From downstairs, she heard Gabriel’s voice calling. Enthusiastically, she sped down the stairs and toward the kitchen.
“Hello.” He kissed her forehead as he set the groceries on the counter. ”You look pretty.”
Hands free, he pecked first one cheek then the other before trapping her in his arms.
“Did you sleep well?” His lips moved against her hair.
“Very well. Between our stay in Assisi and last night, I think I’ve slept more than in months.” She pressed her mouth to his Adam’s apple, and he recoiled slightly as if she’d tickled him. “Thank you for the drawing.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I didn’t know you could draw.”
“Darling, I’d paint you if I could. With my fingers.”
“Stop teasing me, Professor. Every time I think of paint, I think of what we did on the floor back in Selinsgrove. And it gets me hot and bothered.” She pouted in jest.
“I’ll see to that later, I promise.” He released her from his arms, smiling slyly. “I like your socks.”
She looked down at her feet and flexed them.
“Argyle is sexy.”
“Indeed. A friend once told me that argyle is the fabric of seduction.”
“You have strange friends.” She shook her head, plucking a grape from the fruit bowl and eating it.
He began unpacking the groceries, watching her from the corner of his eye. ”You seem happy.”
She hoisted herself up onto the counter and began to swing her legs back and forth.
“I am. The conference is over; we had a great time in Rome and Assisi. I’m in love with my husband and I get to share this fantastic house with him. I’m the luckiest woman in the universe.”
Gabriel’s eyebrows shot up. ”In the universe? Hmmm. I’m sure the inhabitants of the galaxy next door will be sorry to hear that.”
She playfully poked him with her argyle-covered foot. ”You’re a nerd.”
He turned on her and grabbed her foot, pulling it upward until her leg was extended to the height of his shoulder. She reclined on her elbows to maintain her balance.
“What did you just call me?” He feigned anger, but his sapphire eyes twinkled.
“Um, I called you a nerd.”
He raised a single eyebrow.
“Oh, really? Would a nerd do this?” Expertly, Gabriel used his fingers to stroke the contours of Julia’s instep.
When she sighed at the pleasant sensation, he peeled off her socks before tossing them over his shoulder.
“Let’s see if we can get you all hot and bothered, shall we?” His voice was low, and it made Julia quiver.
He slid his hand over her leg, toying with the back of her knee until she groaned.
“Julianne,” he growled, his eyes dancing.
“Y-yes?”
“You aren’t wearing panties.”
With a single finger, he traveled the length of her inner thigh and back again, stroking up and down in a patient rhythm.
She began to breathe rather rapidly as his fingers approached where she was exposed.
“Nerds are not known for their skills in lovemaking.” Gabriel withdrew his hand and placed his index finger against her mouth.
She parted her lips and he pressed his finger inside. She closed around him, sucking his finger slightly before releasing it.
He winked at her before using his now-moistened finger to stroke the inside of her upper thigh.
“Would a nerd know to do this?” He leaned over and began to blow across the trail of wetness he’d left with his finger.
When Julia shivered, he smiled wickedly and nuzzled the same trail with his nose.
Standing up again, he kissed her hungrily and then abruptly retreated. Before she had the time to protest, he dropped to his knees in front of her.
“Hmmmm,” he said, moving her legs so that they rested on his shoulders again. “This counter seems to be the perfect height. I guess you really are the luckiest woman in the universe.”
Chapter Twenty-two
The following evening, Julia awoke in the middle of the night and visited the en-suite. On her return, she heard Gabriel shifting in bed, a few muffled words escaping his lips.
This was not surprising. Gabriel was usually a deep sleeper, but there were nights when he’d toss and turn and even talk in his sleep. Usually, Julia wasn’t bothered by it. But on this evening, he started thrashing in bed and cursing.
She was at his side instantly. “Gabriel?”
He continued his erratic movements, punctuated as they were by moments of torpor.
She switched on the lamp. “Gabriel?”
He mumbled. Then, all of a sudden, he tore at the bedclothes, wrestling and flailing until he was free.
His eyes shot open and he sat up, gasping for breath.
“Are you all right?” Julia elected to keep her distance, speaking in a low voice.
He looked at her, disoriented, and clutched his chest.
“Is it your heart? Can you breathe?”
“Nightmare.” His voice cracked.
“I’ll get you a drink.” Julia returned to the en-suite and retrieved a glass, filling it with water from the tap. He accepted it wordlessly.
She sat on the edge of the bed and waited, watching him closely.
“What was your nightmare about?”
He finished his drink, placing the glass on the nightstand.
“Give me a minute.”
Julia wanted to brush his dark hair back from his forehead, but she didn’t think he would welcome the gesture.
His blue eyes blinked before fixing on the wall behind her.
“My biological parents.”
“Oh, sweetie.” Julia reached out to hug him, but he stiffened. She paused for a moment, then walked over to her side of the bed.
Gabriel didn’t move. He didn’t even bother to turn out the light but continued to sit with his back against the headboard.
She slid over to him, underneath the sheets. She wanted to comfort him. But the air around him was charged with a strange kind of energy. Gabriel didn’t want to be touched.
She closed her eyes and had almost drifted into sleep, when his voice came out of the darkness.
“I was with my mother in our old apartment in Brooklyn. I could hear her and my father arguing.”
Julia’s eyes snapped open.
“I heard a crash. I heard my mother crying. I ran into the kitchen.”
“Was she okay?”
“She was kneeling on the floor. He was standing over her, shouting. I hit him with my fists. I shouted back. He shoved me and went to the front door. My mother crawled after him, begging him not to leave.”