Following Love (14 page)

“None taken, I think.”

“What is about some lawyers who think suing someone is as easy as signing your name?”

“Because it
is
just that easy,” she agreed. “Frivolous lawsuits jam up the court systems while legitimate cases languish for months, even years sometimes. But that's the system,” she said sadly, speaking mainly of her situation. “So what happened to you to taint a whole occupation?”

“My ex, Stephanie, countersued when I filed for divorce. Talk about a blood-sucking parasite looking for a free payday at someone else's expense, she asked the court to award her spousal support, all marital assets, half of my stake in the company and punitive damages of ten million dollars for mental anguish and desertion.”

“Sounds brutal,” she said, commiserating.

“It was, and after the judge dismissed the case and I was vindicated, her attorney took me to court for his fees.”

Dena shook her head sadly, not at all surprised; she'd seen it done a hundred times before. Graham, Whitman & Morris made millions annually on just such cases.

“Then a year later I was served with a paternity suit,” he added. “Litigation lasted months since the mother refused a paternity test. Kenneth, my attorney, thankfully took care of both cases, but never again.”

“That sounds brutal, no wonder you despise attorneys.”

“Not all attorneys, just the ones who file lawsuits that take money from people. It kind of leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I swore to myself that I'd never step foot in another courtroom for the rest of my life.”

Dena's heart raced. She often thought about telling Julian about her legal battles over Forester's trust, but given his disdain there didn't seem to be any point.

“So after all that, why law?”

She shrugged. “I don't know. Law always fascinated me. As a teen I liked breaking rules, going up against the law. I guess it was only natural to become a lawyer.”

“Were you always a legal aid?” he asked.

“No. I did family law for a time, but that was too much. So I did some corporate, but that didn't work out, either. I eventually went back to what I loved, the down-and-dirty freebies,” she said, smiling. “That's what we used to call it in law school.”

“Family law was too much?” he asked.

“I worked in the family court system primarily. That's where if you were lucky your day would only be crazy and insane. I dealt a lot with runaways, abused children, negligent parents, deadbeat dads.” She paused and shook her head sadly. “I've seen and worked on cases that made me physically ill. I know what people do to each other in the name of family, it's not pretty. I couldn't stay.”

Julian heard the thick tenseness in her voice and saw the strained look in her eyes. He didn't want to continue the conversation. “Tell me about your family,” he said. “You said that your parents died awhile back, any other family other than Mrs. Peyton and her son?”

“Not really, Aunt Ellen is actually my great-aunt. She's my mother's aunt.”

“She's something else,” he said, smiling.

“She definitely is. She and a friend of hers, Mamma Lou, are in Henderson Country at the fairgrounds with Dillon this evening. They're staying overnight.”

“He'll have a great time.”

“I hope so,” she said, then paused, smiling at him. “So, Julian Hamilton, modern renaissance man, you fix cars, tear down cement walls, build fire pits, rescue stranded women with oil leaks, run a multimillion-dollar company and cook a fantastic meal. What else do you do?”

He laughed. She joined in. “I'm glad you came tonight,” he said as he reached over and took her hand, bringing it to his lips.

“I am, too,” she said then paused. “But I have to confess, initially I came here with an ulterior motive.”

“Really, what might that be?” he asked. Dena immediately blushed and shook her head. “Come on, tell me,” he insisted.

“A Freudian booty call,” she said.

Julian immediately started laughing and continued until tears glistened and threatened to fall. “A Freudian booty call,” Julian finally repeated. “I've never heard of a Freudian booty call, but I guess I have now.”

“It's true. Psyche 101, selfish, instinctive primal impulses demanding immediate satisfaction. My id came here with the sole intention to seduce you into making love to me,” she said, boldly looking at him.

“Is that right?” he said, smiling broadly.

“Yeah, I know what you told me but…I find myself being purely selfish these days.”

“So how exactly were you going to do this seducing?”

She smiled slyly. “I hadn't figured that part out yet. I just thought that it was getting a little too quiet without Aunt Ellen and Dillon in the house so I figured since you might be alone this evening and I was alone, that maybe we might…” She stopped just short of admission.

