Cole was right. Under any other circumstances, her feminine sensibilities would be screaming in outrage. Damon's public marking would be seen by many to be degrading, like Serena was some nameless, faceless object of his lust.

But all Julie could think was how beautiful and poignant the scene before her was. How sexy it was for this man to proclaim publicly that he loved this woman. Damon didn't know it yet, but he'd just gained a staunch ally in Julie. Never again would she question whether he was right for Serena.

"I should go," she said. "I don't want Serena to see me. It might make her uncomfortable. I feel like an intruder here, like I snuck over a no trespassing sign to watch a sunrise on a private beach."

"I know what you mean. The first time I saw Serena was here, Damon asked me to prepare her. Touching her . . ."

"You touched her?" Julie asked sharply.

He raised an eyebrow. "Yes, much like I touched you. Does that bother you?"

She shook her head. "No, it just seems you have the worst job. Look but don't touch, or rather, don't touch too much. Tell me, is that all you do here? Prepare women to be another man's pleasure for the evening?"

Cole looked startled by her question. A rueful awareness settled into his eyes. "This isn't my job. I mean, I don't draw a salary here. I'm not comfortable with that thought. Damon trusts me. I was honored by his request to ready Serena, and then you."

"So you do have your share of women here," she drawled.

Slowly he shook his head. "No, I wouldn't say that either. I'm rather discerning, or so I'd like to think. I see a lot of beautiful women. Beautiful, willing women."

"Then what's the problem?" she asked softly. "Why do you have the look of a man who's very much alone?"

His smile looked more like a grimace. "Why do you have the look of a woman who's very much alone after a night with the sexual attentions of two men?"

"Touché. I'll take that as my cue to mind my own business," she said with a grin.

He wrinkled his nose. "I apologize if that's the way you took it. I get rather defensive when I feel I'm cornered."

"Don't we all?" She looked back to where Damon was carefully untying Serena. The rest of the room was slowly going their own way again. "I need to go. Thanks, Cole. For everything. I mean that. Tonight was ... eye-opening."

He reached down for her hand and squeezed. "You're welcome. It was my pleasure. Are you sure you won't be back? Even to see me?"

She smiled a little sadly. "Last week I would have not only taken you up on that offer, but I would have taken you into one of these rooms and done my best to make you forget every other woman you've ever had or hope to have in the future."

"And why not now?" he asked with a sparkle of amusement.

She glanced back one more time to where Damon and Serena stood. "Because now I want someone to look at me the way he looks at her." She looked back at Cole whose wry look told her he understood exactly what she was saying. "You want me. You find me attractive, but you'll never look at me that way and we both know it."

"Does it make any difference for me to tell you that if I could look at any woman that way, I'd want it to be you?"

She laid her palm against his cheek. "You're very sweet, Cole. And you'll look at her that way. One day."

He caught her hand when she would have pulled it away and kissed her open palm. "It was truly my pleasure to look after you these two nights, Julie. If there is ever anything you want or need, you have only to contact me. I'll see to it you get it."

She rose up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. "Good night, Cole."

Not looking back, she hurried toward the stairs, feeling his intense gaze the entire way.

Chapter 20

Julie hugged her arms around her middle as she hurried down the stairs. A chill that had nothing to do with the actual temperature had settled into her bones. After leaving the warmth of the common room, every other place just seemed cold. Amazing how love could make you feel the actual rays of sunshine.

She walked down the hallway with the doorway ahead her only objective. She could hear the buzz of conversation, laughter mingling with the clinking of glasses, but she wasn't in the mood to be social. She just wanted to go home.

Ahead a door opened, and she prepared herself to be assaulted by a couple in the throes of passion. Instead she found herself nearly run over by Nathan Tucker and Micah Hudson.

She halted, unsure of who was more surprised, her or them. A guilty look flashed across Nathan's face about the time she caught his scent. Sure she was mistaken, she inhaled sharply. He didn't smell like Nathan normally did, and she was all but an expert on what the man smelled like. No, he didn't smell like Nathan. He smelled like her mystery lover. Her gentle lover. Which would explain the guilt flashing in those green eyes.

And that could only mean that Micah was her more impatient lover.

"You disguised your scent. You actually changed your smell!"

She babbled like a fool, but she honestly couldn't come up with anything else. She was too freaking stunned.

Nathan held out his hands in a placating manner. "Julie, listen to me, please."

His eyes were soft, his mouth turned down in an expression of regret. Micah wore a grimace that plainly said he'd rather be anywhere but here. Well, join the club. That made two of them.

She laughed. Maybe it wasn't the most sensible action, but she was too wrung out to be all cool and collected and in control.

"Well done. I mean, wow. Changing your scent. That took a hell of a lot of forethought. I would have never even considered that. That would explain why you never let me touch you. I guess this is where I say touché and that we're even, right?"

"No, we're not damn well even," Nathan growled. "That's not what this was about. Or at least, it's not now."

She raised an eyebrow. "Come on, Nathan, be straight with me at least. You can't tell me you didn't want a little payback for what I did at my salon."

He huffed, his face reddening with either embarrassment or anger, she wasn't sure which.

"Yeah, I did want payback, but more than that, I didn't want strange men fucking you. Damn it, Julie, what the hell were you thinking? You were just setting yourself up to be hurt or raped or God knows what else."

"So you fucked me to save me from these men?" she drawled out. "Really, how self-sacrificing of you, Nathan." She slid her gaze to Micah who leaned against the wall, hands shoved into his pockets. "What's your excuse, Hudson?"

"Do I need an excuse to fuck a beautiful woman?" he asked lazily.

