Julia closed her eyes to concentrate on slowing down her escalation toward orgasm. Seeing this, Diego began to time his own response to hers, listening to her breathing and matching it with his own. “Open your eyes, Julia, and look at me. I want you to watch me come as much as I want to see you do the same.”
~ ~ ~
Julia at first felt self-conscious. It was one thing to scream out in ecstasy in the dark of the night, but now lit by the morning sun, she’d no place to hide. Yet as soon as she opened her eyes and peered into the dark and hooded orbs of her lover, she forgot all about her shyness. Above all else, she wanted to share that kind of intimacy with Diego and no one else.
She’d never made love to a man in this sexual position before and so at first she felt a bit awkward. Gratefully, Diego used his strong arms to move her up and down his shaft, teaching her what he liked best. Soon, however, she overtook both of their bodies’ responses by setting their lovemaking to her own rhythm.
Knowing he was near climax, Diego used the gentle touch he used when strumming his guitar to excite the small bud at the top of Julia’s slit. He searched her eyes as she did the same with him. Their timing was perfect.
For the first time, they at last came as one, no longer distancing themselves from one another, but rather sharing equally the quiet rapture of the other person’s total release. They huddled in each other’s arms, he still inside of her. Their bodies shimmered in the sweat of their lovemaking.
Some time passed. Julia wasn’t sure if she’d dozed off or not, but she and Diego lay face down in the bed, exhausted from not only their night’s events, but also this morning’s session. Nothing was said, and perhaps nothing had to be said, for their bodies had communicated all that was held within each of their hearts.
Diego turned on his side and came face to face with Julia. Reaching over her, he played with her sweat-moistened hair, while she finger-traced minute circles on his back.
“As much as I hate to say it, I have to get up and go to church. Gayle’s expecting me, and I kind of want to go for myself as well. I’m sure you understand.” Julia tried to move her legs but instead felt as if she’d somehow been glued to the bed.
“All right, Julia. I’ll let you go this one time, but don’t expect me to give in to all of your wishes and demands,” Diego said teasingly as he gave her a love pat on her backside.
“Ow! You’re going to get it now, Señor Gonzales-Martinez!” she said as she rolled out of bed and onto the floor.
Diego sprang from the bed before she could get herself up onto her feet. “Not if I get you first!”
Julia moved to get away from him but even before she tried, she knew it was useless. Diego scooped her up into his arms and led her into the bathroom. “What are you going to do to me, you . . .” Julia couldn’t think of a thing to call him she was having so much fun. “. . . you . . . uh . . . bad man!”
He set her down in the shower and kissed her before turning on the water. “I’m going to wash you all over, from top to bottom. Then I’m going to do the same to myself. We don’t want any of those Lutherans telling us we stink, do we?”
“You’re going to church with me? Today?” Julia was stunned but thrilled.
“That’s the plan, Julia! Do you have a problem with that?” he asked.
She threw her arms around him and kissed him one more time. When she came up for air she said, “None whatsoever, Diego! Absolutely none at all!”
Chapter 13
By the time Diego went back home and dressed it was too late to retrieve the Crestliner. That was, if he and Julia were to make it to church on time. Swiftly, he put on a pair of Dockers, a white polo shirt, and a sports jacket out of respect.
The weather was going to be hot again today, but to show up in a church without a jacket was simply not how things were done at Our Lady of the River, the Catholic Church in town. Diego assumed the unspoken rule applied at Riverside Lutheran as well.
He grabbed his keys out of the tux pants pocket and ran toward his truck. After a couple of pumps on the gas pedal, the engine of the jalopy fired up and sent him up the hill to Julia’s front door.
Diego let the truck warm up while he knocked on Julia’s door to see if she was ready. When Julia opened the door, Diego’s breath hitched. She looked absolutely radiant. He grinned, hoping their love making most likely had been the cause of her healthy glow.
A simple yellow and white sun dress was all she had on, that and her favorite white beaded sweater. Today, however, she was wearing her hair down and loose. Diego noticed also that she wore a hint of mascara and a light-coral lip gloss. Yet between her smile and her long legs in her heeled sandals, Julia was absolutely ravishing. He hadn’t realized he’d let out a seductive moan until she glanced at him coyly and then winked.
“I suspect we’d better get going, or we’ll never make it out of this house,” Julia said flirtatiously.
Diego ignored what was going on inside his pants and answered as gentlemanly as possible, “Señora, your chariot awaits!”
He swept his hand toward his beaten-down utility truck and Julia lost it. For a second, her mind flashed back to the Cinderella fairy tale with its pumpkin chariot driven by four church mice. For heaven’s sake, it’s even orange like a pumpkin!
“Show off!” Julia said laughingly to Diego.
“All the best for you, my lady!” he answered as he opened the passenger door for her to climb in. “It may look like a bucket of bolts, but this little Señorita Bonita will get us anywhere we wish to go.”
“I should’ve known you’d think of your truck as a woman.” Julia fastened her seat belt as Diego crawled in behind the wheel. “Should I be jealous?” she teased.
