CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Jude
“Well that wasn’t so hard now was it? It’s the least you could do after I brought you dinner.”
She leans up, bending her arm, and rests her head on the palm of her hand. I mirror her actions so that we’re laying down facing each other. “I really do appreciate you feeding me,” she offers with a timid smile.
“I was happy for the company.”
We lay in silence, soaking in the moment, testing the waters of what could happen next.
“What time are you going to sleep?”
She twists her neck to look at the ornate clock decorating her nightstand. “I probably can stay up for another thirty minutes, but then I need to be out like a light or you’ll be whining about a model with bags under her eyes tomorrow morning.”
“Never,” I protest, taking in those gorgeous eyes now. I’d never complain about something that brings me so much joy.
“What are you thinking?” she asks dreamily.
“I was wondering how long I got to keep you,” I answer honestly. The way I say “keep you” sounds more possessive than I meant it to, but when I see her plump lips part for a gentle inhale and her eyes dilate with arousal, I know she likes the idea as much as I do.
Oh, sweet girl. If I could take you now, I would. But thirty minutes is not enough time.
She’s quiet for a few moments after that, trying to tamper the desire that’s so easily read across her features. I watch her twirl the soft duvet cover around her finger. “Wouldn’t it be nice if we were here for vacation and not for work?”
I smile. “I don’t think you would have let me sweep you away to Hawaii on any other pretense.”
“There is a photo shoot, right?” she teases.
I laugh before shrugging playfully and narrowing my eyes. “That information is classified, Ms. Whitlock.”
After she’s laughed herself out, I scoot an inch closer so that we’re only a foot or so away from each other. “Have you ever been to Hawaii?”
She shakes her head and her gaze falls on the wall behind me as memories cloud her expression.
“No. My mom always preferred Aspen or Europe. She wasn’t a beach kind of lady.” She wrinkles her nose. “Too much sand.”
I reach out and twirl my finger on the back of her hand that rests on the bed between us. She doesn’t pull away, but her eyes linger on my touch with a soft focus. “That’s a shame. Europe is beautiful, but you seem like you belong on the beach as well.”
She smiles wide, “I do. I love the water and the sun. I could sit out in the sun for hours.”
I let my finger glide up over her delicate wrist and then slowly up her arm. “You’re already radiant, but once you catch some sun tomorrow, you’ll be glowing,” I say admiringly, letting my hand pause at the top of her sleeve. She scoots a few inches closer to me, and I take the invitation to run my hands under the cotton shirt. Her skin is so soft, so inviting, that my hand feels as if it travels on its own accord, trying to get its fill of her.
I glide across her shoulder and down her shoulder blade, barely grazing her skin, but I still feel those familiar goose bumps blossom under my path.
She purrs softly and scoots another inch. “That feels amazing.”
Her words undo any remaining resolve, but I don’t want to ravage the poor girl. I take a deep breath and glide my hand back down to her arm to get a better angle. “Lay on your back, Charley,” I instruct, gently pushing her down.
She complies willingly; her beautiful wet curls splaying out around her while her arms lay limp by her side. Her big blue eyes look up, searching my face for answers, but I’m not willing to give anything but these simple touches. Maybe tomorrow I’ll take it farther, but right now, this is perfect.
When my hand reaches the hem of her loose cotton shirt, I tug it up slowly, revealing an inch of her slim, tantalizing abs. I drag a finger across her skin, from hip to hip, and watch as her stomach quivers in response. I love doing this. I love knowing my touch can cause so much lust to build within her. Tugging her shirt up another inch or two, I lean down and place a chaste kiss an inch away from her belly button. She arches ever so gently, enough to goad me forward until I’ve tugged the hem of her shirt up so that it rests a millimeter below her breasts. Everything about Charley is so delicate and pretty— the sweet curve of her torso, the dip of her belly button, the gentle line that dips down her trim abs to the top of her black pants. We’re both in a dreamy haze, letting the moment carry us, but I have no clue when one of us will snap out it.
With quick movements, I crawl over her, pinning her to the bed beneath my thighs and leaning forward to carry some of my weight on my hands. If I had my way, this is where she would stay all the time. Pinned under me, ready and willing for me to take her.
I glance up toward her face. I would have expected her to protest by now, but she looks beyond words. Her entire body hums underneath me, lust practically seeping from her pores. I want to sate that lust, rev it to the breaking point, and then push her over the edge over and over again.
“Please,” she whispers under her breath.
Before I’ve even registered my movements, I’ve pinned her hands above her head and am leaning down to sweep my lips across her hers. She opens up for me so willingly that it makes my dick ache. I need more as our tongues collide, trying to convey each ounce of yearning we’re trying to hold back. My hips and mouth set a dangerous rhythm but she meets me grind for grind.
Clasping her wrists with one hand, I scrape down her shirt and tug it slowly over her beautiful breasts, finally revealing her pink strapless bra. A devilish grin spreads across my lips when I realize that I can unclasp if from the front.
“I want to see you,” I demand huskily. I felt her body at the club, but I have to see her; I have to know how beautiful she is everywhere. Her whole body trembles beneath me, and when I glance up, she has her bottom lip tucked between her teeth in an innocent pose. Those blue eyes urge me forward; they beg me to unclasp her bra and feel her sensitive nipples between my fingers.
“Do you want me to touch you, Charley?” I ask, as my finger gently slides along the seam of her bra, setting her skin on fire.
