by Stefani, Z.
“The property value is going to collapse.”
“I don’t care.”
She watched him, appreciating his strength and his body as he worked. She watched him yank down another drape and throw it across the chair.
She looked at him. “I wish you would throw me over the chair like that.”
He could see the lust in her eyes. It took everything in his power not to go to her.
“Once the work is done, I will be throwing you over more than just a chair,” he vowed, refusing to make eye contact with her. It would only weaken his resolve.
“I can hardly wait.”
Aggravation
The next morning brought another day of isolation and depression. Julian was going out of his way to avoid her, which only increased her aggravation. There were so many things she wanted to talk to him about. Heaven needed to get out of the room; she needed to feel the sun. She hoped that fresh air and the sun would help clear her congested and claustrophobic mind. She spent most of the morning and afternoon hanging out the window trying to get some fresh air. The terrace was still locked, so she couldn’t even go out there. Unfortunately, the light streaming in from the window just wasn’t enough.
As if the promise of another devastatingly boring day weren’t bad enough…Julian had stiffed her on breakfast. He left her a note explaining the busy workload they had. He had called her several times during the day to check up on her, and even though he was absent for lunch, he made sure that she got her food. That was the extent of their social interaction that day. Unfortunately, Alice was busy as well and wouldn’t be able to visit. Heaven’s mother and her aunt were also busy; they wouldn’t be back until the next day.
That left Heaven to examine the true meaning of isolation. After a long, uneventful, and painfully slow morning, she was itching out of her skin with boredom.
By afternoon, she was sprawled across the bed, her head hanging off the side, and her long dark locks pooled on the floor. Boredom was powerful as well as destructive. She was losing her mind; she couldn’t spend one more minute in this room. As much as she loved Julian and understood his concern, he was becoming overbearing, and she was becoming restless. Her mind kept flipping from one thought to another, but always went back to what Gavin had done to them. She couldn’t continue to lie on the bed and dwell on the unfortunate event; she needed something to distract her.
By late afternoon, Heaven couldn’t take it anymore; she had to get out of the room. She jumped up, went to her closet and grabbed the first bathing suit she saw. She needed a brisk swim to still the budding frustration that was beginning to cloud her good sense. She changed into her bikini and rushed out to the pool.
It was a beautiful day, and Heaven inhaled the fresh air. She took a moment to spin and enjoy the sun on her skin. It felt like she hadn’t been outside in months, and she felt giddy as she neared the pool. She walked over to the pool and sat the cell phone on the ground. She jumped in; the cool water enveloped her and instantly washed away her troubles. She stayed at the bottom of the pool until her lungs felt as if they would explode. She raced up to break the surface, smiling despite the pain in her air-starved lungs.
“Heaven.” Julian’s voice came over the cell phone, and she swam to the edge to grab it.
“Yes?” she asked as she covered the screen with a nearby towel.
“I’ll be done soon. Why can’t I see you?”
“Um, there must be something wrong with the screen, I’m not sure,” she answered trying to shoo away the bird chirping in the tree. The bird was loud enough, and the tree was close enough that Julian would be able to hear.
“Where are you?” he asked, obviously hearing the bird in the background.
“I’m, um…" She jumped out of the pool, ready to sprint back to the room.
“You’d better be in the room,” he barked.
Heaven carefully grabbed the cell phone, the towel and her clothing before heading back towards the house.
“What are you doing out here?” Julian barked at her as he walked out the back door.
“What’s it look like, genius?” She grinned, but her attempt at sarcasm didn’t diffuse his temper.
“What did I tell you?” he shouted, grabbing her arm.
“What didn’t you tell me? You’ve given me like 300 rules.” She yanked her arm back.
“You’d better answer me, Princess,” he snarled, smacking her lush behind. She pouted and grabbed her stinging butt, a move that he loved. He withheld the urge to bend her over and slide inside of her.
“Get upstairs!” he growled, and she pouted in return.
“I need some air, Julian; I can’t stay in that room! I want to swim,” she whined.
“I’ll bring you back down to swim once it gets dark. Now get your ass back to that bedroom.”
“Fine.” She headed towards the stairs with Julian hot on her heels.
“I don’t want you wearing that bikini again,” he said as she opened the bedroom door.
“Why not?”
“It’s too revealing,” he answered as he slammed the door behind him. He was uneasy with the thought of another man seeing her like this. His cousins were scattered all over, and he didn’t want them to see her either.
“This is the bikini you bought me in Hawaii.” Her breasts jiggled as she put her hands on her hips, and Julian once again fought the urge to attack her.
