled ‘stop the car!’ and we all went inside. You said you just wanted to
see the place because Shirley had said some famous people got married there.
Next thing I knew, you were asking one of the wedding coordinators what the
process was to get married there.”

“I did?”

“You did. Twenty
minutes later, we were in line at the Clark County Court House to get our
marriage license.”

“On a Sunday?”

“They open at eight
a.m. every day of the year. This
is
the wedding capital of the world.”

Her brow furrowed.
“So this was all
my
idea?”

It didn’t make
sense. She’d always imagined her wedding day as a grand affair with all of her
friends and family present. Well, that had mostly been her mother’s dream, but
Julia had wanted it, too. Hadn’t she? Oh, God, her mother was going to have a
breakdown when she found out that she’d missed her only daughter’s—her only
child’s—wedding.

“We can’t tell
anyone about this,” she blurted. “No one can know what happened.”

He stiffened. “What
do you mean?”

“My mother is going
to freak. You should know that. Don’t you remember how devastated she was after
Joe broke things off? She’s been planning my wedding since the day I was born.”

He was silent for a
few moments. “Maybe that’s why you chose to go this route instead,” he
suggested. “Maybe it was a form of rebellion.”

She shook her head.
“That doesn’t make sense. I wouldn’t be that cruel to my mother. She has her
faults, but she’s only wanted the best for me.” She reared her head back and
gave him a pleading look. “We can’t tell anyone we’re married, Tony.” She
steeled her voice. “In fact, we need to get an annulment right away. I just
can’t believe that I was ready to marry you this quickly. I don’t know if I
wanted to marry you at all!”

He bolted upright.
His face was livid. “No way, Julia. No way in hell are we getting an annulment
or a divorce. You married me fair and square, until death do us part. I’ve got
the certificate to prove it. I’m not letting you go.”

“I was drunk! I
wasn’t thinking clearly!”

His jaw clenched.
“You were
not
drunk.” He grasped her chin and brought his face close,
his eyes burning into hers. “In fact, you were thinking more clearly than you
probably ever have in your life. You were following your heart.”

“I wouldn’t do that
to my mother,” she insisted, her voice shrill.

“Let’s leave your
mother out of this,” he seethed. “This is just between you and me and what we
feel for each other. Do you love me?”

Her heart lodged in
her throat. She nodded mutely.

He slid his hand
down her neck and then wrapped his fingers around her nape. “Then why are you
fighting this? Why can’t you just let us
be
?”

He swallowed her
faint protest with his demanding mouth. He pushed her back against his bracing
arm. His other hand tugged impatiently at the belt of her bathrobe and yanked
it free. She felt cool air touching her skin as the robe draped open. She
gasped against his mouth as his hand took possession of her breasts.