by Laurie Roma
Comfortable in his own skin, Julian walked out of the bathroom naked and made his way into a large walk-in closet to retrieve a set of pajamas. He pulled on the pants then turned at a sound in the doorway. Naked, Tara leaned casually against the doorjamb, staring at his closet with pure envy.
“Holy crap, Julian! Your closet is the size of a small country,” Tara exclaimed.
He chuckled. “As much as I like the view, I figure you might get cold.”
He tossed the long-sleeve pajama shirt toward her. She caught it without looking at him and shrugged it on. Somehow it seemed natural for them to share his clothes. He liked it, seeing her there in his space with his clothes covering her beautiful body, with his cum deep inside her. Julian’s cock surged to life at the thought.
Tara walked around the room slowly with her hand trailing over the hundreds of suit jackets that lined one entire wall. “Even for you this is overkill,” Tara chided.
“One can never have too many suits.”
“Oh, yes they can.” Tara turned to him, smirking as his eyes remained fixated on her bare legs. “You’re going to have to feed me before I take care of that”—she wiggled a finger at his tented pants—“for you again.”
“He is usually pretty well behaved,” he said, making her laugh. “It’s just around you I seem to have a problem controlling him and keeping him down.”
“Okay, enough talking about your penis like he has his own mind. I’m gonna have nightmares about your dick trying to take over the world if we don’t stop.”
Yeah, that could give him nightmares, too. Julian shook his head to clear the disturbing image from his mind.
Tara strolled out of the closet and flopped down onto the bed. Julian almost forgot about dinner and dove onto her, ready to take her again until they were too weak to move, but she was hungry and he needed to feed her.
He had planned their first dinner together to be in a nice restaurant, with wine and candlelight so he could romance her. That idea was shot to hell now, but something told him that whatever had worked on women in his past wasn’t going to cut it with Tara. She was different, uniquely so and he loved that about her. Sharing a meal with her after one of her missions with both of them barely dressed was, in a word, perfect.
It irked him that he didn’t know what Tara liked or what her favorite foods were. He wanted to know her every like and dislike. What made her laugh and what made her cry. He wanted to know everything, but again, was careful not to push her. He’d learn all of it over time, though, and that was a promise.
Tara looked at him expectantly. If that wasn’t enough, she rubbed a hand on her stomach in an attempt to kick him into gear. Julian chuckled at her antics and picked up the phone. He dialed the number for his favorite of the three world-class restaurants in the hotel. “Yes, hello, Bethany. I’d like to place an order for two…delivery to my suite. Hold.” He held a hand over the phone and glanced at Tara. “What would you like to eat? Or I can get us a selection of—”
“I could go for a burger,” she said with a grin.
“A burger,” he muttered. “I have access to the best chefs in Las Vegas and she wants a burger.”
Julian sighed before removing his hand. “Bethany? I’m sorry to bother you but it seems my dinner guest has a craving for something that isn’t on Volare’s menu. I—”
Tara sat up. “Volare? As in Chef Donna Vincenzo?”
“Yes, Tara,” Julian said slowly as if she were mentally impaired. “I called Volare, but if you want a hamburger I will…”
Julian never got to finish. Tara snatched the phone out of his hand. “Hi, this is Tara Toshi. Could you switch me over to Donna in the kitchen? I know you don’t, but trust me, she’ll take the call.” Tara waited a few seconds for the call to be transferred.
“Hi, Donna. Yeah, I’m sorry I haven’t been by to say hello yet. Hey listen, I totally have a craving for a fat-ass cheeseburger. You remember the ones we had that Fourth of July…Yes, exactly! For two. We’re eating in his suite. No, I’m not going to tell you that. Jesus, Donna, he’s right here…if you want measurements they have to wait.” She rolled her eyes playfully and winked.
Julian’s jaw dropped. At his incredulous look, Tara grinned as she said good-bye.
“Two cheeseburgers with french fries drizzled in truffle oil and parmesan cheese coming up.”
“How…why…what…”
“You want to hit all five?”
“What?”
“You said that already.” Since it looked like he was going to start pulling out his hair, Tara stopped messing with him. “The five is who, what, where, how, and why. When you ask for the five it covers all of those. Got it?”
Julian nodded. “Like a code.”
“Yep. So here’s the rundown. I met Donna several years back. She’s close friends with one of my besties back home.”
“Besties?”
“Besties, like in best friends? Anyways, Donna, Bella, and Gio go way back and—”
Julian held up a hand. “Hold on. You know Isabella Moretti and Giovanni Cossi?”
“Yes, I do. Now do you want to hear this or not?”
“I’ll shut up now. Tell me.”
Tara explained how she knew Bella and Gio and by the time she finished there was a knock on the door. Julian started for the door only to be cut off by Tara holding him back. He stood still, shocked by the knife in her hand that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Julian’s eyes darted over to where Tara had thrown her knives into the wall earlier and, sure enough, only one stuck out.
Tara checked through the peephole and stepped back, half hidden by the wall, out of sight of the door. “Go ahead. Open it.”
