Chapter Thirty-Two One Night #2
Before her, sex had always been an exercise in blunt force and efficiency.
I’d never done relationships, never cared enough to learn someone’s rhythm, and I sure as hell had never slowed down.
I was used to rough, fast, pounding releases where I took what I wanted, got off, and left. It was detached. Mechanized.
But with Hadley? I want to sink into her skin and stay there forever.
The primal urge to just ruthlessly claim her is screaming in my ear, but I fight it down, forcing my hips to draw back agonizingly slow before pushing deep into her again.
I want to give her time to adjust to the heavy, unyielding stretch of my body against hers.
I want her to feel every microscopic shift of my weight.
Hadley lets out a breathy, fractured sound, her eyes fluttering shut as she arches up into me, her hips instinctively rising to meet mine.
“Look at me,” I command softly, gripping her chin with my thumb and forefinger until her heavy, dazed gaze locks onto mine. I press a slow, deep inch further inside her, watching her breath hitch. “Don't close your eyes on me, sweetheart. Stay right here. Feel what you do to me.”
That’s when I start to move. I start slow, pulling my hips back before pushing into her again, making sure she has time to adjust to the heavy, unyielding stretch of my body against hers.
Hadley lets out a breathy, fractured sound, her eyes fluttering shut as she arches up into me, her hips instinctively rising to meet mine.
“Julian,” she gasps, her voice a sweet, desperate friction against my ear.
The sound of her voice calling my name completely untethers me.
As her body fully relaxes, opening up and slicking with heat, the tight friction shifts from a barrier into an invitation.
I can move faster. I pick up the pace, undulating my hips with more force, pressing deeper into the core of her, but I am still hyper-vigilant, keeping my upper body locked so I don’t go too hard or lose the careful control I’ve fought for.
She deserves this to be slow and sweet. For it to be entirely about her.
With every slow, deliberate stroke, the pleasure builds up inside me, a heavy, blinding pressure that starts at the base of my spine and floods my chest. The sound of Hadley’s moans urges me on.
Her fingers claw into the muscles of my shoulders, her head tossing back against the white pillows as she catches the rhythm, riding the wave of the heat right alongside me.
“Julian... please,” she whimpers, her hips bucking up to meet me, begging for a faster pace.
“Not yet,” I growl, refusing to give in. I slide my hand down between our bodies, my thumb finding the swollen bud of her clit and grinding into it with a heavy, rhythmic pressure that makes her gasp.
I watch her face change, the sweet, innocent girl I know consumed by the raw, beautifully undone woman in my arms, until she shudders beneath me, her internal muscles tightening in a violent release that instantly pulls me over the edge after her.
“Oh, fuck!” I growl, burying my face against her throat and biting at her neck as I cum deep inside her.
When the storm finally settles, I ease my weight off her but keep her tucked tightly against my side. My heart is hammering like a drum against my ribs as our breathing echoes in the dark room. “You okay, Hads?” I murmur, my voice raspy and stripped raw.
She just nods against my chest, her fingers curling into the hair on my sternum. She looks dazed, her skin flushed and glistening with a fine sheen of sweat.
I pull the heavy white duvet up over both of our shoulders, shielding her from the chill of the hotel's air conditioning.
Reaching over to the nightstand, I grab a bottle of water sitting on it and hold it to her lips.
She takes a few small, grateful sips, her dark eyes looking up at me through her lashes.
Once I set the glass back down, I lean over her, using the pads of my thumbs to gently wipe away the damp hair sticking to her forehead.
I trace the line of her jaw, kissing the corner of her mouth, then her cheek, and finally the top of her head.
My hand slides down to her hip, pulling her closer until there isn't a single inch of space left between us, rubbing my palm in slow, soothing circles against her lower back to ease any ache she might be feeling.
I should go draw her a bath and let her soak in it, but Hadley lets out a long, contented sigh, her body going heavy and loose as she buries her face into the crook of my neck.
Maybe later for the bath, then. Within minutes, her breathing goes deep and rhythmic, the soft puff of her air against my collarbone signaling she’s fast asleep.
I lie there in the dark, my arm wrapped securely around her waist, keeping her pressed flush against my side.
I don't move an inch and look down at her in the shadows, letting myself just have this. For once in my life, I’m not running.
I’m not fighting to survive. I’m just a man holding a woman, basking in the afterglow.
When my eyes finally close and sleep pulls me under, the nightmares don't follow me. There are no dark hallways, no violent threats, and no flying fists. Just the quiet warmth of her skin against mine, keeping the dark at bay.