9. Chapter 9
Chapter nine
W hile unusual for Judas' position in Paul Arthur’s campaign, he was randomly given the day off when leaving the office the night prior. All of his growing security team and a few interns worked late into the night preparing for a rally Paul was scheduled to attend in one week. Paul had been so excited about the outing that, to conclude the meeting, Paul promised each of them the next day off. He reasoned they all needed to rest before he blew up on the political scene and they had to work twenty-four-seven. His poll numbers were on the rise and his justification seemed solid. Judas rolled his eyes but was still riding the high from his last kiss with Eliza so he didn’t raise his concerns.
On his random Tuesday off, he attempted to spend his morning in meditation and practicing some yoga poses in his living room but struggled to concentrate on anything but Eliza. He wanted to call her and spend the day together doing whatever she pleased. Getting to be by her side and getting to know everything about her was the only leisure he desired. If he wasn’t afraid of scaring her away, he would just show up on her doorstep. He felt fairly confident that she would welcome him with open arms, but he didn’t want to intrude on her life so much that she got tired of him. He wanted to be sure he was giving her the time and space she needed to crave him in her life. He needed her to want him and fear of jeopardizing that was terrifying to him.
It was a brand new feeling for him. He hadn't feared the loss of another’s affection in literal eons. Of course, there had been friends he had grown close with over the years and those had all been losses he mourned, but he knew they were inevitable. All just a part of the price one pays to have eternal life. This… this felt different somehow. He knew, logically, that this story would end in the same way all his others had, but it didn't feel the same somehow this time. This time felt like if he didn’t have her in his life, he could actually perish. While that was something he wanted for many hundreds of years, now it felt unfair and cheap. At least as long as she was among living.
While he contemplated this irony, legs crossed in lotus position in the middle of his living room with both eyes shut tightly, Judas heard the buzz of his cell phone on the counter. Opening one eye to gaze at the offensive noise, Judas sighed and pulled himself up off the floor. Very few people had his number. If anyone called, it was usually work related. Walking over to the device, he glanced down and ground his teeth in frustration seeing Paul Arthur’s name illuminated on the screen. He considered not answering, but unfortunately, that just wasn't who he was.
Groaning, Judas picked up the phone and nearly growled, “This is Jude.”
“Hey, boy. Good morning,” comes Paul's drawl through the speaker.
Judas rolled his eyes as exaggeratedly as Eliza would, but put on a facade, “Good morning, sir. What can I do for you?”
The excitement in Paul’s voice caused his words to rise in pitch as he spoke, “I need you to get down to the county courthouse in two hours and meet me. I’ve got an invite to Senator Reed’s rally this afternoon and I’m going to need you there.”
“I’m not sure if I can be available for that, sir,” Judas replied even though he knew for a fact that he was available. He just didn’t want to. Senator Reed was possibly even more insufferable than Paul and Judas had no desire to spend the day with the sort of individuals that would be attending that rally.
Paul completely dismissed Judas and insisted, “Oh, you’ll be fine. I’ll see you there in two hours. Pick Eliza up on the way. She needs to be there, too. Tell her I insist and don’t let her give you any argument about it.”
A smile spread across his face and Judas knew he would be going, “We’ll see you there, sir.”
They ended the call and Judas threw more suitable clothing into a bag and raced out the door.
***
Eliza had chosen to spend this unexpected day off in the comfort of her bed while wearing comfortable clothes and watching her favorite movies. She was so dedicated to this cause, that she wasn’t even leaving for food. She had brunch on the way and Steel Magnolias playing on the TV in her bedroom. She was certain this vibe was absolute perfection.
Upon hearing the doorbell ring, Eliza leaped from the bed, in a near run to the door, already salivating over the crepes she knew were waiting on the other side. When she swung the door open, however, she gasped to see the god-like face of Judas staring back at her. He smirked as he looked her up and down while she wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.
Judas took in every inch of her, feeling as though he was falling quickly in love with this perfect lady before him. She was completely free of makeup, her hair was woven into two perfect French braids, and she was wearing baggy sweatpants with her college sweatshirt. Seeing her so unguarded and free made his heart race.
“Coffee?” he offered, extending a cup to her.
Eyes wide and disbelieving, she took the cup but didn't move from her spot.
Judas laughed softly, “I take it your father didn’t call?”
Eliza scowled, “Should have known he would find a way to ruin a day off that he literally gave me himself.”
“Well,” Judas said with a sly smirk, “just because he’s the reason it was interrupted doesn’t mean we can’t make the most of it. We don’t have to meet him for another hour and a half and the venue is only twenty minutes from here.”
She caught his meaning immediately and smiled back as she reached for his t-shirt and yanked him into the apartment. As soon as she had him through the doorway, she slammed it shut, shoving him against it. His head hit the door with force and he laughed as he held her slightly away from him.