She nods coyly and bites down even harder on her lip. With a deft flick, I unclasp the front of her bra, but I leave the lacey cups covering her breasts. I want to tease her. Knowing we can’t go all the way tonight makes this moment even more spectacular. With each inhale, her chest rises and the material threatens to fall away and reveal her to me, but it only slides down slightly, revealing the very tip of soft pink nipples. My dick hardens even more as I take in the beautiful sight. I feel like I’m torturing myself beyond control.
“Do you want me to slide these cups away?” I ask, tightening my hold on her wrists.
“Please,” she begs softly. I like making her beg; I’ll remember that for tomorrow. As I shift my weight, I let go of her wrist and lean back enough to see all of her chest.
“Do not move your arms. Leave them by your head or I’ll stop touching you.” I doubt I’d actually manage to fulfill that consequence, but I want to keep her just like that, with her breasts pushed up, provoking my carnal desires.
She nods, losing herself in my dark commands. I knew she’d like it just like I do. I slowly reach down to peel away the remnants of her bra, revealing the most beautiful pair of breasts I’ve ever seen. They’re firm and slightly larger than I’d expect for her small frame, and I know they’ll fill my hands perfectly. Her hard, erect nipples tease me, and I can’t help but reach out and feel their soft beauty. She arches into my hand as I drag my palm against her pink buds, kneading and twisting them.
“I want to taste these sweet nipples,” I demand gruffly.
She moans deep in her throat, and I wonder how long it’s been since a man spoke his dangerous thoughts aloud to her.
I cup each of her breasts, licking and sucking her tight buds, spurred on by her cries. I can tell she wants to reach down and touch me, but she leaves her hands above her head like a good girl. I reward her with a teasing nip and then sweet licks. She cries out loudly, conveying a raw mixture of pleasure and pain.
“Do you like that, Angel? When I bite down and make you cry out?”
She nods, crooning under me, preparing herself for my next move. I can feel her wiggling, grinding her sweet spot against me— but she’s not getting her release tonight. This is meant to be a sampling. I want us both needy and hot tomorrow.
“You’re so receptive, sweet girl. Your breasts are divine, they beg to be touched and worshiped.”
I sit up and grasp them hard, hard enough to make her arch her back giving me even more.
“Do you see how they fill my hands? They were meant for me. They’re mine. Say it.”
I never stop massaging her breasts as I speak, and I can tell she’s so close to losing it that I’ll have to stop soon, but not until she answers me. I reach down and caress her nipples again, taking them between my teeth gently enough so that her soft cries fill every ounce of air in the hotel room.
“Say it,” I demand huskily.
“They’re yours. God, Jude. Yes.”
I pull back suddenly, shifting my weight off her and away from the bed.
“What? What are you doing?” she asks, with a soft, needy voice.
“It’s been thirty-one minutes. I promised I wouldn’t keep you later than that.” I take a few deep breaths, knowing I’ll have to take a cold shower as soon as I get back to my room. But even that might not help. I don’t think any number of cold showers could pull the vision of her laying there, completely submissive for me. I know if I swept my hand beneath her yoga pants I’d feel such sweet wetness, but I can’t go there. I tug a hand through my hair and lean forward to pull her to a sitting position. As I kneel down in front of her, I have to force myself to keep my gaze above her neck.
I kiss her forehead, her cheeks, her neck, her collarbone, and then I pull back and study her eyes. They’re so sweet and sad— sad because I’m leaving, but I know that if we keep going, we’ll never stop, and we both have to sleep or she’ll kill me in the morning.
“Tomorrow after the shoot, Charley. I promise to finish what we’ve started.” I bend down and kiss her gently before resting my forehead against hers.
“I hate you so much right now.”
“That’s not what your body is telling me.”
“It’s traitorous. It can’t be trusted when you’re around,” she narrows her eyes playfully.
I reach forward to whisper in her ear, wanting her to be as ready for tomorrow as I am. “I promise that the moment we’re alone, I’ll slide a finger into that sweet wetness of yours and find that one single part of you that makes you tick. That makes you crumble beneath my touch. I’ll tease you until you come apart before me and then I’ll do it all over again.”
She moans and a shiver of anticipation crashes through her. In a moment of boldness, she reaches out and clasps the sides of my face, bringing me toward her for one more heart-stopping kiss.
…
Charley
I uncurl my toes as the tingles fade from every inch of my body. Jude was arrogant to think that I couldn’t finish what he started. Just the image of his raw passion made it so a few fluid strokes brought me to shuttering ecstasy. But it was merely a temporary salve. I wanted his touch, his fingers in me. After having thirty minutes of the most sensual touch I’ve ever felt, every nerve ending feels bereft and naked. How can my body feel completely turned on and utterly stripped?
Rolling waves. That’s the first noise that seeps through the fog as I lay spent on the luxurious bed. I watch the ocean through the thin sliding-glass door, listening to the water roll in and out like white noise.
Thoughts drift through me: things I want to tell Jude, things I want to confess. Some are easy, like I wanted him to stay. I wanted him to sleep with me. Yet some are far more difficult. Some involve digging up buried skeletons and well-covered scars. I’ve never wanted to share them with another soul before, but everything about Jude rocks me to my core and I can’t help but feel my mask beginning to slip whenever I’m in his presence.
I know there comes a point when the baggage becomes too much and you have to cut your losses and move on. But maybe if I keep my baggage tucked away until we’re back in New York, I can pretend that this is real life and get to enjoy it while it lasts. Because it will surely end like everything does in life, whether it’s today or in twenty years, it ends.