“I don’t care.” He wanted to be inside of her more than he wanted to be anywhere else. Nevertheless, keeping her safe was paramount, and he couldn’t be distracted until the house was secure.
“I thought you liked this kind of kink.”
“Not with you. The thought of another man looking at you makes me physically ill—not to mention homicidal.”
“Says the man who preferred me naked in a crowd,” she scoffed.
“I told you…that’s over. I only want you half-naked if it’s just the two of us.”
“You’re so confusing. How did you manage the drastic change in attitude?” she snapped, more frustrated that she couldn’t continue swimming.
“I’m not the only one with a drastic change. It wasn’t long ago that you hated bikinis, now you’re arguing with me to wear them,” he enlightened her.
“I blame you for that, you forced me to be comfortable in my own skin. Besides, I like your reaction to the suits when I wear them now. So what’s your excuse?”
“I care now.” Julian had no idea what had changed, but he couldn’t stand the thought of anyone else admiring her. He was sickened by what he he’d done before, but in his defense, he had no idea that he would feel this way for her. He had no idea that these types of feelings really existed. Love always seemed like a far-fetched fairy tale of which he could never remember the words.
With his newfound love came his jealousy. Sure, he had heard the word before, but he had never experienced it. Jealousy seemed as likely as spending the week on the planet Mars. However, where jealousy had once seemed absurd, it now seemed like an emotion as old as time. It was like a friend he had never known, but understood like a brother the moment they were introduced.
“What happens if I wear one in front of someone else?” she toyed with him.
“I’ll take you to my room, rip it off and tie you to the bed with it. Then, as I beat your ass, I will re-explain the parts of your body that belong to me.” He slid his hand down the middle of her chest.
“And what parts are those?” she asked as his hand continued down her belly.
“All of them.” He slipped his finger into her bikini bottom.
He was in a trance, the sight of her so scantily clad had his cock screaming for mercy. He stood there unable to speak. He wanted to rip off her bathing suit and sink his angry erection deep inside her. However, he knew that once he was back there, he would never want to leave. He would become foolish and obsessed and would neglect his duties. He would be so consumed with sex and Heaven that his brain would become sluggish. He couldn’t pr
otect her if he wasn’t alert. He couldn’t keep her safe if he had sexually-induced mental failure.
Heaven watched as a vast array of expressions went across Julian’s face. She knew what he wanted. She kept her eyes trained on him as she ran her hand down the center of his chest. She could see his control begin to waiver as her hand neared her massive erection. She skimmed her slim hand down the front of his pants before gripping his rock-hard member.
He grabbed the front of her bikini and pulled the cup to the side, baring her breast. He slid his finger across her nipple as she began to tug at his throbbing cock. When she began to unbutton his pants, he bent his head to her breast and took the tight tip into his mouth. Heaven slid her hand into his pants and freed his thick member. Julian was ready to pick her up and toss her on the bed when his phone rang.
“Ignore it,” she whispered as she grabbed his cock.
“Julian?” they heard Royce’s voice blare through the phone.
Damn that walkie-talkie app! they both mentally hissed.
“No.” Heaven shook her head as Julian reached for the phone. She tried to grab it from him, but she wasn’t quick enough.
“Yeah,” Julian answered his cousin.
“That Jackass knocked the fence back down!” Royce yelled.
“The section we were working on?” Julian asked as he refastened his jeans.
“Yes, the whole damned section,” Royce barked.
“Damn; I’m on my way,” Julian said as he watched Heaven run across the room.
She used her body to block the door. “You’re not going anywhere.”
“I have to go; I need to take care of this fence, once and for all.”
“Let them handle it; I want to be with you so bad right now.” She pulled off her top and dropped it on the floor.
“Mmm,” he groaned when he saw her breasts. “I need to go take care of this fence.”
“No, you need to take care of this.” She grabbed his hand and forced it into her bikini bottoms. She gasped when he spread his fingers across her bare sex.
“I need to finish this fence,” he reasoned with himself as he attempted to remove his hand from her bikini.
“Fuck the fence.” She clenched her thighs, trapping his hand, and he bent down to kiss her.
He abruptly pulled away from her. “No, I’ll be back.”
“Julian!” she cried in frustration. She grabbed his arm, digging her fingers in his skin to keep him still.
“Heaven, please; I can’t…not until I’m done. I can’t allow myself to lose focus…this is serious. This fence is what keeps the intruders out, and I need to fix it now.” He gently moved her away from the door and kissed her cheek before he left.
She was beginning to worry about him. He was becoming as obsessed with safety as he was with Gavin Grant’s return. He hadn’t slept much, and he wasn’t eating enough to keep a cat alive. However, what puzzled her most was that he was refusing sex.