He quickly walked to the door and opened it for the young server. Instead of letting the server enter like he usually would, Julian took hold of the car himself, thanked the young man then shut the door. He pushed the cart into the dining room, acutely aware that Tara had stayed in position to attack whoever was at the door until he had closed and locked it again. He turned to her, bracing his hands on his hips.
“What in the world was that?”
Tara sat on the chair cross-legged, the knife no longer in view. “Were you going to check who was at the door?” Her casual tone stirred his irritation.
“Tara, we just ordered room service. The elevators won’t work for anyone not cleared for this floor.”
Tara was quiet as she contemplated what she wanted to say to him. It would take too much effort to think of something PC to say so she decided to go with exactly what she was thinking. “You’re an idiot.”
She took one of the large, covered plates off the cart and pulled the top off. She stared at the cheeseburger with greedy eyes and inhaled deep.
Julian grabbed his own plate, letting it drop on the table with a solid thump. “Why am I am idiot?” he asked through clenched teeth.
Tara took a fry and nibbled on it as she looked back up at him. “Oh, shall I count the ways? One, I am a covert operative working to take down some very bad people. Two, I took down one of said bad people tonight. Three, there are other bad people still out there that may be trying to track me down before I can get them. Four—”
“Okay, okay.” Guilt and shame mixed as Julian remembered that Tara lived by a different set of rules than he was used to. Opening a door was not just opening a door in her world. It was a potential threat. Everything was a potential threat. “You had me at one. I’m sorry I forgot.”
Tara studied him with those dark, quiet eyes. He saw a flicker of sadness there until she blinked and it disappeared.
“Listen, Julian, I can take this and go back to my room if—”
“No.”
She hesitated. “Are you sure?”
Julian reached out and covered her hand with his. “I’m positive. I’m sorry. You’re right, I should have checked the door. I will be more careful in the future. I promise.”
And like that, the crisis was averted.
Amusement
filled Julian as he watched her all but inhale her food. They spoke of innocuous subjects during dinner. She told him about the first time she came to Vegas with college friends and Julian talked about what it had been like growing up in hotels around the world.
“You and your sister must have had a blast.”
“We did. It was also the best education for me. Unlike most fathers who run their own companies, mine had no problem taking us kids to work with him. That way we got to spend more time with him and I got to see firsthand what it took to run the business. I loved watching my father while he was at work.”
Tara couldn’t imagine what his life had been like since it was vastly different than her own. Still, she was glad that he had a happy childhood and loved his family.
“I had a tutor for most of my childhood, but I was still able to enjoy myself. I may have had a hotel for my home but I had the world as my playground. Where did you grow up?”
“Hmm? Oh, all around. My father was in the army. We moved a lot.” Tara surveyed the empty plates on the cart then sent Julian a small pout. “What, no dessert?
He laughed. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t imagine you would possibly be able to fit any in that little body.” He leaned over and picked up the phone.
“Hi, Marge. Could you send up a piece of Jacques’s chocolate cake?” Julian paused to look at Tara. “Actually make that a very large piece of chocolate cake. Tell the server to run. Thanks.”
Tara’s eyes danced. “Just one?”
“I thought we could share,” Julian said, chuckling.
A few minutes later, he went to retrieve the dessert from the waiter after checking properly to see who was at the door. He didn’t see it, but Julian swore Tara had the knife back in her hand the entire time the door was open. He walked back over to the table and took off the top of the plate with a flourish. Julian laughed when Tara’s eyes glazed over as he placed the chocolate concoction in front of her.
Tara took the first bite and moaned. “This is like sex in my mouth.”
Boy, did that put interesting images in his mind. “For a little thing, you sure can eat.”
The only response he got was a satisfied hum.
“So what’s the next step?” Julian asked.
“Not sure yet. We’ll discuss that tomorrow.” Tara shrugged and kept eating. “You can sit in on the briefing, if you want.”
“I want.” Julian picked up the bottle of wine they had drunk with dinner. When he offered her more she shook her head and reached for a Diet Coke from a selection of soft drinks on the lower shelf of the cart. Shuddering, Julian poured the rest of the bottle into his own glass.
“Chocolate cake and diet soda? That’s disgusting.”
“To each his own,” she said around a mouthful of chocolate. “It’s all going to the same place, so what’s the big?”
“I guess so.” Julian didn’t sound convinced. He sighed and leaned forward to brush his lips over hers. “Are you going to share?”
“Hell no,” she swore as her lips crushed over his. Leaning back, she wiggled her nose at him and gave an exaggerated sigh. “Fine, I’ll share but only because I want orgasms from you later.”
His deep rumble of laughter shook her as he pulled her onto his lap and proceeded to show her that he had no problem fulfilling that bargain.
* * * *
Tara watched Julian’s face. Now softened with sleep, he looked younger than his years. That cynical mask he tended to wear during the light of day was gone, replaced by a look of contentment so peacefully it almost broke the heart she swore she didn’t have.
As she lay in bed next to him, the storm of their passion now sated, Tara let herself enjoy the feeling of calm that settled over her. With no one watching, Tara could lie to herself and just be…normal. For that one moment in time, Tara was a real woman. She was safe and warm, with nothing to worry about but settling herself into sleep next to her lover by her side.
