I've been a little distracted with the other idea and another possible idea that I have... so I apologize that I'm leaving some of my stories kind of hanging. Hopefully, you'll enjoy and it seems realistic to use this as PR... Anyway - let me know what you guys think!
Chapter 17
The touch of Brooke's soft hand on Julian's suddenly gave him a boost of confidence in this outlandish plan of hers. Looking into the hazel eyes that haunted him his entire adulthood, he knew he would go along with her plan. Hell, he'd follow her anywhere if it meant he was with her. Julian squeezed her hand and brought it to his lips. He kissed the inside of her palm and placed her hand on his cheek as he brought his hand to caress her cheek.
Brooke closed her eyes at Julian's contact with her cheek. Her head was spinning from all the dramatic activity and the pain from her leg. She could feel the room slowly spinning and she opened her eyes to give him a small, self-conscious grin. "I'm glad you came back, but I have to lay down... it has been a busy day." She pulled the covers up and laid back into the bed somewhat shyly. She knew it was crazy to try and hide herself from Julian after everything they had done to each other's bodies. But she was a little uncertain with the next step with Julian after reading his letters and his blatant emotional openness and honesty. How was she supposed to respond??
Julian jumped off the bed and felt awful for putting her under so much stress. He helped to tuck her into the bed and lightly kissed her on her forehead, and grinned that he was treating her like a small child. He wanted to stay with her and feel her warmth next to his, but he didn't want to overwhelm her. He couldn't quite figure it out, but she seemed to be especially vulnerable and unsure. "Brooke... get some rest. I'll be back to check on you soon. I'm sure there are some things I need to do or find out from your corporate henchmen out there."
Brooke giggled sleepily and squeezed Julian's fingers in her hand. "Thank you... come back later. I want to wake up next to you." She was glad that the lights were already off and Julian couldn't see the blush creeping up her cheeks. She wasn't sure why she felt so exposed with Julian, but she was more than a little scared by the love her showed her in his letters. She also felt guilty. He had loved her a lifetime and she couldn't even remember him when he reentered her life. She didn't feel that she deserved this man's love or affection.
Julian couldn't have kept the smile from his lips if they were sewn together. She wanted him, and she was able to move past this. He was a lucky man and he was about to get everything he knew he always wanted. "You couldn't keep me away babe. I'll be back." Julian made his way out of the room and found himself back in the midst of Brooke's legal and PR honchos.
His eyes narrowed on Victoria who was commanding over the suits with her vision of the campaign and how to handle the press. He watched her from across the room and he couldn't understand how she could be the mother of the woman laying in the next room. It was obvious that Brooke got many of her physical attributes from the still beautiful older woman, but that's where the similarities ended. Julian felt a wave of anger and rage looking at the woman who abandoned her daughter and simply used her for power and prestige within the company.
Victoria could feel the beady eyes of her daughter's latest suitor on her, but she didn't look up. She continued to work to try and clean up this mess that he so conveniently created. Eventually after she finished her instructions to the last person, she looked up into the hateful eyes of Julian. She was actually a little surprised at his animosity. She should be the one to distrust and be angry with him. What right did have to look at her this way? But, then again, when did she care what anyone thought of her?
She gradually made her way over to Julian, after stopping to correct a couple of people along the way. Standing in front of Julian, she was impressed by his height and his bone structure. She had seen his smile and the pictures from the earlier evening and knew that he was photogenic and work well as a model for this spontaneous campaign. He just needed to lose the scowl, and he should be kissing her ass for helping to clean up his scandal. "Julian? I take it you agreed to the campaign?"
Julian didn't know if he was going to be able to work with this woman without screaming and telling her exactly how he felt about her. In fact, he grabbed her wrist and began to pull her outside, he was going to go ahead and get their confrontation out of the way. He was actually surprised that Victoria offered no resistance and followed him outside.
Victoria was too stunned to stop and not follow Julian outside to the front porch. If she had not been stunned, he would have felt the cool sting of her palm on his cheek and the burning sting of her verbal lashing. Instead, she found herself alone with Julian Baker on the front porch. As the front door closed sharply behind them, Victoria jerked her hand from Julian's grasp and rubbed her wrist. She was tempted to slap him, but she was impressed with his tenacity and bravery. It had been a long time since anyone had dared to stand up to her, and she relished the challenge.
