He felt pressure on his knee and peered through hooded eyes at Juliana’s head resting there, his grip locked on her braid. The horrible truth she’d revealed last night felt like an anvil on his heart. He’d never imagined anything like that could have happened to her. He fingered Juliana’s braid, reveling in the silky strands. A faint scratching sound in the backyard prickled his senses. He realized the front door was unlocked. The lights in the house blazed as dawn’s gray glow leaked through the glass doors. He swept Juliana into his arms. Her head lolled on his shoulder and her arms encircled his neck. Desire coursed through him, and he was acutely conscious of her soft perfumed flesh touching his arms. “Alex?” she mumbled. “Taking you to bed,” he whispered and planted a light kiss on her temple. “Ummm, sleep is good,” she murmured. Her heartbeat synced with his. The unshakable sensation that they were two halves of a whole filled him with longing. He carried her up the stairs, through the double doors at the top.
