There’s a smile in his voice as he says, “I know that, Jude. I’m a cop. I spend most of my days around assholes.”
“I just worry it might be too much for you,” I say quietly.
He sits up on one elbow, scowling down at me. “It won’t be. I’m not letting you go. Stop thinking like that. I love you, Jude. You’re my mate for life. I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life.”
My heart warms and I smile at him. “And everyone thinks you have commitment issues.”
“I did.” He rubs his nose against mine. “But not anymore.”
“Hope not.”
He narrows his eyes. “You want to get married at the Christmas bonfire? I can arrange it. If that’s what it takes to convince you, I’ll do it. Let’s go buy a ring right now.”
“It’s midnight.”
“Then first thing tomorrow morning.”
I grin. “Look at you all fired up.”
“I need you to know I’m serious,” he says gruffly. “Yes, I have a bad reputation of loving women and leaving them. Breaking up with Kara won’t help that either. However, when I show up with you as my boyfriend, maybe people will finally understand that it wasn’t that I had a problem with commitment. I just didn’t want to commit to the wrong person.”
“Okay, I believe you want me.” I turn in his arms, and press my face against his chest. I listen to the steady thump of his heart, feeling happy.
He strokes his hand lazily up and down my spine. “You’re it for me, Jude. In fact, you’re coming with me to the Christmas bonfire and I’m introducing you to the pack as mine. We’ll get Caleb’s blessing and you’ll finally have a packandan amazing boyfriend.”
Uneasiness shifts through me. “What if they don’t accept me?”
“They will,” he says confidently. “Caleb wouldn’t dream of rejecting you. There would be no reason to. It’s not like you have a bunch of skeletons in your closet. It’s not your fault your parents were drunken fools.”
“I know.” Guilt nudges me because I’ve never told him about why I left Atlanta. But I don’t want to think about that right now. I want to bask in the glow of Liam’s love.
I sit up and kiss him, a long, sweet, grateful kiss. He grins and rolls over on top of me, enthusiastically kissing me back. I open to him, putting everything I have into that kiss. I want Liam to know how thankful I am that he’s mine. That I found him. In a world full of untrustworthy assholes, I found my perfect mate.
I don’t know why or how it happened.
But apparently, I’m one of the lucky ones.
Chapter Eighteen
Liam
The soft morning light filters through the curtains, casting a golden glow over the tangled sheets of my bed. My body stirs, still half-asleep, but fully aware of the heat radiating from Jude’s skin. His bare ass is pressed tight against my groin, and already, my cock is waking up with a vengeance, throbbing against the curve of his perfect asscheeks. I can’t believe how much I crave him. How his body, his smell, his fucking everything consumes me. I never once looked at a man sexually until Jude. Yet, I can’t get enough of him.
I shift slightly, grinding my hips forward, letting my stiffening cock slide between his cheeks, teasing the rim of his asshole. Fuck, he’s warm, and the thought of burying myself inside him again makes my dick twitch in anticipation. My hand slides down his chest, feeling the faint rise of his pecs, the light dusting of blond hair that trails down to his navel. He’s lean but strong, his muscles taut and defined, and just touching him makes my pulse race.
“Jude,” I murmur, my voice rough with sleep and desire. My lips brush against the back of his neck, nipping at the sensitive skin there, and he stirs with a soft moan. Fuck, that sound goes straight to my cock, hardening me even more. “Jude, wake up. I need you.”
He slowly rolls over to face me, his blue eyes heavy-lidded and darker than usual with sleep. “Morning,” he says, his voice husky.
“Morning,” I whisper, slowly climbing on top of him.
“Somebody woke up frisky.” He grins, looking boyish as he eyes my cock pressing against his stomach, leaving a wet trail of precum on his skin.
“Sorry.” I laugh. “Can’t help it. This is what you do to me.” I lean down, capturing his lips in a hungry kiss, my tongue plunging into his mouth as I grind against him.
He moans louder, and his hands roam over my body, gripping my ass and pulling me closer. I can feel his own hardness pressing against my thigh. God, I never thought cocks were beautiful until Jude. His is thick and long, just masculine perfection. My hole throbs and I wonder if maybe one day I’ll let him fuck me. Would I want that? Do I have the nerve? What would it feel like to have Jude claim my body? Excitement nudges me at the thought, but right now, I need to be back inside his warm hole.
“Can I fuck you?” I pant, breaking the kiss to nip at his jawline, his throat. “I need you. Now.”
