The Heart of a Hero (20 page)

“Then why didn’t you?”

“Because I won’t ever lie to someone who treats me with respect, and who makes me feel beautiful and sexy and more alive than I’ve been in forever.”

He touched one of her wild curls. “It’s probably just a matter of your becoming comfortable with me.”

“I’m not broken, Nicholas. But this . . . thing between us soon would be, because you would keep trying.” She laid her hand on his chest. “Why is it so all-fired important that I come, anyway? I can give myself an orgasm anytime I want. But what I can’t give myself is the warmth, the intimacy, the feeling of being cherished, of knowing I turn you on. I can’t wrap myself up in big strong arms and shiver at the feel of you moving inside me. And from where I stand, that’s way more important than some stupid old orgasm. Please, Nicholas,” she whispered, dropping her hand, “let it go. Better yet, let
me
go.”

“I can’t, Julia.” He gently embraced her when she rested her forehead against him with a heavy sigh, and pressed his lips to her hair. “It became too late last night.” He tilted her head back and smiled down at her. “So that’s it? That’s the reason you’ve been fighting my pursuit?”

“What do you mean,
that’s it
? From where I stand, that’s a darn
good
reason.”

“Why?”

She reared back as far as his embrace would allow, and there was more than enough moonlight for him to see her scowl. “Because you’re a damn
hero
,” she snapped. She wiggled an arm free and waved at nothing. “You run around trying to save the world one woman and cat at a time. But for your information, I don’t need Prince Charming to come riding in on his big gray horse and fix me, because
I’m not broken
.”

Nicholas got right down in her face. “For
your
information, I’m no prince, and I’m definitely not
charming
. And you know what else I’m not?” he asked more softly, tightening his embrace when he felt her trembling again. “I’m not trying to save you, Julia, but hoping you would have the courage to save me.”

He kissed her then, gently, tenderly, maybe even desperately, then released her and stepped back, and turned and walked away. He was halfway to the barn before he knew she was no longer staring after him, and turned to see her walking toward her apartment—Solomon walking beside her.

Nicholas folded his arms over his chest, undecided how he felt about Julia’s little revelation. Of all the lovely lady’s real or imagined demons he’d been prepared to battle to win her heart, he’d never once considered he might have to fight
himself
.

Because she was right; he would become fixated if not obsessed with giving her pleasure. But not because he wasn’t one of those selfish men she’d spoken of, but because he was; because he very selfishly wanted
all
of her.

Chapter Sixteen

Julia sat at her large cherry desk with her head lying on her baby-soft tote and wondered if weddings might be contagious. Not halfway through Adeline and dear Berdy’s boisterous bonfire reception, two separate parties of curious resort guests had wandered up to the summit and eventually approached Nova Mare’s semihysterical director of special events, wanting to book their own . . . venturesome Maine woods wedding—complete with hot dogs and s’mores and cases and cases of the state’s various microbrewery beers.

One of the parties had very sensibly asked if there were any openings for next June, but a twentysomething couple from Texas—with a recently inherited trust fund apparently burning a hole in the woman’s pocket—had asked Julia to please make it happen
tomorrow
. That way they could have an abbreviated honeymoon
hiking the wilderness
before they had to fly to California so the woman could be a bridesmaid in her friend’s plain old boring beach wedding next weekend.

And since it was too short of a notice for family and friends to drop what they were doing to attend, the couple wanted to invite
all
the resort guests so their bonfire would be just as boisterous as the one going on now. And could Julia please find a local artisan to design them a pair of unique folk-artsy wedding bands? Oh, and also make sure they left with an album of photos that juxtaposed them with the rugged surroundings, the bride-to-be had gone on to ask, so she could show everyone at her friend’s wedding how
her
marriage was going to
embrace both the civilized world and the wilderness
.

It appeared that Adeline Rauch—now Frau Altbusser—had been trumpeting that little axiom all over the resort yesterday, and would probably have it engraved on their wedding portrait hanging over their mantel on the off chance no one
got it
.

Julia didn’t bother to lift her head when she realized someone had silently walked up to her desk, as she would recognize that wonderfully delicious smell from her grave. “Go away, Nicholas. I’m very busy.”

“I can see that,” he said, the deep timbre of his voice washing over her like a warm gentle rain.

Which reminded her . . . “Thank you for arranging the nice weather and beautiful sunset.” She finally sat up to give him a smile. “And for the extra security. The team leader you sent—Dante, he said his name was—was very kind. Somebody must have told him it was my first event, and he spent most of the reception by my side while directing his men.” Seeing Nicholas’s sky-blue eyes suddenly light with amusement, Julia laid her head back on her tote. “Anyway, I appreciate your guards’ not letting any of the boisterous guests get lost in the woods or tumble down the mountain and then making sure everyone got back to their rooms okay.”

