Chapter Thirty-Two One Night
JULIAN
The rest of the night moves with an easy rhythm. The sort-of-reception-mostly-afterparty shifts from a quiet, high-end dinner into a private, exclusive lounge with low lights, smooth music, and an open bar.
I stay close to Hadley through all of it.
Every time she moves, my hand finds the small of her back, guiding her through the crowd.
When we sit at the velvet booth, my fingers slip into hers beneath the table.
She doesn't pull away once. She just leans her shoulder against mine, smiling up at me with those deep brown eyes. Right in my space.
Neither of us drinks. After the morning's realization, I don't want a drop of alcohol blurring the edges of tonight. I want to remember every single second of this.
Around midnight, I notice the other couples starting to split off. Jensen and Grace are whispering by the exit. Zander guides Rylee toward the elevators. The space clears out, leaving just the low hum of the jazz music and the amber glow of the candles.
I lean closer to her ear, the heat of my breath stirring her hair. “You ready to go, Hads?”
She looks up at me, her eyes clear and sober. “Yes. I’m ready.”
The walk back to the suites is quiet, the frantic energy of the day shifting into something intimate now that it’s just the two of us walking down the carpeted hallway.
When we reach the door to her suite, she turns to face me.
The silence between us is electric, vibrating with everything we haven't said out loud.
Hadley reaches up, her small hands wrapping around the lapels of my tuxedo jacket, pulling me just a fraction of an inch closer. “Stay with me tonight, Julian. Please.”
I exhale a long, ragged breath, my hands coming up to rest on her hips. The fabric of her dress is smooth under my palms, her skin warm underneath. “Hadley...my restraint is already dangerously thin right now. If I walk through that door, I’m not just going to cuddle you through the night.”
She doesn't blink. “Good. I’m not really interested in just cuddling anyway.”
She stands on her tiptoes and kisses me.
My control shatters into a thousand pieces. I cuff the back of her neck with my hand, slanting my lips over her mouth as I kick the door open behind her. We stumble into the dark suite, the door slamming shut with a heavy click.
The kissing is primal. The result of simmering hunger that’s been building for weeks.
I strip my jacket off, dropping it to the floor, my hands frantic as they find the zipper of her dress.
The pale-pink fabric pools around her feet, leaving her standing in front of me in nothing but her pale lace underwear.
She is breathtaking. Small, delicate, but completely unashamed as she looks up at me.
Her skin is smooth and pale, and she’s got delectable curves that I want to drag my tongue over.
“Fuck, you’re so beautiful,” I growl, scrubbing a hand over my mouth as I gaze down at her.
I lift her in my arms. She’s so light, it barely takes any effort.
Her legs wrap around my waist as I carry her to the bed.
My mouth moves down her throat, tracing the line of her collarbone, my hands gripping her hips as I hold her flush against me.
I’m vibrating, my heart thumping so hard I’m certain she can feel it against her ribs.
Reaching the bed, I set her down and shift over her, my knee separating her thighs. There’s a damp spot on her panties that has my cock going rock hard in an instant.
“Julian, wait,” she whispers, her breath hitching.
I freeze, my muscles locking, my eyes snapping to hers in the dim light. “What's wrong? We can stop right now. That’s no problem.”
“No, don't stop.” Her cheeks flush dark as she holds my gaze. “I just...I need to tell you…I’ve never done this before. I’m a virgin. But I want this! I want you.”
Something rumbles inside me at her words.
A deep, territorial roar echoes in the dark spaces of my mind.
A virgin. I hadn’t considered she’d be a virgin.
Not that it truly matters, because I’d want her just as fiercely either way.
Still, in a world where everything is fleeting, where people give pieces of themselves away until there's nothing left, she has kept this, and she’s giving it to me.
A fierce, possessive heat floods my veins. A primal, protective part of me wants to wrap itself around her and never let her go. I love that I’m her first, and as I look down at her heart-shaped face, a dark, unyielding realization settles in: I am never going to be her only.
“Hadley,” I choke out as I lean down until our foreheads touch. “Look at me.”
She opens her eyes, staring straight into mine.
“I'm going to be careful with you,” I promise, my hands framing her face, my thumbs wiping away the single tear gathering in the corner of her eye. “I’ve got you. Just tell me if it hurts, and if you want me to stop, just say so.”
She nods, smiling softly. “I trust you.”
Grinning, I lower myself back down to kiss her.
