The Rumours Collection

He tipped up her chin with the tip of his finger. ‘What am I going to do with you, Holly Perez?’

Holly looked into his sapphire-blue gaze. ‘You could start by kissing me.’

He pressed a soft kiss to her mouth. ‘Then what?’

She tilted her head as if thinking about it. ‘You could put your hand on my breast.’

He cupped her breast through her clothes, his eyes glinting. ‘And then what?’

She moved closer, letting her breath mingle with his as she slipped her hands around his neck. ‘Figure it out,’ she said, and his mouth came down and sealed hers.

CHAPTER TEN

A FEW DAYS later Holly watched as Julius slept. He was a quiet sleeper, not restless and fidgety like her. She could have watched him for hours, memorising his features, storing them in her mind for the time when she would be gone from his life. She had been playing a game of pretend with herself over the past few days, a silly little game where she wouldn’t have to leave at the end of the time she had left.

She had even been so foolish as to picture her and Julius building a life together. Having a family together. Building a future together. Things she had never allowed herself to dream of before. She hadn’t even realised she wanted those things until now. Every day she spent in his company she found herself wanting him more. Not just physically, although that had only got better and better. It was more of an intellectual connection, one she had never felt with anyone else. He inspired her, excited her, and challenged her.

Holly traced one of his eyebrows with her fingertip. ‘Are you awake?’

‘No.’

She smiled and traced the other eyebrow. That was the other thing she liked about him—he had a sense of humour underneath all that gruff starchiness. ‘Are you dreaming?’ she said.

‘Yes, of this hot girl who’s in my bed touching me with her clever little hands.’

Holly reached down and stroked his swollen length. ‘Like this?’

‘Mmm, just like that.’

‘And in this dream did that same girl slide down your body like this?’ She moved down his body, letting her breasts touch him from chest to groin.

‘That’s it,’ he said in a low growl. ‘I never want to wake up.’

She sent her tongue down the length of his shaft, then swirled it over the head and around the sensitive glans.

‘Condom, querida.’

‘I want to taste you.’

He muttered an expletive as she opened her mouth over him, drawing on him until he was breathing heavily. ‘You don’t have to...’

‘I want to,’ Holly said. ‘You do it to me. Why shouldn’t I do it to you?’

‘I’ve never had someone do it in the raw before.’

‘Lucky me to be the first.’

He frowned for a moment but it soon disappeared as Holly got to business. She watched him as she drew on him, her own excitement building as she saw the effect she was having on him. He pulled out just as he spilled, the erotic pumping of his essence thrilling her in a way she hadn’t expected.

He threaded his fingers through her hair in long, soothing strokes that made her scalp tingle in delight. ‘Holly...’

She looked up from where she had been resting her cheek against his stomach. ‘What?’

He had one of his deep-in-thought frowns on his forehead. After a moment the frown relaxed as he smiled faintly. ‘Just... Holly.’

She stroked his stubbly jaw. ‘Not getting all sentimental on me, are you?’

The frown was back. ‘What do you mean?’

Holly propped herself on one elbow as she trailed her fingers up and down his chest. ‘This is just for now. Us, I mean. I’m going to England once I’m done here.’

He pushed her hand away and got off the bed. ‘I know you are. I’m glad you are. It’s the right thing to do.’ He pulled on a bathrobe and tied the belt, his expression shuttered.

‘You don’t sound very happy about it.’

He threw her an irritated look. ‘Why wouldn’t I be happy about it?’

She gave a shrug. ‘Thought you might miss me.’

‘I will but that doesn’t mean I want you to stay.’

Holly sat up and pulled her knees into her chest. ‘I wouldn’t stay if you asked me.’

‘I’m not going to ask you.’

‘Fine. Glad we got that settled.’

He went to the balcony doors and unlocked them. Holly stiffened. ‘What are you doing?’

‘I want some fresh air.’

Bitterness burned in her gullet. ‘You’re only doing that to get rid of me. It’s cruel, Julius. You know how much it freaks me out. I thought you understood. I’ll only come in here if those doors are closed.’

‘It’s just a balcony, for God’s sake.’

