Page 30 of Requiem
He holds me as he drops to his knees in the sand, his weight settling between my hips, braced on his hands like he is holding himself back. His forehead dips to mine for half a second, both of us catching our breath, sharing the same air.
“Tell me a fact,” he murmurs, voice low. “About a cheetah.”
A smile tugs at my lips as my fingers trace along his jaw. This stupid game we invented to help us know if either one of us is too drunk. He always wants to make sure I’m level-headed enough before we have sex.
“They’refast,”I say, my voice surprisingly firm.
His head tips forward with a quiet laugh, his body keeping mine warm. “I’m going to need more than that.”
I roll my eyes, wrapping my legs around his waist and grinding into him.
A muscle ticks in his jaw.
“Fiiiine,” I giggle. “Cheetahs have nonretract…retractable…” I groan. “You know what I mean.Clawsthat help them run fast. And their chests are big, so their lungs can hold a lotta airr.”
He raises a dark brow with a smirk. That is all he needs.
He kisses me again, pouring everything into it this time. I arch into him, my hands sliding down his shoulders with a wild need that takes over. The fireworks burst overhead, lighting us in red. For one fleeting, perfect moment, it feels like the world exists for this. Forus.
Heat follows the path of his mouth down my throat, unraveling me inch by inch. His thumb digs into my hip hard enough to keep me grounded while the other hand disappears beneath my dress.
“Jude,” I breathe, my voice shaky.
“Tell me another fact,” he murmurs against my collarbone. “Now I’m curious about these cheetahs.”
“I can’t th—think.”
“Try.”
His hand moves along my thigh, fingertips brushing the edge of my underwear. I gasp, legs tightening around him. “They…they have spots.”
He laughs against my skin. “Good enough.”
His fingers hook into my underwear, tugging them aside. Cool air brushes against me, and he rests there as his tongue moves against mine. After a moment, his fingers slip forward just enough to brush over the spot that makes me jolt. I moan into his mouth, the sound swallowed by his kiss.
He lifts my dress over my thighs, over my hips, until it bunches at my waist. Pale moonlight spills across my skin. He looks down at me, expression so intense it makes my heart stumble over itself. Then he leans in, kissing me again as two fingers sink inside me, drawing a sharp gasp from me. He works me open slowly, because he has to. And when he finally pushes inside me, he takes his time, letting me feel every inch of him. The stretch is a perfect, burning fullness that makes my head fall back.
His thrusts are deep, each one pushing my body deeper into the sand. His arms are braced on either side of my head, his mouth tracing my neck, my collarbone, my lips. I meet him with every movement, my hands clutching his back, feeling the shift of muscle beneath my fingers. He adjusts slightly, and suddenly the pressure is exactly where I need it.
A whimper escapes me as I gaze at the exploding colors in the sky over his tan shoulder.
He watches my face, knowing exactly what to do to break me down. He kisses me again, his tongue in my mouth, his breath in my lungs. “I love you,” he murmurs, the words lost between our lips.
It’s too much. The words, the feeling of him inside me, the breathy sounds. My climax builds with every thrust. I can feel his muscles tightening, his movements becoming less controlled. God, I love him like this. When he loses controljustfor me. And after a few more deep drives of his hips, I cry out, my body convulsing under him. He buries himself deep one last time and holds there, his body stiffening. His head falls forward onto my shoulder as he fills me.
As I catch my breath beneath his warm, muscular body, I grin. “I love you, too,” I say.
His lips find mine again, his body driving into me one more time. “I know you do, Em.”
~*~
Chapter nine
EMMA EASTON
The basement is dim, lit only by the soft glow of the monitors when I walk down there the next morning.
Jude’s on his side now, facing the wall. The sheets are twisted around his legs, damp with sweat. His shoulders rise and fall unevenly, breath catching every few seconds like his body keeps forgetting how to do it right. It’s been a few days since the rescue. And it’sstillthis bad.
