Chapter 25
Hunter
I wake up early to find Juliet still curled against me on the couch. Her face is soft in the morning light filtering through the windows. We fell asleep watching that Swedish show, tangled together like we’ve been doing this for years instead of just pretending for a few months.
She looks smaller when she’s sleeping and vulnerable in a way she never lets herself be when she’s awake. Her red lipstick is mostly gone, smeared somewhere between the couch cushions and my mouth. Without it, she looks younger. More real.
I should wake her up. Untangle myself and go make coffee and pretend last night was just another step in our fake relationship playbook. Instead, I carefully lift her into my arms.
She stirs slightly as I carry her to my bedroom, making this soft sound that goes straight through me. But she doesn’t wake up, just settles deeper into my chest like she belongs there.
I tell myself it’s just the setup. Just two people playing pretend, maintaining the illusion in case anyone checks our social media or asks invasive questions about our living situation.
But then I see her curled up in my bed, wearing my old hoodie she must have grabbed at some point, her mouth parted slightly.
And I feel something I don’t have a name for. Something I don’t want to feel.
Because if I let this become real, if I let myself actually want her, I know I’ll screw it up. I always do. I’m amazing at hockey and I suck at everything else, especially for people who matter. And this time, I wouldn’t just lose her. I’d ruin her.
She wakes up an hour later, blinking slowly in the dim light of my bedroom. For a second, she looks confused, like she’s trying to remember how she got here. Then her eyes find mine, and something shifts in her expression.
“Morning,” she says. Her voice is still rough with sleep.
“Morning.”
We’re both acutely aware of the fact that she’s in my bed, wearing my clothes, looking like she belongs here. The tension that’s been building between us for weeks feels like a live wire now, crackling in the space between us.
I tip her chin up with a finger, kissing her gently.
Her breath hitches and she presses forward, deepening the kiss.
Her eyes flutter closed for a moment, enjoying the way I run my mouth down the column of her throat.
I keep my touches light, avoiding her breasts and hips and ass.
She throws her leg over me, her soft gasps driving straight into my fucking cerebellum.
My cock, already hard when I woke up, is painfully aware of every single sound that leaves her perfect mouth. I bite my lip and smooth my hand up her thigh. Juliet Monroe is going to kill me.
But when I don’t push for more, just continue kissing her neck and ears, she opens her eyes and levels me with a gaze. “You’re playing with me.”
“Maybe a little.” My lips twitch. “I’m enjoying getting you worked up.”
“I want you to take control, Hux. I think you like to dominate. Show me. Show me what it’s like when you get rough.”
God damn. Does she even have the faintest idea of what her words do to me?
“Monroe.” I shake my head. “You don’t know what you’re asking for.”
“Maybe not.” She sounds breathless. “But I won’t know unless I try. Maybe I’ll like it rough.”
She’s serious as an open grave, tempting me to do the dark, wicked things that I want to do to her. She’s tiny and fragile. I could snap her bones by accident just by putting my full weight on them.
“Juliet…” I grab her chin, pinning her with my gaze.
She rakes her nails down my chest, giving me chills. “Yes?”
“I can’t do this halfway. If I take control, it’s mine until you say stop.” My eyes bore into hers, trying to make sure she understands.
She smirks. “Like a… secret code?”
Sliding my hand into her hair, I tug her head back, running my nose along her exposed throat. “A safe word. How about Firecracker?”
Juliet’s eyes sparkle, and she grins. “Sounds good.”
I draw my finger in a line down her collarbone and between her breasts.
“Until I hear your safe word, Monroe, everything is on the table. Spanking, sex toys, restraints, spitting, edging, anal...”
“I want to walk on the wild side for once.” She licks her plump lips. “Bring it on, Huxley.”
Gripping her hair harder, I kiss her fiercely. She takes everything I have to give her and returns it to me, hips bucking against me, her mouth opening to let me in. It’s a little hard for me to take in for a second.
Could Juliet actually like this fucked up, kinky shit? That’s impossible to wrap my head around.
“Juliet.” I mean to keep it low and casual, but my voice comes out a hungry rasp. “Come here.”
She slides over without a word, practically in my lap before I can reach for her. I wind a hand in her hair and pull, just hard enough to make her gasp, and she climbs onto me, straddling my thighs. It’s not a test of wills anymore. It’s need, pure and simple.
I run my hands up her calves, skimming over the soft skin. I pause when I get to her thighs and squeeze. She shivers.
“Is this what you want?” I ask. “You want me to take what I need from you?”
