Chapter 48
forty-eight
“Jules,” I call. Rolling my neck, I tug at my black herringbone tie and unbutton the matching tweed jacket. “Baby?”
God, I can’t wait to see her. Not even for a minute.
I’ve had the day from hell. It started with a five a.m. alarm, followed by a workout I didn’t have enough energy for, then running out the door to get to the florist before racing to the hospital for Christian’s discharge.
By nine, Chris was settled into his new digs at the Chelsea treatment center. I promised I’d come back after work to have dinner with him, but he hardly heard me. Withdrawal symptoms had him curled into a ball under the covers.
I felt intensely guilty about leaving, but he made me swear that Dad wouldn’t find out what happened. So, I had no choice but to show up for work and continue my act.
That was its own sort of torture. I spent hours inputting data, all while debating the fraud situation through a new lens: with Christian now relying on me financially and Juliet counting on me personally, do I even have the option of turning my father in and losing everything?
Christian didn’t want to eat dinner. The clinic gave him some non-addictive sleep aid to knock him out, but I still went back to Chelsea and sat with him for a while—it’s important for him to know I’m there.
After promising to return in the morning, I made it all the way across town for the third time, arriving at The Ludlow an hour later than usual.
Exhausted. But mostly just needing Juliet.
“ Bijou ? Are you here?” Stripping out of my emerald vest, I stride into my bedroom.
Good. Sweet. God.
Juliet leans casually against my big picture window, her body silhouetted by the street lamps outside. When she sees me, she straightens away from the glass and steps into the soft light from the bedside table.
Fuck .
Far from panty-less, my beautiful bijou has on a full lace teddy. The dark crimson complements her glowing golden skin. And the ribbons tied at the front turn her curves from magnificent to miraculous.
“You know I’m not so good at following instructions,” she teases. “But I didn’t think you’d mind this time.”
I throw my jacket and vest somewhere. “To hell with instructions.” I crook my finger, wanting to watch her walk. “Come here.”
Still wearing heels, her slow saunter doesn’t disappoint. Nor does the small smile on her face when she reaches me. Her hands slide up my black shirt, moving to undo the buttons. Mine instantly settle at her nipped waist, skimming lightly over warm lace until she shivers.
My cock hardens into stone against my inseam. My mouth waters, longing for a taste of her. Juliet pushes my shirt to the floor and starts on my belt, whipping it off and then snapping it at me.
“Take your pants off and sit down,” she orders, smiling coquettishly. “I think I’ll be in charge.”
That idea sounds embarrassingly appealing. I’ve been making huge decisions non-stop for weeks . And now this sexy woman wants to wear lingerie and boss me around?
I rip open my fly and let my pants drop, not giving a fuck that my dick practically hangs out of the bottom of my boxers. Today’s pair is as green as my vest. Jules seems to like them. Her eyes glint in the half-light while she stares at my package, running her tongue over her top lip.
“These, too,” she whispers, running her fingertips along the silk waistband.
I comply, then let her push me backward onto the bottom edge of my mattress. Nude, with an erection big enough to stretch up past my navel, bobbing under its own weight, I lean back on my hands and cast her a challenging look.
Juliet raises one brow back at me, silently answering my dare. She sweeps her glossy black waves into a ponytail, securing them with a hair tie.
Like she’s about to go to work .
God help me.
In a graceful crouch, Jules drops to her knees, settling herself between my legs. Her touch trails down the line of muscle bisecting my abs, teasing me until I shudder.
“Tell me,” she purrs, eyeing my dick. “How am I supposed to fit this whole thing into my mouth?” Tingles shoot up the length of my spine.
She smiles. “Maybe I’ll just learn on the job.”
With her taunt issued, she bends over my lap, offering a perfect view of her back and her red-lace-lined ass. My lips fall open when she stares up at me, lust sparking in her eyes, and sucks me into her mouth.
I pulse between her lips, as aroused by the sight of her working my length in as I am by the warmth of it. Her tongue caresses the underside of my shaft in a long, slow glide while wet heat swirls around me. A breath bursts out of my lungs.
The hand cupping my sack squeezes lightly as she sucks harder. I groan, tilting my hips to push further into her throat. She clamps her mouth around me, giving more friction.
She chases her lips with her hand, pumping my shaft with one fist. At the same time, the pads of her other fingers torment me, kneading and rolling my balls until they draw up. Another wave of pleasure rolls over me.
“Juliet,” I rumble. “Goddamn it, you’re so good .”
She hums her approval, mouth vibrating. My hips twitch every time she pulls her lips up to the swollen head, restless for more.
A moment later, she shifts a bit, twisting her lower half to press her pussy against the side of my leg. When her wetness brands me, I nearly convulse.
“You’re soaked for me,” I growl, sinking my fingers into her hair. “Does sucking my cock turn you on?”
