The words were for her, but it was he who needed to hold on.
Quinn was not in her right mind. She was under the influence of a drug, driven by instinct. Her actions were understandable.
But he was lucid. If he took advantage of her now, he would be no better than the predator he had saved her from. The kiss had already been a transgression. He couldn’t do more.
But his heart would not be still.
Because Quinn was practically naked in his arms. He had seen everything and kissed her.
But she was married. She was another man’s wife.
The volcanic heat in Julian’s eyes finally cooled. He stopped fighting himself. He grabbed a nearby bath towel, wrapped her up tightly like a swaddled baby, and left her to soak in the tub.
Quinn was trussed up, only her head free. She was incredibly uncomfortable but couldn’t move. She forced her eyes open, and through a blur of tears, she saw the tall, handsome man who looked like a god.
Julian avoided her gaze and then, after a second, looked back.
Quinn’s eyes were hazy, the corners flushed red. The way she looked at him was a silent invitation.
For the first time in his life, Julian doubted his self-control. Or rather, in front of her, his self-control was useless.
He reached out and covered her eyes with his hand, saying, “Just hold on a little longer…”
As if she understood, Quinn tilted her chin up and rubbed against his palm, a restless, needy gesture. Her thick lashes brushed against his skin, a tickle that went straight to his heart.
The yacht must have docked by now. Where is Gunnar? What if she gets a cold from the water? A knock at the door broke his train of thought. He shot to his feet.
The coolness on her face was gone, and Quinn let out a soft whimper of protest.
Julian’s jaw was tight. He bent down, scooped her up, and carried her out of the bathroom, gently placing her on the bed.
The cold bath had helped, but the drug was still in her system. The flush on her cheeks was still unnatural.
“Be quiet. Be good.”
Her sounds were too easy for a man to misinterpret. He didn’t want anyone else to hear them.
He covered her with another blanket before going to the door.
Zeke and a man in a doctor’s coat were standing outside.
“You come in,” Julian said and looked at Zeke.
“Send everyone home. Tell them I had an emergency. The party’s over.”
“Don’t worry. It’s all taken care of,” Zeke said. “But Chase and Maddox…”
“Lock them up for now,” Julian said. “I’ll deal with them later.”
He shut the door and turned to the doctor, demanding, “Go see to her.”
Gunnar had dealt with cases like this before. Zeke had explained the situation on the phone. He took out his IV kit and glanced at Julian.
“What do you need?” Julian asked. “An IV?”
“Yes,” Gunnar confirmed. “I’ll need her hand.”
To be honest, Gunnar was still reeling. Zeke had called and told him that Julian had fallen for a woman. He had heard the shock in Zeke’s voice, but was he any less stunned? He had served the Sterling family for over twenty years and had watched Julian grow up. Julian had always been a serious child, and after taking over the family empire, he had become even more imposing, solemn, and unsmiling. Plenty of rich men played with women, but Julian had always been celibate, seemingly devoid of desire. So, to hear that he had fallen for someone was beyond surprising.
If this was the woman Julian cared for, then Gunnar knew he had to be extremely careful. He wouldn’t dare touch a single one of her fingers without permission.
Sure enough, his caution was warranted. Before Julian even attempted to open the blanket, he commanded, “Turn around.”
In fact, Gunnar couldn’t see anything.
Gunnar did as he was told. This womanhas Julian wrapped around her little finger. He could only marvel internally.
After the cold bath and the struggle, Quinn’s energy was spent. She was quiet now.
Julian lifted the blanket, his eyes first landing on her pale, delicate shoulder. He instinctively looked away, reaching out to untie the towel that bound her. Her body and the towel were both damp, as was the bed. It would all have to be changed later.
Julian carefully supported her wrist, covering the rest of her arm with the blanket before saying, “You can turn back now.”
Gunnar kept his eyes fixed on her slender hand. As a private physician, he often had to handle matters that couldn’t be known to outsiders, so he was as skilled as any nurse. Starting an IV was a simple task. But as he tied the blue tourniquet around her wrist, the band constricting her snowy skin, Julian’s brow furrowed.
“Gently.”
Gunnar was speechless.
He had once removed a bullet from Julian in a foreign country. The situation had been critical, and there was no anesthetic. As he cut into flesh and blood, Julian hadn’t made a sound. And now, over a simple tourniquet, he was being told to be gentle.