Tears sprouted but Holly tried to blink them back. ‘It’s not just a bloody balcony!’ She got off the bed, pulling the sheet with her to cover herself. ‘I spent hours and hours—years—of my life frightened out of my wits, and now you’re using that fear, exploiting that fear, to push me away because you’re scared of how you feel about me leaving.’

He flung the doors wide open and stepped out on to the balcony, standing with his back to her as he looked out over the estate.

Holly felt a gnarled knot of emotion clog her throat. Her heart was beating too fast, too erratically. Her skin was icy-cold and then clammy-hot. Her vision blurred with tears. She tried to get away but the sheet wrapped around her halted her progress. She tripped, stumbled and then fell in an ungainly heap on the floor.

‘Are you all right?’ Julius was by her side in seconds.

Holly batted his hand away. ‘No, of course I’m not all right. Close the freaking doors, will you?’

He gripped her chin between his finger and thumb. ‘You’re fine, Holly. Look at me. You’re fine. No one’s going to hurt you.’

She glared at him. ‘You hurt me. You did. You shouldn’t have done that.’ Tears leaked out of her eyes in spite of all she did to try and stop them. She landed a punch on his arm but it glanced off as if she had hit stone. ‘You sh-shouldn’t have done that.’

‘Hey...hey...hey...’ He drew her against him, resting his chin on top of her head as he gently stroked her back in soothing circles. ‘It’s all right, querida. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done it. I’m sorry. Shh, don’t cry.’

‘I’m not c-crying.’

‘Of course you’re not.’ He kept stroking her, holding her.

‘I’m angry, that’s all.’

‘Of course you are. You have every right to be. I was being a jerk.’

‘If you want me to leave the room or get out of your life just say so, okay?’ she said against his chest. ‘I can take a hint. I’m not stupid.’

There was a deep silence.

Holly listened to the sound of his breathing. Felt the steady rise and fall of his chest against her cheek and the slow beat of his heart. Felt his hand gently stroking her hair, his chin resting on top of her head. Felt her heart squeeze at the thought of how soon this was going to end.

Before she knew it, she would be on her way to a new life in England. The only contact she would have with him would be seeing articles about his family in the press. She wasn’t falling in love with him. She wasn’t. It was just that he was so...so different from all the men she had met in the past. He was impossibly strong, yet tender when he needed to be. He was a control freak but that showed he had discipline and self-control. He was a man with honour and standards. No one had ever taken the time to get to know her like he had done. He was interested in what made her the person she was and he inspired her to become who she was meant to be.

How could she not feel a little regret over her imminent departure? It was normal. It didn’t mean she was falling in love with him. She had never been in love before and didn’t intend to be now. She had seen first-hand the damage loving someone could do. You lost your power, your autonomy, your self-respect and your freedom. Love was a trap. A cage that, once you were in, you couldn’t get out of. That wasn’t what she had planned for her life.

Julius eased back to look down at her. ‘I want you to do something for me.’

‘What?’

He took her by the hands in a gentle hold. ‘I want you to come out on the balcony with me.’

Holly tried to pull away but his grip tightened. ‘No. No. Don’t ask me to do that. I won’t. I can’t.’

He kept her imprisoned hands close to his chest. ‘I’ll be with you the whole time. I won’t let go of you. Trust me, Holly.’

She felt the panic rise in her chest. Felt the bookcase flatten her lungs until she could barely inflate them enough to breathe. Could she do it? Could she trust him to stand by her and hold her, to help her confront her worst nightmare? Her skin crawled with dread. Her heart raced. Her stomach churned. ‘I—I’m not sure I can do it... My stepfather used to drag me out there by the hair. He would lock me out there and then beat up my mum while I watched. Don’t make me do it. I c-can’t.’

Julius’s expression flinched as she spoke but he kept hold of her hands, holding her gaze as he kissed her clenched knuckles one by one. ‘Don’t let him win any longer, querida. All this time he’s had it over you by controlling you with fear. Give your fear to me. Trust me. I won’t let you fall.’

