And then she looked up and met his eyes, and time stopped. His heart was lodged in his throat, and for the life of him he couldnât look away.
He wanted her.
He was still furious with her for keeping the babies from him, for leaving him without warning and dropping off the face of the earth, but heâd never stopped loving her, and he loved her now.
âJulesââ
She stepped back, the spell broken by the whispered word, and screwed the lid back on the gel. But her fingers were trembling, and for some crazy reason that gave him hope.
âYou need a clean shirt. Have you got anything with you?â
âYes, in the car. Iâve got a case with me.â
She looked back at him, her eyes widening. âYouâre planning on staying?â she said in a breathless whisper, and he gave a short huff of laughter.
âOh, yes. Yes, Jules, Iâm staying. Because now Iâve found you, Iâm not losing sight of you or my children again.â
Caroline Anderson has the mind of a butterfly. Sheâs been a nurse, a secretary, a teacher, run her own soft-furnishing business, and now sheâs settled on writing. She says, âI was looking for that elusive something. I finally realised it was variety, and now I have it in abundance. Every book brings new horizons and new friends, and in between books I have learned to be a juggler. My teacher husband John and I have two beautiful and talented daughters, Sarah and Hannah, umpteen pets and several acres of Suffolk that nature tries to reclaim every time we turn our backs!â Caroline also writes for the Mills & Boon Medical⢠Romance series.
Recent titles by the same author:
Medical⢠Romance A MUMMY FOR CHRISTMAS THEIR MIRACLE BABY (Brides of Penhally Bay)
Romance THE SINGLE MUM AND THE TYCOON HIS PREGNANT HOUSEKEEPER
âIâM NOT going with you.â
Her voice was unexpectedly loud in the quiet bedroom, and Max straightened up and stared at her.
âWhat? What do you mean, youâre not coming with me? Youâve been working on this for weeksâwhat the hell can you possibly have found that needs doing before you can leave? And how long are you talking about? Tomorrow? Wednesday? I need you there now, Jules, weâve got a lot to do.â
Julia shook her head. âNo. I mean, Iâm not coming. Not going to Japan. Not today, not next weekânot ever. Or anywhere else.â
She couldnât go.
Couldnât pack up her things and head off into the sunsetâwell, sunrise, to be tediously accurate, as they were flying to Japan.
Correction: Max was flying to Japan. She wasnât. She wasnât going anywhere. Not again, not for the umpteenth time in their hectic, tempestuous, whirlwind life together. Been there, done that, et cetera. And she just couldnât do it any more.
He dropped the carefully folded shirt into his case and turned towards her, his expression incredulous. âAre you serious? Have you gone crazy?â
âNo. Iâve never been more serious about anything. Iâm sick of it,â she told him quietly. âI donât want to do it any more. Iâm sick of you saying jump, and all I do is say, âHow high?ââ
âI never tell you to jump!â
âNo. No, youâre right. You tell me you need to jump, and I ask how high, and then I make it happen for youâin any language, in any country, wherever youâve decided the next challenge lies.â
âYouâre my PAâthatâs your job!â
âNo, Max. Iâm your wife, and Iâm sick of being treated like any other employee. And Iâm not going to let you do it to me any more.â
He stared at her for another endless moment, then rammed his hands through his hair and glanced at his watch before reaching for another shirt. âYouâve picked a hell of a time for a marital,â he growled, and, not for the first time, she wanted to scream.
âItâs not a marital,â she said as calmly as she could manage. âItâs a fact. Iâm not comingâand I donât know if Iâll be here when you get back. I canât do it any moreâany of itâand I need time to work out what I do want.â
His fists balled in the shirt, crushing it to oblivion, but she didnât care. It wasnât as if sheâd been the one whoâd ironed it. The laundry service took care of that. She didnât have time. She was too busy making sure the cogs were all set in motion in the correct sequence.
âHell, Jules, your timing sucks.â
He threw the shirt into the case and stalked to the window, ramming his hand against the glass and staring out over the London skyline, his tall, muscled frame vibrating with tension. âYou know what this means to meâhow important this deal is. Why today?â
âI donât know,â she said honestly. âI justâIâve hit a brick wall. Iâm so sick of not having a life.â
âWe have a life!â he roared, twisting away from the window and striding across to tower over her, his fists opening and closing in frustration. âWe have a damn good life.â
âNo, we go to work.â
âAnd weâre stunningly successful!â
âBusiness-wise, I agreeâbut itâs not a life.â She met his furious eyes head-on, refusing to let him intimidate her. She was used to Max in a temper, and heâd never once frightened her. âOur home life isnât a success, because we donât