Jude's jaw tightened. "That place is our home, Luce. It's mine and yours."
"No, Jude. That place belongs to you and the person you want me to be. Not the person I really am."
Tapping the wall with his fist, he walked toward me. "Fine. That's not the place that you want, we'll get rid of it," he said, staring at me like I was his whole world. He knew I melted under that look. It had been days, weeks, and he was using my failing restraint to his advantage.
I closed my eyes and sucked in a slow breath to calm myself down. I could already feel the blood rushing to certain parts of my body at having him alone and this close. I could not, I would not sleep with him until I'd worked through this crap in my head.
"Tell me what you want, Luce," he said, stopping a few feet in front of me. I could smell him; I could almost taste him on my lips. I could nearly feel him. . . .
I shook my head, keeping my eyes closed. "I don't know," I admitted, sensing him stepping closer.
"Tell me what you want," he demanded, and now his body pressed into mine.
Dammit. My weakening resolve was officially about to be a lost cause.
Then his mouth moved outside my ear, and the heat of his breath broke across my neck. "What," he whispered, "do you"-his teeth sank into my earlobe-"want?" His hips flexed into me, and when I felt him hard against me, that last bit of restraint I'd been clinging to slipped right through my fingers.
I opened my eyes. Now that I'd jumped, I was going to enjoy the fall.
I waited until he looked into my eyes. "I want you," I said, my fingers moving for his zipper. I was long past the point of foreplay. "Here. Now." Sliding his zipper down, I rested my mouth outside his ear. "And hard."
Jude sucked in a sharp breath, but that was all the surprise he allowed himself. His hands made quick work of untying my robe. Grabbing my hips, he hoisted me up and carried me over to the table. His mouth found mine and he kissed me like he'd never kissed me before. It was desperate, and hungry, and almost painful.
But the pain felt good. I needed to feel it right now.
After unfastening the button of his pants, I tugged them down. Grabbing him in my hand, I lay back on the table. Jude stared down at me, his face a mix of emotions. My mind, for the first time since this afternoon, was clear. And content.
As I guided him toward me, he paused. "Are you sure you're ready?" he said, his breath strained.
"Come and find out," I replied, wrapping my legs around his waist to draw him closer.
His face creased as my hand moved up and down him, but he restrained himself.
"Jude," I whispered, "please." I lifted my hips until I could feel him right where he should be.
Moving just barely inside, he groaned. I groaned louder. The torture was insane, and if he was going to play it nice and slow, I'd just have to change his mind. Nice and slow wasn't on the agenda for tonight.
At the same time I tightened my legs around him, I flexed my hips higher, effectively taking the rest of him inside me.
"Oh, God." I sighed, feeling like I could come now that he was all the way inside me. When his hips flexed, I almost did.
"Shit, Luce," he said, breathing heavily outside my ear. "You really were ready."
Performing that hip swivel thing that drove him up the wall, I moved his hand from my hip until it was covering my breast. "Then what are you waiting for?"
His hands squeezed both my hip and my breast, and then he started moving his hips more. I'd wanted hard, and that was what I got.
Each time he thrust into me I was sure I was going to come, but I didn't. This time I was the one waiting for him. The table started wobbling beneath me as he picked up his pace. My fingers drilled into his back; all I could do was hang on and enjoy the way he was making me feel.
I heard every low growl when he slid inside, along with every tortured groan when he slid out. "Come, baby," he breathed, rocking into me faster. "I want to feel you come."
His hand slid from my hip down lower, until his thumb was circling over my clit.
I knew I was close, but my orgasm came the next instant. Jude's body touching me both inside and outside in every way sent me right over the big O edge so powerfully, I felt like I was being ripped apart from the inside. I shouted his name, feeling my muscles contract around him as he slammed into me a final time. He sighed my name so many times I lost count, before collapsing on top of me.
NINE
I could still smell Jude on my pillow, but his head wasn't sharing it with mine like it had all night. Well, all night after our makeup tabletop sexcapade.