And so it was. As he’d done for her, she took her time, drawing it out as long as she could, letting her hands slide tantalizingly along his erection, cupping the heavy sac between his legs, her tongue sliding across the soft velvet tip.
When she licked the tiny drops of moisture seeping from the slit, he nearly lost it altogether. If he’d been able to, he’d have reached up, moved her on top of him and thrust inside of her. But she was too determined. He finally gave himself up to the sensation, and when she drew him over the edge, he lay there shuddering in unbelievable ecstasy.
* * * *
They slept spooned together, but not restfully, despite being spent physically. They were glued skin to skin, unwilling for space to come between any parts of their bodies. When Julia woke, it was still dark and she snuggled back against him, wanting just a few more moments of his warmth and the feel of his wonderful body.
His arms held her tight, his arousal pressing against her. He stroked his hands over her and they made love one last time, slowly, gently, savoring every moment.
Eventually they dozed. When the phone rang, Julia cursed wakeup calls in general and this one in particular. She fumbled for the receiver and mumbled, “Hello?” two or three times before realizing it was her cell phone ringing.
She sat up with a quick movement, swung her legs over the side of the bed, and punched the talk button.
“Yes?” The readout on the bedside clock said four in the morning. Who would call her at this hour?
Oh, God, not the kids. Please don’t let something have happened to one of the twins.
“Julia?”
“Who is this?” She rubbed her face, trying to wipe away the vestiges of sleep and make her brain work.
“It’s Claire. Julia, are you there?”
“Claire?” Why was Claire calling her at this hour? Fear grabbed at her heart. “Oh my God. Claire. The children. Are the twins okay?”
“Yes. I didn’t have another number for you, so I called your cell. I know it’s always on.”
“What’s wrong? Why are you calling?”
Luke was awake now, sitting up on the edge of the bed next to her, his big, warm hand soothing as he stroked her back and shoulders.
“Miranda called me a few minutes ago and asked me to get hold of you. She thought it would be easier if I told you about this rather than having it come from her.”
“What do you mean? Damn it, Claire, what’s going on?”
“It’s Charles. He’s had a massive heart attack.”
Chapter 9
“What?”
At her shriek, Luke tightened his grip on her and pulled her close to him.
“Apparently it happened around midnight,” Claire told her, “but it wasn’t until a little while ago one of his partners, who happened to be with him, thought to get hold of you.”
“Of course.” Her voice was bitter. “Everyone knows about the divorce. I guess they didn’t think his children needed to know.” She raked her fingers through her hair. “Oh God, Claire.”
“I came right down to the hospital so I could find out what’s what.” Claire made a sound like a snort. “His asshole partner acted like I was carrying cyanide or something. Anyway, the doctors are with him now. I’ll see what I can find out and call you back.”
“The children.” She could think only of them at the moment. “I’ll have to tell them.”
“Let’s find out what’s going on before you do. How soon can you leave? Can you come right to the hospital when you get here?”
“Of course. Absolutely. I… I’ll have to call the airlines. I’ll have to… Oh, God.”
“Call Miranda, then call me back when you have your reservations. And pull yourself together, kiddo. We’ll get through this.”
She sat with her cell phone in her hand, trying to process everything.
Tell Luke. Make plane reservations. Pack.
She turned to face him and everything spilled out in disjointed sentences.
“I’ll call the airlines then order you some tea.” Luke held her gently, trying to ease the tension gripping her body. “Go take a shower.”
“It’s my fault.” She felt such a heaviness she almost couldn’t breathe.
“Stop it.” He tilted her face to look at him. “Nothing is your fault, and I refuse to allow you to take the blame for this.”
“But…”
“We’ll talk about it after you’re dressed. Go on.” He patted her gently on the rear end, urging her toward the bathroom.
By the time she was dressed, Luke had confirmed new reservations for her and a pot of tea waited on the nightstand. She gulped the hot liquid gratefully. While Luke showered quickly and dressed, Julia called Claire back with her flight information, then spoke to Miranda.
“The children are still sleeping.” The woman sighed. “I’m just glad he wasn’t here when it happened.”
“Me, too.” Julia could imagine how affected the twins would have been. “I’ll call you when I get to the hospital and find anything out. Why don’t you try to go back to sleep?”
Miranda laughed, sadly. “As if. Just call me when you get there. Do you want me to keep Andy and Beth home from school today?”
Julia nibbled her lower lip. Should she? “No, let’s keep everything as normal as possible until I have some answers.”
“You take care of yourself,” Miranda admonished before she hung up.
“I think I should take a cab to the airport,” Julia told Luke, zipping up her suitcase. “You don’t need to go running me around in the middle of the night.”
“No.” Luke was emphatic. “Out of the question. I’ll drive you to the airport. I won’t have you taking this ride by yourself. Julia, this thing with us isn’t some little quickie, where I run out when the going gets tough. I’m here for you. I care for you and about you. Hang on to what I’m telling you, okay?”
She smiled weakly. “How did I get so lucky as to have you walk into my life?”
“I’m the lucky one.” He hugged her quickly. “Finish