“Shh, quiet. I don’t want her to know about you yet. We’ll keep her in the dark to make sure we make it to church and back again safe and sound.”
It’d been some years since Diego bantered with a woman, let alone another human being. True, he did enjoy taunting his niece and nephew, but that wasn’t the same thing. Bantering had a sexual element to it that he hadn’t realized he missed until he connected with Julia.
“All right, then,” whispered Julia. “I won’t tell Señorita Bonita if you won’t.”
By the time the two of them arrived at church, the organist was already half-way into the opening prelude. Julia searched for Gayle and saw her sitting with her children several rows back from the front altar. Not wanting to make more of a scene than she and Diego already had, Julia chose to sit toward the back of the church. Not knowing exactly what he was supposed to do, Diego merely followed Julia as they scooted toward the two empty seats in a back pew.
Diego surveyed the church from top to bottom. It was substantial, he thought, but plain, especially compared to his own church.
For example, there was little or no color in the carpet or on the walls, no statues of saints and no votive candles. He did see one stained-glass window, but it didn’t depict an event from the Bible or a Station of the Cross as did the numerous stained-glass windows of Our Lady of the River. This one merely looked like the blue and purple flames of a dying fire.
Instead of stucco walls like those at Our Lady, everything at Riverside Lutheran appeared to be made of wood. The tall v-shaped ceiling reminded Diego of a ship turned upside down and he smiled at the unusual beauty of its symbolism.
As far as the décor was concerned, a solitary tapestry hung from the wall, depicting a wooden cross set against a blue sky and a field of flowers. Diego was entranced by the simplicity of the church, but he had to admit he preferred the atmosphere of his own over and above the simple austerity of Julia’s church.
Suddenly the thought came to him as to how quiet many of the Lutherans, like their church, appeared, positioned on the pews wearing their beiges and grays. He had to smile. In that moment he realiz
ed how proud he was to sit next to Julia, radiantly shining in her inappropriate, non-Lutheran, bright yellow sundress.
After a few hymns had been sung and the announcements made, it was time for the children’s sermon. Something about Pastor Knudson appealed to Diego. He was funny, he obviously enjoyed the children who attended his church, and he had a softness in his manner and voice which was infectious.
As he listened to the pared down story the minister presented, he flashed once again on the image of a little girl with long brown hair and curls dressed in a yellow and white sundress seated on the steps of the altar next to the pastor.
She was tall and thin for her age but her face was once again the spitting image of him. Diego shook himself out of his daydream when out of the corner of his eye he saw of all people James Reynolds walking along the inside wall of the church to find his seat next to his wife. Diego tried not to feel anger toward the man, but it wasn’t easy. James Reynolds was a mean and greedy man as far as Diego was concerned, and if he could help it, he wanted little or nothing to do with him.
As soon as Julia saw James, she reached for Diego’s hand. It’d been some time since James had made an appearance at church. Julia was as surprised as she was horrified to see him. After what James had said and done the night before, Julia knew she couldn’t trust him to do the same at church. Nothing would upset her more than to have James make a scene in the presence of all her friends and church family.
“Maybe we should go,” she whispered to Diego.
Diego lovingly squeezed her hand. “No, Julia. We’ve a right to be in God’s house just as much as him. You relax. Nothing’ll happen, I promise.”
~ ~ ~
The children’s sermon ended with the congregation standing and singing “Jesus Loves the Little Children” while the children paraded down the center aisle toward their special time in the park across the street. James’s attention and eyes followed his kids Jimmy and Bobbie as they left the auditorium. As he did, he saw Diego and froze.
“That son of a bitch!” he seethed. Gayle gazed at James in horror as she elbowed him in his side.
“Shh! Are you nuts?” she hissed at him.
James quickly turned around and kept his eyes focused on Pastor Knudson at front of the church. All through the following sermon he could think of nothing more than how much he detested the fact Diego was seated next to Julia, obviously trying to take his late brother’s place—as if he could.
James was already furious his brother had died before he had a chance to make amends for all the years of jealousy and competition they’d experienced, particularly from his side of things. He was angry at Lady Luck for losing everything he’d saved for, and he was pissed off Gayle and the children saw him for the loser he’d become.
Yet he refused to blame himself for any of it. In fact, in his eyes if it weren’t for Diego Gonzales-Martinez and the effect he had on Julia, James would’ve already had the winery and vineyard in his hands, and his money issues would’ve been yesterday’s news.
~ ~ ~
The sermon ended and the final hymn was sung before Julia and Diego could escape the church and head toward his truck. They both kept silent until they seated themselves inside the truck. Finally, Julia broke the tension.
“I’m sorry, Diego. I had no idea James would make his once-a-year appearance on the very Sunday you and I decided to attend.”
Diego turned his body sideways to face her while she continued to stare straight ahead. “As I said to you inside, we’ve nothing to be ashamed of. Nor does that man hold any power over you or any of us who work at the winery. The only control he has is what we give him, and I for one refuse to give him the time of day.”
She broke her stare to note her folded hands. “I know. You’re right. But, James is still Robert’s brother, and even though he’s acting like an idiot now, I remember him differently. Albeit, it was some years ago, but still he was once a truly nice guy. I wish to God I knew what it was that changed him, but changed he is. And if anything, I feel sorry for him.”