She answers with a kiss, messy and too hard, lipstick dragging over my lips. “Stop asking. Take it.”
I laugh, my tone a little mean. “You trying to run the show? That’s not how this works, Monroe.”
Her eyes go wide and then narrow, as if she’s weighing whether to bite my head off or just give in. I’m rooting for the latter.
“Maybe I like it better when you’re not in control,” I whisper, my mouth at her ear.
“Then show me,” she dares, voice shaking a little. “Prove it.”
That’s all I need. I grip her ass and lift her. Her legs lock around my waist. She’s so tiny it’s ridiculous, but the way she presses her hips into me makes me feel like I’m the one being devoured.
If I ever doubted how badly she craves my cock, now I’m certain. I push her away, my heated gaze on her body.
“Strip,” I tell her. Instantly she nods, wriggling out of her oversized hoodie, tank top, and silky sleep shorts with zero pretense.
She’s fucking beautiful. Incredible tits, perfect hips, toned legs, and an unstoppable ass. The hottest girl I’ve ever seen, bar none. And she’s looking at me like she’s parched and I’m the cool drink of water that she’s been praying for. Fuck.
I take off my shirt slowly, just to watch her squirm, then drop my sweats and climb onto the bed.
Her jaw drops. “It is huge. I knew it was big, but… damn, Hunter.”
I love the surprised tone of her voice. I arch a brow. “Were you under the mistaken impression that my cock might not match the rest of my body?”
“No.” She flushes. “Just saying. I’m not even sure how you and I are supposed to fit together.”
“We’ll make it fit,” I say with a smug little grin. “But not right now. First… I want to lick your pussy. I’ve been dreaming about how good your cum tastes, Firecracker.”
“Such a filthy mouth,” she chides.
I drop a kiss on her collarbone. “You love it.”
Juliet looks up at me, naked before me, arms above her head, lips a bright red slash against her flushed skin. Her nipples harden, and the sight of her tits, full, perfect, tipped with dusky-pink nipples poking out at me, makes me stop and stare.
“You’re obsessed,” she says, rolling her eyes.
“I like your tits,” I admit, not bothering to hide it.
“I’d be an idiot not to be a little obsessed.
Look at you. I’m obsessed with every part of you.
Tits, ass, and especially this soft, pink pussy.
I could eat this pussy all goddamn day. I would die a fortunate man if you were my last fucking meal. ”
“Hux.” The way she moans my name makes me so goddamn hard. “You’re killing me.”
“Am I? Let’s see.”
I run my thumb over her nipple, circling lazily, then drag my palm down her ribs, mapping every inch like I’m memorizing her. I stop at her hips, digging in with my hands, kneading until she arches.
She tries to touch me, reaching for my shoulders, but I catch her wrists and pin them together above her head. She moans, the sound low and breathy, and it makes my cock twitch.
“Stay,” I command. Juliet does, her arms straining but not pulling away.
I grab her discarded tank top, looping it around her wrists and tying a loose knot. She could wriggle out if she wanted, but the point isn’t the restraint. It’s the surrender. She tests it, pulling once, and then lies still, eyes locked on mine.
“Are you still okay with this?” I ask, softening just for a second. If she even has a moment of hesitation, I’ll stop. I’ve chased off half a dozen meaningless hookups with my need for dominance.
I won’t risk Juliet Monroe getting cold feet when she’s naked in my bed. Having her soft and willing is more important than fucking her exactly how I want to.
“I’m sure.” She nods her head, the movement impatient. “Don’t you dare stop.”
I give her a slick grin. “Didn’t plan on it.”
I lean in and kiss her, starting slow, tasting her mouth and the faint tang of her lipstick. She kisses back with teeth, nipping at my lower lip, then opening for me, letting me take over.
I move down, lips trailing along her jaw, her throat, her collarbone. I bite the spot where her shoulder curves, sucking until I know it will bruise. She groans, pushing up into my mouth, and I reward her by dragging my tongue lower.
Her tits are next. I take one in my hand, squeezing, then close my mouth over her nipple, sucking hard enough that she whimpers. I flick it with my tongue, then bite, and she bucks against me, thighs squeezing my hips.
“Jesus, Hunter—”
“Yeah?” I ask, switching to the other nipple. “You like that?”
She gasps, then lets out a full-bodied moan. It echoes around the room, dirty and desperate. It heats my blood.
“You are such a tits guy,” she accuses, breathless.
I look up at her and smirk, mouth still wrapped around her nipple. “Not true. I’m an everything guy.”