Page 96 of Only This Once
“Don’t apologize,” Charles said, his hand tightened where he gripped the bag she handed back to him. “That scene wasn’t on you.”
Julia didn’t agree, though it frustrated her that John’s wife seemed to focus on hating the women her husband cheated with instead of getting fed up with him. His wife would be stuck until she realized she deserved better.
“On the bright side, it didn’t take years,” Jinx said, his fingers stroking along her hip.
Confused, she lifted an eyebrow, but when she looked toward him, he had that giddy smile she was beginning to see often.
His cheeks flooded with color. “I’m pretty sure most of the hospital heard you shout that you loved me.”
“The ones who didn’t will hear about it soon enough,” Charles agreed, some of his tension fading.
Julia swallowed, but her lips twitched. “I didn’t say your name specifically.”
Jinx leaned into her, grazing her cheek with his lips. “Yeah, but everyone will know it’s me.” He released her hip to link their hands instead. “Ready to head home?”
“Yeah,” she murmured, loving the way her fingers fit between his. “I’m ready to get you all to myself.”
Charles pretended not to hear while Jinx got even redder. Julia laughed, realizing all over again how much lighter she felt when Jinx was by her side. It was a feeling she wanted to experience as often as possible.
Chapter 29
Julia grabbed the ice cream bowls filled with bananas and strawberry goodness, heading back to where Jinx waited for her on the couch. “You and Dad were talking for quite a while today.”
Jinx smiled at her, holding his hands up for the bowl. “Yeah, he—”
Unable to resist, she kissed him, her lips lingering. She put the bowl in his now limp hands, making sure they were able to support it before sitting beside him.
“He what?”
Jinx swallowed. There was a part of her that loved when he crawled his way back up from heat. He cleared his throat. “He was showing me the next cruise he’s surprising your mom with.” His eyes widened. “Oh, shoot, it’s supposed to be a secret.”
Julia laughed. “Don’t worry, my mom will pretend it is. Just like she did with the last one.” She rolled her eyes, scooping up the perfect ratio of strawberry ice cream to banana and humming around that first spoonful.
The pupils of Jinx’s gorgeous eyes widened even further. She was already craving something other than ice cream.
“I love that they’re enjoying retirement together, but it sounds like they won’t be around for next month’s family lunch.” Jinx loved those Sundays, not getting tired of them no matter how many he attended. It was just another thing that made him perfect for her.
Julia had never thought she’d be content in a more traditional relationship. Every day proved the old her more and more wrong. Except for the not wanting kids part. She was very thankful that every time she checked in with Jinx about that, he was as certain as she was. “Oh, Phoebe called. She’s hit the tired of being pregnant stage again, with a side of nesting fever. I offered to help her repaint the nursery.”
“Just you two, or can I help?” Jinx asked, pausing with his spoon in the air.
Julia leaned forward, taking it from him and using her tongue to lick the spoon more than was strictly necessary. She teased a drop from her lip, turning them both on. “Mmmm,” she hummed, watching the pulse in his throat flutter. “Just the two of us. She wants to complain about things I’d rather save you from.”
Jinx leaned forward, abandoning his bowl on the coffee table. “You’re always saving me.”
Hers snapped down beside his before she turned, climbing onto his lap and gripping the back of the couch, trapping him just where she wanted him. “And I always will,” she murmured before capturing his lips. Both of their mouths were cold from the ice cream, but that made the heat curling inside of her even hotter. She sucked on his bottom lip before biting it, loving the way he shuddered. “You okay if I have my way with you right here?” she asked, nuzzling her way into his neck so she could suck on the skin over his pulse.
His head fell back. “God, Julia,” he gasped as she sucked even harder, wanting to mark him.
“More. I need more.” She kissed her way up his jaw and back to his mouth, stroking her tongue inside as she began to grind on his lap. She never got sick of kissing him. Long drugging kisses, small loving brushes, brief absent-minded pecks, they all added up over the last year they’d been together, but there could never be enough. Right now, she needed to devour him. The strawberry flavor was already gone, and it was all Jinx in every taste. Her favorite. Everything about him was her favorite.
She captured his erection between her legs, rocking in the way that made him make the sweetest whimpers.
Her lips gave him one more drugging kiss before parting from his. “We need less clothes.” It was difficult to accomplish since neither of them wanted to separate. They lost their shirts first, his fingers finding her nipples to pinch.
“I like your hands there,” she told him, her chest arching into his touch as she lifted, trying to shove her loose black pants and underwear to her knees. She had to fall back to the couch to kick them off, and Jinx followed her, one of his hands slipping between her legs while the other continued to keep the nerve endings in her nipple alive.
He let out a small moan at how wet she already was, dipping into her slit before tracing his damp finger around her clit.
