Page 14 of Kissed and Missed

Except, there must be, because Julian Ballard is standing in the open doorway, silhouetted by the brightly-lit corridor beyond.

Just the sight of him knocks the wind out of me, and for a moment, all I can do is stare. He’s dressed for the weather in a thick knit sweater and jeans, a departure from the T-shirt and shorts he wore when we said goodbye at the airport six weeks ago. His dark hair is a little longer, the shadows beneath his eyes a bit more pronounced, and his stubble darker.

He’s the most handsome man I’ve ever seen.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper as my heart flutters against my ribcage like a trapped bird.

“I came for you,” Julian replies simply as he moves farther into the room, allowing the door to close heavily behind him.

The muscles below my belly button twist, and I stand stock-still, watching him walk toward me, his eyes on my face.

“Butwhy?” I ask, my breathing uneven as he stops an arm’s length away from me.

Julian frowns, like he’s actually confused. “Because you wanted me to.”

I let out a short, disbelieving laugh. “I never said that.”

“Should I go home, then, Valentine?” Julian asks, his lips curving in one of his shy smiles, the ones that have made my heart twist since day one.

God, he’s so cute. I’m so freaking screwed.

Letting out a frustrated huff, I gesture around at the magnificent ballroom we’re standing in. “You’re kind of locked in now. This wasn’t for me, right? You didn’t pick Healthy Hearts because I work there?” I feel even more ridiculous suggesting it than I did thinking it, but Julian doesn’t look taken aback.

“Of course I did.”

My mouth falls open. “Julian! That’s... I mean…Why?”

His smile slips, and my breath catches as he moves another step closer. It stops altogether when he reaches across the space between us to take my hand. The moment his skin touches mine, it sends warmth straight up my arm, spreading through my chest.

“Because I haven’t stopped thinking about you since you left California. A first for me, Honor, I promise you.”

I can’t process what he’s saying, can’t make sense of the contradictory information coming at me from all sides, because I’d resigned myself to this never happening. And yet, Julian ishere. He flew across the country, because he thought I wanted him to, and now he’s saying things that just aren’t compatible with pretending there’s nothing between us.

My tongue darts out to wet my lips, and Julian’s dark eyes track the motion. A warm weight settles in my pelvis. “I just… I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”

With a quiet hum of acknowledgement, Julian’s thumb smooths over the skin of my inner wrist, and it’s all I can do to keep myself from whimpering. Never in my life have I been so absorbed in someone that the rest of the world faded away, and yet that’s exactly what happens whenever this man puts his hands on me.

As naturally as breathing, my free hand comes up to rest on his chest, and Julian’s heartbeat stutters beneath my palm.When did we move closer together?“You look tired,” I tell himquietly, worry temporarily distracting me from the shock of his appearance.

The corners of his lips twitch. “You’re more concerned about my lack of sleep than my showing up here and spending fifteen million dollars to impress you?” He releases my hand to touch my waist.

This is so surreal. Half of me is expecting I’ll wake up at any moment, because things like this do not happen to me. I’m the girl who gets cheated on and eats her weight in cookies and cream ice cream, not the girl who catches the attention of a handsome billionaire. In the weeks I’ve spent wanting this man, I never dared to hope anything would come of it. Never. Getting hit by lightning felt more probable.

“You didn’t need to spend any money to impress me.” It’s the truth, too. The things I like best about Julian Ballard have nothing to do with his net worth. “You could have just come to see me.”

His expression softens. “If anyone else said that to me, I wouldn’t believe them.”

My answering laugh echoes off the high, dark ceiling above us. “I just can’t believe you’re here.”

The hand on my waist tightens, just a little, and Julian’s throat bobs. Electricity crackles in the air between us, and, as if he can see how much I want him to, Julian lowers his lips to mine.

Our kiss is reverent and slow, but my panties are still wet within seconds. All I can hear is the blood rushing in my ears, our ragged breathing, and the sound of his clothing brushing against mine.

Only last night, I wanted to throw out all my pants with buttons and lean into the sad, single-girl life. Now, it feels like my heart is going to burst, becausethis is happening. He came all this way, showed up here like this, all for me.

I rock forward, clinging to him as our kiss deepens, and heat floods my lower belly when I feel the hard length of his cock pressing insistently against my stomach.

We break apart, panting, and in the darkened room, Julian’s eyes look black as he stares down at me, that unmistakable bulge still pressed against my body. “Look at you.” His thumbs trace my jaw, and there’s something like awe in his expression. “You’re coming alive right in front of me.”

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