"I want to make one thing clear before we get started." Julian's words were filled with venom. Victoria was surprised he didn't spit on her in his anger. "I don't like you. I don't trust you. I don't understand how Brooke can be so wonderful and have a bitch of a mother like you. I am doing this for Brooke, not for you. I love your daughter, and if she will accept me, I will marry your daughter." Julian's words challenged Victoria, daring her to fight his love and devotion to Brooke. His eyes remained narrowed and dared her to retaliate.
Victoria looked into Julian's death glare and couldn't help the small giggle that started in the back of her throat. The look of disbelief on Julian's face, simply made her laughter grow until she was clutching her side with one hand and wiping the tears from her eyes with the other.
"Oh Julia... you're a funny boy." Victoria's laughter was dying down and she roughly slapped Julian's shoulder with her hand as she took an exaggerated deep breath. The disbelief on his face would've been enough to send her into more giggles, but she was already back in business bitch mode. "Look... I understand that you're in love with my daughter and that you think you're going to live happily ever after. But, you see Julie, I know something that you don't." Victoria patted him on the back and nodded her head in a false show of understanding and sympathy. "I know my daughter. I know that she is scared of commitment and that she is scared to get hurt again by another boy. She may really like you and she may keep you around for a little while. But don't be fooled, sex doesn't mean that you have any part of her heart. She doesn't have the time for it, and neither do I."
Julian was livid that this shrew of a woman was trying to dictate Brooke's personal life, and therefore HIS personal life. A woman who essentially abandoned her daughter and only showed up when it was financially beneficial for her. Shrugging her icy hand from his shoulder, Julian angrily turned to face his new nemesis. "You don't deserve Brooke in your life. You don't even realize how amazing she is, and the reason that Brooke is cautious and not open to love is because of you. You've controlled her professional and personal life, but only as a way to get what you want not because you have Brooke's best interest in mind. You broke her, but I'm here to help her heal and experience love. You either get on board or you can get the hell out of her life. You can't treat her like a business deal. I won't allow it."
Victoria chuckled and took a step away from Julian. "You won't allow it? Now look at who is trying to control Brooke's life! Brooke is too strong to blindly follow some guy into heartache. You're no different from the many other men who have tried to come into her life... go ahead! I'm going to enjoy watching your heart break just like all the others." Victoria shook her head at Julian, "You know... you should be thanking me for being the villain in this little scheme. My participation is the only thing that will make it believable. Otherwise, your little sex on the beach would be front page tabloid fodder instead of a drink for stupid sorority girls. I don't think your father and studio would approve of your extracurricular activities with a skanky crack whore like Rachel. It doesn't mesh well with your Hollywood image." Victoria turned back to the door and said over her shoulder to Julian, "I'm going back to work to turn your tryst into something profitable for everyone. Why don't you do what you do best and go cuddle up with my daughter. Oh and for the record, Julie, I demand a little more respect from you next time, especially if you're going to become my future son in law." Once again Victoria started laughing and repeated son in law through her laughter, "good one!" and shut the door behind her.
Julian stared at the front door and couldn't decide if he wanted to kick it, hit it, or run through it and crawl into bed with Brooke. He decided to avoid the door altogether and headed around the side of Nathan and Haley's house. Behind the house, he saw Nathan and Jamie playing with a basketball, oblivious to the craziness that was going on inside their own home.
"Can one more join?" Julian lifted his hands for Jamie to throw him the ball and invite him to play along. The aged and well worn brown basketball flew threw the answer as a response. Happy to put the doubts cast by Victoria out of his mind, Julian focused on the sound of the dribbling basketball and relished the acceptance he felt from the Scott family. He knew he should dismiss Victoria's words because THIS - Nathan, Haley, and Jamie - was Brooke's family, and they accepted him into their home and into their lives.