“…be alone together, so to speak,” he finished for her.

“Yeah, something like that. Pretty sneaky, huh?” she said.

“No, not at all, I'm flattered.”

“I'm sorry. It's been a long time for me, not since my husband, and I was just…” She paused, feeling more and more embarrassed. “I have no idea why I'm telling you all this but as I said, I was being purely selfish these days.”

“And so what are your thoughts now?”

“Honestly I'm ashamed to have even considered it. I don't want to put you in that position. It was unfair of me. I kinda like having you as a friend, to hang out with, to joke around and talk and laugh with.” He shook his head. “No?” she questioned, not understanding. “We're not friends?” she asked.

“Yes, we're friends, but I don't want us to just be friends. I want more.”

Dena bit her lip as her heart thundered in her chest. “How much more?” she asked, hoping he still wanted her as much as she wanted him.

“You know how much more, Dena.” He stood, pulling her up with him. The soft music poured out around them from the inside speakers. Her, still in spiked high heels and him barefoot, they stood nearly eye to eye, with him having just a slight height advantage. The evening was perfect.

I
n silence they danced, continuing to move together with ease. Dena closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder, snuggling deep. She sighed, feeling the heaviness of her world finally lighten. A second song played, then a third and then a fourth. By the fifth song the gentleness of movement had become tantalizing foreplay. He stroked her back and she toyed with his neck.

They moved gently in each other's arms as she glanced across the horizon. The last remnants of sun dipping low beyond the trees and woods, lighting the sky ablaze with vibrant color. The moon climbed high and the stars peered out, twinkling and sparkling bright. He leaned back and smiled at her.

The direction of the moment was clear.

“May I kiss you?” he asked.

“Are you sure that's a good idea?” she asked.

“Positive.”

“Julian, I don't want to compromise your principles,” she began, still leaning against him. “I haven't been with a man in a while and it's obvious that we're attracted to each other. I can leave now, no harm done. It was unfair and wrong of me to…”

He leaned back slightly, tilted her chin up with his finger and smiled. “This is the right time and right place for both of us,” he said, looking deep into her eyes.

“I certainly hope so,” she answered.

Without missing a beat Julian gathered her into his arms closer and kissed her hard and purposefully. Dena surrendered, opening up to him as the kiss branded her. The feel of his power and strength was divine. She wrapped her arms around his neck and tipped up to him, begging for more. The instant sensation shot right through her as she quivered in his arms. It felt good to finally be wanted and desired.

Julian lavished kisses on her like gifts from heaven. Unrestrained, he'd been starved for too long. She was his hunger, his rapture and his desire. The intensity of their passion was beyond reason. In a feverous tangle their arms and hands grasped everything, caressing and teasing until the promise of pleasure was all too real. Then they stopped.

He stroked her face lovingly, smiling. “Would you come upstairs with me?”

She smiled. “I thought you'd never ask.”

He reached down and handed her the glass of ginger ale then picked up the bottle and his glass. Holding them in one hand, he took her free hand and led her through the kitchen, dining room and living room, upstairs to the master suite.

The double doors were ajar. The lights were dim but she could easily see the rustic decor surroundings. A big, dark-wood bed stood near the center of the room and large matching dark-wood furniture completed the details supplemented by thick carpet and a huge walled window.

She walked over and looked outside. The window showcased the wonder of the heavens and the magnificence of his view. “Your view is breathtaking,” she whispered.

“You are breathtaking,” he said, standing behind her.

She turned. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome.” He took the glass from her hand and set it down on the nearest flat surface. Seconds later he kissed her. Sweet and loving, the kiss reminded her of new love and possibilities of a future.

When the kiss ended she stepped back, untied the waist sash then unbuttoned the only button on the dress. The silky wrap dress loosened, revealing a hint of a promising treasure. She stepped around him and continued toward the bed. He turned, his eyes cemented to the sweet sexy sway of her body as she walked away.

Dena stood at the side of the bed with her back to Julian, then slowly opened her dress completely and dropped it off one shoulder. She heard a sudden rush of air behind her and turned to glance back over her shoulder. She smiled; Julian's expression was priceless.