“You say his name was Dante?” he asked, the amusement she’d seen in his eyes reaching his voice. “Did he happen to be sporting a small cut on his cheek where a well-aimed . . . rock may have struck him four days ago?”

Julia bolted upright. “You sent one of the idiots who shot me to guard my event?”

“I told him to leave his paintball gun at home,” he said, that amusement finally escaping on a chuckle, “and suggested he might want to make sure tonight went smoothly for the one person standing between him and a long swim home.”

Julia hid her face in her hands and slumped down on her tote again. “And to think I was going to send you a letter to put in his file saying how kind he was,” she muttered, “and he was just sucking up to keep his job.”

She peeked past her fingers to see one of Nicholas’s big strong hands press down on the desk beside her and felt him bend closer. “Dante is no more
kind
than I am,” he said, a distinctly
not
amused edge in his voice. “And if he’d gone after you instead of coming to get me, he’d have caught you within minutes.”

Julia rolled her chair back to slide out from under him and stood up. “Yes, well, it was very ki—thoughtful of you to hang around to walk me home. But I’m driving my cart, since Trisha managed to get us all moved into the event planner’s cottage before she took off for New York.”

He folded his arms over his chest. “Actually, I’m here to take Rana home.”

Julia spun away to hide the heat rushing to her cheeks and walked over to grab her jacket off the chair. “Oh, I forgot she mentioned that Titus and Mac are away on business,” she said brightly, facing the windows as she put on her jacket and took her time zipping it up, wondering if she shouldn’t throw herself off the mountain. “Rana should be right along. She’s in the bathroom helping one of our assistants fix her hair from where a flying, flaming marshmallow singed it.” She snatched her tote off her desk and headed for the door. “Thanks again for the extra security. Oh!” she gasped, stepping back to avoid bumping into one of her staff—only to bump into Nicholas as he’d apparently been trying to beat her to the door again. “Everything secure on the summit, Greg?” she asked, smacking Nicholas with her tote as she swung it onto her shoulder, then stifling a smile when she heard him sigh. “You guys made sure the bonfire is
completely
out?”

The twenty-year-old vigorously nodded even though his widened eyes were looking behind her, his face flushing as he finally lowered his gaze. “Um, yeah. We put enough water on it to drown a whale. And we made sure the wardrobe tents were all closed up like you said. And a couple of security guards,” he added, his gaze lifting to Nicholas again, “helped us search the woods with flashlights to make sure we didn’t miss any guests who might have wandered off.”

“Where’s Paul?” Julia asked, drawing the boy’s attention again.

“He’s putting the leftover beer in the storage room.”

And probably a couple of cases in his locker,
she silently added.

Holy Hades, she didn’t know which was more exhausting, the three days of prep work or sweating bullets through the actual event. Because she really wasn’t sure she could have pretended all was fine if everything had suddenly imploded around her. Heck, she’d nearly had a heart attack when the groom—apparently needing a little liquid courage to ride in and whisk his bride off into what ended up being a moonrise instead of a sunset—had actually mounted the steed
backward
.

No, dear Berdy probably wasn’t going to see his golden anniversary, because he was going to die trying to live up to Adeline’s expectations.

“Okay then,” Julia said with more enthusiasm than she was feeling, since it was nearly one in the morning. “I officially call the Rauch-Altbusser wedding a wrap. One of the security guards is waiting to drive you guys down the mountain to your cars, and I don’t expect to see any of you back here until eleven—no, make that
ten
A.M.
” She turned her smile up a couple of notches and aimed it at Ariel and Merriam when they came walking over with Rana. “Because as of ten tomorrow, we are officially on the Petty-Ringwood wedding. And that means we’re going to need at least a hundred and fifty new marshmallow sticks and another bonfire lit by five
P.M.
,” she said excitedly to her gaping staff, Paul also having walked up. “Because we did such an amazing job tonight, we get to do this all again tomorrow night. Isn’t that
wonderful
?”

“Are you serious?” Merriam whispered.

“A hundred and fifty?” Ariel squeaked, touching her singed hair.

Julia’s smile faltered, however, when she noticed her unflappable mentor also looking a little . . . flapped. “Hey, everyone,” she continued brightly. “Other than making the sticks and hunting up another forty cases of beer, most everything is already in place, so it’s going to be really
easy
.”

Assuming she could find wedding bands—although they’d probably cost more than Adeline’s big fat diamond now safely tucked in the resort safe, because she was going to have to bribe a local artisan into making them in less than . . . sixteen hours.

