Page 20 of Only If You Dare

Julian pulled out a chair at the dining table, and I sashayed toward him. I could never get enough of his sharp perusal, but I prayed I wouldn’t trip over my own two feet while he watched me intensely. I sat down as he adjusted the chair underneath me.

“Would you like something to drink, wine perhaps?”

“Sure.”

Four glasses and three hours later Julian and I sat laughing about his childhood upbringing in a household of brothers and sisters.

“I thought I knew which one was which, but surprisingly, I couldn’t tell my own sisters apart. They’d switched up on me so many times I finally started to call them all the same name.”

“It couldn’t have been easy having triplets running around, although I’m sure they all have their distinct traits. How did they feel about you calling them by one name?”

Julian smirked. “They hated it. But the joke was on them now. Playing mind games with us was all good until we started playing them back. Every day, I’d call them all Eden.”

“Oh, my goodness,” I giggled.

“Jasmine and Phoebe wouldn’t talk to me for days at a time; often running to my father to cry about it.”

“I’m sure your parents were tired of you messing with them if it was as often as you say.”

Something in his features darkened almost like a grimace.

“Unfortunately, my mother passed away while they were still newborns. I’ve felt the need to protect them, and I also didn’t want to give my father a hard time so I eased up on them.” His gaze left me.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“It’s fine,” he said pulling back. “It was a long time ago.”

“Doesn’t mean it hurts any less.”

“They say time heals all wounds. And yet, I’m still waiting.”

I moved from my seat and started towards him.

“Don’t.”

My advancement halted just as I’d made it to stand before him. Julian pulled his head back bringing his gaze to me as I stood over him. The energy around us swirled; electrical magnetism beckoned me to forget what he just said and cling my arms around him. But the melancholy of his words didn’t show up in his features. Dark eyes assessed me, devoid of emotion.

“I’m fine,” he reassured.

I wanted to say so much more, but my hesitance had everything to do with possibly enduring his wrath than it did anything else.

“You never told me,” he said, “why was your day so weird?”

Julian moved to stand to his feet. Now he was looking down at me and me up at him. I juggled whether to let go what I initially wanted to say. For a second, my thoughts traveled.

Turning on my heels, I went back to retrieve my wine glass.

“Desiree,” he called. “I didn’t mean—”

“It’s okay,” I said, turning with a smile. “You’re entitled to talk about whatever you like.”

He was studying me again, through those bedroom eyes. I drank the rest of my glass and strolled to the bar. I’d gotten comfortable leaving my heels lying next to each other on the floor under the chair I vacated. The alcohol I sipped, albeit leisurely, still burned through my bloodstream. I didn’t need anything to heighten the atmosphere around us. And still, I poured a half a glass as Julian watched me with inquisitive eyes.

Holding the glass to my lips, I watched the red tonic swirl.

“I thought I saw my father, today.”

I couldn’t believe I’d actually said the words. “But I was distracted, and when I went back to look again, he was gone.” Without regret, I pushed forward. “It’s been thirteen years since I saw his face or anything closely resembling an image of him. But in those few seconds, I got a glimpse of his rugged features and hard eyes he once gave to everyone else but Claudia and me.”

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