I think I’m already falling, Holly thought. Feelings she had never expected to feel for anyone were slipping past the barriers she had erected around her heart. Her defences were no match for his tenderness, his concern, his steadiness and support. She couldn’t allow herself to fall for him. This was a temporary arrangement that would end once her community service was over. She was a fool to imagine any other outcome. He was from a completely different world. He would have no place for her in it. She didn’t belong. She was an outcast. A misfit. A nobody that nobody wanted.

‘Okay...’ Her voice came out scratchy as it squeezed past the strangulation of her fear.

He led her to the balcony doors. ‘Okay so far?’

She nodded, swallowing another wave of panic. He opened the doors, and the fresh air wafted over her face. She gripped his hand so tightly she wondered why he didn’t wince in pain.

‘Good girl,’ he said. ‘Now, take one step at a time. We’ll stop if it gets too much. It’s your call.’

Holly took one step onto the balcony on legs as unsteady as a new-born foal’s. The smell of freshly mown grass drifted past her nostrils. She tried to concentrate on the view, hoping it would distract her from thinking about the fear that chilled her to the bone.

‘You’re doing so well,’ he said. ‘Want to try a couple more steps?’

She took another thorny breath and moved one step forward. His hands squeezed hers in encouragement. She looked up at him and gave him a wobbly smile. ‘Nice view from up here.’

‘Yes,’ he said but she noticed he wasn’t looking at the view.

Holly looked at their joined hands. He wasn’t letting her go. He wasn’t pushing her beyond her limits. He had held true to his promise. The weight of fear began to lift off her chest. She could breathe. She could feel her heart rate gradually slowing. She wasn’t cured by any means but she had made progress. She hadn’t been anywhere near a balcony since she’d been a teenager. Years of terror had stalked her. Controlled her. She had taken two steps forward into a future without fear. Two steps. It wasn’t much but it was enough to give her a glimmer of hope.

Holly looked up into his deep-blue gaze. ‘Thank you...’

‘I haven’t done anything,’ he said. ‘I was just holding your hand. Next time will be easier. Soon you’ll be doing it all by yourself.’

‘I’m not so sure about that,’ she said with a little shudder.

‘You underestimate yourself,’ he said. ‘You can do anything if you try. You have so much potential. Don’t let anyone take it away from you.’

Holly pulled away to go back inside. She hugged her elbows with her hands crossed over. It was all very well for him to talk about potential. He’d had a good education. Family money and opportunities she could only dream about. He might find his parents difficult but at least he had them.

She had no one.

Julius came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. ‘Would you like to go out to dinner?’

Holly turned to look at him with a frown. ‘In public?’

‘That’s where the restaurants tend to be.’

‘Yes, and so are people with camera phones.’

‘I know a quiet little place where we won’t be disturbed,’ he said. ‘I know the guy who runs it. He’ll let us have a private room.’

Holly hadn’t quite let her frown go. ‘Why are you doing this?’

‘Doing what?’

‘Acting like this is a normal relationship.’

A muscle moved near his mouth. ‘You deserve a break from cooking, surely?’

‘Then order takeaway.’

‘It’s just dinner,’ he said. ‘I sometimes take Sophia out for a meal.’

‘I’d rather not.’

‘Why not? You have the clothes to wear.’

Holly unwrapped her body from the sheet she was wearing and reached for a bathrobe. ‘I’m happy to sleep with you, okay? But don’t ask me to act like we’re a proper couple. Date nights are out of the question.’

‘Fine,’ he said casually but it didn’t fool her for a second. ‘Forget I asked.’

Holly bit down on her lip as he strode into the en suite. He was upset with her for refusing but what else could she do? Dinner would have been nice but how could she control her emotions if he pressed her to do couple stuff? A romantic dinner for two was just plain wrong. She was not his romantic partner.

She never would be.

Julius knew he had no right to feel annoyed Holly had refused to go out in public with him. He knew they weren’t in a relationship. It was just a fling. A convenient interlude that was going to end once her community service was up. He should, in principle, be in agreement about keeping their affair out of the public eye but he had wanted to spend time with her away from the villa where she felt like a member of his staff rather than his equal. He wanted them to be just two ordinary people who had an attraction for each other. He wanted to spoil her in a way she had never been spoilt before.