“But what about the hot dogs and rolls and the s’mores stuff?” Paul asked, shaking his head. “I completely wiped out the Trading Post’s stock of chocolate and marshmallows Friday afternoon, and Ezra said the next time we don’t give him at least a week’s notice he’s going to charge us
triple
.”

Julia closed her eyes and dropped her head with a silent groan.

“We’ll figure everything out in the morning,” Rana piped in, sounding surprisingly bright, and Julia looked up to see her mentor herding their staff toward the outside door as the woman pulled her phone out of her pocket. “Meanwhile, we’re going to give you people a couple of rooms for the night, so you can spend the next eight hours sleeping instead of traveling all the way home and back.” Rana stopped and looked at Julia, her smile once again calm and confident and unflappable. “And after a big hearty breakfast at Aeolus’s, we will be here at
nine
sharp, ready to work our magic all over again.”

Julia slid her tote off her shoulder, stepped around Nicholas, and headed back to her desk—only to stop with her jacket half off when she saw him still standing there with his arms folded over his chest, frowning at her.

“Go away, Nicholas. I’m very busy,” she said as she finished taking off her jacket before sitting in her big leather chair and rolling up to her desk. “You’re welcome to use the cart to take Rana home.”

“And then I’ll come back and get you.”

Deciding to ignore the threat in his voice, Julia pulled her calendar book out of her tote. “That’s very ki— Thank you, but just leave it at registration,” she said, leafing through the pages to find tomorrow—no, today’s—date. “I’ll grab it on my way home.”

Two big broad hands pressed down on her desk on either side of her book. “I’ll pick you up in ten minutes.”

Julia leaned back in her chair and said nothing, simply looking at him with all the serenity she could muster, considering she was so tired she wanted to cry.

“Ten minutes,” he said quietly as he straightened and walked away.

The moment she heard the outside door close, Julia dropped her head onto her calendar book with a groan. Oh yeah, she couldn’t ever have sex with Nicholas again, because she really didn’t want to get used to having a big strong
kind
hero constantly swooping in and saving her.

* * * 

Nicholas reached down to turn the key on the cart, only to have Rana stop him. “You’re not going to win any points by trying to intimidate her, Nicholas.”

He looked over in surprise and then at where she was nodding, and saw that Rana had had a clear view of Julia’s lighted office through the windows. He turned the key. “She can barely stand without swaying, yet intends to keep working,” he said, pressing down on the accelerator and heading for the Oceanuses’ private cottage. “I was merely explaining that I’d be back in ten minutes to take her home.”

“There’s nothing wrong with throwing herself into her work. Or are all you men so needy that you feel threatened by a woman who gets passionate about anything other than yourselves?”

Nicholas frowned at her tone, wondering if they were still discussing Julia.

“If Titus should ask, which I’m sure he will, you brought me home at ten.”

No; definitely no longer about Julia.

“And if Maximilian
suggests
you accompany Olivia and me and Sophie to Bangor this Friday, I want you to tell him you’re busy.” She nudged him with her elbow. “As it’s always been, Nicholas, you don’t answer to the Oceanus men.”

Just the women,
he silently added, stifling a smile. “Are you
trying
to get me banished to the underworld for lying to Titus and Mac?”

She gave a soft laugh, as was her ritual every time he voiced that worry when she asked him to lie for her. “You wouldn’t be there a day before Hades sent you back to us.” She sobered when he stopped the cart in front of her cottage. “I mean it, Nicholas; the Oceanus women are climbing in the RV early Friday morning for a
ladies only
adventure.” She just as suddenly smiled again. “Minus Ella, because Olivia said the shopping malls on Black Friday are no place for a cherub.”

Nicholas stopped partway out of the cart. “Why on earth would you go shopping on Black Friday?” he asked, although he had to raise his voice because she was halfway to the cottage steps, making him scramble after her. “I’ve been led to believe it’s complete chaos.”

“Which is precisely why I asked Olivia to take me with her and Sophie this year. I want to feel that amazing energy for myself instead of watching it on the news,” she explained, the porch light revealing her excitement. But then she sighed. “Although Olivia said even she isn’t quite brave enough to be at the stores when they first open their doors, which means we’re going to miss all the best sales.”

“Rana,” Nicholas growled. “Titus is not about to let you go anywhere near that chaos without protection.”
He
sighed, dropping his chin to his chest. “I’ll go with you.”

“No, you will not,” she growled right back at him. “It’s
ladies only
. So make sure you’re busy Friday. And Nicholas,” she said more softly, touching his arm to get him to look at her. “If you become overprotective of Julia, you’re going to send her running in the opposite direction. Like Olivia, Julia Campbell is a twenty-first-century woman and quite capable of taking care of herself.” She arched a regal brow. “Which, I assume, you consider one of her more attractive qualities, just as I suspect that’s what attracted Maximilian to Olivia.”