Page 88 of Cruelest Contract
I know he brought condoms with him. I’m not ready to get pregnant and Julian assured me there would be no pressure.
I haven’t changed my mind. But now that we’re here together all I want is to be as close to him as possible.
“I need to feel you. Can you pull out?”
In answer, he takes another drink from the bottle. He sets it down on the nightstand. Then he cups a hand around the back of my neck to keep me in place when his mouth collides with mine. His tongue parts my lips. A rush of bourbon floods in with his tongue.
It burns my throat when it goes down. I swallow it anyway. I pull his underwear down and the length of his cock slaps into my palm.
Julian takes control of my mouth again and I’m so lost in the overpowering sensation of kissing him that I hardly realize he’s pushing me backwards until my back hits the mattress. My legs open with extreme eagerness and I feel the delicate fabric of my slip tear when he yanks it up over my hips.
There’s a twinge of nerves when I brace for him to enter me with brute force. However, he doesn’t. He’s slow, pulling back to watch my face, mindful of his size and careful not to hurt me.
I haven’t had sex in ages. It was never like this, overwhelming and all consuming. I’m used to him in a hurry, my body adjusting to take the full length of him inside. Julian balances himself on his elbows, keeping the bulk of his weight off me. He moves slow and deep until I moan and arch my back, marveling at how good it feels to have no barrier between us.
A tidal wave is rising and I feel it closing in with every masterful thrust of his hips. I’ve always found it so difficult to let go and stop my mind from wandering in different directions with irrelevant worries.
Julian, on the other hand, demands and receives every scrap of my attention when we touch. There’s nothing on earth worth thinking about other than the way we move together.
This is not just an arrangement. This is the start of something real and permanent.
As I cling to my new husband, everything feels right. My future is with him. A wild thought skates through my mind that I love him and I think right now it’s true. I have no regrets.
The pinnacle is here and I don’t resist when the wave carries me off. Julian thrusts with deep, rhythmic precision and I cry out when I come. I whimper his name and I nestle my face into the crook of his neck. The onslaught is so intense that the rest of my senses are briefly blotted out. By time I reclaim them, I’m shaking and spent.
Meanwhile, Julian is busy. He’s tearing open a condom with his teeth.
“Watch me, Cecilia,” he commands and I do.
I watch him as he withdraws long enough to slide on the condom. The next invasion is far less gentle but exactly what I need. I’m mesmerized by his face as he rapidly climbs his own peak and finally gives in.
He comes with a deep groan, exhaling my name, and I feel the pulse of his release. Part of me wishes I’d told him to leave the condom off, no matter how reckless. A twinge of sorrow hits me when he pulls away for good. I miss him already.
Julian faces away while disposing of the condom. He crawls to my side and gently plucks a pink silk flower bud from my hair. I’d forgotten they were still there.
But I’ve been quiet for too long and a wrinkle of concern appears between his brows.
“Are you all right?” He strokes my cheek.
His hair is messy and his eyes are worried. He’s the most dangerously perfect man I’ve ever seen and I spring forward on impulse, wrapping my arms around him and holding him tight.
“I’m so glad I married you,” I blurt out and then cringe at the childish way this sounds.
Julian’s low chuckle tickles my ear and he kisses my neck. “Ah, Cecilia,” he sighs and then finds my mouth.
We kiss deeply, with languid passion. It’s not terribly late but the day has been a long one and I’m feeling sleepy. Julian helps me remove my torn slip and bra and he possessively curls my body against his before tucking the blankets around us.
“Rest for a little while if you need to, my beautiful girl.” He kisses my forehead and then switches the light off. “I’ll be right here waiting when you wake up.”
Julian’s promises are always sincere. The feel of his fingers lazily stroking my skin is heaven and I drift away in his arms.
But I don’t sleep for long. And when I wake up, my husband wastes no time before he demands what I’m eager to give him again.
17
JULIAN
The whir of the hair dryer hasn’t stopped but I’m still pulling food out of the fridge. Cecilia is bound to be hungry when she leaves the bathroom. Fuck knows I’ve worn her out over the past three days and this morning was no different.
