His thumb strokes my cheek, once, warm and calming. “I don’t remember saying it,” he admits quietly, “but that doesn’t matter. It’s still true. It’s been true since the day I walked out on you.”
The words hit me hard, forcing a single tear to fall.
He leans in carefully, giving me time to pull away.
I don’t.
His lips brush mine, lightly at first, like he’s afraid I’ll regret this. Or maybe like he’s the one who might.
Then I kiss him back. And seven years collapse in on themselves, as if they were never there at all. His lips part mine, histongue sweeping in and stealing my breath. He shifts his body closer as he pulls me down with him. His fingers skim below my tank,slowly, trailing up to my breasts with a touch so tender it makes my heart ache. I moan into his mouth, the sound swallowed by his kiss.
All I can think is...this is Jude. This is the man I’ve always loved and always compared others to. No one was ever good enough becausethey weren’t him.
His muscular arms tuck me beneath him, our lips remaining locked the entire time. My stomach flips when he wedges my thighs open with his knee and settles his weight over me, his arousal straining through his boxers. The pressure alone makes my eyes roll back.
God, I forgot what it felt like—
No.
Ineverforgot.
I grind up against him, desperate for more friction, more connection, more of the wildfire that only Jude can strike to lifein me. His lips trail down my throat, teeth grazing, breath hot and feeling so much like home that I want to cry. Every nip sends a lightning bolt of sensation straight through me. And even after everything he’s endured, everything he’s become, his touch still makes me feel impossibly, stupidly safe.
His hand slips between us, fingers pressing against my clit through my shorts. His breath falters at the way my body reacts. A needy sound escapes me before I can swallow it. It’s embarrassing and helpless and...honest.
He strips me slowly, lifting my tank over my head, and tugging my shorts down my legs until I’m bare beneath him. When he shoves his boxers down and I see him again, my breath catches. He settles over me again, sliding a careful finger inside. He groans when he feels how drenched I already am.
“I need you, now,” I whisper, my voice shaking with need and fear and pain. “I’ve missed you so much. Please.”
He groans softly, kissing me with so much love I want toburst. “I know, sweetheart. I need to do this first, or I’ll hurt you. You know that.”
I do.
Too well.
I grin despite myself and drag him back into a kiss as he adds another finger, then a third—stretching me, preparing me with that same patience he had the first night he ever touched me like this. When he pulls his hand away, he lines himself up, and I lift my hips to meet him. His cock slides through my wetness, and my back arches helplessly. His arms tense on either side of me as he pushes in, slow and controlled.
Halfway in, I whimper and claw at his arms, overwhelmed by the fullness I’ve missed for so long.
“You’re doing so good, baby,” he murmurs, voice so soft and respectful it reminds me—
The night on his dock under the stars.
Me, no longer sore from my first time.
Him, still so gentle and patient.
I had stared at the stars over his shoulders while he made love to me for the second time.
I kiss him passionately, and he finally thrusts the rest of the way in. My pussy clenches him, accommodating his size as if remembering it. He drags his length out and pushes back in, ensuring I’m ready,ensuring I’m his again.
“Don’t leave me again,” I whisper before I can even think about it. “Promise me.”
He freezes, just for a breath, and then his eyes lock on mine. “Emma,” he rasps, but he doesn’t finish his thought. Instead, his mouth is on mine again, his hips snapping forward with growing urgency. Every thrust steals another sound from me. I fist my hands in his hair while he rests his forehead against mine, hitting so deep I see stars bursting behind my eyelids.
“I need this for the rest of my life,” he growls, picking up speed, voice shredded with emotion. “I needyou.”
That’s all it takes. My orgasm hits violently, blinding. I cry out his name, clinging to him while he rides me through it.
