Or perhaps, he would have her on the couch.
Julia interrupted his pleasant reverie.
“Well, she might have brought your other women breakfast,” she continued doggedly with the idea of his “other women”, “but she probably didn’t bring them toothpaste.” Julia looked from her coffee to him and then grabbed the croissant. “It would seem she approves!” she exclaimed as if this idea was impossible.
“Firstly, there are no other women.” When Julia looked like she would interrupt, he added, “Anymore. And secondly, yes, I would say her behaviour indicates approval. Why is that hard to believe?”
Julia took a bite of croissant and contemplated this piece of news while she chewed. She did not, however, answer.
He folded the paper and tossed it on the table.
She jumped.
He sighed again at her reaction before he said, “Julia. We need to talk.”
She swallowed the bite of croissant as if it had the heft and width of an anvil. “About what?”
“About last night,” he replied.
“What about it?” she asked, giving him a sidelong glance.
“You agreed to marry me.”
At that, she paled and faced him head on.
“You do remember agreeing to marry me?” he demanded, his eyes narrowing.
“Of course!”
He felt his body relax and hadn’t realised he’d tensed in preparation for her response.
However, there was something wrong, she was acting cagey and guarded. Or, more cagey and guarded than normal.
Her last husband hadn’t handled her well, to say the least, and Douglas forced himself to move cautiously.
“Come here,” he commanded gently.
She hesitated, her eyes darting around looking for escape. He leaned forward, pulled her coffee cup out of her hand and set it in its saucer and then divested her of her croissant. Then he grabbed her hand and tugged lightly. She rose to her feet with a deep, ungracious sigh and stepped the two paces toward him. He opened his legs and positioned her until she was standing between them, staring down at him, his hand still holding hers.
“Is something bothering you?” he asked softly.
Something dark crossed her eyes and she shook her head, then nodded, then ended with moving her head in a circle that encompassed both.
Douglas waited patiently.
“I… well, I wasn’t exactly prepared for what happened last night,” she admitted.
The realisation dawned on him what she was referring to and he felt a strange sensation that was part expectation, part hope and part triumph.
“Are you using birth control?” he queried.
Her body jerked.
“What?” she breathed then her hand ripped out of his and flew to her mouth as her eyes grew wide. “Oh my God.”
Apparently, he realised, she was not referring to that kind of preparation.
He stood which brought him to within an inch of her. He was pleased to note that she didn’t try to move away. He slid his hands around her waist, settling them loosely at the small of her back, enjoying this casual intimacy tremendously. “If you weren’t talking about contraception…”