A thud comes from the balcony.
I lift my head.
He is standing there, looking straight into my bedroom.
“Go away, Judas,” I say as I stand, moving toward the door. I pull the curtain closed so I don’t have to see him.
It doesn’t stop him.
The door opens anyway. He steps inside, grabs me from behind, and spins me around to face him.
“What do you want?” I ask.
He doesn’t answer. He lifts his hand and gently brushes a strand of hair away from my face. I let him come closer, his face hovering just inches from mine.
“Stop,” I whisper as my eyes fall shut.
His hand slides down to my waist instead, pulling himself closer.
He doesn’t stop.
A car rolls into the driveway. We hear it clearly. The balcony door is still open. And none of it slows him down.
“Judas,” I whisper against his lips as I open my eyes. “We can’t.”
The words leave me on an exhale and disappear the moment his mouth finds mine.
His tongue slips past my lips, twisting with mine. One hand closes around my wrist, pinning it to his chest. The other cups my cheek, holding me exactly where he wants me. The kiss makes my head spin. My heart stutters, then races, as he steals every breath I try to take. His mouth devours mine, swallowing every word I meant to say. There is no space left for anything else.
“You promised you wouldn’t kiss me,” I say, my voice shallow.
He doesn’t even flinch.
I should push him away. I should tell him to stop.
I hear Catherine’s voice, Judge Harrington’s rules, and my own warnings floating somewhere far away in my thoughts. None of it matters. Not now. When he kisses me like this, the world narrows until it is just us. Just his silence wrapped around me. He makes me feel like maybe I am worth something after all.
He breaks the kiss for a second, pulling me closer instead.
And I whisper it. But this time it’s not to stop him.
“Don’t stop, Judas. Don’t stop kissing me.”
He shakes his head once.
Then he lifts me. My legs lock around his hips as his mouth crashes into mine again. He bites my lower lip as he presses me into the wall. His tongue finds its way back inside, tangling with mine, erasing every dark thought until there is nothing left but him.
“If every broken promise feels like this,” I gasp, letting him pull me closer, “I want you to break every single one.”
It shatters when Catherine’s voice cuts through the hallway.
Judas lowers me to the floor immediately. His finger presses gently against my lips, silencing me before I can say another word.
He takes my hand and pulls me toward the bedroom door.
Voices rise on the other side. They are both shouting now.
He opens the door just enough for us to see. Judas rests his chin on top of my head and kisses it softly, holding me close as we watch everything unfold on the other side of the door.
