Page 65 of Taking the Pitch
I huff out a breath. “I washopingthat they wouldn’t be this wonderful.”
“Why would you want that, Shortcake?” Judd asks, turning into the parking garage of our apartment complex. Once we’re parked, he turns to me. Green eyes I have grown to enjoy looking at me, shine bright under the fluorescent lights.
I bite my bottom lip and Judd’s eyes flick to the movement. He reaches out, his thumb freeing my lip from the assault of my teeth, then tracing my chin. “Amelia?” he whispers, gazing into my eyes.
“Because it would make it easier to not want you,” I whisper back to him.
Judd’s pupils grow bigger. “Is that what you want? To not want me?”
I nod, my head moving in jerky movements like my muscles even know I’m lying.
Judd smirks and leans closer, enveloping my senses with the scent I’ve come to recognize as comfort. His hand slides from my chin and across my cheek to cup the back of my neck. Making adelicious shiver run up my spine. “Then tell me you don’t want to see me any more. Tell me not even a small part of you wants to explore this energy between us. Tell me that all your fears and anxiety don’t lessen when I’m around you and I’ll leave you alone.”
I suck in a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. My mouth opens, but words fail to come out.
Judd gives me a sinister smirk. “Can you tell me any of that pretty girl?” he asks, moving even closer until our faces are an inch apart.
“No.”
“Good. Now, I’m going to kiss those perfectly plump lips like I’ve been wanting to since the moment I came to your apartment to pick you up. Any objections?”
I lick my lips and shake my head once, giving him permission because as much as I want to fight this, I can’t. All the feelings Lucy talked about having with Kessler are exactly the way I feel when I’m around Judd. While that frightens me, I can’t deny wanting to kiss him again any more than I can deny myself air.
I’m not sure who moves first, or if we both move at the same time, but when our lips connect, I swear I see stars.
His soft lips are gentle at first, caressing mine in a sweet embrace. Grabbing the front of his shirt and trying to pull him even closer, I open my mouth slightly, wanting, noneedingmore, swiping my tongue across his lips. He opens without hesitation, letting me in. Our tongues tangle together in a dance. Judd pulls back slightly and nips my lip, sending a rush of heat straight to my core, making me whimper.
“Mmm, I love that sound,” Judd mumbles, moving from my lips to pepper kisses along my jaw and down my neck. He bites a spot on my neck, making me gasp at the sting. Then swipes his tongue over it, soothing my skin.
“Jesus,” I whisper, moving my hands into his silky hair. When Judd reaches the space between my neck and collarbone, I tip my head to the side to give him better access. He pulls the collar of my shirt away and sucks hard. A long moan leaves my mouth, and I can feel a rush of wetness between my legs. If he can do that to my body from just licking and sucking my neck, I wonder what he can do to me in other places.
Just as I’m about to reach my hand under Judd’s flannel, a very cold, very wet nose pokes my face from under Judd’s chin, followed by a lick of a tongue that’s not Judd’s.
“Bruno!” I squeal, whipping my head back. Bruno takes that as an invitation and crawls from the back into the front seat with me, completely breaking the moment.
Judd’s chest rumbles with a laugh, and he scrubs a hand down his face. “Nothing like a fifty-pound ball of fur in your face to break the moment.”
I peek out over Bruno’s back and see Judd adjust himself before reaching for the door. A sense of pride courses through me, knowing I made him react like that. Bruno and I both watch as he rounds the front of the Jeep to our door and opens it. Bruno leaps off my lap and sniffs around the cement. Judd reaches for the Tupperware container of leftover desserts his mom insisted I take home, then offers me his other hand. Taking it, he helps me out of the Jeep and closes the door. Removing his hand from mine, he drops it to my hip and backs me into the vehicle.
The chill of the parking garage fades as my body heats back up from the contact.
Jesus, Millie. Has it really been that long where a simple touch makes your body want to go up in flames?
Judd’s hand moves up my body and stops at my chin, tipping it up so I’m looking at him. There’s nothing simple about the wayJudd is looking at me. Hunger, desire and something else I don’t want to think about reflect back at me.
He leans down, kissing me again. This time it’s slower, deeper,more.He pulls back way too soon and gives me that devilish smirk of his. “Come on, Shortcake. Let’s get you inside before you freeze to death.”
“I’m not cold,” I mutter, grabbing the front of his flannel and tugging him back to me. Surprise flashes across his face before he leans down again.
But instead of kissing my lips, he turns his face at the last minute and kisses my cheek, then whispers, “You’re a greedy girl, aren’t you?” into my ear. Clenching my thighs together, I close my eyes and suppress the moan that desperately wants to escape.
Why is that so fucking hot?
Chuckling, Judd straightens and steps back, making me shiver at the loss of his body heat. Okay, so itiscold in here. Wanting to get upstairs, I clip Bruno’s leash onto his collar and take Judd’s outstretched hand. Judd hits the button for the elevator when we reach it and the doors open automatically. Thankful we don’t have to wait; I hurry into the elevator with Bruno. Judd follows and stabs the button for my floor. Turning to face me, he gives me a heated look that makes my insides dance. The doors chime, indicating they’re closing, and he starts towards me, but before he can take another step, we hear someone yell, “Hold the door, please!”
Judd’s hand snakes out, hitting one of the doors, stopping them from closing. A woman around my age comes into view, herding two young children into the elevator. “Thank you,” she says once they’re all inside.
“No problem,” Judd tells her. He releases the door, and they proceed to close again. When he moves back, he hits the button for the eighth floor.
