Deception by Gina Watson Page A

himself from the water. “You can use my towel.” Maura pointed to the chaise lounge where she’d been lying.
    “Some dry clothes would be nice.”
    Maura exited the pool. She grabbed the towel and wrapped it around herself. “Wait here, I’ll run and get you something.”
    “There’s a clean basket of laundry in my bedroom on the desk.”
    “Got it.”
    Maura skipped inside, taking the stairs two at a time. She rounded the corner into Julian’s room and instantly saw the basket of neatly folded clothes waiting to be placed in drawers. As she fingered through looking for a somewhat matching set of shorts and shirt, she bumped into the desk, knocking over a stack of books. As she straightened them a photograph fell to the floor—a photograph of her from a few years ago. She and Bailey had been at the beach. Bailey, who was fond of candid photos, had taken a photo of Maura while she read from The Poetical Works of Elizabeth Barrett Browning and sunbathed. She must have left it behind in the room where she’d been staying. She set the photo on top of the books and grabbed Julian’s clothes.
    Outside Maura spied Julian near the bathroom off the porch. She made her way to him and handed over his clothes. Reaching out to her he used his fingers to deftly unhinge the towel wrapped around her body. It fell to the ground making a swishing sound. “Julian!”
    “Don’t mind him. He just slammed four tequila shots in the time it took you to get his clothes,” Everett relayed from a wicker chair on the porch. Fiona sat close by and Maura observed their friendly banter with a smile.
    “Why did you drink so much tequila?”
    “Just tryin’ to catch up.”
    Suddenly she was pulled into the bathroom with Julian. He closed them inside the small space. “What are you doing?”
    He pulled her to his chest and then he looped their hands behind her back. He was so close she could feel the slight wisps of his breath on her skin. Her lips puckered and she placed a kiss on the Adam’s apple of his long graceful neck.
    When she looked into his eyes they sparkled. Green jewels with rings of fire. “That’s my move.” His voice was raw with emotion and when his lips descended on hers she moaned in delight. Soft and thick, his lips were skilled as they pressed into her with just the right amount of pressure. His lips kissed their way down her chin, her jaw, her neck. Soft feather-light kisses that only left her aching for more. Her eyes closed as she became drunk with lust for him.
    “Help me out of these wet clothes?”
    Her eyes opened and slowly resumed their function. God, how she’d dreamed of getting her hands on him. She longed to rub skin on skin against his chest and more—so much more. Julian held his hands at his sides, his head lowered in a submissive gesture. Was he giving her permission to do as she pleased?
    To test her theory she raked her hands tentatively down his chest, the definition visible through the clinging wet shirt he wore. His only reaction was to cut those green lasers at her. She grasped the hem of the shirt and pulled slowly, inch by inch, to unveil his glorious abs and chest. She couldn’t pull the shirt over his head fast enough.
    “You were mad at me,” she frowned.
    He kissed her nose. “No. It was just really hard for me to hear about your pain.”
    All of that skin and muscle so close to her caused her breathing to become erratic. Her body physically responded to her need as her breasts grew heavy and her nipples grew hard. She flattened her hands on his chest and let them rest there for a moment, soaking up his warmth.
    “ My pain,” Maura said.
    “Yes.”
    Her fingers inched away to caress his tight dark nipples. A groan deep in his throat sent a message straight to her core and she felt the increased wetness on the inside of her thigh.
    “What about your pain?” Secretly she pleaded for him to confide in her.
    He shook his head at her, and then a sexy smile slowly spread across