The very fact she didn’t want to go public about their involvement was a confirmation of the sort of person she was underneath all that ‘junkyard dog’ bluster. She was sensitive and easily hurt. She hid that vulnerability behind her don’t-mess-with-me façade. The horror of her past sickened him. He wanted to make it up to her. To make her feel safe in a way she had never felt before. He needed time to do that. But how much time did he have? Not much. Not enough.

For some reason every time he thought of her leaving he got a pain below his ribs. A tight, cramping pain as if someone was jabbing him. What would happen to her when she went to England? She had no one. No family to watch out for her. She would be totally alone. His family annoyed the hell out of him most of the time but at least he knew they were there when he needed them. Who would Holly turn to if things went sour?

The way she had trusted him to take her out on the balcony had moved him deeply. He had seen the years of terror in her face. Felt it in her hands as they gripped his so tightly. And yet she had stood out there in his arms and given him a shaky smile, trusting him to keep her safe. Who would keep her safe once she left him?

Why the heck was he ruminating so much about her leaving? Of course she had to leave. It was what she wanted. A new start in her mother’s homeland. A chance to get her life back on track, to pursue her dreams and put her past behind her. A past Julius would be part of. Would she ever think of him? Miss him?

He gave himself a mental shake and tried to refocus on the programme code in front of him. He wasn’t supposed to be developing feelings for her. It was fine to care about someone, sure. It was fine to want to see her get on her feet and reach her potential. But caring so much he couldn’t bear to think of letting her go was ridiculous. He hadn’t wanted her to come here in the first place. How could he possibly want her to stay indefinitely?

He didn’t do indefinitely.

Julius’s mobile rang, and he was about to ignore it but changed his mind when he saw it was his sister, Miranda. Finally. ‘Nice of you to get back to me.’

‘I’m sorry but I didn’t feel like talking to anyone,’ Miranda said.

It was what his baby sister did when things got difficult. She went to ground. He knew she would call him eventually but it worried him she had left it so long. ‘You okay?’

‘God, it’s just so embarrassing,’ she said. ‘Mum is beside herself and for once I can’t blame her.’

‘Have you met the girl yet?’

‘No,’ Miranda said. ‘Dad’s pushing for it. He wants a big family reunion. Can you believe it? Talk about lack of sensitivity. I just want to run away and hide some place until it all blows over.’

‘Have the press hassled you for a comment?’

‘Like, every day,’ she said. ‘The worse thing is they keep making comparisons. I’m now officially known as the ugly sister.’

‘That’s rubbish and you know it,’ Julius said.

‘Have you seen her, Julius?’ Miranda asked. ‘She’s stunning. Like one of those lingerie supermodels. And guess what? She’s an aspiring actor. Dad is so proud he finally produced a child with theatrical ambition. He keeps going on and on about it. It’s nauseating.’

‘What’s she been in? I haven’t heard of her before now.’

‘She’s only been in amateur things but now all she’ll have to do is name drop and the red carpet will be rolled out for her. You wait and see.’

‘Connections will only get her so far,’ Julius said. ‘She’ll need talent.’

Miranda gave a gusty sigh. ‘I don’t want to talk about it any more. So, how are you?’

‘Fine. Been busy working.’

‘Same old.’

He gave a rueful smile. ‘Same old.’

‘When are you coming over?’ she said. ‘Have you got any plans to visit?’

‘Not right now.’

There was a short silence.

‘Are you dating someone?’ Miranda asked.

Julius tossed the question back even though he already knew the answer. ‘Are you?’

‘I know you think I’m wasting my life but I loved Mark,’ Miranda said in her stock-standard defensive tone she used whenever the topic of her moving on with her life was brought up.

‘I know you did, sweetheart,’ Julius said gently. ‘And he loved you. But if things were the other way around I reckon he would’ve moved on by now.’

‘You obviously haven’t been in love,’ Miranda said. ‘You don’t know what it’s like to lose the only person in the world you want to be with.’

Julius felt that sudden pang beneath his ribs again. He was going to lose Holly. In a matter of days, she would be gone. He would never see her again.

Which was how it should be, as she had a right to move on with her new life without him interfering.

Julius put his phone down after he’d finished listening to his little sister tell him a thousand reasons why she would never date another man. He let out a long sigh. There were times when he wondered if love was worth all the heartache. So far he had avoided it.

