“Wow.” She breathed.
“I thought about trying it in the bedroom, but things could get messy.”
He crouched in front of her, his face level with her navel, and opened the jar. He dipped the paintbrush in the chocolate, spreading the confection liberally over the delicate strands of the brush, before winking up at her.
“Shall we begin?”
She nodded, her eyes half closed.
Slowly, he began to draw a heart around her navel.
The feel of the chocolate and the brush gliding across her warm skin caused her to fidget. And of course, despite the fact that it almost tickled, Gabriel would not be rushed.
“There.” He put the jar and brush aside and licked his lips. “Now comes the fun part. Ready?”
“Yes.” The word came out as more of a squeak than a statement.
She reached out a shaking hand to grasp a railing when Gabriel’s tongue made contact with her skin, swirling through the chocolate and dipping into her navel.
He steadied her by splaying one of his hands across her backside.
“It tastes better than I expected.” He nibbled at her. “Then again, that’s probably because I like how you taste.”
His tongue blazed a trail to her hip bone, where he began placing openmouthed kisses.
“I think we need more chocolate. What do you think?”
“Yes, please.” Julia nodded furiously. “Definitely, more.”
Gabriel picked up the chocolate and the brush.
“Then you’d better hold on tight, darling, because I’m planning to be thorough.”
She leaned forward, cupping his chin.
“As am I.”
Chapter Fifty-four
As November progressed, Diane and Tom continued to receive positive reports about their baby’s health. Surgery would still be necessary, but the baby was developing and Diane was also healthy.
Julia received the reports about her brother with a combination of relief and cautious optimism.
She hadn’t told her family about her fibroids or about Gabriel’s vasectomy reversal. His family didn’t know that he’d had the procedure in the first place. And she didn’t want to worry anyone about her own health issues, especially since Dr. Rubio assured her that fibroids were common and, at least at this point, not serious.
The Emersons bore one another’s health burdens, sharing only some of the information with Rebecca. But Julia seemed to bear the burden of her graduate career alone.
(Or so she thought.)
Late one November evening, Gabriel awoke with a start. He was instantly alert, straining his ears for the slightest sound. In the distance, he heard a woman crying.
He reached for Julia in the darkness, but she was gone.
Without even bothering to switch on the light or to grab his bathrobe, he sprang to his feet, naked, and exited the bedroom.
A shaft of light shone from underneath the study door.
He quickly walked toward it, the sound of crying growing louder.
Behind the door, he found Julia, her head on her desk. Her shoulders were shaking, her glasses discarded on her open laptop. A large pile of books was scattered across the desk and down on the floor.
“Darling.” He placed his hand on her head. “What’s the matter?”
“I can’t do it.”
“You can’t do what?” He crouched beside her.
“I can’t catch up. I’m behind in my reading for all my classes. I should be working on my seminar papers, but I’ve been trying to read. I should have started the revisions on my lecture, but I haven’t had time. And I’m just so tired.” Her voice cracked.
Gabriel eyed her sympathetically. “Come to bed.”
“I can’t!” she wailed, throwing her hands up. “I need to stay up all night and finish my reading. Then tomorrow, I need to spend the day in the library working on my papers. I don’t know when I’m going to revise my lecture for publication.”
“You can’t do anything more tonight. Even if you stayed up, you’re too tired to focus. Come to bed now and you can get up early. You can tell me about your readings over breakfast and I’ll see if I can give you the CliffsNotes version of them.” He gestured to her with his hand.
She shook her head. “CliffsNotes won’t cut it.”
“Julianne, it’s two o’clock in the morning. Come to bed.” His tone grew commanding.
“I have to stay up.”
“Sleep now and I’ll help you. I can go with you to the library and help you with your research. That should save you some time.”
“You’d do that?” She wiped her nose with a tissue.
He frowned. “Of course. I’ve been volunteering to help you all semester. You wouldn’t let me.”
“You’re busy with your own stuff. And then you had surgery.” She wiped her eyes hastily.
“You’re going to get sick if you don’t take care of yourself. Come on.” He placed a hand on her elbow and helped her to her feet before closing her laptop firmly.
He followed her down the hall to their bedroom.
“I’m so tired,” she sniffled, resting her head on the pillow. She was even too tired to spoon.
“All you have to do is ask. I’d do anything for you. You know that.”
“I’m supposed to do this by myself.”
“Bullshit.” He placed an arm around her waist. “The program is designed to be grueling. Everyone else is probably getting help from someone.”
“You didn’t need help when you did it.”
“Think about what you’re saying. I was doing coke when I was in grad school. And I had P—someone to look after me.”
He sighed, lowering his voice. “You looked after me when I came home from the hospital. That’s probably when you fell behind. Let me help you catch up. But the first thing you need is a good night’s sleep. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
She was too weary to argue. Within minutes, her breathing deepened and Gabriel knew that she’d fallen asleep.
Chapter Fifty-five
That Saturday, Julia and Gabriel planned to spend most of the day in the library, researching her seminar papers. As a way of showing her appreciation, she prepared pancakes while he sat at the kitchen table, clad in his pajama pants and glasses, reading The Boston Globe.
She poured the batter onto a hot griddle before turning to him.
“There’s something I’ve been wondering.”
“And what’s that?”
“Will you tell me what you wrote in the card that you left at my apartment, back in Toronto?”