At first, she could understand his reason for avoiding sex. He was worried about her safety, and she loved him for that. Now, she realized that it was something else. Sex had gotten him in a lot of trouble over the years, and she realized that was playing a factor in his decision-making. She could tell that he was afraid he would lose his focus. She knew that was the reason that he was suddenly so fond of avoiding her.
She felt that he needed sex; he was strung too tightly and excessively irritable. She needed to do something about this. She needed to put his mind at ease, the best way that she knew how.
***
Julian spent a sleepless night worrying about Heaven’s escape tactics. He couldn’t afford to let her run about freely right now, yet he couldn’t afford to be near her for extended periods. Although keeping her close would defeat the purpose and put his willpower to the test, he had to do it. He wouldn’t be able to concentrate on his work if he were worried about her running around the grounds. Luckily, Heaven’s hatred of public displays of affection would benefit him since his cousins would be around. She wouldn’t try to tempt him, which would make things much easier.
Julian woke that morning knowing what he needed to do.
“Get dressed; I want you covered from neck to toe. You’re coming with me today,” Julian informed Heaven.
She excitedly jumped out of bed. “You’re going to let me out of this room?”
“No, I’m not letting you out to run freely. I’m keeping you under close supervision.”
“But my mother and aunt are coming today. I told her that we’d have lunch with them.”
“You should have thought about that before you escaped. Get dressed,” he demanded as he headed towards the door.
Heaven took her sweet time getting ready. She had been looking forward to lunch in the backyard with her mother for days. Although Julian didn’t know it would be in the backyard, she’d been confident that she could talk him into it.
When she was done getting ready, Julian led her outside and over to the side of the house he would be working on. She noticed he was keeping his distance from her, and she was tempted to bump into him or push her breasts against his arm.
“So what exactly are we doing?” she asked as she looked at the side of the house.
“We won’t be doing anything.” He motioned to the chair. “You’ll be sitting in that chair while I install these new security cameras.”
Having her so close would be a wicked distraction for him. But he wouldn’t get any work done if she weren’t with him. He knew she would end up back in the pool or worse. As antsy as she was getting, he wouldn’t be surprised if she sprinted to the mall.
“Have you talked to your father yet?”
“No,” he answered curtly.
“Don’t you think cameras on the second floor are a bit excessive?” she asked.
“No, a man abducting you twice is excessive. This is a logical means of protection. Besides, don’t forget he made it as far as our room. He was in here with us that night long before he made his presence known,” he said before he climbed the ladder.
The thought gave Heaven chills. She remembered that night clearly, no matter how hard she tried to forget. She was once again thankful for Julian and his fierce need to protect her.
When Julian finished installing the cameras, he went back down the ladder to see that Heaven was gone.
“Heaven!” Julian shouted. He went around the side of the house, yelling her name.
“I’m out back!” he heard her yell and ran to the backyard. He was relieved to see her sitting in the lawn chairs by the pool.
“I told you to stay close to me,” he barked as he walked over to stand next to her chair.
“And I told you that I was tired, but you demanded that I come outside with you while you install more security cameras.”
“Because you try to escape the room every time I leave.”
“Only once, Julie.”
“And there won’t be a second time. I want you in my sight.”
“I’m perfectly safe out here.”
“I don’t want you back here alone.”
“But I’m not alone.” She pointed to the back door as it opened. “I told you they were coming for lunch.”
“I have apple pie and champagne; Coco is bringing the strawberry pie.” Sybille smiled as she sashayed over to the lawn chair next to Heaven. “I hope you’re hungry, Julian.”
“I’ll have to take a rain check.”
“But we’ve made you a feast.” Before Sybille sat down, one of her assistants spread her silk, leopard-print throw over the chair. “Julian, my dearest boy, you must invest in some new lawn furniture. This is dreadfully plain, my dear.”
“I like it.” Heaven smiled as she got comfortable. “I can accent it with red.”
“Maybe red with some earth tones. How about shades of chocolate and vanilla with a hint of red. On second thought, maybe more of a brick-toned red.” Sybille nodded as she looked around.
“A strong hint of red.” Heave
n grinned.
“I have your pie right here, Toots,” Coco said as she walked over to them.
“Julian, sit down and take a break. You haven’t eaten all day.” Heaven patted the seat next to her.
“I have to get this done.
“You need to eat something.”
“I had a steak and egg sandwich earlier. You stay right here, Heaven, and you’d better not move,” he warned her.
“I won’t”
“Stay close to your mother; I’ll be around front so you yell if you need me.”
