Page 69 of You. Me. Us.

The cry echoed through the small alley. All she could focus on was the man’s crushing grip, the wild look in his eyes, and the desperate hope that somehow, Julius had heard her and that he would come to help her because there was no way anyone else would come out the back way in the middle of the afternoon.

Julius’s head snapped up at the sound of Hillary’s voice, the panic in her tone setting his nerves on edge as he just happened to open the door. When he spotted her, his heart stopped. A man, tall and wiry, had her by the wrist, his face inches from hers. Every line of Hillary’s body screamed discomfort and fear.

Without a second thought, Julius moved, his long strides eating up the distance between them. The world narrowed to a single task—getting to Hillary. He didn’t care about the curious stares or the whispers that followed in his wake. All that mattered was the woman who needed him.

As he approached, he could hear the man’s fevered words, the obsessive edge to the man’s words. Julius’s jaw clenched, a protective fire igniting in his chest. He had faced his share of overzealous fans, but this was different. This man wasn’t just crossing a line, he was obliterating it because Hillary wasn’t used to this shit.

“Hey!” Julius called out, his voice cutting through the man’s begging. “Let her go.”

The man’s head whipped around, his brown eyes widening as he took in the sight of Julius bearing down on him. For a moment, his grip on Hillary’s wrist loosened, and she wrenched herself free, stumbling back.

Julius closed the distance in a heartbeat, placing himself between Hillary and her assailant. His broad shoulders formeda wall, shielding her from view. He could feel her trembling behind him, her breaths coming in short, sharp gasps.

“I believe the lady asked you to leave her alone,” Julius said, his voice low and dangerous. He fixed the man with a fierce glare, knowing his blue eyes burning with barely contained fury. His muscles coiled, ready to spring into action if the man so much as twitched in Hillary’s direction.

The man opened his mouth as if to protest, but something in Julius’s expression made him think better of it. He took a step back, his hands raised in a gesture of surrender. But there was still a glint of defiance in his eyes, a hint of the obsession that had driven him to confront Hillary in the first place.

Julius didn’t move, his gaze never wavering. He was unyielding, a silent guardian ready to defend the woman who had captured his heart. In that moment, nothing else mattered. Not his career, not his reputation, not the curious onlookers. Only Hillary, and the need to keep her safe.

The fan’s frustration simmered, his face contorting into a scowl. “She’s a grown woman,” he spat, jabbing a finger in Hillary’s direction. “You think a big shot movie star like you can just swoop in and play hero? You’re risking your whole reputation for what? A piece of?—”

Julius’s hands clenched into fists at his sides, the veins in his forearms standing out in stark relief. With Hillary’s warmth at his back, the soft puff of her breath against his neck, Julius knew with bone-deep certainty that he would risk everything, to keep her safe. Fame, fortune, his hard-won career—none of it meant a damn thing if he couldn’t protect the woman who made his heart race and his blood sing. It didn’t matter if he’d walked the other way, no one was going to hurt her.

“I suggest you walk away,” Julius ground out, his voice rough with barely contained rage. “Before I do something we’ll both regret.”

The fan’s eyes narrowed, his bravado faltering in the face of Julius’s threat. He took another step back, his gaze darting between Julius and Hillary, as if trying to gauge the depth of their connection.

Julius stood his ground, an immovable force, his entire being focused on the man who dared to threaten the woman he...loved. The realization hit him like a thunderbolt, stealing the breath from his lungs. He loved her, with a fierce, protective intensity that defied reason or logic. They were over, and his love hadn’t dissipated in the end.

The fan finally backed down, his shoulders slumping in defeat as he turned and walked away, muttering under his breath. Julius watched him go, his heart pounding with a heady mix of adrenaline and relief.

As the tension drained from his body, Julius became acutely aware of Hillary’s presence behind him again, her rapid breaths and the faint tremors that shook her slender frame. He spun around, his hands instinctively reaching out to steady her.

“Hillary, are you alright?” he asked, his voice low and urgent, his eyes searching her face for any sign of distress.

She looked up at him, her green eyes wide and luminous, a sheen of unshed tears making them glitter like precious gems. “I... I think so,” she whispered, her voice trembling slightly. “Thanks to you.”

Something in her gaze, the vulnerability and trust that shone through, broke through the last of Julius’s defenses. Without conscious thought, he drew her into his arms, one hand cradling the back of her head as he lowered his lips to hers in a searing kiss.

Hillary stiffened for a moment, a soft gasp escaping her, before she melted into his embrace, her hands fisting in the front of his shirt as she returned the kiss with equal fervor. Julius poured every ounce of his pent-up emotions into the kiss, thefear, the protectiveness, the overwhelming love that consumed him.

She tastes like sunshine and hope, he thought dimly, losing himself in the feel of her soft lips moving against his, the way her curves fit perfectly against the hard planes of his body.Like everything I never knew I needed.

The world around them faded away, the alley, the potential for curious onlookers, the distant sound of traffic. In that moment, there was only Hillary, the woman who had captured his heart without even trying, the woman he would gladly lay down his life for.

Julius deepened the kiss, his tongue sweeping into her mouth to tangle with hers, a low groan rumbling in his chest as she met him stroke for stroke. His hand slid down her back, pressing her closer, needing to feel every inch of her against him.

His other hand slipped beneath her blouse, skimming over the smooth skin of her stomach before moving higher, cupping the soft swell of her breast through the lace of her bra. Hillary whimpered into the kiss, arching into his touch, her own hands sliding up to tangle in his hair.

Lost in the haze of desire, Julius barely registered the sound of a throat clearing pointedly nearby. It wasn’t until a gruff voice called out, “Hey, buddy, get a room!” that he reluctantly tore his lips from Hillary’s, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath.

He blinked, the world coming back into focus, and realized they were still standing on the sidewalk, in full view of a group of gawking pedestrians. Several had their phones out, no doubt recording the steamy embrace between the famous actor and the beautiful journalist.

Shit.He’d let his emotions get the better of him, and now they were going to be splashed across every tabloid and gossip site by morning. He could already imagine the headlines, ‘JuliusTheon Caught in Passionate Clinch with CoStar Weeks After Seen With Another!’

Hillary seemed to come to the same realization, her face flushing a delicate pink as she stepped back, smoothing her rumpled blouse with shaking hands. “Julius,” she started, but he shook his head, reaching out to take her hand in his.

“Not here,” he murmured, glancing around at the curious onlookers. “Come on, let’s get out of here before this turns into even more of a circus.”

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