A breathy moan reverberates over my dick as she takes the entire thing deep into her throat. Beyond any modicum of control, I fist her ponytail and thrust up into her mouth.
Frenzied, my gaze roams over her gorgeous face and the long arch of her neck, stretched tight to accommodate me, committing the sight to memory before I come.
Juliet goes back to working her fist up and down alongside her lips. My orgasm strikes like lightning, bolting through my core. My head falls back as I buck up into the wet heat of her suction and burst down her throat.
She swallows everything I give her and waits for the last shudder before pulling back. Dragging her pussy over my thigh, she straddles my hip and brushes her swollen lips over my temple.
“Thanks for the flowers.”
I almost snort. This is her way of being sweet and showing gratitude—a lace teddy and a world-class blow job?
Hell, if I didn’t believe in soulmates before …
I might now.
We wind up on my living room floor again, eating pizza and outlining every possible approach to the Everett Alexander issue. As with most topics, our discussion devolves into a debate pretty quickly.
It seems like no matter which side I take, Juliet has an endless stream of questions to undermine me. I know that’s her job , but goddamn, the woman infuriates me as much as she turns me on.
To make matters worse, I hate sparring with her right after sex. Our connection seems so precious when we’re in bed. Going straight from that to a knock-down-drag-out is like being dumped out of a warm bath, into a snowbank.
Nevertheless, we argue in circles. If I say I want to turn Dad in, she has twelve reasons not to. When I consider simply cutting my losses, that doesn’t sit well with her either.
“Jesus,” I curse, falling back against the couch and shoving my hands into my hair. “I can’t win with you!”
“It’s not about me , Graham,” she snaps. “I’m playing devil’s advocate here, so you’re forced to defend your position over and over again. Because that’s what you’ll have to do every single day, in your own head.”
It makes sense, but I’m beyond reason. Pissed, I scowl at her. “So this has all been some sort of mental exercise? Because my day wasn’t shitty enough?”
Most girlfriends might have some sympathy. But not my hellcat. Of course.
“I’m trying to help ,” she shoots back. “Trust me, I have actual work I could be doing right now. So do you! But we have to deal with this. You only have until next week to decide.”
The low-grade panic constantly climbing my insides roils to a fever pitch. “ You think I don’t know that ?” I demand, shouting. “You think it isn’t every third thought that passes through my mind? It is, Jules. I know the stakes here. I could lose everything.”
I could lose you.
It isn’t the first time the thought has occurred to me. Our relationship being so new and Juliet being so skittish, there’s always the chance she’ll bolt. And it gets harder to imagine living through that every single day.
My outburst quiets Juliet. She sits back on her heels, sighing. “Let me ask you something, Graham. What do your instincts tell you to do?”
I don’t want to answer that. Because my instincts are selfish, born of years of loneliness and cynicism. But I also refuse to lie to my girlfriend.
“Honestly? I want to cut and run. Slink off. Leave my father to his misery and hope karma gets him one day, far from now, when I’ve had the time to gather resources and build up my own reputation. At least then, if the Feds come calling, I’ll have some credibility. Not to mention, you know, money .”
That worries me, too. Echoes of my old pessimism whisper that Juliet might not be interested in me without my wealth. I know if I turn Dad in, I’ll be able to keep my apartment and my trust, but the rest of my funds fall into murky territory. The trust can only last… maybe five years? If I keep spending like I currently am. Not to mention Christian’s expenses.
“I don’t even have the precise numbers,” I grumble. “I can’t exactly call my accountant. He works for Everett Alexander.”
Juliet crawls over to me. I wish she hadn’t put her dress back on, especially when she straddles my lap.
“I’m sorry if I’m making this decision harder for you,” she murmurs. “I think I feel compelled to push because… deep down, I have the same instinct. But I feel guilty about it. I want you to cut and run. Even though I know it’s wrong. Because I’m scared for you .”
With our admissions hanging between us, our eyes lock. What she’s suggesting is outright illegal. Colluding to hide a crime is a crime in itself. If anyone ever found out, she’d face the risk of being disbarred.
But her gaze stays steady on mine. Cunning and fearless. So very Juliet.
Something inside of me clicks. She’s in this with me. And as long as I have Jules on my side, I can do anything. “Then I’ll cut out cleanly,” I decide. “And hope like hell I make it to higher ground before Everett Alexander implodes.”
Juliet releases a shaky breath. “All right,” she agrees, nodding once. “Let’s talk next steps.”
I raise a brow at her, aroused and amused as ever by her bossiness. My hands slide up the backs of her thighs, cupping the luscious curves of her ass in both palms. “I suddenly find myself distracted.”
Her eyes snap with heat. “Get serious, pinchao . You have work to do.”
I cock my head, loving our banter. Loving her . “Are you going to make me?”