Page 10 of The Return of Her Billionaire Husband

One side of his mouth came up in a sardonic half-smile. ‘I seem to recall you made the first move.’

She ground her teeth so hard she was worried they would turn to powder on the spot. Did he have to remind her how forward and brazen she had been that night? So reckless and out of character. She shot him a pointed glare. ‘You didn’t have to take me up on it.’

‘You seriously overestimate my willpower, cara.’

Juliette’s chin came up. ‘You’d better make sure it’s in better shape this time around.’

One of his ink-black brows lifted. ‘For when you beg me to take you to bed, you mean?’

Her hands clenched into tight balls by her sides in case she was tempted to slap him. ‘Not going to happen.’ She injected as much confidence in her tone as she could.

His lazy smile made the base of her spine fizz and tingle. He picked up one of her fists and gently prised open her fingers, his thumb stroking the middle of her palm in a way that was unmistakably sexual. His gaze held hers in a mesmerising lock no amount of willpower to resist could ever have matched. ‘You shouldn’t be ashamed of our chemistry.’ The pitch of his voice lowered to a knee-weakening burr.

Juliette pulled her hand out of his, rubbing at it as if he had burned her. ‘I’m not ashamed. I’m disgusted. And for God’s sake, stop touching me.’

His smile didn’t fade but a line of tension appeared next to his mouth and his eyes hardened. ‘Careful, cara. We’re in public, remember? Sheath those pretty claws until we’re alone. Then you can rake them down my back to your heart’s desire.’

Juliette had to blink away the scorching-hot images his words evoked. Her body was on fire, swamped with memories of his masterful lovemaking. It had taken her almost two years to be able to reach an orgasm with her ex and even then it was hit and miss thereafter. She had practically orgasmed on the spot the moment Joe kissed her the first time. He never took his pleasure before he satisfied her. He knew her body better than she knew it herself. She had explored every inch of his and, by doing so, had found a passionate and adventurous streak in her personality she hadn’t known existed. Standing within touching distance now made her body miss him all the more. She could feel a magnetic pull towards him as if an invisible current of energy was calling her back to base.

To distract herself, she took another glass of champagne off a passing waiter. She figured it was better to keep her hands and mouth otherwise occupied.

‘Do you know any of the other wedding party guests?’ Joe asked after a long moment.

Juliette crossed her arms and cupped one hand under her elbow, holding her champagne glass in the other hand. ‘Only Lucy. And Damon, of course. I haven’t met any of the four other bridesmaids before because they’re friends Lucy made since moving to Greece. What about you?’

‘I’d heard about his cousin Celeste but not met her before today. But I’ve met two of the bridesmaids once or twice before.’ He took a measured sip of his drink, lowering his glass from his mouth to glance at the view over the terrace.

A dagger of jealousy jabbed her in the gut. ‘Oh, really?’ Juliette made sure her tone was just mildly interested when in fact she wanted to know dates, times, places and whether he had been to bed with either of them. How could any woman resist him? She certainly hadn’t been able to.

Joe turned to look at her with an unreadable expression. ‘It’s kind of ironic how Damon and Lucy met through us, isn’t it?’

‘Ironic in what way?’

He gave a one-shoulder shrug and looked down at the contents of his glass, twirling it to set the bubbles spinning. ‘They seem pretty happy together. Whether or not it lasts is another thing.’

‘Do you have to be so cynical? They’re in love. Anyone can see that. That’s what we were lacking. We married for all the wrong reasons.’

He didn’t respond and instead tipped his glass back and drained it. She couldn’t take her eyes off the strong tanned column of his throat and the peppery regrowth on his jaw that, in spite of a recent shave, was already vigorously reappearing. How many times had she felt his stubble against her soft skin? On her face, on her belly, between her thighs...

Juliette suppressed a shudder and turned to look at the other guests milling about for the next part of the entertainment the wedding planner had organised. Which bridesmaids had Joe met before? The blonde one? The sleek raven-haired one? The one with the big boobs and legs that went on for ever?

Joe held out his hand for her empty glass. ‘Would you like something soft this time? Orange juice? Mineral water?’

Juliette handed the glass to him, being extra careful not to touch his fingers. ‘Are you hinting I might drink to excess and make a fool of myself?’

He drew in a breath and pressed his lips into a flat line before releasing it. ‘Look, I know the situation this weekend is hard on you. It’s the first time we’ve seen each other face to face since you left.’ His hands were thrust in his trouser pockets, his broad shoulders rolled forward. ‘I would have preferred meeting with you in London but you didn’t respond to any of my attempts to contact you.’

Juliette had ignored his texts and emails for months. She had even blocked his number on her phone. It had been her way of punishing him for not being there when she’d needed him the most. But in a way she had punished herself because she had made herself completely isolated. Her friends and family had tried to support her but, a few months in, they were all suffering compassion fatigue. Even Lucy, with the distraction of her wedding preparations, hadn’t been as available to her, especially since Juliette hadn’t felt up to illustrating the books they wrote together since the loss of Emilia. She’d desperately needed to be with someone who knew and understood what she was going through—the grief, the pain, the loss. She looked down at the flagstones at her feet rather than meet his gaze. ‘I wasn’t ready. I found it too...triggering.’

He moved closer to her and lightly touched the back of her hand with one of his fingers. ‘That’s completely understandable.’ His voice was gentle as a caress and her hand tingled as if it had been zapped by a live current.

Juliette brought her gaze up to meet his. ‘Do you think about her?’

His eyes flickered as if he was suffering a deep internal pain and only just managing to control it. ‘All the time. That’s why I’ve regularly donated to and been fundraising for a stillbirth research foundation for the last few months. I wanted to do something positive to help others in our situation. If you’d happened to read any emails from me, you would have known about it. I donated money on behalf of both of us.’

A stillbirth research foundation? Juliette’s heart contracted. He had been fundraising for a stillbirth foundation?

The anger she wore like armour dropped away like a sloughed skin, leaving her feeling stripped of her defences. Defences she needed to keep her from getting hurt all over again. She hadn’t read any of his emails for the last fifteen months. She had marked them as spam and felt immensely satisfied doing it.

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