With practiced efficiency, Gunnar inserted the needle into her vein. Once everything was set, Julian carefully placed her hand back on the bed, treating it as if it were a priceless, fragile jewel.
Gunnar gave a few more instructions and then left.
Outside, he found Zeke waiting. “Well, I’ve seen it all now,” he said.
“What happened?” Zeke asked eagerly.
Gunnar shook his head, smiling, “Nothing. You’ll find out soon enough.”
He was dying to talk about it, but he was bound by a confidentiality agreement. It was killing him.
Once Gunnar left, the medication quickly took effect, and Quinn finally settled into a deep sleep.
She was peaceful, but Julian still had a major task ahead of him.
He took a deep breath, lifted her, and moved her to the dry side of the bed. He quickly covered her with the blanket, not daring to look for more than a second. Quinn was completely naked. He had even removed her underwear earlier, as it was soaked through.
The agony of taking off her clothes and drying her body was something Julian never wanted to experience again.
Quinn was quiet now, with the flush gone from her cheeks, and her breathing was even. Julian went to take another cold shower to quell the heat still raging in his body. He had a fresh set of clothes delivered, changed, and then left the room to find Maddox.
Zeke was watching over him, his expression even more incredulous than before.
“Is what you just said true?” he asked. Zeke felt like his world had been turned upside down today. Julian had dropped one bombshell after another. But now, all of his strange behavior made sense.
His reason for buying the yacht, for throwing the party, for inviting a distant relative like Chase, and for orchestrating that brief appearance before retreating back to “work” had all been for Quinn.
He had gone to all this trouble just to see her. Plenty of rich kids threw money around to impress women, but who could top Julian? He bought a multi-billion-dollar superyacht on a whim. And the woman was married. Was Julian extravagantly romantic, or just a fool?
But after hearing what Maddox had to say, Zeke was shocked all over again.
Maddox was in agony. The interruption during his moment of excitement, followed by being thrown against a wall, had terrified him so much that he had gone completely limp.
He was now seriously worried if he would ever be able to get it up again.
“Forget about that,” Zeke said. “You should be more worried about how you’re going to get out of this mess you’ve made with Julian’s woman.”
Maddox was dumbfounded, asking, “Isn’t she Chase Sterling’s wife? How can she be Julian’s woman?”
Zeke didn’t know what was going on in Julian’s head either. After all, Quinn was married. If their names were linked, it would be a scandal.
“It doesn’t matter if she’s married or not,” he said. “She’s under Julian’s protection, understand? Stop making excuses and start thinking about how to save your own skin.”
“Zeke, you know me!” Maddox pleaded. “Besides, Chase brought her to me himself!”
“But was she willing? If this gets out, it’s date rape!”
Maddox wasn’t afraid of much, but he was terrified of Julian getting serious. He usually avoided him like the plague.
“I didn’t even touch her!” Maddox yelled, ready to swear on his life. “Really! I didn’t get to do anything before you guys showed up!”
“You should be grateful you didn’t. Otherwise, I think he would have killed you.”
Maddox shivered, whispering, “He wouldn’t, would he? How would he explain that to my father?”
Zeke just smiled, “You think he’s afraid of your father?”
Maddox fell silent. He looked at Zeke, pleading, “Zeke, you have to help me!”
“You’re on your own,” Zeke said.
“Let me tell you something Chase told me! If I tell you, will you help me?”
Zeke wasn’t particularly interested, replying, “Let’s hear it.”
“Chase and Quinn have been married for three years, but he’s never touched her!”
That was what had shocked Zeke. After three years of marriage, the husband had never touched the wife. Unless Chase was impotent. Who would believe it?
“It’s true!” Maddox insisted. “Chase said he’s in love with someone else, so he won’t touch Quinn. But I bet he has some other problem. I mean, a woman like Quinn… how could he resist?”
As he spoke, he was filled with regret. Why did Julian have to get involvedwhen I was about to screw Quinn?
Now, he would probably never get another chance. Who would dare to touch a woman under Julian’s protection?
Zeke was about to kick him for the lecherous look on his face when Julian appeared.
He wore only a crisp shirt and trousers, but his mere presence radiated authority.
“How is she?” Zeke asked, standing.
Julian gave him a cool glance and said nothing.
Alright, so we can’t even ask. He was being very protective. Zeke changed the subject.
“He just said that Chase hasn’t touched Quinn in three years. Did you know that?”
Julian’s head snapped toward him.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.