Page 15 of Unveiled

Chapter Eight

He was completely enamored by his dinner companion. She was intelligent and funny, which he already knew from the time they’d spent together at the house.

She also wasn’t afraid to actually eat, which was refreshing. Julia wasn’t self-conscience about her body, or she didn’t seem to be. The only time she appeared uncomfortable was when he or Stavros paid her a compliment. It was a shame that a woman like her wasn’t at ease with that when she seemed perfectly confident the rest of the time.

Rush challenged himself to change that. Not to the extreme like the vapid women who knew how beautiful they were and took compliments as their due.He was ripped from his own thoughts when Julia moaned, a sound that made his dick hard. It was the kind of sound that belonged in a bedroom. When he glanced up, he was met with that look of pure pleasure once again as she savored a bite of the delicious dessert.

“That is better than sex.” The words were barely a whisper, but they hit Rush’s ears like gunshots.

“Then you clearly are not having sex correctly because as amazing as this is, it is most certainly not better than sex.” Her enchanting eyes flew open. The look they held made him want to bend her over the table and pleasure her for hours. Whoa, get a grip.

“Wow, you, um, have amazing hearing. I didn’t even think I said it out loud. But you have a point. I stand corrected, sir, and very, very full.”

Deciding to push just a bit, he spoke with humor, but truth ran through it. “If you ever want a comparison, for strictly research purposes, of course, I’ll make myself available.” Her laugh arrowed straight to his dick. Rush felt himself getting caught up but did nothing to stop it. They shared the laugh as they pushed yet another empty plate away.

“So generous of you. You really are a man who is just so damn giving.” Stavros approached, and it was his chuckle that cut through the air.

“Ah, Julia, if I were not already in love with you, the way you handle Russell would surely draw me deeper.” With that quip, he stepped away, leaving a plate of figs and some water.

“You are very generous, though.” She took a fig drizzled with honey and nibbled it delicately. It was as if she were eating simply to hide behind the act.

“Not really.”

“Yes, really. You didn’t have to let me stay, but you did. You held me when I lost it, you offer help beyond anything I could imagine, and you brought me to this amazing dinner knowing I can do nothing for you. That is the very textbook definition of generous.”

Rush dipped his head, uncomfortable with the conversation. “You have your opinion, and who am I to argue.”

“You don’t take compliments well. Why? It’s deserved and not empty flattery. Who has time for that, so why?” Her question seemed genuine. So how could he answer? For some reason, he wanted to be honest with her.

“I guess it’s just too. . .raw. Not sure that’s the best word, but I was recently told that I only have surface relationships. In a way, I think that’s true. Compliments build bonds of sorts or form attachments or something. I don’t know. I’m not making any sense, I’m stupid.” Rush hated trying to explain something he had no idea how to. It made him sound ridiculous, and he hated that even more.

Julia’s hand reached across and rested on his side of the table, palm up, asking for a touch. Rush hesitated before complying.

“That doesn’t sound stupid at all. I’m kind of the same way. The only people who ever gave me genuine compliments were my parents. Now, I feel like nine times out of ten, they are designed with an agenda. One I’m probably not going to like. So, I totally get it.”

She couldn’t have said something more perfect if she’d tried. Rush lost a little piece of his heart because he was just thinking about how he wanted her to be comfortable with compliments, yet he wasn’t.

Before he could stop the words, they slipped out while he stared at their joined hands. “Plus, you have to be honest with yourself to believe them, and that’s never easy.”

“This is true. But look at us, bonding over our inability to take a compliment. What a pair we make.”

“Yeah. I hope you know that I mean every word I say. I’m not the type to throw around empty compliments. So when I compliment you, you better stay complimented.” Their laugher felt more organic this time.

“Noted.” She popped the rest of the fig in her mouth and Rush watched as her tongue darted out to catch the drop of honey that stuck to her full bottom lip. “Stavros is a magician. I can’t eat another bite.”

Rush continued to stare as she leaned back in her chair and placed the napkin on the table. He noted how her features were relaxed for the first time since he’d seen her coming out of his bathroom in a towel.

That memory made him shift in his seat. “Don’t let him hear you say that. His head will swell so big he won’t fit in the kitchen with it.”

“I think he’s sweet. He reminds me of my dad.”

The sadness he’d witnessed before crept in and her eyes dulled slightly. “You really miss him.” It wasn’t a question.

“More than I could ever explain. We were so close. He was a great man who loved life and cared about people on a human level. Not just the ones who could make him money or had influence. He cared just as much about the man on the corner. He treated him with the same respect he would treat the leader of a country.”

Julia seemed lost in her own memories, and Rush did nothing to pull her from them.

“You know, one time when I was twelve, a woman came to him about burying her husband. Her very infamous for swindling people out of money husband. She pulled up in a Mercedes, then stood in front of him in designer clothes that cost more than anything we ever wore. Told him how she couldn’t afford to give her late husband a fitting service. She said to use the cheapest casket and no frills because of her finances, and that she only had five hundred dollars to her name. Dad told her not to worry, he’d charge her one hundred and give him a service fit for a king.”

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