Chapter 8
EIGHT
Rune
I wake up before her. I’m way too hot, but I don’t move. I don’t even breathe for a second because I’m not sure if this is real.
Jem is curled against my side, her leg thrown over mine, her arm draped across my chest like she belongs there, like she’s always belonged there.
My chest tightens.
Fuck, I’m in trouble.
My hand moves slowly, carefully, like I’m handling something fragile, and I brush a strand of her strawberry-blonde hair away from her face.
She doesn’t wake.
Good. That gives me time. Time to look at her. Time to take this in. Time to try to imprint this moment to memory.
Her lashes rest against her cheeks, her lips slightly parted, her breathing soft and even. She looks peaceful. Safe.
I swallow, my jaw tightening.
What am I going to do? What do I do now?
This thing between us has gone way further than I intended before I worked up the nerve to tell Jem how I really felt about her.
I need to tell her the truth. That this isn’t fake, that it never was.
Not for me. I knew it the second she walked up to me in that damn grocery store, nervous and determined and beautiful.
And now? Now I’m lying in bed with her after the best night of my life, and all I can think about is how I don’t want this to end. I don’t want her to leave. I don’t want to go back to being alone. I don’t want anything if it doesn’t include her.
I drag a hand down my face.
I need to talk to her. I need to tell her because if she walks away from this thinking it was just part of the plan, part of her fake relationship idea, I don’t think I’ll survive.
“Mmm…”
I freeze as she stirs. Her fingers flex against my chest, and she shifts, tilting her head up slightly. Her eyes blink open, sleepy and soft, and she smiles. It hits me like a punch to the gut.
“Hi,” she murmurs.
“Hi,” I say, my voice rough.
She hums, pressing a soft kiss to my chest as if it’s the most natural thing in the world.
I go completely still.
Jesus Christ.
“You’re warm,” she mumbles.
I huff out a quiet laugh, my hand settling on her back.
“You’re naked,” I point out.
She smiles against my skin. “So are you.”
Fair.
We lie there for another minute, neither of us moving, just… being. I could stay like this forever.
“I should get to work,” she says eventually, her voice soft.
The words hit me like a bucket of cold water. Reality is a bitch.
“Yeah,” I say, even though I don’t want to.
Jem sighs, pushing up onto her elbows. The sheet slips, and my brain short-circuits.
Fuck.
She doesn’t even seem to notice as she stretches, her hair falling over her shoulders, her skin flushed from sleep.
I sit up too, dragging a hand through my hair.
“Same,” I say, because if I don’t say something, I’ll pin her back to this bed and never let her leave.
We get up and move around the room to find our clothes.
This is fine. Totally fine. Normal, I tell myself.
Then she bends to pick up her clothes, and I lose my mind.
“Jem,” I growl.
She turns, blinking at me. “What—”
I don’t let her finish. I cross the room in two steps, grab her, and practically tackle her back onto the bed. She lets out a surprised laugh that turns into a gasp when I come down over her.
“Rune—”
“Can’t help it,” I mutter against her lips.
She grins, her hands sliding up my arms. “Good.”
That’s all the permission I need.
My hands cup her tits, and I nip at her lips, then duck my head and suck one stiff nipple into my mouth.
“Rune!” she gasps, arching into me.
“Love hearing you say my name like that,” I groan against her skin.
Fuck, I can’t wait much longer. I’m already hard as steel. I grind down against the mattress to find some relief, but it’s not enough. It’s not what I need.
“Rune.” Jem pushes my chest.
I frown as I glance up at her. “Was I crushing you?”
“What? Oh, no. I just want to try something. Lie on your back for me.”
I do so immediately. She smiles but seems nervous as she kneels next to me on the bed. Shuffling closer, she kneels between my legs.
I stare at her as she wraps her fingers around my cock. “Jem, you don’t have to.”
She looks up at me. “I want to.”
I could never tell her no, and definitely not about this.
She licks her lips as she gets comfortable. I lean back against the pillows and clench my jaw as Jem tightens her hand around my dick. I almost come as she gives it a testing squeeze, but I hold myself back.
I’m mesmerized as she moistens her lips and leans forward. Her tongue flicks over the tip of my dick, and I fist the sheets.
“Easy,” I warn.
She snorts. “I haven’t even done anything yet!”
I’m never going to make it.
Jem opens her mouth wider, and I watch as her lips wrap around my length. Her tongue swirls around the tip, and she moans as she swallows one inch, then another.
“Fuck!” I hiss.
She hums as she bobs up and down on my dick, taking more of me with each pass until half my cock is buried in her throat.
“Shortcake, that’s enough. Come here and let me lick your pussy,” I say, hearing the pleading tone in my voice as I practically beg her to let me eat her out.
