Don't Say a Word - Barbara Freethy [85]
"It's a cool restaurant."
"I wasn't talking about the restaurant. I was talking about how good it feels to spend time with you-away from all the drama."
"For a few minutes anyway," he said lightly, lifting his wineglass to hers. "To you, Julia, whoever you are."
"Whoever I am," she echoed.
An hour later they'd stuffed themselves on stewed vegetables, slices of fried eggplant, and a melt-in-your-mouth lamb dish. They'd also shared a lot of conversation about anything and everything, books, politics, religion, and world events. There was no topic that was out of bounds. They argued, debated, and laughed. Julia didn't think she'd ever laughed so much in her life, which made her feel guilty when she stopped to think for a minute. She should be sad that her engagement was over and that she'd probably hurt a very nice guy. Instead, she felt free. That was wrong. Yet it was right, too, and feeling bad wouldn't make Michael feel better. Hopefully time would open his eyes to who she really was and why they never would have been happy together. With that rationalization, she was able to put Michael out of her mind, as well as the rest of the problems in her life. She would have so many things to deal with tomorrow-her apartment, her mother, her past-but for the moment, she wanted to be carefree. And she couldn't have picked a better partner for this outing than Alex.
She loved the way his mind worked. He was sharp, perceptive, interesting-a truly fascinating man. He lived a life that she wanted. Not the photography part, but the traveling part.
"Do you think you'll ever quit?" she asked as they left the restaurant and headed toward the car. "Ever decide to stay in one place and just take pictures at the local mall?" she added with a teasing smile.
"I'd rather shoot myself than work at the mall." He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm used to my life. It works. It's challenging, too. I love being able to get the shot that no one else can get."
"And you really believe that your job is enough for you?"
"It has been so far."
"Even though I just broke off my engagement, I still want to get married-someday."
"Of course you do."
"Why do you say it like that?" she asked.
"I said it before. Most women want to be married."
"And most men-"
"Want to have a lot of sex."
"You can have a lot of sex in a marriage," she pointed out. She saw his teasing smile and had a feeling that no matter how hard she tried, she wasn't going to get a more serious answer out of him.
"I'll keep that in mind," he said. "So, Julia, are we sleeping together tonight?"
At his question, she almost tripped on the uneven sidewalk. "What?"
"You heard me. You need a place to stay, don't you? I'm offering my bed."
With you in it? She wanted to ask. Instead she said, "And where are you going to sleep?"
"I'm waiting to hear my options. In the meantime, can I drive home?"
"No," she said, hoping she could bring the same definitive no to the bed question.
She walked around to her side of the car and reached into her purse for her keys. Suddenly a man appeared out of nowhere, tall, burly, and he was heading straight toward her. She didn't have a chance to move, but Alex did. One minute she was standing up; the next she was hitting the ground with her backside and Alex was chasing some guy down the street. Her heart pounded against her chest as she tried to get her bearings. Her handbag was still on her shoulder, although now that she thought about it, she had the distinct feeling that man had been trying to take it from her. If Alex hadn't moved so quickly, she would have lost the doll and her necklace.
She stood up, feeling nervous and abandoned. Alex and the man had disappeared. She was alone in the dark. Suddenly aware of how isolated she was, she searched hastily for the keys. They were at the bottom of her bag. With a shaky hand, she got the key in the lock, opened the door, and slid inside. With the doors closed and locked, she felt a little better. But where the hell was Alex? God, she hoped he was all right.
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