Chapter 31
JUNO
Ifollowed Hollis into his house, the purple dress whispering against my thighs with every step. My heels clicked on the hardwood as we moved into the living room.
He walked to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of vodka. “Want a drink?”
“Please.”
It was our thing. The few times we had managed to get together over the last three weeks, we discovered we had a shared love of vodka tonics with lemon twists.
He handed me a glass. I returned my gaze to the windows. It was dark with only soft lights from other houses along the shore.
He stood beside me, both of us sipping our drinks. It was peaceful and perfect.
“So,” he said. “Would you like to slip into something more comfortable?”
I raised an eyebrow, fighting the smile that wanted to break free. “That line is so old.”
“It’s an honest question. I want you… comfortable.”
“You want me naked.”
“Aren’t you comfortable in the nude?”
“I am around you,” I said.
“We could sit in the hot tub. Or go for a swim.”
“In the nude.”
“Is there any other way?”
Heat rushed up my neck. “You’re terrible.”
“Terrible and hopeful.” He leaned in, mouth brushing my ear. “Your call, Juno. I’m a very accommodating host.”
I set my glass down, my pulse already picking up at the way his eyes tracked the movement. “Hot tub.”
“My choice as well.”
He reached for my waist and then slowly turned me around.
Then his fingers found the zipper at the back, and he drew it down with deliberate care, inch by inch.
Cool air kissed my spine as the dress loosened.
He paused halfway, leaning in to press his mouth to the bare skin he’d revealed, the kiss lingering long after his lips were gone. My breath hitched.
“You’re stalling,” I murmured, though I didn’t move away.
“Admiring,” he corrected, voice low against my shoulder blade.
The zipper continued its slow descent until the dress pooled at my hips.
He helped it the rest of the way down, steady hands guiding the fabric over my curves until it slipped free and puddled on the floor.
I stepped out of it in nothing but the diamond necklace, earrings, and heels.
I lifted my hair. “I don’t dare wear this in the hot tub.”
He unclasped the necklace and gently pulled it from my neck.
He put it on the table while I removed the earrings.
I turned back around and arched one brow.
I was very naked and he was not. The old Juno would be freaked out standing in her birthday suit in front of a gorgeous guy, but not with Hollis.
I trusted him with my body. He’d seen every inch of me.
Hollis’s gaze heated, but he only offered his hand. “Come on.”
We left the dress where it lay and crossed the deck to the hot tub tucked against the railing.
Steam curled up into the night air, the surface dark and inviting.
He stripped off his own clothes with far less ceremony, leaving them in a careless pile, then helped me out of the heels and stepped in first. I followed, the heat enveloping me.
He pulled me down onto the submerged bench beside him, one arm sliding around my waist, the other hand finding my thigh under the water.
The kiss that followed was unhurried at first. I turned to face him, water shifting around us.
My hands slid up his chest as his lips parted mine.
His tongue teased, coaxed. Fingers traced the line of my ribs, cupped the weight of my breast. His thumb circled lazily across my nipple and I arched and moaned into his mouth.
He drew me closer, settling me half across his lap.
The hard length of him pressed against my thigh.
My hands roamed over him, mapping the familiar ridges of muscle.
The kiss turned hungrier, his teeth grazing my lower lip.
My fingers threaded into his damp hair to hold him where I wanted him.
Water sloshed gently as I shifted, straddling him properly, the friction of skin on skin sending sparks racing through me.
I pulled back just enough to meet his eyes, my breath coming fast. “Sit on the edge,” I said, voice low and sure. “Now.”
“What?”
“Unless you want me to drown, sit on the edge.”
Hollis’s brows lifted, surprise flickering into heat.
He didn’t argue, just braced his hands on the rim and lifted himself out of the water in one smooth motion.
Water streamed down his chest and abs as he settled on the edge, legs parted.
I stayed in the tub, kneeling on the bench so the surface came just to my shoulders.
I wrapped my hands around his thighs, guiding him closer.
He was already hard. The sight sent a fresh pulse of need through me.
I leaned in, pressing an open-mouthed kiss to the head, tasting him.
His sharp inhale was all the encouragement I needed.
I took him deeper, tongue swirling, one hand stroking the base while the other slid up his stomach to feel the way his muscles jumped under my palm.
“Fuck, Juno,” he groaned.
I hollowed my cheeks and took him farther, loving the way his thighs tensed beneath my hands, the low sounds he made when I worked my tongue just right.
Steam rose around us, the night air cool against my wet skin, but all I cared about was the way he filled my mouth, the way his control frayed with every pass of my lips.
I pulled off for a second, breathing hard, a string of saliva connecting us. “Don’t hold back,” I told him, then sank down again, taking him deeper, faster, until his hips twitched and his head tipped back. His free hand found my shoulder, thumb stroking my collarbone.
The water lapped at my breasts as I moved. His grip tightened in my hair.
