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isolation and the violence of the upcoming
storm…” I trailed off, taking a sip of the wine. Sitting in the car that dark
afternoon with the storm raging around me, I’d felt alive and raw and so very
alone.
    His strong, warm palm rubbed, taking the chill away. “You’ve
never told anyone, have you?”
    I shook my head.
    “Thank you for telling me.”
    I blinked the memory away, shifting my gaze from the
photograph to him. Why? That was all I could think. I had to know. “Why, after
all the time we’ve known each other, when there’s been nothing but animosity
between us, are you doing this now? What’s your motive?”
    A smile curved over his lips. “There’s my Juliet.”
    Shivers raced through me, and I fought to keep the tremble
from him. There was the “my” again. The possession, the claiming, I was ashamed
at how much I wanted it. Craved to make it absolute truth.
    I tilted my head to the side, my eyes narrowing, but I said
nothing.
    He shrugged. “Has it really been animosity between us?”
    “Yes,” I stated in a firm tone, refusing to acknowledge what
he was getting at.
    “Liar.” His thumb traced circles on my thigh, right over my
knee. Soft and insistent, he moved higher along the inside of my leg, and my
body heated at his touch, my panties growing damp. He twisted, moving closer,
sliding his arm around the back of the couch to surround me. “You can wish it was
a thousand different emotions than what it is, Juliet.”
    I knew, of course, what it was, but I couldn’t even
think it, let alone say it. More than anything I wanted to hear him say it, but
it terrified me too much and I’d already given him more than I’d given anyone
in a very long time.
    I glanced away, looking out the window, staring at the
skyline in the distance. Tightness filled my throat and I willed myself not to
break down.
    We stayed like that for a long time. A thick silence
permeated the air as I watched the white fluffy clouds roll slowly past the
Chicago skyscrapers. The clear, brilliant blue a perfect photo background.
Outside, the temperature was a mild eighty degrees with low humidity. A rare
day in a city where it was often too hot or too cold.
    I experienced a strange urge to go stretch out on a blanket
at Oak Street beach and let the sun warm my skin. It had been forever since I’d
done that. On impulse, I turned to him and found him watching me with that
studied gaze. I cleared my throat. “What are your plans for the rest of the
afternoon?”
    Surprise flickered in his green eyes. “I kept my calendar
clear.” A smile spread over his lips. “I was feeling hopeful.”
    My gaze swept over the food. “I know you went through a lot
of trouble, but the beach isn’t far from here, and it’s beautiful outside.” My
tone turned hesitant, and a sudden shyness left me stammering like a
sixteen-year-old asking a boy to her first turnabout dance. “Can we… Would
you…like to spend the afternoon with me?” A hot flush fanned up my neck and
spilled onto my cheeks.
    He leaned in and kissed me. It was hard, fast and over much
too soon. When he pulled back, I saw none of the triumph I’d expected to read
in his face, instead the corners of his eyes crinkled as he gave me that heartbreaker’s
smile. “I would love to, Juliet.”

Chapter Five
     
    Thirty minutes later I was exactly where I wanted to be. I
kicked off my shoes and abandoned them in the sand. The fine, soft grains slid
over my bare toes as I wiggled and they shifted over my skin. Sinking down on
the blanket next to Christos, I was surprised to see he’d discarded his shoes
and socks and rolled up his jeans.
    I stared at his feet, for a man they were nice, strong-boned
and masculine. It felt intimate and familiar somehow to be sitting here with
him, our feet bare, sharing the light blue blanket I kept in my office for just
this occasion. I didn’t want to think about what was happening or where this
was going or where we’d end up. For once,