"No, I guess you don't," she said quietly. "If you two will excuse me, it's been a long day, and I'd really like to get home."

"Julie, don't go," Nathan said as he reached for her hand. "You and I need to talk."

Fatigue dragged at every muscle. This was just the icing on an already draining evening. The only thing she wanted to talk about was how fast she could get home and into bed. Her bed. Alone.

"We could probably say a lot and not get anywhere. Let's just chalk it up to experience and call it good, okay? I always knew sex with you would be nothing short of spectacular and you proved me right. I should be thanking you, right? You and your fuck buddy here," she said with another sideways glance in Micah's direction.

"You're tired and just got dealt a hell of a surprise, baby doll," Micah said quietly. "Don't make it worse by lashing out and saying things you don't mean. Go on home and get some rest. Nathan and our apologies will wait."

Her smile warbled, and she finally gave up on trying to pretend it didn't matter. "You're right. I'm being a hysterical female, and worse, I'm not taking as good as I gave. I had it coming. It was amusing when the shoe was on the other foot, so I need to suck it up and take it like a big girl. I do appreciate you two making it so good for me, though. I'm not lying about that. The sex was incredible."

$She walked past, ignoring Nathan's outstretched hand and his growl of protest. She heard Micah tell him to lay off. Willing herself not to react, not to feel, she left The House and got into her little sports car.

The smooth leather cupped her as lovingly as ... well, as lovingly as Nathan had earlier. She loved her car. She'd worked damn hard for it. The leather was as smooth as a baby's bottom. Like buttah.

The engine roared to life and purred like a contented cat. Ideally she'd be in bed purring like that contented cat after the bone-melting sex she'd had, but there were two problems with that scenario now.

It felt disappointingly hollow after watching Damon and Serena together. Which was pretty stupid, because she might never find the sort of love those two shared, and what was she going to do, spend the rest of her life comparing herself and coming up short?

She shifted and accelerated out of the gate and onto the highway. Feeling a sudden need to feel the wind in her hair, she slowed and hit the button to take the top down.

Briefly closing her eyes as the sweet evening air blew over her face, she shoved her hair back and sped up.

The other problem facing what should have been a sated cuddle against her pillows was the fact that the man she'd spent the better part of the last several months lusting over had managed to knock her completely off guard. She didn't like being at a disadvantage, and when she'd scented Nathan and realized the magnitude of the deception he'd managed to pull off, she had no snappy comebacks, no flirty teasing.

"This isn't like you, Julie," she muttered.

Her words were swallowed by the wind, but she may as well have yelled. The thought resonated over and over, followed her home nipping at her heels like a persistent pup.

She whipped into her parking space at her apartment complex and wearily climbed out of her car.

"Sleep. A few hours sleep and you'll be your old self again."

As she let herself into her apartment, she wondered if lying to herself had become her new mantra.

Chapter 21

A knock at her door wrung her from the deep dredges of a dreamless sleep. When the person showed no signs of going away, Julie grumbled and rolled out of bed. She didn't bother trying to make herself presentable because the way she saw it, whoever had the audacity to show up at such an ungodly hour deserved to see her looking like a hungover hag.

She glanced at the clock on her way out of the bedroom. Oops, maybe ten thirty wasn't exactly an ungodly hour, but still, it was Sunday and Julie's only full day off.

Almost to the door, she had the unsettling thought that it could be Nathan here to take up where they'd left off the night before. She already felt like a train wreck. Facing Nathan right now would be like getting backed over by a Mac truck. Repeatedly.

Remembering Nathan's admonishment about opening the door to just anyone, she cracked it, leaving the chain on, and peered out.

"Julie?"

She quickly closed the door and yanked the chain off then opened the door wide. Serena stood there, her expression troubled.

"Can I come in?"

Julie tilted her head in confusion. "Of course. Come in. Why on earth would you need to ask a question like that?"

She turned and led the way into the living room, Serena's soft steps pattering behind her.

"I was worried you might be angry with me. Or with Damon."

Julie stopped and turned in front of the couch. "Do you want something to eat or drink? I just got up, so I'm not my best right now."

Serena took her hands in hers and urged her to sit down with her on the couch.

"Are you angry with us?"

Julie smiled. "No, hon, I'm not angry with you and Damon. Why would I be?"

"Damon said you found out about Nathan and Micah. Nathan's worried about you. So are Micah and Damon. So am I. Nathan said you looked ... well, he said you weren't yourself when you left. I knew this was a bad idea, but I went along with it because you seemed to want Nathan so much, and he wanted you."

Serena gave her an unhappy look as she trailed off.

"You have nothing to feel guilty over, Serena. Damon either. He gave me what I wanted. Anonymous sex."

Serena frowned harder. "So what now?"

Julie laughed and scrubbed a hand over her bleary eyes. "That's a good question. Nothing, I guess. I'd already decided before I met up with Nathan and Micah that I wasn't going back for more."

"You sound remarkably calm about all this," Serena said doubtfully.

"Hmm. Well, to be honest, what am I supposed to get pissed about? I was a little embarrassed when I realized the truth, but that pissed me off more than figuring out I'd been had. I gave as good as I got. I have nothing to be embarrassed over."

Serena grinned. "That's the Julie I know and love. Not this kicked-puppy thing you've got going on."

Julie chuckled. "I sulked a little when I got home, but honestly, it's not some great betrayal. I pulled one over on Nathan. He retaliated. He didn't deceive me, because I asked Damon for anonymity. In hindsight I'm a little relieved that the two guys weren't complete strangers. And it certainly helped that they were so damn good in the sack."