Standing, I hold my hand out to her, and pull her body hard against mine.

“I can do fun and magical,” I say.

I really should’ve said no.

But fuck it.

I finally feel stronger. We’ve been cooped up in the house for a week, dancing around each other, careful not to get too close, avoiding an end that we both know is coming.

She wants a fun night. That’s my specialty.

Chapter 52

Skylar

I’ve been lusting after Jude’s bathtub since the first time I saw it. It’s just as sexy and masculine as he is. Sleek white with industrial fixtures. A cool mix of smooth and rough.

“Did you do all this?” I ask, turning in a circle in his bathroom. “The skylights, the double vanity, the tub…?

He nods. “Yup. Did it all myself. Even the tile shower.”

“It’s beautiful.”

When I turn back to face him, he grabs my face in his hand and slowly backs me up against the wall.

“So are you,” he says.

I stare up at him, instantly breathless from his touch.

I wish he was like this all the time—in control, taking what he wants, unleashing all his suppressed feelings.

Sex is where he feels confident and safe. I’m guilty of using it to get closer to him, just like I am right now. I’ll probably regret it tomorrow, but I’m throwing in the towel for tonight. I want one more night with him before I decide to move out. One night to put everything else aside and just be close to him.

Leaning his arm on the wall above my head, he descends on me and covers my mouth hungrily with his. His hand slowly moves from my cheek down to grasp the front of my throat. Fisting his shirt in my hand, I pull him closer and open my mouth to his, licking my tongue along his lips.

He inhales deeply through his nose and releases his hold on me. I catch the darkening of his eyes—a glimpse of the depth of emotions he tries so hard to hide. His gait is still slightly rigid from pain as he moves away to switch off the overhead light and then flick on a smaller, dimmer light above the vanity. We’re bathed in a warm, golden-amber glow.

“Undress for me.” He slowly leans over the tub and turns the faucet on, then sits on the edge with his long legs stretched out in front of him.

My pussy quivers in response to his soft, deep command. Grabbing the hem of my sweater, I slowly pull it over my head. His eyes cling to my every move as I reach behind me to unclasp my black silk bra. I let it fall at my feet along with my shirt, then unbutton my skinny jeans.

I’m glad to see his lips tip into an appreciative smile at the sight of the red hearts embroidered on the triangle of black fabric of my matching panties.

“I never knew your funky outfits continued under your clothes.”

I kick my jeans off but leave the panties on for him to admire. “Surprise.” Smiling, I hook my thumbs under the thin bikini straps.

“Wait,” he says, stopping me. “Come here.”

I slowly walk across the tile floor, drinking in the way his gaze wanders over every inch of me as if he wants to devour me—from my hard nipples, down to my toned calves, then up to my lips. I’ve always been confident in my body—despite having very small breasts and not a lot of curves. The lust in Jude’s granite eyes stokes my confidence even more, banishing any doubts that my body might be too boyish for a man like him.

As I approach him, he grabs my waist. Stepping over him, I stand with my legs spread over his body.

His hands encircle my ankles, and he slowly trails his fingertips up my legs, all the way up to my hips. “These fuckin’ legs in heels almost ruined me on our wedding day.” He leans forward, pressing his forehead against my stomach, breathing me in. My body stirs with excited flutters beneath his touch.

His mouth moves along the thin waistband of my panties, his tongue dipping under the edge of the fabric. “I thought you wanted me to take the shoes off that day. You didn’t like them,” I point out.

His nostrils flare. “I wanted you take everything else off.”

The warmth of his breath and the rough stubble of his beard against my skin sends goosebumps over my flesh, and my heart pounds with the realization that he wanted me in secret even back then.

Grabbing my ass in both hands, he pulls me closer, and lowers his mouth to swipe his tongue over the thin silk, pressing it between my folds, wetting it more than my own juices already have.

I murmur a small moan and bow my head down to his, combing my hands through his long hair, gently tugging it in sync with the strokes of his tongue.