Julian tried his best not to stumble in the darkness of Brooke's bedroom after playing a long and surprisingly competitive game of basketball with Nathan and Jamie. He wasn't surprised; however, that Victoria had the COB crew still working on the upcoming promotion that was set to launch tomorrow. Victoria's smirk of victory did not go unnoticed as he tried to quietly sneak into Brooke's room, but Julian tried to push that out of his mind as he quickly kicked off his shoes at the edge of the bed. He gently lowered himself to Brooke's bed as he tried to avoid disturbing her as she slept.
Once he was underneath the covers, Julian reached tentatively towards Brooke's fragile frame. His heart was racing and his breaths were ragged as his hand made contact with her hip and he realized she wasn't wearing her nightgown. Sucking in a deep breath, Julian tried to calm himself down because he knew that it was physically too early for him to make love to Brooke, but he couldn't stop his fingers from trailing across her naked, soft flesh or his obvious and instant erection. His growing arousal nearly jumped against Brooke's backside when he heard Brooke's small sleepy moan as his fingers gently traced across her belly.
Brooke was a little groggy from her sleep, but her body quickly responded to Julian's touch. She bit her lip and cursed her cast under her breath as she felt him harden against her back. She attempted to turn towards him, careful of her cast and wrapped her arms around his neck, immediately bringing his lips to hers. Their kiss was full of a variety of emotions: love, lust, fear, desperation, regret, and countless others. Brooke hungrily kissed Julian's mouth and she pressed what she could of her body against his.
The feel of Brooke's bear breasts against his chest made him groan and deepen their kiss. He gripped her hips and ground their bodies together, tighter so that there could be no space or distance between them. Brooke's hand left his neck and reached down for him. She felt a warmth that spread throughout her core and between her legs that made her want him inside her even more. She smiled against his lips as she heard and felt his breath quickly sucked in between his teeth and his body jolt as her finger stroked him and brought him closer to her. She positioned him, ready for him to enter her, when Julian suddenly realized what was about to happen and tried to back away from her.
Shaking his head, Julian whispered against her lips, "Brooke... you can't, we can't. It's too soon, the doctor said we have to wait." He reached his hand down to hers to remove it from his ever hardening and growing member. However, Brooke only strengthened her grip and changed her stroking to an even more enjoyable pace that left him barely gasping for air. Julian wanted to push her back and enter her and finally feel Brooke completely, but he was too worried that it may cause her pain or further her injuries in some way. So Julian was content to let his fingers and hand do what he could not.
Brooke was hoping that Julian would ignore the doctor's instructions, and make love to her, but when she felt his fingers enter inside of her she knew that she would be only partially satisfied. Their hands matched the other's tempo and pace, and as they moved faster and rougher it was just as much out of frustration as it was heightened arousal. Realizing that Julian would not be the one to disobey the doctor, Brooke decided she would have to take control of the situation. Moving her non-injured leg slightly, Brooke was able to move her hips forward and place Julian just inside of her. Even though she was the one to be in control and place him within her, she gasped in pleasure and surprise. She had forgotten how amazing it felt to have him inside of her.
Julian was wrapped in his own foggy world of pleasure from Brooke's hand on him and his hand inside of her that he didn't realize what Brooke was doing until he felt her tight, warm wall around him. His eyes flew open to barely make out Brooke's face. Her eyes were closed tight and her mouth was open in pleasure, but they quickly reversed as her eyes flew open and her mouth shut in frustration when she felt Julian quickly pull out of her. They both felt a sensation of disappointment, and both wanted to resume, but Julian was worried about her. To answer his silent question, Brooke reached back towards him and immediately stuffed him back inside of her.
She kissed his lips and placed her forehead against his. "Please," she whispered weak from desire. "Please, Julian."
Julian couldn't resist her, and regardless of what warnings the doctor might have said he continued to make love to Brooke. It wasn't the wild, crazy sex they had had previously or even the tender love making they had when she realized who he was. This was a desperate act to fulfill a deep need. They both needed this with each other, and there was no substitute. Brooke and Julian knew they also needed to talk and discuss a million different issues, but for now, for tonight, their bodies communicated for them.