Freed by You by Danielle Fox Page B

could do with a drink, thank you.”
    “Do you prefer white or red?” he asked as he collected two large wine glasses from the kitchen cupboard.
    “Um, white please, if you have it.”
    “Emily, please sit down, you’re making me feel nervous.”
    Oh, was I? I quickly rounded the sofa and sat down at the far end before he joined me, handing me a large glass of chilled white wine. He sat down on the opposite stretch of seating so that he was facing me directly.
    “So, do you want to talk about tonight or would you rather speak tomorrow, after some sleep?” Julian’s gaze settled on my face, his eyes then holding mine. The way he looked at me like that made my pulse quicken, it was so intense, so personal somehow.
    “Where’s Ryan?” I asked, wondering if he was still in ears shot.
    “He left while you were putting Maia to bed.”
    “Oh, um.” Damn , there goes my excuse for not talking.
    “Emily, if you don’t want to tell me then that’s fine, but I was hoping we could be honest with one another. Plus, I have a much better chance of finding this bastard if I have a little background information.”
    “Why is it so important to you, Julian?” I saw his expression tense as I spoke so I carried on quickly. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m flattered that you want to help but I just don’t understand why, if that makes any sense?”
    He took a deep breath and held his palm to his forehead before taking a large gulp of wine and swallowing it loudly. “Yes, it makes sense. Your question I mean, not the answer. I honestly don’t have an answer to give you, Emily. I don’t know why I care, or how, but I do know that, for some strange reason, I can’t bear the thought of you in danger and I will do whatever it takes to eliminate that danger.” As he paused he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply and slowly, if I didn’t know better I’d say he was counting his breaths.
    “Jay is a dangerous man, Julian. I wouldn’t want you putting yourself in danger to try and save some random damsel in distress.” My eyes shot up to meet his as he slammed his glass down loudly on the coffee table.
    “You are not a damsel in distress, Emily, and you are most certainly not a random one.” His deep green eyes portrayed an array of emotions, anger and hurt being the primary two. “Don’t think, or talk of yourself in that way! I told you earlier this evening how I feel about you, Emily. And no, I don’t understand it, but I do feel it. I feel alive when I’m near you. No woman has ever made me feel that way before. I’d like to get to know you, all of you and I won’t let anyone take that opportunity from me. That is assuming you want the same?”
    My face flushed and I lowered my eyes to the glass in my hand. “Yes, I do, Julian. Somehow I feel like I know you already.”
    “There’s plenty you don’t know about me. I’ve done things I’m not proud of and I’ve never been the easiest person to be around but, I need you to trust me when I say I’m willing to try.”
    “I trust you, Julian, I’m here aren’t I?”
    “Then tell me why you fled tonight. Tell me why this bastard is taunting you!”
    “I’m not sure it’s me he’s after,” I whispered.
    “Maia?”
    “Possibly, she is his daughter after all, what would he want with me?”
    “I don’t know, Emily, because you won’t tell me what he did to you.” His eyes dropped to the floor, his forehead creased with anxiety.
    “It’s not something I can just blurt out, Julian. It has dominated my life for the past four years, filling my head every night with nightmares, every day worrying when he’s going to show up to try to take her from me. It’s not easy to relive it and I’m not sure that I could.” Tears pooled in my eyes as I shouted at him. Why was I shouting at him? He just wanted to help me, but I had kept my barriers so high for so long that I was finding it very difficult to let him in, no matter how sure I was of my feelings