“I’m not done yet,” she purrs.
I curse under my breath.
“It’s about to be done,” I warn her, and she giggles. “I mean it.”
“Fine,” she sighs, licking up my cock once more before she crawls up my body and straddles me.
My cock points straight up as Jem lowers her hips and slides down on it. She braces her hands against my chest, and I grip her hips, helping her lower herself onto me. She rolls her hips, swallowing the last few inches.
I curse, my fingers digging into her flesh as I pin her in place. “Fuck, Shortcake. You’re going to unman me already.”
She wiggles in my hold, and I loosen my grip as she rocks on top of me, twisting and grinding her hips. She’s a siren, and I would happily go to my death if it meant I got to be with her.
I reach up to cup Jem’s jiggling tits as she rides me. She leans forward, her strawberry-blonde hair forming a curtain around us as she kisses me. When I pinch her nipples, she gasps, leaning back and riding me faster.
Her green eyes sparkle as she watches me. She looks so fucking hot. I know I can’t hold off for much longer.
My hand slides down her side and I slip my finger between us, finding her clit and pressing down on her sensitive pearl.
“Rune,” she moans, her pace faltering as she starts to come undone.
I keep my fingers on her clit, rolling tight circles around the little ball of nerves until Jem tenses on top of me.
“Fuck,” I grit out.
Our eyes lock as we both fly over the edge, reaching our peaks at the same time and coming together. I grip her hips and hold her to me, burying myself inside her.
Jem collapses against my chest, and I wrap her in my arms. We’re both breathing hard as we lie tangled up together. I rub my hands up and down her back, molding her to me more with each stroke.
Jem turns her head and sighs. “I need to get to work.”
“Me too.”
She presses a kiss to my chest and climbs off me. I let her go, even though it kills me. She gathers her clothes, and I climb off the bed to do the same.
We’re both quiet once we’re dressed. The energy has shifted. It’s not bad, just… real. Heavy. This moment is important.
Jem gathers her things and smooths her hair.
I watch her like I’m trying to burn the image into my brain. “Text me when you get to work.”
“I will,” she promises.
We walk out together, the morning air cool and crisp. I don’t want to let her go, but I do because I have to.
She turns to me, smiling softly as we reach the cars. “I’ll see you soon?”
“Yeah.”
Leaning up, she presses a quick kiss to my lips before climbing into her car. I stand and watch as she backs out of the driveway and lifts her hands in a wave. Then she’s gone.
I stand there longer than I should, watching until her car disappears down the road. Dragging a hand through my hair, I let out a long breath.
What the hell am I going to say? How do I tell a woman I’ve known for a week and a half that I’m in love with her? That I don’t want fake. I don’t want temporary. I want her. All of her. Forever.
I shake my head and walk to my truck.
The drive to work is short. I spend the whole time trying to figure out the best way to word what I want to say to Jem. By the time I get to my office, I’m desperate for a distraction.
Work doesn’t help. I try to focus, but every time I look at my desk, I see her. Every time I step outside, I remember her standing there. Every time I breathe, I swear I can still smell her.
I’m losing it.
My phone rings, and I grab it instantly. When I see her name on the screen, I freeze. My chest tightens as I scramble to answer it.
“Hey,” I answer.
“Hi,” she says.
Just hearing her voice settles something in me. “You make it to work okay?”
“I did. You?”
“Yeah.”
A pause. Then, “Are you free tonight?”
My answer is immediate. “For you? Always.”
She laughs softly, and my chest does that stupid tight thing again.
“Good,” she says. “I was wondering if you wanted to go on a double date.”
I freeze. A what?
“With Rowan and her husband, Heath.”
My jaw tightens. I don’t like that. I don’t like the idea of sharing her. Not even a little, not with friends, not with anyone. But I also know there’s no way I’m saying no to spending time with her. Plus, I can hear the hopeful tone in her voice, and I can’t let her down.
Damn, I’m wrapped so tightly around her finger, and she doesn’t even know it.
“Yeah,” I say. “I can do that.”
“Really?” She sounds surprised.
“Yeah.”
She hums, pleased. “Okay. I’ll text you the details.”
“Sounds good.”
Another pause.
“Rune?”
“Yeah?”
“I had a really good time last night… and this morning.”
My grip tightens on the phone. Instantly, I’m hard as a rock. “Me too.”
Understatement of the century.
“Okay,” she says softly. “I’ll see you tonight.”
“Yeah.”
We hang up, and I stare at my phone for a second before shoving it back into my pocket.
Double date. Fine, I can do that. As long as she’s there, I can do anything.
I just have to get through tonight, and then I’m telling her.
There’s no way in hell I’m letting her think this is anything less than real.