“Slow down, killer,” he teased, “We have time.”
Eliza bit her lip and checked his head, “Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry! Are you okay?”
He calmed her fretting hands, “Trust me. I'll be fine. Just slow down. I want to enjoy you.”
He stroked a loose strand of hair away from her face and suddenly she remembered what she must look like.
She gasped, pulling away immediately, “Sweet Jesus, Judas. I’m a mess. I’m so sorry!”
Judas raised an eyebrow, “A mess. Eliza, this is the most beautiful I have ever seen you.” He advanced toward her, “This is you. The real you, under all the pretense and manners. This is who you really are.”
Eliza looked toward the floor and shook her head, “Oh no. I am the put together version, I assure you. This is just me when I’m alone and don’t have anywhere to be.”
He closed the distance between them and slipped his arm around her waist, “Exactly. The real you. The rest is all smoke and mirrors. This is Eliza,” he wrapped his other arm around her as well and pulled her tight against him. “And I like it tremendously.”
Eliza sucked in a harsh breath as his lips met hers and his kiss made her weak in the knees. Her body melted into his as his hand tangled in her hair and pulled her head back to expose her throat. His lips claimed the soft skin along her jaw and Eliza moaned out in bliss. His touch drove her to the point of madness and for the first time in her life, it didn't scare her in the slightest. She craved it, instead. Begged it to take her over.
Clawing at his hard body, she tried to close any gap left between them. No amount of him was ever enough. He responded to her need and began to shed her clothing, one item at a time. He needed her against him with nothing to separate them. They needed the contact of nothing but skin to feel human again. They needed one another in a way neither of them expected, but it grew every day. It went beyond hunger.
With shaking hands, Eliza slid his shirt over his head and ran her hands greedily over his bronzed body. She untied the drawstring of his sweatpants letting them fall to the floor, freeing him to take her completely. Guiding him to the couch, she pushed his shoulder so he fell to the soft cushions below. He gazed up at her beauty and could almost see a glow around her. She was an absolute goddess standing over him and any thought of taking his time flew off somewhere into the ether. His hands reached for her as she glided her open thighs around him and sat herself in his lap, fully sheathing his length within her wet warmth. She cried out as she felt him fill her. He grabbed her thighs and pulled her even further onto him throwing his head back at the ecstasy of feeling her tight walls demanding his pleasure.
She began to grind her body against him, feeling the sweet friction of her pleasure center rubbing deliciously against him. He pulled her mouth to his exploring, probing with his tongue as she continued to ride him into oblivion. Sweat glistened on their skin and he tasted it as his lips ran down her throat and to her shoulder. Every so lightly, his teeth nipped her flesh as he tried to take her in as fully as possible. Eliza moaned his name quickening her pace, delighting in the pleasure and light sting of pain. She threw her head back as her body bounced along his shaft again and again until they both neared complete explosion. Their bodies were as one as they ascended to the peaks of pleasure and climax together. Panting and vibrating with orgasm, they clung to one another as if their lives depended on it.
An hour later, Eliza emerged from the bathroom, fully polished and dressed for the day, to see Judas standing at the full-length mirror in her bedroom tying his tie. Watching him like this felt intimate in a way she wasn’t familiar with. It felt like he belonged here, among her things, in her space. She fantasized about waking up with him here every morning but shook the nonsense from her head. How could she possibly be thinking of such things after knowing this man for such a short amount of time? How had he so quickly wound himself in her thoughts so fully?
He caught a glimpse of her in the mirror and turned. He had never, in all his many years, found himself so completely absorbed in thoughts of a woman. She had entirely bewitched him in ways he would never trade for anything in the world.
He extended a hand to her in invitation to stand by his side. She joined him and he pulled her in front of his body, wrapping his arms around her and resting his chin on her soft blonde hair. They gazed at their reflection in the mirror and seeing themselves together sent tingles of contentment through them both.
“Your hair is down today,” he pointed out.
Eliza leaned fulling into his body, “I’m feeling brave today.”
Judas smiled down at her, “I can’t imagine why.”
Turning to face him, she gazed up at him, “You make me feel… different. In a good way. You make me want to be… free.”
“You deserve to be free,” he replied with a kiss on her nose.
She closed her eyes and breathed him in, luxuriating in his magnificent scent. She murmured simply, “Thank you.”
His face is puzzled, looking down at her, “For what?”
“For reminding me that there are truly magical things to feel in this world,” she replied. Her words caught him off guard as he felt that she was the one with magic to offer. She giggled at his look of surprise before standing on tiptoes to kiss his nose just as he did hers.
Judas had heard others talk about the feeling of butterflies in the presence of others, but only Eliza had ever been able to give him that feeling.