Jules and I barely made it into my house before I was inside
her again.
Weโd already had s*x once tonight. That shouldโve taken the edge off my need, but I was addicted to this. To her. Her taste, her smell, the little breathy moans she let out every time I thrust into her and the way her pussy clamped around my cock like it was made for me. I wanted all of it, all the time.
I couldnโt remember the last time Iโd been this ravenous over a woman. It wouldโve been concerning had I given a single fuck, but I subscribed to the philosophy that we should enjoy the good things while they lasted. And I was enjoying the fuck out of myselfโฆwith one notable thorn in our encounter.
โWho was the guy, Red?โ I slowed my thrusts so I could reach between us and stroke her clit. A dark smile curled my mouth when her head fell back and her lips parted at the touch.
Iโd been distracted by Julesโs obvious provocation at Hyacinth. Now that I was home, something clawed at my chest when I remembered the way herย old friendย brushed her hair out of her face. It had been an intimate, knowing touch, the kind you only gave someone youโd slept with.
Given Julesโs reaction when he left, she hadnโt been thrilled to see him, but that didnโt stop the irrational beast inside me from rearing its ugly head.
โWhat guy?โ she gasped. She was a messโhair tousled, lips swollen, skin slicked with sweat and marked from my teeth.
It was the most beautiful sight Iโd ever seen.
I ignored the strange pang in my chest and lowered my head until my lips brushed hers. โYour friend from the club.โ
Jules hadnโt provided any details other than theย old friendย line, and I thought that would be enough. But it was an hour later, and I still couldnโt shake my irritation at seeing them together.
She stiffened. She had her limbs wrapped around me while I braced her against the living room wall, and I felt the tension in every part of her body.
โHeโs what you said. A friend.โ She cocked an eyebrow. โAre you really talking about another guy while youโre still inside me?โ
โIโll do whatever I like when Iโm inside you.โ I pinched her nipple, hard, in punishment. โHow close of a friend is he?โ
Her eyes glittered with amusement even as her mouth parted at my rough touch. โJealous?โ
โNot even a little bit.โ
It mirrored our conversation at Hyacinth, and like at the club, I scoffed at the suggestion I was jealous. I didnโt get jealous, especially not over women. People got jealous ofย me.
โOne week into our pact and youโre already breaking the rules,โ Jules purred. โI expected more of you.โ
โIโm.ย Not.ย Jealous,โ I snarled, emphasizing each word with a hard thrust inside her.
Her breath hitched. โCouldโve fooledโโ
Jules let out a mu๏ฌed whine of protest when I clamped my hand over her mouth.
โI only want to hear you when youโre begging and coming, Red.โ I smiled at the indignation in her eyes, but the smile disappeared a second later when sharp pain lanced into my palm.
I yanked it away with a shocked hiss. She fuckingย bit
me!
โMy bad.โ A lazy gleam of satisfaction replaced her indignation. โYour hand was in my way.โ
A growl rose in my throat. I pinched her nipple again until she let out a sharp cry, her face screwed in pleasure and pain.
โThatโsย what I want to hear,โ I said.
I picked up speed, my cock pistoning in and out of her in a punishing rhythm until she lost her words to a string of moans and came again.
Julesโs head fell back, her mouth falling open in a breathy scream from the force of her orgasm.ย Fuck.ย The sensation of her cunt rippling around me was too much to take, and I came right after with a loud groan.
My blood pumped with a mixture of lust and anger, and I sank my teeth into the curve of her neck while the high from my orgasm faded. Her cinnamon and spice scent filled my nostrils, drugging me almost as much as the sound of her delicious cries.
โFor someone who claims to hate me so much, you sure scream a lot for me.โ I lifted my head and rubbed my thumb over her blossoming hickey with satisfaction.
The primal, territorial part of me loved that Iโd marked her. I wanted to shove it in herย old friendโs face and declare her off-limits unless he wanted a highly unpleasant meeting with my fist.
Just because I didnโtย likeย Jules didnโt mean I wanted anyone else to see her like this. Body languid, face drowsy
with contentment as she stretched against me. None of the prickly armor she wore in public.
This was a side of her only a select few got to see, and no one else was invited to the fucking club.
โItโs a scream of disgust, Chen,โ she drawled. โIโm sure youโre used to those.โ
I withdrew from her and chuckled when she almost collapsed on the ground without me holding her up.
She glared at me, eyes spitting fire.
โThen it seems you have a disgust kink, because you canโt get enough of me.โ I tossed my condom in the nearby trash can and pulled on my pants. โNo more tonight, Red, or Iโll have to start charging per orgasm. But if you want more of my cock, I could be persuaded, depending on how nicely you beg.โ
โFuck you.โ She snatched her dress off the floor.
โHmm, not your best work. You might want to practice theย nicelyย part.โ
My chuckle morphed into a full laugh when she stormed past me toward the bathroom, her head held high.
She was so easy to rile up.
Since Jules was taking forever and a day in the shower, I used the opportunity to clean up the mess weโd made in the living roomโa toppled coat tree, knocked-over picture frames.
Iโd just finishing straightening up when a boom of thunder cracked the silence. My head jerked up, and I crossed to the window and pulled aside the curtains.
โFuck.โ
Somehow, the light drizzle from earlier had exploded into a full-blown storm. Another crack of thunder rattled the old wooden bones of the house, and rain lashed against the windows in such thick sheets it created tiny, fast- flowing river systems on the glass.