I take my time. Every cell in my body is screaming at me to move, to lose control, but I force my roaring blood to slow down, dropping into that deep, hyper-focused state I usually reserve for the ice.
Everything becomes deliberate. Every single movement is controlled, precise, and entirely dedicated to her.
I can’t afford to screw this up. I won't be the reason she regrets a single thing about tonight.
I kiss her along her jaw and down her throat. When I cup her breasts in my hands, sliding my fingers up beneath the cups of her bra, she arches her back and moans. I shove her bra down and wrap my lips around one of her nipples, sucking gently as I knead her other breast.
“Oh, wow,” she gasps. “That feels so good.”
I grin, then sit back and move to unbutton my shirt.
“Wait,” she murmurs, sitting up and batting my hands away. “It’s my turn.”
She finishes undoing my shirt and watches me, her eyes going wide when I shrug out of it.
“Holy shit,” she murmurs.
“Like what you see?” I tease.
She nods, her gaze flashing eagerly. Her hands are on me the next second, tracing the ridges of my abs, up to my pecks. She takes her time, appearing to savor the feel of me.
“You’re so strong,” she whispers. “So big.”
I cover her hands with mine, guiding her touch. Her face grows more flushed, her eyes darker, and her expression hungrier.
I gently guide her so she’s lying back down on her back, then slide her panties down her legs, tossing them to the floor. She presses her thighs together, more out of instinct, I think, than nerves, but I take her knees and carefully pry them open.
“Good girl, open up for me,” I murmur. “Fuck, that’s a good view.”
Her pussy is glistening, and so pink and pretty, I can’t help but want to taste her.
“I’m going to make sure you’re ready, baby,” I tell her, my voice gravelly. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
Holding her thighs in my hands, I lower my head and drag my tongue along her pussy. She lets out a breathy cry, throwing her head back, her hair fanning out around her.
“Julian! Oh, my God!”
She tastes so sweet, and I feast on her like a starving man. As I lick her folds, my thumb finds her clit, and I rub it in tight circles. I reach up and knead her breast with my other hand. She writhes beneath me, grinding her hips up against my mouth. Hot, eager little thing.
I press my face into the crook of her neck, dialed into the ragged, breathless sounds tearing from her throat.
I listen to the sharp, high hitch in her breath when I apply just the right amount of pressure, and the low, desperate whimper she makes when she needs more.
I’m memorizing all of it. I want to know every secret trigger of her body, learn exactly what she likes, and how she sounds when she belongs to me.
“Ah! I’m going to come!” she suddenly groans.
I hold her down, showing no mercy as she jerks and quakes, her orgasm hitting her hard. Fuck, I’m about to burst in my pants. I need to be inside her before I totally lose my mind.
Lifting my head, I lick my lips as I take in her stunned expression. Her chest is rising and falling with her heavy breaths, and her eyes are glossy with a haze of satisfaction. It’s the most erotic thing I’ve ever seen.
Pushing to my feet. I undo my pants and push them down my legs. Taking them off completely, I dig my wallet out of my pocket and pull out the condom I have tucked inside.
Hadley arches a brow. “You came prepared.”
I shrug, tearing the foil packet open with my teeth. “It’s a guy thing.”
She snorts. “Sure it is.”
Grinning, I hold her gaze as I roll the condom down the length of my cock. Her eyes lock onto the movement, her lips parting as she stares at my dick. I give it a few strokes, then climb onto the bed and settle between her legs.
“Let me know if it hurts,” I tell her as I line up with her entrance.
Biting her bottom lip, she nods, and her fingers curl into the bedsheets. Sucking in a deep breath, I start to inch my way inside her. She gasps, then lets out a long moan.
I pause. “Okay?”
“Yes,” she breathes. “Keep going.”
I feel a shot of relief and continue pushing inside her.
When I’m in to the hilt, I stop, anchoring my weight on my forearms so I don’t crush her small frame.
Her fingers reach up and grip my shoulders, a sharp, nervous gasp leaving her lips in the quiet room.
I drop my head and kiss her, soothing the sudden tension in her body.
I trace the seam of her lips with my tongue, coaxing her to open for me, tasting the sweet, intoxicating heat of her until she lets out a soft, trembling sigh.
Slowly, the rigid line of her shoulders begins to soften against the mattress. The tight, defensive coil in her spine unravels. Her hands slide upward, her palms warm and frantic as they dig into the heavy muscles of my back, pulling me closer.
“That’s it, Hadley,” I growl against her lips, my voice thick and rough. “Open up for me, sweetheart.”