"Don't!" His order was a harsh rasp. When she stopped and straightened back up, he reached out to gently move her arm back to her side. "I have never seen anything more beautiful in Texas or anywhere, for that matter. You are absolutely stunning."
Julie felt the tears before she could stop them. One ran from the corner of her eye, down her cheek, and dripped from her chin to her breast. His eyes followed its path. Slowly, he reached out to wipe its trail away. As he touched her breast, she held her breath, afraid to move… afraid he would stop.
His eyes rose to meet hers once again. "You deserve more than this." He looked around before looking back at her. "I don't even have a blanket."
Reaching out, she laid her hand against his cheek as her eyes searched their surroundings. "This, as you call it, is a part of you and I can't think of a better place." She ran her thumb across his bottom lip. "And I'm sure you can think of a way that doesn't require a blanket. I want you, Clay."
"And I have never wanted anything more than I want you." Clay pulled her into his arms. "But once this happens, you are mine, Julie Daniels."
"I've been yours for a long time, Clay," she whispered against his mouth. "You just never knew it."
Chapter Eight
Since the night of the party, not a day went by without Julie seeing Clay. No matter what they had going on—because they both were busy—they made sure to see each other. Her fear of not having anything in common with Clay had been put to rest. It made things interesting and it definitely never got boring, because they were each trying to convert the other to what they liked.
She had also been taking Jessica over to help Bo learn to read braille. She had a suspicion there was a budding romance between those two, because honestly, it had been almost two months since Jessica had given Bo the book and he still hadn't gotten the hang of braille. She didn't believe that for a minute. Bo was a smart man and picked things up quick.
Taking one last glance at herself in the mirror, she saw the change in her own eyes. She looked happy and content. If anyone had told her two months ago she would be dating Clay Marshall, she would have laughed in their face.
At the knock on her front door, her smile widened. Quickly making her way out of her room, she swung open the door and jumped into Clay's arms.
"Miss me?" He laughed, catching her.
"Always." She nuzzled his neck then took his kiss. "Where we going?"
"It's a surprise," he teased. "Are you ready?"
Nodding, she grabbed her bag. "Not even a hint?"
"No, ma'am." He wrapped his arm around her. Opening the passenger-side door, he lifted her into his truck and placed a kiss on her cheek. Once inside, he started the truck and pulled away from her small apartment building. "How was your day?"
"Busy." Julie scooted closer to him; he put his hand on her leg after shifting into the next gear. "Got a new client today. He's in pretty bad shape."
"He?" Clay glanced at her before looking back to the road.
"Yeah, Todd Frazer." Julie placed her hand on his. "You know him?"
"No, can't say I do," Clay replied, still staring straight ahead.
"Anyway, he was injured at work," Julie continued. "A pipe burst and steam hit him in the face. He received third-degree burns on his head, face, and neck as well as his eyes. Usually when you get flash steam burns to the eyes, the eyelids get the worst of it, but from what I understand, this happened so fast that his eyes took most of the damage before he had time to shut them."
"Is it permanent?" Clay turned into his driveway.
"Yes, it is. He has healed everywhere else, but he is so angry." Julie frowned, glancing around. "Why are we here? Is this the surprise?"
Clay parked the truck and turned it off. "Are you safe?"
Julie turned to look at him. "Well, I don't know," she teased. "Depends on what your surprise is."
"That's not what I'm talking about." Clay didn't smile. "You said this man is angry. How angry?"
Julie knew Clay was remembering Bo's threats against her. She needed to tread lightly, but she wasn't going to lie to him. "Not only did this man lose his sight, his appearance has changed. Of course he can't see it, but he can feel the scars." She turned in the seat to face him. "And his wife of ten years left him, taking their daughter."
Clay made a noise in the back of his throat. "I'd say he's pretty angry." He ran his hand through his hair. "How is he with you?"
"Okay," Julie replied, wishing she had kept her mouth shut.
"Don't lie to me, Julie," Clay demanded, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Is this man a danger to you?"
"This is my job, Clay." Julie still didn't answer because honestly, she wasn't sure yet. Even though Todd Frazer was a different case than she had ever dealt with, it was a case she would see through to the end.