โWhatโs going on?โ
I turned to see Jules fresh out of the shower, her hair damp around her shoulders and her body wrapped in a tiny towel.
My cock perked with interest, but I ignored the horny bastard. Itโd had enough for the night. It was time for my brain to take the wheel, and my brain told me the faster I got Jules out of here, the better.
Unfortunately, I couldnโt let her leave when it was storming like this outside.
โThe apocalypse started while we were fucking,โ I said. She peered over my shoulder and rolled her eyes.
โYouโre being dramatic. Itโs a little rain.โ She fished her phone from the table where sheโd left it.
โWhat are you doing?โ
โCalling a car.โ Her brow puckered. โThe price surge when it rains is ridiculousโhey!โ
I ignored her protest as I snatched the phone out of her hand. โUnless you have a death wish, you are not getting in a car in these conditions.โ
โItโsย rain,ย Josh. Water. Iโll be fine.โ
โWater that cars can slide and get into accidents in,โ I growled. โI work in the ER. Do you know how many car accident cases I see from storms? Aย lot.โ
โYouโre being paranoid. Iโm notโโ
Our phones shrieked with emergency flash flood warning text alerts.
โThatโs it.โ I shoved her phone into my pocket. โYouโre staying until the rain lets up.โ
I wouldnโt let anyone, not even my worst enemy, go home in these conditions. The chances were slim, but if anything happened to herโฆ
My throat constricted.
I couldnโt have another death on my hands.
Jules mustโve seen the conviction in my eyes, because she sighed in resignation. โCan I at least borrow something
to wear while I wait? Iโm not spending the next God knows how many hours in my club dress.โ
Half an hour later, sheโd changed into one of my old T- shirts and weโd settled on the couch, arguing over which movie to watch.
โToo boring.โ โToo cheesy.โ
โNo horror. I hate horror.โ โThatโs a kidโs movie, Red.โ โSo? Kidโs movies can be good.โ โYeah. If youโre a fucking kid.โ
Jules responded with a sweet smile. โFunny you should say that, considering how hard you cried watchingย The Lion King. Last year.โ
I scowled.ย Ava.ย How many times did I have to tell her not to share every single fucking thing about me with her friends?
โMufasa didnโt deserve to die, okay?โ I snapped. โAt least Iโm not such a wuss I hide behind my hands every time the poster for a horror movie pops up.โ
โIโm not aย wuss.ย I just dislike ugly things, which is why I try not to look at youโdonโt youย dareย putย The Ringย on!โ
โTry and stop me.โ
After more useless bickering, we finally settled on the fairest way to chooseโby closing our eyes and scrolling until we hit the lucky selection.
It wasโฆFinding Nemo.
Youโve gotta be shitting me.
I kept my expression neutral, but my muscles locked with tension as the movieโs opening scene unfurled.
โWhy are you so quiet?โ Jules slid a sidelong glance in my direction. โDonโt tell me you donโt like this movie either. Itโs a classic.โ
A dozen excuses sat on the tip of my tongue, but the truth swept past all of them and spilled out before I could stop it. โThis was me and my dadโs favorite movie,โ I said
shortly. โWe watched it every year on my birthday. Tradition.โ
Julesโs face softened for the first time that night. โWe can watch something else.โ
โNah, weโre good. Itโs just a movie.โ
Onscreen, Marlin the clownfish pursued the boat that had captured his son Nemo to no avail.
It was ironic that a movie about a role model parent was the one that reminded me most of Michael, considering he was the exact opposite of a good parent.
โFinding Nemoย is fish propaganda,โ Jules said out of nowhere. โDid you know real-life fish are terrible parents? Most fish species are happy to abandon their newborns to fend for themselves. Itโs not worth the energy and risk for them to try and protect their offspring.โ
A startled laugh escaped me. โHow do you know that?โ โI did a report on it in high school. I got an A,โ Jules
added with pride.
I suppressed another smile. โOf course you did.โ My leg brushed against hers when I shifted positions, and a tiny electric zing shot up my thigh before I yanked it away. โWhat does your dad do?โ I asked, trying to cover up my knee-jerk reaction.
Part of me was also genuinely curious. Jules never talked about her family.
She shrugged. โNo idea. He left when I was a baby.โ โShit. Iโm sorry.โย Way to step into it, Chen.
โItโs fine. From what I hear, he was an asshole anyway.โ โChildren of asshole fathers unite,โ I quipped, earning
myself a small laugh.
We fell into a comfortable silence as we watched the movie. I only half paid attention to what was happening onscreen; the other half was busy gauging Julesโs reactions to my favorite scenes. Her laugh when Marlin met Dory, her gasp when the shark started chasing the pair, her
humming along to Doryโs famousย just keep swimming
mantra.
She mustโve seen the movie already, but she reacted like it was her first time. It was oddly charming.
I dragged my eyes back to the screen.ย Focus.
It was only when we neared the end of the film that I realized the rain had stopped. I checked on Jules to find her passed out with her head nestled against the throw pillow on her other side.
One of our rules was no sleepovers, but she looked so peaceful I couldnโt bring myself to wake her up.
It was only one night, and the weather hadย forcedย her to stay over. It wasnโt like we were going to make a habit of staying over each otherโs places.
Just one night. Thatโs it.
