Page 32 of Bryson

"I went through a tremendous amount of stress while I was carrying Bryson." Stepping inside, she took a folded washcloth and handed it to Julianne. "My husband was never there for me. I went through all of it alone." She folded her hands and watched as the younger woman put away the cloth.

"He was out with one of his sluts when the labor pains started. I had to call the doctors myself and they sent an ambulance. He surfaced right when I delivered the baby, him and three of hisfriends. And he handed out cigars. The proud father of a very healthy baby boy.

"He never asked me how I felt or how I reached the hospital. I lay there in that bed and hated him with a virulence that was disturbing. But I loved my son and he made up for all the rotten things that man ever did to me. So, yes. You're fortunate." She turned away when the door opened. "Your tea is here."

Even though Julianne was uncomfortable with the woman being there, she appreciated the fact that Barbara McNab had set herself in charge. She issued orders to the maid who brought up the tray, instructing her where to place it, and actually poured the tea herself, waiting to make sure that Julianne was comfortably seated before taking a sip. She waited another few minutes to ensure that she wasn't about to puke it all out.

After she left and quietly closed the doors behind her, Julianne sat thinking, the words, painful and poignant, coming back to haunt her. The woman had been through a hell of a lot, she mused. It did not excuse her behavior in the past or even recently when she had just arrived, but it explained a lot. She strongly doubted that she and Barbara McNab would ever be bosom buddies, but at least the woman was warming up. She had stayed to ensure that Julianne was all right and in her books, that was something profound.

And she was pretty sure that Bryson would be informed.

Rolling her eyes, she settled back to enjoy her tea as it coursed into her raw stomach. Munching on the saltines, she decided she was going to insist that a car be assigned to her. She needed to get out and get some fresh air.

Chapter 10

It was the sound of the shower that roused her from her sleep. She had tried to wait up for him, but he had told her not to bother, that he was dealing with some things and would be home late. He had sounded so weary that her heart had melted for him.

Surprisingly, his mother had been the one to inform her of the worries he was dealing with.

Pushing the sheets off her, she came to a split-second decision. Swinging her legs off the bed, she shimmied out of her nightgown and made her way to the bathroom. He was simply standing under the hot pulsing water, his head submerged under it. The green and gold shower stall was large enough to hold a dozen people, and it had taken her several days to master the various sophisticated knobs.

Stepping up behind him, she pumped shampoo into her palms and went on her toes to start massaging it into his hair. He had been so caught up in his thoughts, he never realized she was there until she touched him.

"What..." He jolted and was about to turn around when she stopped him, her fingers sliding through his thick shoulder-length hair and massaging the scalp.

"I heard you had a rough day."

"Yes. Look..." He bit off a groan when she continued to knead the flesh.

"Tell me about it," she invited. She was down to his neck now, using her thumb to ease into the pressure points. It was unbelievably erotic and relaxing at the same time.

"Just..." He bit back a sigh, his hands spread on the tiles in front of him. "One of the men, Ben, had an infection which turned out to be pneumonia. Julianne..."

"And there was something about losing some livestock to a virus? Your mother told me about that. She was surprisingly chatty and friendly all of a sudden."

"She shouldn't have said anything to you. I don't want you..." He gritted his teeth when she started on the bunched muscles of his shoulders. "Julianne..."

"You carry a lot of your tension here." Spreading her fingers, she massaged the flesh slowly. "I never told you that I took a course in relaxation techniques. I was fascinated by how the body can carry tension without us realizing it and decided what the hell."

"You should be sleeping. You had an episode... Don't stop." He groaned.

"I have no intention of doing that." She slid her soapy hands down over his chest, wrapping her arms around him to give him the full effect. It was then he felt her breasts pressing into his back. Desire shot through him like a thunderbolt.

"That's enough now," he told her gruffly.

"Not nearly."

"Julianne..." His breath caught somewhere in his throat as her clever hands slid down his quivering stomach. He was as hard as steel. "Please stop."

"Not yet. I need to get you as limp as a noodle." Before he realized what she was up to, she was combing her fingers through the hairs covering his sex. He went weak and wondered how the hell his knees were supporting him.

"Don't..."

"And the only way I know how is to do this."

He let out a gasp when she cupped him. He literally felt his breath stop.

"You taught me how, remember? One night we were experimenting and you stole my breath and my senses when you started tormenting me. I asked you after I recovered somewhat if I could do the same for you and you told me what to do. It was something like this..." He could feel heat pouring through him like molten lava as she stroked him slowly, from root to tip.