more do you expect of me?”
“Alek is your husband.”
“You’re beginning to sound just like him! He frightens me.… He makes me feel things I don’t want to feel. I’m scared, Jerry, really scared.” Close to tears, she covered her mouth, fearing she’d break down.
“I don’t know what to do,” Jerry said with a sympathetic shrug. “I wish I did, for your sake. Alek’s, too.”
With nothing left to say, he returned to his own office.
Her mood didn’t improve when two hours later Alek unexpectedly showed up. He walked into her office without waiting for her assistant to announce him. Julia happened to be on the phone at the time and she glanced up, irritated by the intrusion. Alek glared at her, and every minute she delayed appeared to infuriate him further.
He began to pace, pausing every other step to turn and scowl in her direction.
Julia finished her conversation as quickly as she could without being rude—and without letting him believe he was intimidating her.
“You wanted something?” she asked calmly as she replaced the receiver.
Anger was etched on his features. “Yes, I do. I understand you spoke to Jerry this morning about one of us moving. I want to know what’s going on in that head of yours.”
Julia folded her hands on her desk. “It seemed the logical thing to do.”
“Why?”
She stood, feeling at a distinct disadvantage sitting. “It makes sense. The only reason we were living together was for show because—”
“We’re living together, my dear wife, because we’re married.”
“In name only.”
He muttered something blistering in Russian, and Julia was grateful she couldn’t understand him.
“You deny your vows. You abuse my pride by involving your brother. You ask for patience and then stab me in the back.”
“I…explained on our wedding day that I need time. I let you know you were being cheated in this marriage. You can’t say I didn’t warn you.” Contacting Jerry had been wrong, she saw now. But she was frightened and growing more so each day. No longer could she ignore the powerful attraction she felt for Alek. No longer could she ignore his touch. He was chipping away at the barrier she’d erected to protect herself from feelings. From love. He was working his way into her life and her heart. She had to do something.
“You are my wife, ” Alek shouted.
Julia closed her eyes at the anger in his voice.
“I’m not a very good one,” she whispered.
“We are married, Julia. When will you accept that?” He turned away from her and stalked to the door.
“I…don’t know if I can.”
At her words, he spun around.
They stood no more than a few feet apart, yet an ocean might have lain between them. He was furious with her and she with him.
“I may never be your wife in the way you want.” Julia didn’t know what drove her to say that.
And yet, at the same moment, she realized she wanted him. Needed him. And that frightened her half to death.
“You’re afraid, aren’t you?” he asked as if he could read her thoughts. “Afraid you aren’t woman enough to satisfy me. That’s what’s behind all this, isn’t it? That, and the fact that you’re afraid to trust another man. But I’m not like the one who hurt you, Julia, whoever he was. I’m not like him at all. I respect you—and I want you. Which, if you’re honest, is how you feel about me, too.”
Stricken, Julia closed her eyes. It felt as if he’d blinded her with the truth, identified her fears, hurled them at her to explain or reject.
“Julia?”
She sobbed once, the sound nearly hysterical as she backed away from him.
“I didn’t mean…” he began.
She stopped him by holding out her arm.
He cursed under his breath, and reaching for her, drew her into his arms. She didn’t resist. Without pause he lowered his head and covered her mouth, sealing their lips together in a wild kiss. The craziness increased with each impatient twist of their heads, growing in
“Alek is your husband.”
“You’re beginning to sound just like him! He frightens me.… He makes me feel things I don’t want to feel. I’m scared, Jerry, really scared.” Close to tears, she covered her mouth, fearing she’d break down.
“I don’t know what to do,” Jerry said with a sympathetic shrug. “I wish I did, for your sake. Alek’s, too.”
With nothing left to say, he returned to his own office.
Her mood didn’t improve when two hours later Alek unexpectedly showed up. He walked into her office without waiting for her assistant to announce him. Julia happened to be on the phone at the time and she glanced up, irritated by the intrusion. Alek glared at her, and every minute she delayed appeared to infuriate him further.
He began to pace, pausing every other step to turn and scowl in her direction.
Julia finished her conversation as quickly as she could without being rude—and without letting him believe he was intimidating her.
“You wanted something?” she asked calmly as she replaced the receiver.
Anger was etched on his features. “Yes, I do. I understand you spoke to Jerry this morning about one of us moving. I want to know what’s going on in that head of yours.”
Julia folded her hands on her desk. “It seemed the logical thing to do.”
“Why?”
She stood, feeling at a distinct disadvantage sitting. “It makes sense. The only reason we were living together was for show because—”
“We’re living together, my dear wife, because we’re married.”
“In name only.”
He muttered something blistering in Russian, and Julia was grateful she couldn’t understand him.
“You deny your vows. You abuse my pride by involving your brother. You ask for patience and then stab me in the back.”
“I…explained on our wedding day that I need time. I let you know you were being cheated in this marriage. You can’t say I didn’t warn you.” Contacting Jerry had been wrong, she saw now. But she was frightened and growing more so each day. No longer could she ignore the powerful attraction she felt for Alek. No longer could she ignore his touch. He was chipping away at the barrier she’d erected to protect herself from feelings. From love. He was working his way into her life and her heart. She had to do something.
“You are my wife, ” Alek shouted.
Julia closed her eyes at the anger in his voice.
“I’m not a very good one,” she whispered.
“We are married, Julia. When will you accept that?” He turned away from her and stalked to the door.
“I…don’t know if I can.”
At her words, he spun around.
They stood no more than a few feet apart, yet an ocean might have lain between them. He was furious with her and she with him.
“I may never be your wife in the way you want.” Julia didn’t know what drove her to say that.
And yet, at the same moment, she realized she wanted him. Needed him. And that frightened her half to death.
“You’re afraid, aren’t you?” he asked as if he could read her thoughts. “Afraid you aren’t woman enough to satisfy me. That’s what’s behind all this, isn’t it? That, and the fact that you’re afraid to trust another man. But I’m not like the one who hurt you, Julia, whoever he was. I’m not like him at all. I respect you—and I want you. Which, if you’re honest, is how you feel about me, too.”
Stricken, Julia closed her eyes. It felt as if he’d blinded her with the truth, identified her fears, hurled them at her to explain or reject.
“Julia?”
She sobbed once, the sound nearly hysterical as she backed away from him.
“I didn’t mean…” he began.
She stopped him by holding out her arm.
He cursed under his breath, and reaching for her, drew her into his arms. She didn’t resist. Without pause he lowered his head and covered her mouth, sealing their lips together in a wild kiss. The craziness increased with each impatient twist of their heads, growing in
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