The next shoulder went bare, then as slow and easy as snow flurries falling from the sky, the white floral dress eased lower and lower until it shimmered completely down her body. She turned completely around and smiled. Bra and panties, scant pieces of Lycra and lace were the only barriers to her treasure.

She sat down on the side of the bed. Her spiked stiletto sandals were still wrapped around her ankles and tied securely. She crooked her finger, motioning for him to come to her.

The air vanished around Julian as he watched Dena perform her slow, sexy striptease. His mouth dried as the desire he felt was nearly overwhelming. Every inch of his body hardened and beckoned to her. Catching his breath, he didn't even realize that he'd stopped breathing.

Without hesitation he obeyed her, crossing the room, slowly exaggerating each step. When he stood in front of her she reached up and loosened his shirt from his pants. Her hands were steady and sure in the task as her eyes never broke focus from his. She undid his snap and unzipped his pants. They loosened. Her fingers brushed against him. He gasped and moaned her name as he caressed her face.

In an instant he took her hands and lurched her up against his hard body. The sudden motion startled her, making her gasp as he wrapped his arm around her body and held her secure. His mouth captured her and in a continuous onslaught of passion, he ravished her with rapturous delight. Hands pulled and tugged, removing and tossing his shirt to the floor as he stepped out of his pants. Now both standing nearly bare, her in bra and panties and him in boxer briefs, they continued unimpeded.

His mouth descended to her shoulder and chest then captured her lace-covered breast. The front snap popped and her breasts freed. The once-spirited kisses turned heartily vigorous. Sucking, kissing, licking and pulling, her nipple pebbled instantly as her moans of anticipation escaped. The swelled fullness of her breasts seemed to fascinate him as he gathered both between his hands then licked, kissed and caressed them. He dipped his face into her cleavage then groaned, holding her even tighter.

She felt his throbbing hardness press against her. She moistened. The long-awaited sensation intensified as the pleasure she felt increased. His kisses continued down her body to her stomach, her hips, her thighs. Her legs weakened and her vision blurred.

She gasped when his hands secured her rear then began peeling at her panties. She held firm to his shoulders as his mouth searched for her. Nearly swooning, she fell back, sitting again on the side of the bed.

She leaned back on her elbows and lifted her leg, crossed her hip in front of his body and placed the spiked heel of her shoe on his chest. She smiled even as the needle-like heel gently poked him. She twisted her leg to show the sandal's wrapped leather straps and small buckle.

Without words he understood that she wanted him to help her with the ankle strap. He didn't. Instead he ran his hand down the length of her bare leg toward her mid-thigh, placing her foot higher up on his shoulder. He reached for and placed her other leg on his other shoulder as she lay all the way back on the bed.

The inviting position made her vulnerable to almost anything yet there was no fear or trepidation. The only thing she felt was the burning need to have him inside her. The skill of his foreplay made her shudder in anticipation. This was really going to happen. “Julian…I have…downstairs—” Dena moaned between deep, raspy breaths “—I have some…my purse is downstairs…condoms.” She slid her legs down around his arms to sit up again.

“I have condoms,” he whispered as he sat beside her and kissed her lips and reached for the bedside table. He opened the drawer and clumsily fumbled with an unopened box. She reached to help, adding to the scramble. The box opened and they each found a condom. He opened his and covered himself, then turned to her. She smiled and reached out to him. “Yes,” she whispered huskily, “now.”

In an explosion of sudden fierceness he covered her. Raw passion eclipsed them as body on body melted into one. He reached down between them and felt the moisture of her readiness then without delay he entered her full and hard. She gasped and screamed her pleasure.

The exquisite pain of long-term abstinence burned through her. Julian was long, hard and thick, the fit was perfect, filling her completely. Then just as suddenly he withdrew then thrust and continued repeating the rapture over and over again. The throbbing heat of her passion equaled the fierceness of his movements. She met him each time, wanting more, holding tighter as he surged deeper.