Diego grunted. “Perhaps this is where we most differ, Julia. Because I do not.”
Startled, the two of them jumped to the sound of someone knocking hard on Diego’s window. It was James. And he didn’t look too happy.
“Get out of your truck, Diego, and talk to me man to man!” he snarled.
Diego let go of Julia’s hand and started to open the driver-side door when she grabbed him by the arm. “Don’t listen to him, Diego. Let’s simply back the truck up and leave well enough alone.”
Diego patted her hand and then pulled his arm away from her grasp. “It’s all right, Julia. I know how to talk him down.”
He pressed a single kiss on her cheek and opened the door to get out. As soon as his legs hit the pavement, James swung and hit Diego square in the jaw.
She screamed as she saw Diego fall back onto the side of his truck and slide to the ground. She scooted over to his door and was about to jump out to see if he was all right, when she heard Diego tell her to get back into the cab and lock the doors.
She then heard Gayle scream out James’s name as she and half the congregation came running over to where he stood.
“Are you out of your mind, James? Diego’s done nothing to you and you know it.”
“Shut up, Gayle. This is between him and me.”
Gayle could see the man meant business, so she quickly turned away and pulled out her cell to call the sheriff’s department for help. She wasn’t sure if Barb was still on duty, but it didn’t matter. Someone with some authority need to intervene, and fast.
Julia had obeyed Diego but rolled the driver-side window down to so as to hear what all was exchanged. She watched as Diego struggled to get back up on his feet, a trickle of blood spilling out of the corner of his mouth.
“Listen to me, you field rat. Stay away from my brother’s wife. I know your kind. You’re nothing more than an opportunist looking to prey upon a vulnerable woman in hopes of obtaining a green card. It’ll be a cold day in Hell before I see the two of you marry. Mark my words, Tonk! If you value your life and Julia’s as well, you’ll leave this valley and never return.”
Julia could stand it no longer. Never in her life had she heard anyone speak that way to another human, let alone James.
“Stop it right there, James. In the first place, Diego’s a legal citizen of the United States, and secondly, I’m no longer Robert’s wife. He’s dead, James. Gone! The sooner you realize that, the better off both of us will be.”
She was aware of the shake in her voice, but she was no longer afraid. “Plus, you‘ve no right to tell me who I spend my time with and with whom I don't. Diego is the Director of Production at the winery, and I have as much right as any employer to spend time with my employees whenever and however I wish. And finally, the winery’s mine, and no matter what you do, you can’t take it away from me! Stop your ridiculous threats and get yourself some help. You’re obviously a very sick man!”
With that last statement, James lost whatever control he had over his temper and charged toward Julia with every intention of knocking her down.
“You fucking bitch! What’s the matter? A white man too good for you, is that it?”
“Julia, look out!” Gayle screamed.
Julia knew she should get out of the way of James’s wrath, but her body was frozen to the cab of the truck. Without thinking twice, Diego propelled himself in front of the woman he loved.
Before James knew what’d happened, Diego struck him with a right punch to the jaw and then an upward jab with his left. James fell back as Diego stood over him.
“From now on, you stay away from Julia and the winery if you know what’s good for you,” Diego seethed. “Julia’s a much better person than you or I can ever hope to be. I refuse to hear you or anyon
e else for that matter talk to her or about her in that manner. Perhaps she’s right. You need help, but you aren’t going to get it from me. Entiende?”
Diego pulled his fist back, readying himself to knock James in the face one last time. Julia screamed as she escaped the truck and ran to bury her face in Gayle’s arms. Luckily, Deputy Sabatini arrived in time to pull Diego off his prey. Julia was so angry and embarrassed by what had just happened she could hardly speak. It was one thing for these two men to have a confrontation at the winery and quite another to have it in the church parking lot for everyone to witness.
Deputy Sabatini surmised the situation rather quickly and ordered everyone to go home, stating he had everything under control. He then advised Diego to leave as swiftly as he could and for James to get over himself or next time he’d be spending more than merely a night in the slammer. Both men had by this time cooled down enough to see the reasoning behind the deputy’s suggestions.
“Are you ready, Julia?” Diego asked as he brushed off his pants and sports jacket. “Time for us to go.”
Julia pulled away from the security of Gayle’s shoulder. As soon as she did, Diego saw her withdrawn and tear-stained face and in that moment he knew. His woman was now ashamed to be in his presence, let alone in his truck.
“I think I’ll ride home with Gayle for now,” Julia said softly and without emotion. “She needs me, and I believe I need her as well.”
The two of them stared at each other, and in that moment they both knew things had changed between the two of them, perhaps even permanently.
“If that’s what you wish, Señora.”
“It is.”
Diego turned around and climbed into the cab of his truck. He didn’t know if he wanted to cry or pound his forehead on the steering wheel. His pride wouldn’t allow him to do either one, at least not in front of all these people, especially not in front of James.
Love's Harvest (A Salmon Run Novel Book 1) Page 19
