by Kahlen Aymes
The clock on my dash said 11:32 PM. Before I knew it, I was bounding up the stairs two at a time until I was standing, heart pounding, on the outside of the oak door that led to Julia’s place. I couldn’t hear voices, but there was music filtering softly through the walls. My fists clenched at my sides in protest.
I’d seen that idiot, Jason Milner, ogling Julia in the cafeteria when she and Ellie were discussing their plans for the evening. He’d known where they were going even though he wasn’t part of the conversation.
My hand hovered over the door, and I dropped it.
“Fuck, Matthews. Make a decision,” I muttered under my breath then let my fist connect with the wood three times before I could change my mind.
“Julia, it’s me.” I waited and heard some rustling behind the door. Please let her be alone. “Julia?”
The chain rattled on the other side of the door as she struggled to open it, and finally, the door flung open. She was standing in front of me, her eyes wide and questioning, her hair messed up, without make-up.
“What are you doing here? I thought you had plans.” Confusion flitted across her beautiful features.
My eyes soaked in the site of her. Her hair was in a knot on the top of her head haphazardly, with tendrils escaping around her face. She was wearing pink and blue striped pajama pants and a white wife beater. I tried to ignore the expanse of bare skin and her hipbones that were showing above the waistband of the pajamas. Probably when she turned around, her butt dimples would show. Her top was skimpy and the obvious lack of bra was harder to avoid. My body reacted against my will, and I shoved my hands into the front pockets of my jeans.
I didn’t wait for an invitation and brushed by Julia to come inside, my eyes scanning the apartment for any evidence of a man’s presence. There was a glass of wine sitting on her art table, but no other. I smiled in relief then turned back toward her.
“Uh, crash and burn.” I readily dismissed the subject and noticed the candle burning on the end table by the couch. It was the only light in the room. The music was recognizable—a compilation she’d done of Sara Bareilles, Sia, and a few other softer artists. “It’s awfully cozy in here. Am I interrupting something?”
Her eyes narrowed as she hesitated momentarily before shaking her head and closing the door. Her head cocked and I noticed her hair was damp on one side of her face; her eyes were red-rimmed and swollen. Her hand came out to rest briefly on the front of my shirt as she passed.
The familiar electricity shot through me at her touch and the sweet coconut scent of her shampoo enveloped me. I longed to take her hand and press it into the muscles on my abdomen, to feel her fingers spread out over my body. I never wanted her to stop touching me but I was anxious about the obvious signs of her tears. I grabbed her hand in mine and stared intently down into her face.
“I was just drawing and trying to relax. Are you hungry? Do you want some wine?”
“Wine, sure. Are you okay? Have you been crying, Julia?” I felt my skin flush with heat at what her tears might mean. “Did you go out with Ellie? Did Milner bother you at the bar? I knew he’d show up there. Did he... touch you?” I followed her into the kitchen. “Did he?”
She smiled but went about the business of pouring me a glass of wine.
“No, Matthews. It’s sweet of you to worry, but relax. I just... I didn’t feel like going out tonight.” She lifted her right shoulder in a half-assed shrug. “My uh... allergies are acting up.”
She handed me the glass and we both moved back into the living room. Something felt off. She was fidgeting slightly, which wasn’t like her.
“Do you need me to run out and get you some medicine? I wouldn’t mind.” Julia walked to the art table and began to put her things away with her back to me.
“I’m okay, Ryan, thank you. It’s early. What happened on your date?” She was still putting her drawings into her black portfolio, setting it on the floor, up against the table leg, when she finished. I couldn’t see her expression but the tone in her voice was hesitant.
“Nothing.” I shrugged. “Just... wasn’t interested, I guess. And.—” I sat down on the couch and kicked off my shoes. I didn’t have to ask. If I wanted to crash here for the rest of the night, Julia would allow it.
“And?”
“And, I wanted to make sure you were okay. I was worried Milner would bother you tonight. He practically licked your skin today, and I know what kind of man he is. Aaron told me he’s a user. I don’t trust him and I don’t want to see you get hurt.” That was the truth, but there was more. I can’t bear the thought of him touching you. He’s a manwhore, my brain protested. “I don’t want you near him, okay? Just stay away from him. There are plenty of other guys to... date.”
She finally sat at the other end of the couch and pulled her knees under her. Sipping from her glass, she watched me over the rim, letting her eyebrows raise in question.
“I’m having déjà vu. Didn’t you say something similar about David Kessler?”
“Maybe, they’re both slime.”
“Giving me orders now?” she asked.
“Yes.” I smirked at her, and she laughed out loud. All was right with my world. “Taking orders now?”
“In this only because I agree; he’s a sleaze. Just don’t get used to it,” she admonished with a teasing lilt.
I chuckled as I relaxed. It was so like Julia to put me at ease. “I won’t. But stay the fuck away from him,” I said again.
We both sobered as we looked into each other’s eyes and I was aching. She looked so soft and inviting, her mouth dropped open slightly, and my breath rushed from my lungs. I wanted to reach out and touch her, to sink into her softness, to kiss her. I’d wanted it for so long... wanted it so badly I burned with it. My eyes dropped to her mouth, and I couldn’t tear them away from those sweet lips. She licked them once then her top teeth appeared, biting down on the lower one.
“Why?” She looked at me for a few seconds more, her eyes intent on mine and I wondered if she could feel the same pull I did. She threw down the challenge and waited, daring me to tell her the truth. Knowing me as she did, I was certain she knew I was in love with her. How could she not know? I gravitated to her like the tide to the moon, but like me, she never said a word about it.
“I don’t want him anywhere near you.” The admission was ripped from inside my chest before I could stop it. I tried to recover by sitting back a little and reaching for the wine glass again. I cleared my throat. “Uh, he’s not good enough for you.”
“Who is?” she asked softly.
If I didn’t say something fast, I was going to give in to the need and while the thought thrilled me, I was concerned what the next day would bring. “Exactly.”
She looked down at her glass and nodded ever so slightly. Did she understand how consumed I was, that I couldn’t take anyone being with her, save me? The skin on her cheeks infused with a rosy blush as the uncomfortable silence hung between us like a storm. She was so fucking gorgeous she stole my breath away.
“Do you feel like watching a movie with me?”
“Of course. HBO or DVD?” she asked softly.
“It doesn’t matter. Anything.” I grabbed the remote from the coffee table as she settled in next to me.
“You choose.”
We weren’t touching, but I could feel her in the air around me, her scent soaking into my skin. Contentment settled over me like a blanket, the heat radiating between us, the electricity vibrating and ready to spark at the slightest touch. The two of us together were like a combustion engine ready to fire, but my body relaxed next to hers, and I could breathe easily for the first time all evening.
It was as I needed it to be. Julia was right here. With me and no one else.
If you’ve enjoyed this book, please follow
Ryan and Julia’s story as it continues in
The Future of Our Past
The Remembrance Trilogy, Book One.
Books by Kahlen Aymes
Titles are available in all eBook formats and paperback.
After Dark Series
1. Angel After Dark
2. Confessions After Dark
3. Promises After Dark
The Remembrance Trilogy
Prequel—Before Ryan Was Mine
1. The Future of Our Past
2. Don’t Forget to Remember Me
3. A Love Like This
Coming in 2015
UnTouch Me (Stand Alone Novel)
The FAMOUS Novel Series
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