Steadfast (True North, #2)

“Do you want to?” Sophie asks carefully.

Everything is suddenly so awkward. And they’re never awkward with each other. “Baby we can do whatever you want. Seriously. Just because Tracy and her guy are bonin’ doesn’t mean we have to…”

She stops him with a hand on his chest. “Jude.” Her voice is low and serious. She turns to him, eyes flashing. “I listened to my friends moaning for twenty minutes before you got here, because I was afraid to leave the living room in case I missed your knock. And I have been waiting a long time for you to have sex with me. If you don’t whip it out right now, I may not be responsible for my actions.”

Jude nearly swallows his tongue. “Well, honey.” It’s a miracle that his voice is nearly steady. “Guess you’d better close the door.”

Sophie leaps up to shut the door to the den.

Jude’s heart bangs away inside his chest as he repositions himself on his side, his back to the cushions. When she returns, he waves her down for a kiss.

Tentatively, Sophie spreads herself out against his body, her hand on the waistband of his jeans. They’ve been horizontal before, but opportunity and privacy make it seem brand new. “Hi,” she whispers.

Jude leans forward, finding her soft lips with his. He can’t think too hard about this or he’ll be intimidated. He’s never been anyone’s first time before. It’s downright nerve-wracking. But when he cups her head, instinct kicks in.

Sophie moans into the kiss. The sound unhooks his self-consciousness. Both his arms wrap around her and he dives in. Love you, his tongue says against hers.

Need you, her hips say against his.

They make out until she’s panting, and his dick is harder than the lug wrenches hanging in the garage. Sophie’s fingers shove at his T-shirt. She’s trying to undress him while they kiss. It will never work.

“Sit up a second,” he begs.

When she rights herself, her face is flushed, and her lips look slick and bee-stung. Gawd. So beautiful. He lifts her T-shirt over her head and drops it on the floor.

She reaches around behind herself and unhooks her bra. When she casts it aside, he can’t even breathe. Sophie is always so put-together, in cardigan sweaters and with her hair tied back in a shining ponytail. He’s touched her so many times, but this is the first time he’s seen her truly topless. Her breasts are lush and full, with generous pink nipples.

“What?” she asks, self-conscious. Her hands come up to cover her breasts, and the sight of her touching herself tightens his balls. There aren’t even words for how she looks right now—all sweet and innocent and turned on at the same time.

“You are so fucking beautiful,” he grunts out. “Take off your jeans.”

She lifts her chin. “You first.”

Jude doesn’t need to be asked twice. He peels off his shirt then pops the button on his jeans while Sophie stares. He shimmies out of them, kicking off his socks.

“Keep going,” she says, her voice trembling.

It’s fun to disarm her this way, the same way she disarms him. So he drops a hand to his aching dick, giving it one slow stroke through his black boxer briefs. When he meets her eyes, Sophie swallows roughly, looking a little nervous now. “Hey,” he says, laying a hand on her head. “It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. We could just fool around a little.”

She shakes her head. “Now is our chance.” She stands up and sheds her jeans and a little pair of white panties, while Jude quietly dies five times over. Just a glimpse of the curve of her hips makes him want to ejaculate immediately. He shucks off his briefs, kicking them away. Then he lays on his back. “Come here.”

“Wait,” she says. “I have condoms.”

Jude, you dumbass. He didn’t mean to make her worry about that. “Me too.” He fishes around on the floor for his jeans and pulls one out. “But we don’t need this just yet. We’re going slow. Now come here and kiss me.”

She kneels over him, her breasts right in his face. If he died right now he would still consider this a perfect life. “Fuck.” He pulls her down clumsily so he can lick those pink nipples. They’re larger than he expected, and somehow that seems scandalous. He closes his lips around her breast and sucks.

Sophie grips his shoulders, her gasp helpless. He lets his hands wander up her naked hips while he tongues her nipple. She presses into his mouth and groans. He slides a hand between her legs and feels how wet she is already, and his dick leaks in sympathy.

They’ve waited so long and now he isn’t even sure if he can get inside her without blowing his load just from the foreplay.