Her hand brushed over his abdominal muscles before descending lower.
She kissed him and he responded warmly. His sleepiness and fatigue seemed to melt away as she moved her hand up and down.
“You have something I need.”
“Are you sure?” His hand caught her wrist, pausing her movements.
She hesitated.
“Julianne?”
“I’m sorry for waking you up, but I really need to have sex. Right now.”
“Right now?”
“Right now. Please.”
He removed his hand and threw back the bedclothes.
“Do with me as you will.”
Instantly, she moved to straddle him. He reached up to cup her heavy breasts as she leaned down to kiss him.
“Invite me inside,” he murmured, as he pressed up against her.
“Do you need an invitation?”
Gabriel stared into her eyes, which had widened with excitement.
“I could spend the rest of my life inside you and die happy. You’re my home.”
Julia paused at the sudden vulnerability that flashed across her husband’s face. She lifted her hands to cover his, pressing into her breasts.
“You’ll make me cry. And I’m emotional already.”
“No tears, please.” He squeezed her more tightly.
“Then come,” she whispered, bringing their hips into alignment.
He slowly entered her.
“Home,” he whispered.
Julia didn’t try to blink back the tears. She let them fall.
“I love you so much.”
He responded by licking and sucking her breasts, teasing her and spurring her on. Within minutes they were pushing and pulling, their skin warm and alive with excitement.
“Is it good?” Gabriel ground out, his hands dropping to her hips.
Her eyes were closed, her rosy lips parted. When she didn’t answer he placed a tender hand to her face. “Julia?”
Her eyes fluttered open. “It’s good,” she panted. “So good.”
His large hands gripped her hips, urging her on.
“Faster,” he murmured.
Julia responded by lifting herself and quickly slamming down, over and over again, until they both collapsed from near exhaustion.
Chapter Seventy-three
January 31, 2012
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Professor Katherine Picton stood in the lecture hall at Harvard, surveying the crowd. She’d delivered her paper presentation a half hour after Professor Jeremy Martin offered his. And she’d fielded questions from the audience and received a very smart paperweight as a gift from Professor Greg Matthews, on behalf of the Department of Romance Studies.
She hadn’t had the opportunity to greet the Emersons yet. She was eager to do so. They’d invited her to their home for dinner so she could escape Greg’s more experimental culinary choices.
“Ah, there you are!” Professor Picton’s crisp British accent cut through the hum of a dozen or so conversations.
She strode quickly down one of the aisles, straight to where Julia was still seated, while Gabriel stood next to her, chatting amiably with Julia’s supervisor, Professor Marinelli.
“Katherine.” Gabriel greeted her smoothly, kissing her cheek.
“Gabriel and Julianne. Good to see you both.”
She turned to Professor Marinelli. “Cecilia, delightful to see you, as always.”
“And you.” The two women embraced.
“Now then, have you spoken with Jeremy?” Katherine turned her blue-gray eyes on Gabriel.
“No.” Gabriel was terse.
“I think it’s high time you two buried the hatchet. Don’t you?”
Cecilia gazed between the two other Dante specialists and politely made her excuses, choosing to flee to another part of the room where an argument was not about to break forth.
“I don’t have a problem with Jeremy.” Gabriel sounded offended. “Jeremy has a problem with me.”
Katherine’s eyes snapped.
“Then you won’t mind if I bring him over here.”
She marched her small figure up to Jeremy Martin and spoke to him rather directly.
Julia stood uneasily, wondering what was about to happen.
It was obvious that Professor Martin did not wish to speak with Gabriel. Julia watched as he looked in their direction, then looked back at Katherine, shaking his head.
Katherine appeared to scold him, but only for a moment, before the two professors walked in the direction of the Emersons.
“Here we go,” Julia whispered, taking Gabriel’s hand.
“Emerson.” Jeremy’s voice was stiff, as he approached.
“Jeremy.”
Katherine looked between the two men and frowned. “Well, get on with it. Shake hands.”
Gabriel released Julia’s hand in order to shake the hand of his former friend.
“For what it’s worth, Jeremy, I’m sorry.”
Julia looked up at her husband in surprise.
Professor Martin appeared taken aback as well. He shifted his weight, his eyes traveling from Gabriel’s to Julia’s and back again.
“I understand that congratulations are in order. You’ve been married about a year, I think. Is that right?”
“That’s right,” Julia interjected. “Thank you, Professor Martin.”
“It’s Jeremy, now.”