So far...

CHAPTER ELEVEN

A COUPLE OF days later Julius finished a tele-conference that had taken longer than he’d expected and went in search of Holly. She was out by the pool scooping out leaves with the net. ‘One of the groundsmen can do that,’ he said.

She turned around and smiled one of her cheeky smiles. ‘Have you got something you’d rather me do indoors?’

He put his arms around her, bringing her bikini-clad body against his fully clothed one. ‘Why are you always wandering around the place half-dressed?’ he growled at her playfully.

‘All the better to tempt you, my dear,’ she said.

Julius brought his mouth down to hers. The heat of their mouths meeting always surprised him. Delighted him. She didn’t kiss in half-measures. She kissed with her whole body. He drew her closer, his body responding to the slim, sun-kissed contours of hers. He kept on kissing her as he unhooked her bikini top so he could access her breasts. Her hands went to the buttons of his shirt, undoing each one with spine-tingling purpose.

He put his mouth to her breast, sucking, licking and teasing the engorged flesh until she was making breathless little sounds of need. He untied the strings of her bikini bottoms and cupped the pert curves of her bottom in his hands.

She tilted her head back to look at him. ‘This is a little unfair. I’m completely naked and you’re fully dressed.’

Julius swept his tongue over her pouting bottom lip. ‘Let’s take this indoors.’

She rubbed against him sensuously. ‘Why not have a swim with me first?’

He couldn’t resist her in this mood. She was so damn sexy he could barely hold himself in check. Within seconds he, too, had stripped off—apart from a quickly sheathed condom—and was in the pool with her, holding her against his aroused body as she smiled up at him with those dancing, caramel-brown eyes. He lowered his mouth to hers, his senses reeling as her tongue came into play with his. Her hands were around his waist, then caressing his chest, then going even lower to hold him until he was ready to explode. The water only heightened the sensations. The silky cool of it against their heated bodies made him all the more frantic for release.

He walked her backwards until she was up against the edge of the pool but, rather than have her back marked by the pool’s edge, he turned her so her back was against the front of his body. He kissed his way from her earlobe to her neck and back again, trailing his tongue over her scented flesh, wondering how he was going to stop himself coming ahead of schedule with her bottom pressed up against his erection. She made a sound of encouragement, part whimper, part gasp, as he moved between legs.

He entered her deeply, barely able to control himself as her hot, wet body gripped him like a clamp. He kept thrusting, building a pace that had her hands gripping the edge of the pool for balance. He felt every delicious ripple of her inner flesh, the contraction of her around him as she came, triggering his own mind-blowing release.

He didn’t want to move. He wanted to stand there on his still shaking legs and hold her against him.

She turned in his arms, looking up at him with a face glowing with the aftermath of pleasure. ‘Ever done it in the pool before?’

‘No.’

‘Lucky me to be your first pool—’

Julius put his fingertip over her mouth to stop her saying the crude word he suspected she was going to say. ‘Don’t.’

She pushed his hand away. ‘Don’t be so squeamish, Julius. It’s just sex.’

Just sex.

Was it? Was it just sex for him? Maybe for her it was but for him it didn’t feel anything like the sex he’d had in the past. His whole body felt different with her. He felt different. Not just in his flesh but in his mind. Sex had gone from being a purely physical experience to a more cerebral—dared he admit it?—emotional one. He liked having Holly around. She was funny and playful, exciting and daring in a way that made him shift out of his comfort zone. But he had helped her out of her comfort zone, too. She had even allowed the balcony doors to be open in his suite when they made love the past few nights.

Made love.

The words jolted him. Maybe it wasn’t ‘just sex’ after all. He made love to her. His body worshipped hers, pleasured hers and delighted in giving as well as receiving it. He had never wanted a woman more than her. She made him feel aroused by just looking at him. The scent of her was enough to make him hard. He only had to walk into a room she had been in earlier and his blood would be pumping. Her touch made his flesh tingle all over. The dancing tiptoe movements of her fingers made his pulse thunder and his heart race. Everything about her turned him on. He couldn’t imagine another woman being as thrilling and satisfying as her.