Sommersgate House (Ghosts and Reincarnation #2)(126)
“We’re getting married,” she announced and Douglas could have sworn he heard pride in her voice. His fiancée extended her hand the way any woman shows off her engagement ring and Mrs. K gasped then clapped with unrestrained excitement.
“Congratulations!” she gushed as she dashed forward and, to Douglas’s stunned surprise, she hugged them both. Even though he hadn’t let go of Julia, Mrs. Kilpatrick’s arms extended around both of their bodies and she laid a big, loud kiss on Julia’s cheek and then turned shyly to brush her lips against Douglas’s cheek as well. “It’s about time we had some good news in this house!” She paused as she disengaged. “Do you want the first course?”
“Yes please,” Julia said at the same time Douglas said, “Later.”
Mrs. Kilpatrick chuckled, shook her head and walked away, pausing at the door to look back at them, her face filled with a happiness Douglas had never witnessed from her before.
When she disappeared, Douglas didn’t know which one of them she would obey.
Julia turned toward him again, resting her hands lightly on his chest.
Douglas tilted his chin down to look at her and asked, “What did you have planned for tonight?”
She was fiddling with the lapels of his jacket and he was thinking he quite liked standing there with Julia in his arms idly touching him like she did it every day.
“Well, I was going to cook dinner for you then Mrs. K took over. And then I was going to tell you I wanted to marry you, which I’ve already done.” Her eyes lifted to his and they were dark, nearly jade, and intense and he felt immediately robbed of breath at the depth of feeling in them. “And then I was going to seduce you.”
He should have taken that golden opportunity to kiss her but instead he threw his head back and roared with laughter.
The thought of her seducing him was just too much. Any seduction she had planned would take a nanosecond to succeed.
“Am I interrupting something?” It was Nick at the door to the study and Douglas kept his head tilted back but instead of amusement, he now looked toward the ceiling in frustration.
Who was next? Carter? Ronnie? The children? Would Charlie and Oliver stop by for an impromptu visit from London?
“All right, Jules?” Nick walked in, completely unfazed by the tender scene he should have noticed unfolding in front of him and completely ignoring the meaningful glare Douglas levelled at him.
“All right, Nick,” Julia answered, and snuggled, actually snuggled into Douglas’s body.
“You are,” Douglas said shortly, wanting privacy to reward Julia for the snuggle.
“I am what?” Nick smiled, knowing exactly what Douglas meant and choosing to disregard it.
“Interrupting something,” Douglas clarified.
“Ah,” Nick muttered and leaned against an armchair, thoroughly unconcerned and looking like he meant to spend the evening there. “So, who am I supposed to dispose of then? The man who just tore out of here in a rental or your mother who left half an hour ago? Did she come back?”
Douglas’s body jolted at these words and Julia’s head lifted to look at him.
“I’ll tell you later,” she whispered.
She didn’t have to tell him. Monique brought Webster here.
“She’s disowned,” Douglas stated calmly and Julia shook her head in amusement.
“You can’t disown your own mother.” Her voice held a smile.
“I can when I give her a generous allowance,” Douglas returned.
Julia’s body stiffened. “Well, then you definitely can’t disown her!”
Nick decided his fun was over and made to leave. “I’ll leave you to it and keep an eye out.”
“You do that,” Douglas told his back.
“Nick!” Julia called out to him and then again extended her left arm and wriggled her fingers at the other man. “We’re getting married,” she announced, this time the pride in her voice was unmistakable and Douglas felt…
He felt…
He had absolutely no idea what he felt as it was something he’d never felt before.
Nick had turned at her call and his face lit up for a brief second before he continued to walk away.
As they just about lost sight of him, he yelled out, “About bloody time!”
This made Julia laugh and Douglas found it an immensely pleasant sensation to have her body shake with laughter while pressed against his.
He dipped his head to hers and kissed the laugh off her lips.
“About that seduction,” he murmured against her mouth.
She lifted her hand to touch her fingers lightly against his face, her eyes holding his and, slowly, she smiled.
And that was it, he was seduced.
* * * * *
Julia woke some time later feeling deliciously sated. Her body had a languorous feel that was a heady type of exhaustion that had nothing to do with tiredness and everything to do with happiness.
She was tucked up against Douglas’s left side, her head on his shoulder, her hand on his chest and his fingers were lazily stroking the area just above her bottom.
“You awake?” she mumbled, her voice husky with sleep.
“Mm,” was his answer.
She stretched slowly, arching her back which pressed her torso into his side and her bottom into his hand. He stopped stroking her and his hand flattened against her, smoothing down and around to cup her backside.