don’t understand you,” she cried, nearly hysterical. “I’ve cheated you and lied to you. Why do you still want me? You should be glad to be rid of me.”
“You are my wife.”
It demanded all of Julia’s energy just to hold up her head. This man confused her and she lacked the resources to go on arguing.
He pulled back the sheets and rearranged the pillows on his side of the bed, making certain she understood that he wouldn’t be dissuaded.
“I can’t think clearly,” she said, holding her hands to her cheeks. “I’ll sleep in the guest bedroom.”
His disappointment was obvious. “You’re sure?”
She nodded. “For now.”
“As you wish, then.”
Listlessly she moved around the foot of the single bed. She’d made a mess of this marriage from the beginning.
“Julia.” His voice was softly accented and warmly masculine. Something in the way he said her name gave her pause.
“I’m so sorry,” she said before he could speak. She could hear the tears in her voice.
“For what?”
She shrugged. For another failure. For dragging him into a loveless marriage with a cold, unwilling wife. For countless unconfessed sins.
“You’ve spent today and many others before it fighting yourself. You’re weary of the battle, aren’t you?”
Julia nodded. He was behind her, moving closer. She should leave now, walk away from him before he started to make sense, before he convinced her there was hope. She couldn’t allow it to happen, because ultimately she would disappoint him. Even hurt him.
“I am your husband,” he whispered once more as he turned her into his arms. “Let me carry your burdens and lighten your load. I’m here to be your helpmate, your friend, your lover. Let me take care of you, Julia. Let me love you.” As he spoke, his mouth was drawing closer and closer to hers, until their breath mingled.
As hard as she tried, Julia couldn’t dredge up a single protest when his mouth settled firmly on hers. He kissed her the way a woman dreams a man will kiss her, with a tenderness that touched some long-hidden spark within her.
And then…he altered the kiss, making it hot and fierce. He buried his hands deep in her hair.
Alek sighed and her name spilled from his lips. His voice was filled with need. With unbridled desire.
“Be my wife.”
Julia’s eyes fluttered open. It took her a second to comprehend what he’d said. When she did, she stared at him, unable to speak. Her heart was pounding, tapping out a dire warning. One she should heed.
“I…need time.”
He continued to hold her gaze. “All right.”
Tears filled her eyes and she bit her lip. “You’re getting the short end of the stick with me, Alek.”
“Short end of the stick?”
She smiled softly. “It means you’re getting less than you deserve.”
“Let me be the judge of that. As I said, in time you’ll come to me of your own accord. In time you’ll want me as much as I want you.”
“There are many things you don’t know about me,” she said, her words so low he had to strain to hear.
“Tell me.”
She shook her head. “Just remember, I warned you.”
He released her, maintaining their contact as long as possible. His hands slid down the full length of her arms and, catching her fingers, he held on to the tips with his own.
“Good night, my wife,” he whispered, then turned away. “I shall be lonely without you.”
Julia left the room quickly, knowing that if she stayed a moment longer, she’d end up in the bed next to Alek.…
Julia found it surprisingly easy to avoid Alek. Their schedules were different and they drove to work in separate cars. She left for the office early, before he awoke. In the afternoons she visited her grandmother, then ate a quiet meal by herself. She was usually preparing for bed about the time Alek returned from the lab.
He was working long, hard hours, getting ready to put his latest research into production. From the weekly reports he sent her, she knew that they were speeding ahead; the marketing and distribution plans for Phoenix Paints were under way. The advertising blitz had yet to be decided, but that was coming. Everything looked promising.
But then, it had looked promising three years ago, too. Yet within the course of a single week she’d lost her father, been betrayed by the man she loved and nearly destroyed a business that had been in the family for four generations.
Julia had learned harsh but valuable lessons about promises. Probably the most painful lessons of her life. She’d come away convinced she could trust only a cherished few. Equally important, she’d learned never, ever to cash in on mere potential. The promise of a check in the mail wasn’t money in the bank.
Dear heavens, she mused as she left the office, she was becoming very philosophical. Perhaps that was what marriage did to a woman.
Marriage.
Even the word sounded strange to her. She was married for better or worse. Married. After her tirade on their wedding night, when she’d pleaded, threatened and tried to reason with Alek, she’d decided he was right. There was no backing out now. They were married, for better or worse.
Her decision was prompted by a certain amount of pride. Jerry had made sure the news of their wedding was carried by the local newspapers. The business community and their acquaintances would know about her marriage. It would be acutely embarrassing to seek an annulment so soon after the ceremony.
Mentally she added vanity to her growing list of character defects.
“Julia,” Ruth said weakly when she entered the hospital room, “what are you doing here?”
Julia grinned as she leaned forward to kiss her grandmother’s pale cheek. “It’s good to see you, too.”
“Alek will never forgive me.”
“Alek is hard at work,” she assured Ruth.
“But you’re newlyweds.”
Julia’s gaze skirted past her grandmother’s. “He’s been so busy lately. I’d rather spend time with you than go home to an empty apartment.”
“I worry about you,” Ruth said, her voice growing weaker.
“Worry?” Julia repeated. “There’s no need. Our schedules are hectic just now. Coming here is the best thing for me.… That way, when Alek gets home, I’m calm and relaxed.”
