She shrugged. “It’s consuming, you know, as they talk about in books. I didn’t think the kind of attraction that they described was real. I’ve never been attracted to someone so much that everything else in life pales in importance.”

Her admission made me smile. “You described it well.” After setting the bottle of wine on the table between the sofa and fireplace, I took a step toward her. “I can describe what I see.” I scanned from Julia’s painted toenails to her beautiful yellow hair, no longer contained in a twist as it had been earlier in the day. Now it flowed over her slender shoulders creating a wavy veil.

Her lips parted and closed.

“You’re stunning, Julia. There’s no denying that. If Butler didn’t tell you that a thousand times a day, he didn’t truly see what a rare gift he wasted. The thing is, as gorgeous as you are, your beauty isn’t your greatest asset. When I see you and I’m near you, I sense your energy, your vitality, and your genuineness. Those are rare qualities.

“I spend a lot of time alone, but I also spend time with business, here in Wisconsin and while traveling. The authenticity I sense in you is unique.” Taking another step toward her, I reached for the stem of her glass and set it on a nearby table. “I could become addicted.”

She inclined her chin, keeping her blue eyes fixed on me. “Van, right now, I’m not sure about who you think I am. I’m different when I’m with you.”

“I can’t imagine you any other way.”

She lowered her forehead to my chest. “It’s as if I’ve walked out of a cloud or a fog, one that’s been over me for most of my life.” She wrapped her arms around my torso. “This, right here, right now, it feels too good to be real. I’m scared that if I blink it’ll be gone.”

My arms wrapped around her.

She was right about the way it felt to have her here in my home and in my arms.

I lifted her chin until I was basking in her blue stare. “The only person who can make this end is you.”

Her head shook. “I don’t want it to end.”

“And I don’t want to talk.”

“You said sex would be discussed.”

I pulled her closer until her softness melded with my hardness. Before the other night in the cabin, it had been a while since I’d been intimate with a woman. The rare interactions I enjoyed were primarily mutually self-indulgent. The abstinence I endured was self-inflicted. Perhaps it was my penitence. Whatever the reason, Julia had awakened a part of me that I hadn’t until recently realized had fallen into hibernation.

Her warm hand came to my cheek. “Red sin? Is that a real thing?”