His hands grabbed my hips as his hips flexed up to meet mine. “It’s going to be a lot better down there when I’m buried deep inside you.”

I wasn’t sure if the moan that escaped me was due to his words or the continued pressing of his hips against mine, but I’d place an equal bet on both.

Fresh out of willpower, I lowered myself onto him, letting all my weight curve against him. I felt his erection running from the bottom of my panties to the top of my belly button. I moved up and down against his body. His mouth was no longer gliding against mine; it was sucking and nipping.

When I slid up him a third time, I almost came right then. I was so ready it was dampening his boxers, but I didn’t want to before he was inside me. I lifted my hips to remove the temptation of friction, and tried to catch my breath.

Tried and failed.

“That’s a nice bra, Luce,” Jude said, sounding about as breathless as I felt. One hand left my hip and traveled up my stomach before cupping my breast. His thumb and finger caught my nipple and gave it a gentle tug. “I wonder what your nipples taste like through it.”

In one seamless move, Jude’s mouth took the place of his fingers. His tongue played with my nipple before he took it into his mouth. He started out gentle, but that changed. The harder he sucked, the closer I got to coming.

Leaning back, I freed myself from his mouth. I wasn’t going to come until he was moving inside me, and since it was obvious I couldn’t hold off much longer, I grabbed the waistband of his boxers and pulled them down.

“What?” Jude whispered, grinning at me. “All done with the foreplay?”

How could he not be? I felt like I was ready to explode if I had to wait another minute, and here he was, casually relaxed and reclining, seemingly happy to grind and suck the night away.

“I need you inside me, Jude,” I said, grabbing hold of him. That got a reaction from him. “Please.”

I was just lowering my hand down him when he lifted his hips, successfully rolling me off him. I was on my back and he was hovering over me before I knew how I’d gotten there.

“Say that again,” he whispered, before running his mouth down my neck.

“What?” I breathed.

“Beg me,” he said, right before his teeth sank into my neck. I flinched, but more from pleasure than from pain.

“Please,” I said, pressing my pelvic area against him. “Please, Jude.”

His mouth stayed on my neck, gently sucking at it. His hands skimmed down my waist, continuing on past my hips and gliding around the front of my panties. That thumb of his stopped over my clit and circled it.

“Yes.” I sighed, flexing against his touch. “Please, baby. Do me.”

His thumb came to a stop, right before he tore the lace away. “With pleasure,” he said, right before he thrust into me.

I practically screamed in relief before Jude’s hand covered my mouth.

“Shhh,” he whispered, his voice gravelly as he moved deeper inside me. “I’m going to make you come hard, Luce, but I need you to be quiet so we don’t wake the whole house.”

He slid out, and I wanted to cry.

“Can you be quiet?” he asked, waiting.

“When was the last time I was able to be quiet?” I said, trying to get him back inside. But he wasn’t having it. He wasn’t going to enter me again until I agreed.

“I’ll be quiet,” I said, as quickly as I’d ever said three words.

“Good,” he said, just barely entering me, “but just in case . . .” Grabbing the satin scarf I had tied in my hair, he slid it down over my face until it was covering my mouth.

That, with the smallest amount of him inside me, almost caused me to come yet again.

His mouth found my other nipple this time, and right as he took it deep inside, his hips flexed and he thrust even deeper inside me. I almost screamed out again, but my promise fresh on my mind, along with the scarf covering my mouth, served to keep it contained. His pace picked up until he was breathing as heavily as I was. I was proud of myself that I’d managed to hold my orgasm off, but when his mouth moved from my breast to just outside my ear and he started whispering words, I started to spiral out of control.

“That’s right, baby. That’s right,” he breathed, not only moving faster, but harder now. “I want to feel you come, Luce.”

My body lost all control, and I was powerless to hold it back any longer. I felt all my muscles tighten around him as he sank inside me one last time, finding his own release. My moans started seeping around the scarf, growing so loud Jude had to cover my mouth with his hand.

Jude’s body trembled over mine, while mine was shaking more violently. A sheen of sweat covered his face when he lifted it above mine. Even though he was breathing rapidly, he was still able to smile. He untied the scarf covering my mouth right before his lips took its place. The way he kissed me, with such patience and tenderness, didn’t help calm my shaking body.

“Marry me,” he said in the space between our mouths.

Thanks to the ecstasy I was still swimming in, this question didn’t put me on edge like it normally did. “Soon,” I answered him.

He ran his fingers through my hair and gave me one last kiss. “I’ll take that,” he said, gathering me in his arms as he got comfortable. “That’s an improvement over ‘someday.’”

I didn’t know if soon meant tomorrow, or next month, or next year, but . . .

“Damn, you two. That was freakin’ hot.”

Jude and I tensed at the same time.

“How’s a girl supposed to get to sleep after that?” India continued.

I would have been embarrassed if I wasn’t still in my postsex stupor.

“Sweet dreams once you do,” I replied.

Jude chuckled into the back of my neck, and, with his arms around me, I was asleep before I even knew I was falling.

SEVENTEEN

I’d blinked my eyes and when I’d next opened them, summer had passed me by.

It was the first day of class my senior year. Between working forty-plus hours a week, watching LJ another forty hours a week, taking a couple more flights to visit Jude, hosting Friday-night dinner and movie nights, and trying to squeeze in a couple precious hours of dance every morning, I felt like I had a severe case of mono.

After that Friday night featuring fireworks by Jude and Anton, Anton showed up only when Jude was in San Diego. It was a smart move. Overall, Anton was a good guy, and when he followed my rule and didn’t bring Jude up, we managed to get along most days. Thanks to the job he’d given me, I’d been able to build a decent rainy-day fund, and we’d even figured out a way for me to sneak in a few hours during the school year. Jude wasn’t thrilled with the idea, but he knew better than to push me on the issue. Anton was my boss, my good friend’s brother, a friendly acquaintance. Nothing more.

After some creative schedule juggling, I was still able to help Holly out with LJ, and Thomas was able to fill in on Wednesdays, when I had a night class. Thomas and Holly had been an item, a hot item, since that night they figured out Thomas was indeed straight, and were ready to admit they were attached to each other. Thomas had become a permanent fixture at the apartment. I was about to invite him to move in, but was worried about the problems that would arise from sharing one bathroom among four people who each liked to take long showers.

My last class of the day had finished early, and since I had some time before I had to be back to watch LJ, I headed to the dance studio in White Plains. I hadn’t gotten in near as much dance time as I’d wanted to this summer. What with the circus my life had become, it seemed that somewhere along the way, my priorities had started to shift. Not necessarily change, but realign. I was starting to get a better grasp on the concept that the world doesn’t revolve around Lucy Larson.