I was still angry at Jude, and I probably always would be. But the strong arms holding me close took the edge off my anger. With one big palm Jude began to rub my back. His hand slid up to scoop the hair off my neck, and when his fingertips grazed my nape, I shivered.
I didn’t want to think about my birthday anymore. I just wanted to bask in Jude’s arms. The stubbled skin of his neck tickled my nose, and it was all too easy for me to place a kiss there. So I did. And then I kissed him again.
Jude’s body went completely still.
As my lips worshiped his neck, he made a sound of surrender—half sigh, half groan. His arms tightened around me. But still he did not make a move.
I wanted him too, though. One more birthday present, please. With soft lips, I kissed a line down into the hollow of Jude’s throat. Then I parted my lips and sucked gently on his skin. Beneath me, his breath hitched.
That’s when I knew I’d won.
Shifting my weight, I spun around to straddle him. Lust-darkened eyes met mine, and there was a question in them.
Leaning in, I pressed my lips against his, hoping to kiss that question away.
Jude gave a groan against my mouth. He kissed me once. Twice. “Sophie,” he grunted. Kiss. “You shouldn’t be here.” Kiss.
“Thank you, Captain Obvious.” Kiss, kiss. Kiss. I rubbed my hands up and down his inked biceps. Jesus, he had bulked up.
“Where’s your car?” he asked between kisses. But then he pushed me down on the bed, stretching out over my body.
The weight of his hips on mine made me crazy. “Church parking lot,” I breathed.
He flexed his body against me. “But what if somebody…?”
“What if you just shut up?” I reached for his shoulders, but he did a pushup, levering himself up and off of me.
Something like worry crossed his features. “You make me crazy, Sophie.”
I ran a hand up and down his bare chest, and his eyes closed. “Yeah? Well back at you, babe. We both have first-class tickets on the crazy train. But it’s my birthday, and you’re the only one who remembered.” My logic was thin at best. But Jude shivered at my touch and lowered himself onto my body again. His mouth found mine, hot and determined. I opened for him right away.
And then we were just gone. Deep kisses and hands everywhere. I couldn’t get enough of his beautiful chest. I traced every new ridge of muscle with my fingertips. Jude’s hand slid into the crease between my legs, and I squeezed my thighs together to show him how much I wanted him.
We struggled out of our clothes in a ridiculous way due to our inability to stop kissing. My T-shirt got stuck because I wouldn’t let go of Jude’s mouth. So he turned his attention to the zipper on my jeans instead. He unzipped me, and I hiked up my hips to let him yank the fabric away from my body.
The feel of his fingertips sliding into my panties made us gasp together. “So slick and sweet,” he growled. “You feel like mine.”
I couldn’t answer him because I was too busy yanking him in for another kiss. An addiction is when you can’t keep away from something that’s bad for you. Maybe Jude was a drug addict, but I was a Jude addict.
He got the rest of my clothes off finally. Then we were skin to skin, Jude lying on top of me. We were staring into each other’s eyes, and I wanted to die of happiness. I let my hands wander up his thickly muscled arms to his big shoulders. “You got so big in prison,” I gasped.
His next kiss had him chuckling into my mouth. “That sounds really badass, Soph. But I got big lifting bushel crates of apples at the Shipleys’.”
I tightened my legs around his waist. “Do me, farm boy.”
“As you wish.” He reached back, his palm landing at my ankle. He skimmed my shin with his big hand, making me shiver. Then he claimed my mouth in a blistering kiss. I was practically quivering with anticipation when he gave a purposeful thrust and filled me.
“Ah!” we both gasped, and the sexy grimace on his face was beautiful.
We melted together in another kiss, and Jude began to rock. He set a slow, aching pace that would have been torture if I didn’t have his mouth on mine. I threaded my fingers through his thick, wavy hair and sighed.
And then he smiled at me between kisses. I saw a flash of the old Jude—naughty but sweet. That smile affected me even more than the slide of hot skin against skin. My pulse kicked up a notch, and I tugged him closer. I crossed my ankles behind his ass and squeezed.
Jude groaned as he picked up the pace. “Fuck, Sophie. I can’t go slow with you. Never could.”
He wasn’t the only one. My breath came in short, happy puffs as he rode me hard. I felt my joy crest. Kicking my legs out to the side, I arched up to meet him.
Crying out his name, I bucked one more time. Jude growled into my mouth and then planted himself deeply. We pulsed together, gripping one another as if certain something would try to tear us apart.
Because something always did.
*