Gabriel retrieved a towel and handed it to her.
That was when she noticed the way his eyes were alit in anticipation, his smile growing wider.
“What?”
“Did you forget what day it is?” He trailed a finger down her arm.
“No. Our special day is tomorrow.”
“We’re starting early.”
“Do you think that’s wise?”
“I don’t give a damn. I’ve waited long enough. A man can only stand so much.”
“Oh, really?” She cocked her head to one side.
“So prepare to be pleasured, my dear.”
She quickly ran the towel over her body, drying herself, then wound it over her hair.
Gabriel picked up a glass jar and held it out to her.
“Chocolate Body Paint,” she read. She glanced up at him. “Now?”
“Now.” He wiggled a small paintbrush under her nose. “You said that you enjoyed our foray into body painting while we were in Selinsgrove. I decided we should try it again.”
“But I thought you’d want to do other things. You’ve been doing things for me for three weeks. I’ve been able to do very little for you.”
“Foreplay is for me as well as you,” he whispered, his eyes darkening. “And I have plans for both of us.”
“Wow.” She breathed.
“I thought about trying it in the bedroom, but things could get messy.”
He crouched in front of her, his face level with her navel, and opened the jar. He dipped the paintbrush in the chocolate, spreading the confection liberally over the delicate strands of the brush, before winking up at her.
“Shall we begin?”
She nodded, her eyes half closed.
Slowly, he began to draw a heart around her navel.
The feel of the chocolate and the brush gliding across her warm skin caused her to fidget. And of course, despite the fact that it almost tickled, Gabriel would not be rushed.
“There.” He put the jar and brush aside and licked his lips. “Now comes the fun part. Ready?”
“Yes.” The word came out as more of a squeak than a statement.
She reached out a shaking hand to grasp a railing when Gabriel’s tongue made contact with her skin, swirling through the chocolate and dipping into her navel.
He steadied her by splaying one of his hands across her backside.
“It tastes better than I expected.” He nibbled at her. “Then again, that’s probably because I like how you taste.”
His tongue blazed a trail to her hip bone, where he began placing openmouthed kisses.
“I think we need more chocolate. What do you think?”
“Yes, please.” Julia nodded furiously. “Definitely, more.”
Gabriel picked up the chocolate and the brush.
“Then you’d better hold on tight, darling, because I’m planning to be thorough.”
She leaned forward, cupping his chin.
“As am I.”
Chapter Fifty-four
As November progressed, Diane and Tom continued to receive positive reports about their baby’s health. Surgery would still be necessary, but the baby was developing and Diane was also healthy.
Julia received the reports about her brother with a combination of relief and cautious optimism.
She hadn’t told her family about her fibroids or about Gabriel’s vasectomy reversal. His family didn’t know that he’d had the procedure in the first place. And she didn’t want to worry anyone about her own health issues, especially since Dr. Rubio assured her that fibroids were common and, at least at this point, not serious.
The Emersons bore one another’s health burdens, sharing only some of the information with Rebecca. But Julia seemed to bear the burden of her graduate career alone.
(Or so she thought.)
Late one November evening, Gabriel awoke with a start. He was instantly alert, straining his ears for the slightest sound. In the distance, he heard a woman crying.
He reached for Julia in the darkness, but she was gone.
Without even bothering to switch on the light or to grab his bathrobe, he sprang to his feet, naked, and exited the bedroom.
A shaft of light shone from underneath the study door.
He quickly walked toward it, the sound of crying growing louder.
Behind the door, he found Julia, her head on her desk. Her shoulders were shaking, her glasses discarded on her open laptop. A large pile of books was scattered across the desk and down on the floor.
“Darling.” He placed his hand on her head. “What’s the matter?”
“I can’t do it.”
“You can’t do what?” He crouched beside her.
“I can’t catch up. I’m behind in my reading for all my classes. I should be working on my seminar papers, but I’ve been trying to read. I should have started the revisions on my lecture, but I haven’t had time. And I’m just so tired.” Her voice cracked.
Gabriel eyed her sympathetically. “Come to bed.”
“I can’t!” she wailed, throwing her hands up. “I need to stay up all night and finish my reading. Then tomorrow, I need to spend the day in the library working on my papers. I don’t know when I’m going to revise my lecture for publication.”
“You can’t do anything more tonight. Even if you stayed up, you’re too tired to focus. Come to bed now and you can get up early. You can tell me about your readings over breakfast and I’ll see if I can give you the CliffsNotes version of them.” He gestured to her with his hand.
She shook her head. “CliffsNotes won’t cut it.”
“Julianne, it’s two o’clock in the morning. Come to bed.” His tone grew commanding.
“I have to stay up.”
“Sleep now and I’ll help you. I can go with you to the library and help you with your research. That should save you some time.”
“You’d do that?” She wiped her nose with a tissue.
He frowned. “Of course. I’ve been volunteering to help you all semester. You wouldn’t let me.”