“Juno, I’m close,” he warned, voice ragged.
I didn’t stop. I wanted this, wanted him undone by me the way he always undid me. His whole body shuddered, a broken moan echoing around the deck. I slowed my pace until he was spent and breathing hard above me.
I pressed one last kiss to his thigh before resting my cheek against it, both of us catching our breath in the steam. His hand smoothed down my damp hair, tender now.
“Jesus,” he muttered, pulling me up into his lap again so I straddled him properly on the edge, water dripping from both of us. “You’re going to kill me.”
I smiled against his throat. “Not yet.”
He chuckled low in his chest, the sound rumbling through me. “Inside,” he murmured against my temple. “Now.”
Before I could respond, he stood, water cascading off his legs, and scooped me up like I weighed nothing.
My arms looped around his neck on instinct, legs wrapping around his waist. He carried me across the deck.
The air against my wet skin had gooseflesh covering my entire body.
He walked through the living room and didn’t stop until we reached the bedroom.
The door clicked shut behind us, and then his mouth was on mine again.
He kissed me like he had all night to savor every inch, tongue stroking slowly against mine as he lowered me onto the bed.
I arched up into him, hands sliding over the broad expanse of his back, pulling him closer.
His body covered mine, all hard muscle and heat, careful not to crush me but letting me feel every inch of him.
“Juno,” he whispered, voice rough. “I need you.”
I tugged him down for another kiss, slower, our breaths mingling as his hands roamed my body.
He kissed over my cheek and then tugged my earlobe with his teeth.
His mouth slid lower, his tongue sliding across my collarbone and then down to my breast. He worshiped every part of me, fingers tracing the places his tongue had been.
He whispered against my flesh, making me feel beautiful and desired in a way that still surprised me after all these weeks.
He reached for the nightstand and pulled out a condom. I watched him roll it on, his eyes never leaving mine. There was something intimate in that moment, the quiet pause that said this mattered. I couldn’t explain the connection I felt to him. But it was there.
His eyes locked on mine, watching me an intensity that sent heat spiraling through my body. He reached out and ran his fingers over my cheek in the gentlest touch. I tilted my head, leaning into it.
“What are you doing?” I asked softly.
“Memorizing every detail of this moment.”
I smiled. “Why?”
“Because it’s perfect.”
I got it. I understood. And I felt the same way.
When he settled between my thighs, he kissed me again. The gentle, loving press of his lips against mine touched my soul. He slowly pushed inside me. I moaned softly at the perfect stretch, my hands gripping his shoulders as he joined our bodies.
We moved together. Not frantic but deep and connected, his hips rocking against mine with deliberate care.
He kissed my jaw, my collarbone, murmuring my name like a prayer.
Pleasure built in slow waves, my legs wrapping around him to pull him closer, our bodies sliding together in perfect sync.
When the orgasm hit, it washed over me intensely, my walls clenching around him as I cried out into his neck.
He followed soon after, groaning my name, body shuddering above me as he held me through it.
Afterward, he eased out carefully, disposed of the condom, and pulled me into his arms. My head rested on his chest where his heart hammered against my ear. I traced lazy circles over his skin, content in the quiet.
“Stay the night,” he said softly, kissing the top of my head.
I smiled against his chest. “I already planned to.”
I nestled closer against his chest, letting the steady rhythm of his heartbeat relax me.
His arms tightened around me, one hand tracing slow circles on my bare back while the other rested at my hip.
The sheets were cool against our skin, the faint scent of sea salt drifting in through the open window.
“What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever bought?” I asked, my voice soft in the quiet room.
He chuckled, the sound vibrating through me. “A tiger.”
“Excuse me?”
“You know that movie, the one with the tiger in the hotel room. I wanted a tiger. Borrowed my mom’s credit card and bought one.”
“You did not.”
“I did. Never met the thing. Mom found out, and from what I understand, it lives in a very nice sanctuary in Africa. They send me cards every year thanking me for the donation and asking for another one. My parents said I almost created an international incident.”
I smiled against his skin. “Why am I not surprised?”
“Your turn. Worst purchase?”
“A pair of shoes I wore once and then hid in the back of my closet because they pinched my toes so bad I wanted to cry. I still have them.”
“Sentimental value?”
“More like stubborn refusal to admit defeat. And I paid over a thousand dollars for them.”
We drifted like that, trading silly stories about bad haircuts and awkward teenage phases, his fingers never stopping their gentle strokes.
The conversation faded into comfortable silences, broken only by soft laughs and the occasional murmur about favorite pizza toppings or the worst movie we’d ever seen.
His voice grew lower, sleepier. His hold never loosened, making the world outside feel far away.
I felt my eyelids grow heavy, the contentment wrapping around me like a weighted blanket. No tension, no overthinking, just the solid warmth of him and the knowledge that it felt right to be in his arms. My last thought before sleep claimed me was how perfectly I fit against him.