Page 64 of Break Me Slow
He glances up at me. Even though he tries to hide it, I see the fear flash in his eyes before he schools his expression.
“It’s okay,” I say, taking the box from him. “You just lie back and relax, okay?”
He hesitates, but I don’t push. If he insists, I’ll let him and try again next time. Just like I have every other time since he told me the truth about Grant. But this time, he gives me the smallest nod and shifts back to his side of the bed.
I clean him first, secretly pleased that he’s so relaxed and sated. I love it when he looks like that.
Once I’m done cleaning everything, I shift to the middle of the bed and wrap my arms around Jude again. He snuggles against me immediately, and my heart softens.
“I’m never gonna get tired of this,” Jude mumbles. “You’re perfect.”
I smile and kiss the tip of his ear. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
He slides his hand over top of mine, linking our fingers together. “Thanks for being here.”
“Always. You don’t need to thank me for that.”
He shrugs, but I let it go. There are some things Grant did to him that’re going to take longer for him to get past. But I plan to be here through all of it.
“Hey,” I whisper.
When he turns to face me, I press my mouth to his, needing to show him how much he means to me. Sometimes there aren’t words for a feeling, but I need him to know.
He moves his free hand to my neck, keeping me in place as his tongue pushes into my mouth. When he pulls back, he rests his forehead against mine, his eyes closed.
“I know you said I don’t need to thank you for that, but…I really didn’t think a guy could ever want me other than for sex. The fact that you want to spend time with me outside of that… It just feels like something I thought I wasn’t going to get.”
My anger at Grant resurfaces yet again, but I push it away for now. I’ll never understand how he could treat Jude like that, but I’m determined to spend the rest of our time together by showing Jude how wrong Grant was.
So I reach a hand up to run it through his hair gently. “I love you.”
His cheeks redden, and his eyes shine with happiness. “I love you too.”
I kiss him again, more determined than ever to show him every day that my love isn’t going anywhere.