night, Julia. I’ll see you in the morning. Have sweet dreams.”
She nodded. “Sweet dreams to you, too,” she said with a smile. Then she turned out the light and they turned their backs to each other, though neither one of them fell asleep for a long time.
Chapter Four
The morning of the wedding dawned and they rose from bed. She showered first and came out in a thick, terry cloth robe. He kept his eyes averted from her on purpose and took the second shower while she got dressed and began to do her hair and makeup.
When he stepped out from the shower, he was wearing a towel around his waist and it was all she could do not to look at his gorgeous body. She couldn’t get her zipper up in the back of her dress and she turned her head to speak to him over shoulder. “Could you please help me with the zipper on this dress? I can’t seem to reach it.”
He looked up at her and nodded. “Of course. I’d be glad to.” He walked over to her and stood behind her, his eyes moving over the dark skin on her shoulders, tracing her curves with his eyes down her bare back to where the dress fell just above her hips.
The zipper went from her hip to just beneath her arm behind her breast. His hands moved over the thin lavender satin and grasped the little pull on the zip, and she closed her eyes and breathed in as his hand moved slowly up her body. His fingers traced a long slow line from the back of her hip up her torso to the side of her breast, and there his fingers stayed for just a moment, at the edge of the curve of her breast as his body drew near to the back of her and his breath was a warm caress on her bare shoulder.
“Does that feel all right?” he asked her almost in a whisper, his fingers warm through the material as they touched her.
Her heart beat wildly in her and she tried to draw a breath as his hand flattened against the side of her body, his fingertips against the side curve of her breast, and he moved his hand down to her waist, still standing almost against her he was so close to her. She nodded and wished that she could lean back and lay against him, wished that he would move his hands around the front of her body and touch her. She closed her eyes and tried to breathe, but his breath on the back of her neck almost paralyzed her with desire.
“You look so beautiful,” he told her in the softest whisper, and she was suddenly acutely aware of his bare chest just a breath away from her back.
His hand rested on her hip and he wanted to curl his fingers around it and pull her body back to him, lean her against him and kiss her shoulder and her neck, but he remembered that he was there as her employee, and after a tense moment, and some colossal will power, he let his hand slide slowly over the thin fabric of her dress and let go of her.
“Thank you,” she said quietly.
“Sure,” he replied. “Anything you need.”
He walked away and headed to the bathroom with his clothes, shutting the door behind him. She leaned over to the bed and held on to the frame, gripping it as she took a deep breath and steadied herself, willing the fires in her to cool and evaporate. She did not need a situation with a man in her life, particularly one who was being paid to pretend that he loved her. He was only acting , she told herself.
But then... there was no one in the room for him to act in front of. It was just the two of them alone together. She couldn’t deny that she felt something powerful when he was around; she felt something magnetic about him that drew her to him and would not let her go, but she knew that no matter what she felt, she had to respect his distance and his position as her employee.
They went to the wedding breakfast with the rest of the wedding party, and from the moment they left the room, he was by her side, paying attention to her again, listening intently to her, watching her, and he was almost always touching her in some way. His hand held hers, or his fingers were resting on
She nodded. “Sweet dreams to you, too,” she said with a smile. Then she turned out the light and they turned their backs to each other, though neither one of them fell asleep for a long time.
Chapter Four
The morning of the wedding dawned and they rose from bed. She showered first and came out in a thick, terry cloth robe. He kept his eyes averted from her on purpose and took the second shower while she got dressed and began to do her hair and makeup.
When he stepped out from the shower, he was wearing a towel around his waist and it was all she could do not to look at his gorgeous body. She couldn’t get her zipper up in the back of her dress and she turned her head to speak to him over shoulder. “Could you please help me with the zipper on this dress? I can’t seem to reach it.”
He looked up at her and nodded. “Of course. I’d be glad to.” He walked over to her and stood behind her, his eyes moving over the dark skin on her shoulders, tracing her curves with his eyes down her bare back to where the dress fell just above her hips.
The zipper went from her hip to just beneath her arm behind her breast. His hands moved over the thin lavender satin and grasped the little pull on the zip, and she closed her eyes and breathed in as his hand moved slowly up her body. His fingers traced a long slow line from the back of her hip up her torso to the side of her breast, and there his fingers stayed for just a moment, at the edge of the curve of her breast as his body drew near to the back of her and his breath was a warm caress on her bare shoulder.
“Does that feel all right?” he asked her almost in a whisper, his fingers warm through the material as they touched her.
Her heart beat wildly in her and she tried to draw a breath as his hand flattened against the side of her body, his fingertips against the side curve of her breast, and he moved his hand down to her waist, still standing almost against her he was so close to her. She nodded and wished that she could lean back and lay against him, wished that he would move his hands around the front of her body and touch her. She closed her eyes and tried to breathe, but his breath on the back of her neck almost paralyzed her with desire.
“You look so beautiful,” he told her in the softest whisper, and she was suddenly acutely aware of his bare chest just a breath away from her back.
His hand rested on her hip and he wanted to curl his fingers around it and pull her body back to him, lean her against him and kiss her shoulder and her neck, but he remembered that he was there as her employee, and after a tense moment, and some colossal will power, he let his hand slide slowly over the thin fabric of her dress and let go of her.
“Thank you,” she said quietly.
“Sure,” he replied. “Anything you need.”
He walked away and headed to the bathroom with his clothes, shutting the door behind him. She leaned over to the bed and held on to the frame, gripping it as she took a deep breath and steadied herself, willing the fires in her to cool and evaporate. She did not need a situation with a man in her life, particularly one who was being paid to pretend that he loved her. He was only acting , she told herself.
But then... there was no one in the room for him to act in front of. It was just the two of them alone together. She couldn’t deny that she felt something powerful when he was around; she felt something magnetic about him that drew her to him and would not let her go, but she knew that no matter what she felt, she had to respect his distance and his position as her employee.
They went to the wedding breakfast with the rest of the wedding party, and from the moment they left the room, he was by her side, paying attention to her again, listening intently to her, watching her, and he was almost always touching her in some way. His hand held hers, or his fingers were resting on
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