Page 23

Chapter 22

Jude

I couldn’t stop myself. I wished I could. I wished I was strong and noble.

But I wasn’t.

I was weak.

And Mila was the cause.

I cupped her cheek, caressing her smooth skin with my thumb, relishing the way her eyes widened.

And then my lips were on hers.

Her body melted into mine, her tongue sweeping into my mouth eagerly.

With a groan, I pulled her flush against my body.

Yes.

This is what had been missing for so long.

She threaded her fingers through my hair and tugged gently, making me even wilder for her. It seemed impossible, but she tasted and felt better than I remembered.

I was somehow both ravenous and sated.

This was it.

She was soft but demanding, passionate but not rushed.

Every sensation was thrilling yet comforting.

Exactly what I’d dreamed of.

This woman. This moment.

I could no longer resist.

With a hand beneath her T-shirt, I stroked the silky skin of her back, desperate to touch every inch of her.

She tugged at my hair with more force, and in return, I nipped at her bottom lip.

“Fuck, Jude.” She groaned. “I’ve been dreaming about your mouth.”

That guttural sound, combined with those words, obliterated any doubts I had.

I pulled away, cupping her face. “Trouble.” I panted. “I—”

“Don’t,” she pleaded. “I don’t want the excuses. Don’t think. Kiss me.”

“I don’t want to stop.” I ducked, kissing my way across her jaw. “I know we shouldn’t. But I don’t have the willpower to stop. Tell me to stop, Trouble.”

“No.” With her good hand, she palmed my erection, making my vision blur. “Don’t you dare fucking stop.”

“I need you,” I groaned. “Just once. I know it’s a bad idea. But this feels so good.”

“Don’t beg. It’s beneath you. Just take me to bed, Jude.”

Carefully, I lifted her, helping her cradle her arm, then strode for the house. And like every night since she showed up, I carried her to my bedroom.

This time, though, I’d join her. And there would be no sleeping.

I strode through the house, kicking doors closed behind me, and deposited her on my bed.

As I backed away, she reached for me and pulled me down for a searing kiss, her nails digging into my back.

I snaked an arm around her and grabbed a handful of her ass. When I squeezed, she let out a squeak.

I froze, loosening my hold, and pulled back. “I’m not hurting you, am I?”

She shook her head. “No. And stop worrying. I’m not breakable.”

“But you’re hurt.”

“And I’ll tell you if I’m in pain. Now get naked.”

A laugh rumbled out of me. Even injured, Mila was not wasting any time.

“I mean it, Hebert. Strip!” She pushed at my chest. “I want a good look at you, Lumbersnack. Come on, don’t be shy.”

Biting back a smirk, I whipped my T-shirt off.

She whistled, spurring me on, but before I could do more, her hands were on me, running down my chest. She traced the lines of my tattoos along my ribs. “I will touch a hundred flowers and not pick one.”

“Edna St. Vincent Millay,” I explained. “She’s from Maine.”

“So the books of poetry aren’t just for show, huh?” She angled in and pressed a kiss to the ink. “I like that you tattoo poetry on your skin,” she said. “The quote on your back, it’s Rilke, right?”

I nodded. “It’s probably strange, but some words are so meaningful that I want them to be a permanent part of me.”

She kissed my sternum, then a few inches lower. Her lips blazed a trail down my stomach until she reached the button of my jeans. “It’s hot.” She peered up at me from beneath heavy lids.

Though she wasn’t wearing her sling, she kept her arm closer to her body for protection. “Can you help with my top? I know it’s not sexy, but—”

“The hell it’s not.”

I circled her, then brought my lips to her ear, gently biting the lobe while gathering the hem of her shirt. As I lifted it, I kissed down her neck. Then I carefully helped her pull her good arm out, then the injured one, leaving her only in her front zip bra.

“Pants too.” I pushed her sweats down a little more roughly, then I dropped to my knees and guided her hand to my shoulder so she could steady herself as she stepped out of them.

She stood before me, in her panties and bra, looking down on me with so much desire and affection it made my chest tighten.

I angled in and placed a kiss on her stomach.

“We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” I said.

She grasped my chin and tipped my face up. “I want to do everything.”

“As you wish, Trouble.” I stood, then guided her back to the bed and eased her legs apart.

I kissed and nibbled my way up one thigh, relishing the softness of her skin, then edged around her undies, teasing her, making her shudder, then pulling back.

Unable to control myself, I grazed my nose along the crease of her thigh and then the line of her panties, breathing in deep, feral at the scent of her arousal.

Pushing the thin fabric to the side, I licked my way to her center, and when I found her clit and she cried out, pride consumed me.

“Stay still, Trouble,” I chided, smiling up from between her thighs. “I’m working here.”

I tore her panties down her legs and tossed them to the floor. Then I teased her entrance with my fingers. Fuck I’d missed her. She was wet and sweet and already moaning. Stroking and caressing, I worked her into a frenzy before slipping my fingers inside her.

As I stroked her inner wall, she screamed, and when I sucked on her clit, her body bowed off the bed. Cock straining, I picked up my pace, eager for every moan, every shudder.

When she screamed again, her muscles coiled tight, I growled, “Come for me.” Then I latched back on to her clit and doubled down. She tensed further, and then she was coming, her body convulsing as she pulled my hair and cried out.

Undeterred, I kept my rhythm steady until she was begging me to stop. As I sat back, she collapsed into an exhausted heap on the bed. Looming over her like this, I admired my work. Mila was laid out, naked and exhausted. The sight made me feel a hundred feet tall.

I was still reveling when she opened her eyes and gave me a wolfish grin. “That. Was. Spectacular.”

Cock pressing painfully against my zipper, I stood, but before I could unbutton my pants, she was up, doing it for me.