In the quiet stillness of the night, Tara didn’t feel stupid when she reached out to softly stroke Julian’s hair back from his face. Anyone looking at him now wouldn’t know how he ruled his empire with an iron fist. Sometimes it was so easy to forget that he was a corporate mogul. During the security upgrades Julian had no problem letting the Mac Securities people take the lead, but that didn’t change that he was the king of his domain.
A great deal could be told about a man by how his employees treated him. From the information Tara had gathered, the overwhelming consensus about him had been favorable. Julian’s people loved him, there was no mistaking that fact.
Although he was a difficult taskmaster, his employees were loyal and trusted him. That didn’t mean they weren’t a little scared of him as well. A little fear was good. It kept people in line and cut down on the number of asses that needed to be kicked on a regular basis.
Julian’s personality was very much as alpha male as any of the IAD agents. He had a take-charge, no-bullshit attitude when it came to work that had impressed the others. When Julian gave someone a verbal ass-kicking it never failed to make Tara cream her pants. She hadn’t been able to act on it before, but now…Julian would be finding himself getting fucked all over his hotel, if Tara had her way.
It had scared her earlier when Julian tried to open his front door without checking it properly. Sure, the threat of someone getting into the hotel was minimal, but it was important to always be cautious. It had freaked her out enough that she wanted to give him a good smack upside the head to knock some sense into him. She was going to have to see about getting him some security in place to keep him safe. She would also have to train him. Teach him what to look for and why. He’d caught on quickly to everything he’d been taught so far. She had no doubt that Julian could have made a good agent, with the proper training, of course. His hand-to-hand wasn’t bad, and he definitely had the endurance.
She could attest to that personally.
Tara thought back to the Julian’s reaction in the club tonight with a smile. It was strange, but there was something about the way they fought with each other. With every argument they had, it was like they were only proving to each other that they cared.
Sick? Maybe.
Hot?
Definitely.
When it was just the two of them together, there was no time to think…They could only feel and try to feed the unending hunger they seemed to have for one another.
Tara sighed as she stared up above the bed. Her lips twitched as she surveyed the ceiling that had been painted like the sky. In the dark, it looked like the night sky, covered with shadows, but in light of day, the puffy white clouds would stand out against the pale blue background. It was whimsical and a touch fanciful, which seemed at odds with Julian’s usually seriously demeanor.
It wasn’t something he showed the outside world, but Julian was a romantic. It was in the way he spoke to her, the way he looked at her, and the way he touched her. She liked seeing a part of him that he didn’t show others, but it still made her nervous.
Hell, if she could admit it to herself, it scared the holy hell out of her.
There was affection there between them, but Tara didn’t know how to handle anything more. It was safer to keep what was between them burning with a flash of heat instead of letting it slide into tenderness and a steady warmth, because steady was lasting. She couldn’t come to depend on him. If she did, she was bound to be disappointed, even hurt. And that she couldn’t let happen.
Not again.
Tara slowly slid herself from the bed, careful not to disturb Julian from his slumber. He moaned a protest as she left the comfort of his embrace, his arm lying empty across the bed. She wished more than anything that she could lie back down on the bed, curl up beside him, and go to sleep.
But she couldn’t.
She stroked a hand down over the corded muscles of Julian’s arm to his palm where it lay opened. At her touch it curled possessively around her fingers like he didn’t want to let go of her, even in sleep
. His long lashes fluttered against his cheek before settling once again, a soft smile on those perfect lips as he murmured her name.
Her heart skipped a beat at that soft whisper.
Would she ever be able to trust this man with her heart? With her soul?
Not knowing the answers to those questions, Tara collected her things and slipped out of the apartment, leaving Julian to dream alone.
Chapter Twelve
This seemed to be becoming a disturbing habit of his…
Julian leaned back in his chair and watched the various display screens in front of him in his private office, not seeing a damn thing. He found himself searching for signs of Tara throughout the day and he hated himself for the weakness.
It had been almost a week since they had spent that first night together, fucking themselves unconscious. Each night they came together like two wild beasts, driving each other to the brink of madness.
After the loving was done, Tara would quietly sneak out of his suite after he fell asleep. Each morning Julian woke to find his arm out, searching for Tara, only to feel the cool bedsheet empty at his side. He knew she worked long hours, but this was something different.
The damn woman was giving him a complex.
To Julian, it was like trying to hold onto shadows with his bare hands. Even though Tara held nothing back when she shared her body with him, it was almost impossible to get her to open up to him about herself and her feelings.
His heart nearly broke every time he felt the raised ridges of the scars scattered all over her back. He had also noticed the signs of bullet wounds on her, but he had kept quiet about them, wanting her to offer up the information once she trusted him more. Only, it didn’t seem like that was ever going to happen. It was frustrating as hell for him and he knew he couldn’t let it go on any longer.
Tonight things were going to change.
Tomorrow was Christmas Eve and Julian was determined to get Tara to agree to a few days off. The other agents could handle a couple of days without her, but Julian couldn’t.