The ignited fire blazed with each thrust. Power met purpose and their untamed passion peaked closer and closer. Dena's nails bit into his shoulders as she held on, arching her hips for more. The powerful rhythm of their bodies crashed together as their hearts pounded. In and out, closer and closer, they met until they finally burst.

She climaxed full and hard, straining and trembling beneath his body. Savage spasms of pleasure gripped her repeatedly. She'd never felt anything so intense. Breathless and panting she closed her eyes and held on tight, never wanting this moment to end as he collapsed. They lay motionless in their spent rapture.

“I guess this kind of ends the whole celibacy thing,” she said through slow breathless gasps and pants.

Julian leaned up and rolled to the side, still holding on to her. He looked up at his bedroom's high ceiling and smiled, stroking her back tenderly. “Yeah, kind of.”

“Is that a bad thing?” she asked, cuddling close.

“No, it's a very good thing.”

They drifted into silence as each savored the moments past and the experience of their union.

Dena smiled in the muted darkness as she watched the last remnants of color drain from the sky. Darkness had descended and she knew she needed to leave soon. But the idea of going seemed almost foreign.

The closeness she felt with Julian was what she'd been looking for all her life. It was only sex, she knew that. A physical reaction to stimulus, no commitment, no love, just a physical attraction acted upon and mutually enjoyed, but still he made her feel special. Something Forester had never done.

Suddenly she realized that she'd wasted two years of her life with a man who selfishly cherished himself and used her first to get back at his family and then to accessorize his arm when needed. Sadness enveloped her equal to the selfish joy she now felt. “Thank you,” she whispered before thinking first.

“For what?” he asked, still stroking her back.

Committed to an answer, she continued. “For making me feel wanted.”

“You are most definitely wanted, Dena Hamilton. You're a sexy, sensually desirable woman and everything about you makes me hunger for more,” he responded softly.

Dena closed her eyes, smiling. Even if weren't completely true at least it sounded genuine. Moments later she drifted to sleep feeling particularly good.

 

Adel picked up her glass and sipped her drink as she always did this time of night, little finger extended, ladylike and proper. She sat alone in the solarium of her home and drank to the future while marinating in her self-imposed bile stew of regret. The last four years had been a blinding blur of hatred. The death of her sons and husband still taunted her.

She'd seen it coming from the moment she laid eyes on her youngest son's bride. She begged him at first to annul the marriage and then later to divorce, but he wouldn't have any of it. He was stubborn just like his father.

As soon as he'd brought her home Adel knew it was a mistake. Dena had no family of note, no prospects of a future and as far as she was concerned she was useless. She brought nothing to the table except her body. And apparently that had quickly worn out, as well, since Forester had so easily turned to Gloria to satisfy his physical needs.

In that light, there was no way Dena's child was Forester's. But then, Gloria had sworn that her child was. It wasn't until the child needed blood that the truth finally came out. Gloria had lied to gain control of Forester's money. Her child wasn't his. And for nearly four years Adel had given that child everything for her son's sake only to learn that it wasn't even his.

Adel shook her head at the intentional fraud. Gloria had endeared herself and expected that she would continue to support her and the child. She was wrong. Now she had nothing of Forester. But if by some chance Dena's child was his, then there was only one thing to do. She had very definite plans.

She set her drink down on the table, turned out the light and headed upstairs to bed. The days and nights, although blurred together, seemed long and endless. Each step she took drained her of her will to go on. She was tired but needed to continue to save the only thing she had left of her family, honor.

The doorbell rang. She turned and looked at the clock in the foyer, it was well after ten. No one with any sense would dare come to her home this late unannounced. She walked over to the security camera and pressed the button.

Gaylord's face looked up at her. He rang the doorbell again. She pressed the button to speak. “Not tonight, Gaylord.”

“We need to talk Adel,” he said quickly.

“It'll have to wait until morning, I'm tired.”

“You're going to want to hear this tonight.”

She pressed the button and released the security latch. The iron gates opened and she watched as Gaylord drove his late-model Benz through and up to the house. She opened the front door and waited. Gaylord got out of his car and approached. “What's so important?” she asked as she turned and headed to the living room.