She pushed them down in a hurry, leaving my cock standing at full attention, peeking out from the top of my boxers.

With a groan, she bent at the waist and licked the tip.

Stars danced in my vision and my knees buckled.

“No.” I stumbled back, set on finding the box of condoms in the nightstand. “I want to be inside you.”

She pouted, her lip stuck out.

Fuck. That mouth. As desperately as I wanted it wrapped around my cock, the need to be inside her was too great.

“Are you okay with this?” I asked as I yanked a foil packet from the box and tossed it onto the mattress. “I’ll be gentle.”

She sat on the edge of the bed and lay back, spreading her legs wide. “Please don’t be gentle,” she said. “You have no idea how much I need this.”

I bent over her, braced on my forearms, and helped myself to a kiss.

When she cupped my face, I was hit with an overwhelming surge of affection for this complex, infuriating woman.

God, I had waited for what felt like a lifetime for this moment. I wanted to own her, claim her, and make her mine.

But she was injured. And I didn’t trust myself not to hurt her.

I was brimming with pent-up frustration and desire.

“Change of plan, Trouble.” I took one pink nipple into my mouth. “I want you on top.”

With a wicked smile, she sat up, and once I was positioned on my back, she straddled me, pinning me to the mattress. “Gladly. But I’m taking my time.”

She pressed a hand to my chest and drank me in with a predatory gleam in her eye.

“Where should I start?” She tapped her chin, then popped up on her knees and moved back, all the while biting that damn bottom lip and staring down at my throbbing erection. Carefully, she braced herself on one arm and kissed down my stomach, avoiding my cock.

“Tease,” I gritted out.

She hummed. “Be patient.” With more grace than should have been possible in a moment like this, she wrapped her hand around the base and slid her lips over my crown.

Jaw clenched and head thrown back, I groaned. I was in a state of pure agony.

Finally, she put me out of my misery, licking a bead of precum off the tip as she gave me a firm squeeze.

My back arched off the bed and stars danced in my vision. If I wasn’t careful, I’d embarrass myself. So I racked my brain for the most unsexy thoughts I could come up with. Spruce beetles, ultra-processed food, gray April slush on the side of the roads.

Okay, that was better. I sighed. But just as relief worked its way through my body, her mouth was on me again, taking me deeper. Fuck. I had no hope of surviving this.

“Trouble,” I hissed through gritted teeth, pawing at the comforter beside me. “Condom.”

She snagged it, dragging her tits across my chest, then took her sweet time tearing the foil and rolling the latex down my length.

With a palm on my chest, she shifted up so her thighs caged me in, pinning my dick between us.

Then, with one hand, she slid my glasses from my face.

I caught her wrist. “No way. I need to see you.”

She acquiesced without a fight, waiting while I adjusted them. Then, when I could see her clearly, she lifted up on her knees and positioned my cock at her entrance. Slowly, she lowered herself. As she took me in, inch by inch, her eyes widened and her breathing picked up.

Hit with a surge of pride, I bracketed her hips, steadying her. “That’s it. Take it slow.”

When she bottomed out, she gasped in a way that made her tits shake and my vision blur. This moment was perfection. Hot, tight perfection, with one hell of a view.

I sat up and devoured her mouth. Desperate to touch every part of her, I splayed my hands over her ribcage gently, then let them roam.

Slowly at first, and maybe even a little tentatively, she rode me. Her eyes went glassy as she found her rhythm, twisting her hips and grinding against me with every stroke.

She anchored her hand on my chest, and I took the opportunity to refamiliarize myself with her glorious ass, gripping her so hard I was sure I’d leave bruises.

It was thrilling, the idea of leaving marks on her. While she rode me like this, my better judgment had taken a back seat to the urges I usually kept in check.

“That’s it.” I took one nipple into my mouth and sucked hard. “Take all of it.”

I grasped her hips, thrusting up to meet her. She cried out as our pace became frantic, tightening around me in a way that made my vision darken. Fuck. If she didn’t come soon, I’d make an ass of myself. A vague memory came to me, reminding me that during our one night together, she’d needed extra stimulation, so I licked my thumb and brushed her clit.

The way her breathing hitched and her movements faltered told me I was on the right track. So I applied gentle pressure, circling the bud as she threw her head back and rode me harder.

“It’s so good,” she cried. “So big.”

I bit my lip hard, barely holding on to control, watching her body for signals.

When her inner muscles fluttered around me, I gritted out, “You are such a good girl. You’re gonna come so hard on my cock.”

She squeezed her eyes tight and nodded, grinding her hips harder. I thickened inside her, dangerously close to losing the sliver of self-control I still possessed.

“Jude,” she screamed, her body locking up. “Yes. Yes. Just like that.”

I rolled my hips, keeping my pace steady and my thumb on her clit as she came, awash with wave after wave of pleasure.

Her voice was a rasp as she begged me not to stop.

Eager to give her what she needed, I obeyed. But in a matter of seconds, I could no longer hold back. She was still pulsing around my cock as I unleashed inside her.

Eventually she collapsed on my chest, sweaty and sated and panting.

I wrapped my arms around her, savoring every second of being joined together. For a moment, it was just the two of us, silent but for the pounding of our hearts and our jagged breaths.

Eventually, I eased her to the mattress beside me and went to the bathroom to dispose of the condom. When I came back, she was stretched out on her back, her naked body on display.

My cock twitched. Jesus, we’d just finished, but one look at her, and I knew I’d need a lot more to get Mila out of my system.

I lay next to her and closed my eyes. I had nothing to say. My world had been rocked. Now all I wanted was to be near her. She rested her head on my shoulder and ran her fingers through my chest hair.

I was nodding off when she whispered my name.

“Yes, Trouble?”

“It’s even bigger than I remember.”

A shit-eating grin overtook me as I drifted to sleep.