Chapter 33 #2
He was giving it all up for me, I realized, my chest aching so hard I almost gasped at the agony.
‘See you around, babe.’
He seemed to rasp the words from the depths of his soul.
Jerking his chin, he turned and strode into the gloomy alley with his head bowed, hands stuffed in his pockets.
I followed his silhouette down the lane, my heart squeezing with a yearning so piercing I could scarcely breathe.
He turned, slipping into the wooden doors of the small chapel next door.
That was the moment my truth crystallized.
I still wanted him, and more importantly, I loved him.
I couldn’t let him walk away like this, I thought, as a desperate gasp escaped my lips.
Grabbing the binder from the bin, I clutched it tight and marched after him.
I pushed through the doors into the sanctuary.
Ruby and sapphire stained glass cast deep, colored pools across the threadbare carpet.
Jude sat in the back row, his broad shoulders hunched forward, his face buried in his calloused, tattooed hands.
I jolted at the sight, then shuddered as I caught the rough, ragged growl of agony escaping him.
He was breaking, his broad shoulders shuddering with a violent, guttural strain, crushed by remorse.
His raw grief ripped through me, melting the numbness I held onto for weeks and destroying the last of my defenses.
With a cry, I ran down the aisle towards him.
I dropped to my knees on the carpet, sliding the binder onto the wooden pew beside him.
Wrapping my arms around his neck, I hung on for dear life.
Jude flinched in shock, twisting to face me, his inky green eyes burning with stunned disbelief.
‘Sofia? What’re you doing?’
‘Shh,’ I whispered, leaning closer until my forehead rested on his.
My fingers tangled in his hair, whispering with urgency.
‘First, I don’t want your money. I never did. Second, I forgive you, Judah. You broke my heart, but enough of the torment. You’re my husband. I’m not living another moment without you.’
With a rumbling groan, he hauled me flush to his chest, his arms locking around my waist with a possessive, crushing force.
A rough breath tore from him as he held me, his face buried in the crook of my neck.
Then he pulled back an inch, his calloused hands framing my face with fierce intensity.
His green eyes searched mine, wild and filled with a raw, agonizing hunger.
‘Sofia, really?’ he growled, his timbre a deep rasp. ‘Do you mean that? Are you truly coming back to me? After everything? After I treated you like shit and didn’t believe you? After I failed to trust you when you needed me most?’
‘Judah, yes, yes and yes.’
‘Look at me,’ he rumbled, his thumbs sweeping over my cheekbones, commanding my gaze.
‘I put you through hell. My arrogance and blindness tore us apart. How can you look at me, let alone forgive me? You have my heart and soul, Sofia, but I need to know you won’t wake up tomorrow and try to run from me again. ’
‘I’m sure,’ I whispered, my breath hitching at the volume of possessive heat burning in his stare. ‘I’ve never been surer of anything because I want you in my life and world, forever, honey. As some damn good vocalist sang, ‘infinity belongs to us.’
The tension in his jaw snapped, the shadows in his eyes giving way to pure, unadulterated relief.
A hoarse, breathless growl escaped his throat as the truth that I wanted him back broke through his disbelief.
He gathered me close, hauling me up into his lap.
His sinewed hands slid down my back to grip my thighs, crushing me to him till no air remained between us.
Jude buried his face in my neck, his mouth finding the sensitive skin beneath my jaw.
He trailed his lips to mine and kissed me, hard and possessive, until I gasped with need, my fingers tightening in his hair.
His touch shifted, gliding with hunger over my waist, up my spine, mapping every curve as if establishing his claim over again.
He needed to prove to himself that I was real, that I was in his arms, and that I was still his wife.
He pulled back enough to find my eyes again, his hot exhalation sweeping over my skin.
Joy lit his features before he claimed my lips in a long, bruising kiss, releasing weeks of agony, silence, and violent, unexpressed yearning.
I let out a soft sigh into his mouth.
My hands moved under his jacket, gliding over the rigid muscle beneath.
He deepened the kiss, his tongue claiming mine until my breath hitched.
I pulled him closer, sinking into his touch.
We held each other as dusk faded into night outside, our breathing synchronizing in the quiet sanctuary while the ambient light died around us.
His chin rested on my head, his muscled arms forming a solid lock.
‘About the paperwork,’ he growled into my ear. ‘Does this mean -?’
‘Burn it all,’ I murmured into his throat. ‘I’m not signing those divorce papers. I adore you too much to let you go.’
‘Fuck, woman, I love you,’ he rumbled into my hair. ‘I don’t deserve you, but I’m never letting you leave my side again.’
He reclined back with a ragged exhale, and as I sat on his lap, he reached under the collar of his tee.
His calloused hand pulled out his chain, with his Aquila pendant and a ring.
My soul jolted.
My diamond ring.
With grim focus, Jude unclasped his chain, removed the band, and held out a hand to me.
‘Til death,’ he rasped.
‘Sempre,’ I whispered as he slid the ring on my finger.
We shared a soft, poignant kiss that almost broke me as I re-clasped his chain behind his nape.
When we tore our lips apart, I rested my chin on his shoulder, arms around him, as I gazed past his ear toward the window.
A shadow caught the twilight outside the glass.
Perched on the limestone ledge, a sizable raptor peered down into the sanctuary, its curved beak and golden eyes glinting in the dark.
It wasn’t an Aquila del Bonelli eagle, but the size was similar.
Its feathers ruffled in the evening breeze.
Jude angled away from me, a silent chuckle shaking his chest as he followed my gaze.
‘Damn these eagles. Always showing up for us.’
‘A cousin, you think? One that’s come to make sure we get our shit together?’
His lips quirked.
‘Most likely. If I step out of line again, I expect one might rip out my throat.’
Jude stared down at me with fierce, possessive affection, tightening his grip around my waist.
His smirk faded into an expression of utter devotion.
His thumbs slid to my jawline, tilting my face upward as his gaze locked onto my lips.
This time, the kiss was deeper, an unhurried, beautiful claiming of each other that left us both breathless.
We held each other until the final light vanished from the sanctuary.
His chin rested on the top of my head, his muscled arms holding me with protective intensity.
‘You’re a real piece of work, you know that?’ he murmured into my hair. ‘I never planned for you, woman, never saw you coming. Yet I went through hell for you, and I’d do it again if only for this moment with you. I love you.’
‘Ti amo, mi alma,’ I whispered, tightening my grip on him. ‘Ti amo di più.’