Page 82 of Free to Judge
Looking over my shoulder, those nerves settle when I see the intensity on his face. For just a second, time stands still. Until he drags a finger from the nape of my neck down my spine, in between the cleft of my cheeks, in between my thighs. He rims my dripping entrance. “Is this where you want me, firebrand?”
My legs, strong legs that have carried me thousands of miles, quiver.
He slides his finger in one thrust. “Ahh!” My body clutches at his digit, throbbing. My eyes roll back, and I’m afraid I’m about to come. When I tell him that, he smirks before adding a second and thrusting lazily. “I always wanted to feel fire. Burn on me, Kalie.”
So I do. I detonate, squeezing his fingers as I explode. My world rightens when I feel his body press against my back, even as my slickness slides down my thighs. Before I can ramp up for a second round, he pulls away.
I let out a mew of disappointment. That is until I see him reach for the buckle of his belt.
Twisting until I can admire the striptease in front of me, I bite my lip at the thick arousal he reveals. “Let me touch you.”
“Not this time, firebrand. I need to be inside you.” Before he shucks his slacks completely off, he reaches inside his wallet for protection. After sliding the condom on his cock—a cock that has a barbell right behind the head which causes my juices to leak even more—he pulls me forward against him. His hand slides beneath my thigh to align us.
I wrap it around his hip before he nudges the other to encase his waist. Bracing me back against the wall, he positions himself at my entrance, slowly pushing inside until he’s fully sheathed within me.
I gasp at the feeling of being so full, so owned, with the extra pressure of the metal nudging my walls. I can’t help but beg for more. “Please…”
His hands grip my hips tightly as he begins to move, thrusting into me with a rough rhythm that sends waves of pleasure crashing through me.
“You’re mine,” he growls, grips my hips tighter, pulling me on and off him.
“Fuck,” I cry out, my voice echoing in the silence of my living room. “More, Declan.”
He grunts in approval, increasing the pace of his thrusts. His free hand braces against the wall as he controls the pace of our movements.
I’m about to fall off the edge. I gasp, “So…so close. Please…”
Then I fall over, every muscle inside me desperate to pull him over with me. I wrap my arms around his shoulders as shudders of completion rip through my body. Turning my head, I run my tongue up the side of his neck.
“God…Love…More…Kalie…,” he grunts. A few final thrusts, then Declan drives in deep, holding still as he empties himself inside me.
We’re barely standing, panting heavily. Sweat trickles down from the corner of his temple. My hand comes up to brush it aside. Despite the primitiveness of it, our coming together was perfect. It was us. It was ripping open our souls.
“You’re mine,” he repeats softly, leaning forward to press a kiss against my sweaty forehead. “Always.”
“And you’re mine.” It comes out breathless, like I’ve run a marathon.
But why am I worried I won’t be able to hold on to the prize at the end of the race?
CHAPTER FORTY
I’ve never been soafraid in my life as I am waking up next to Kalie the next morning. I’ve never been filled with this kind of fear before—one that has nothing to do with violence, death, or betrayal, but everything to do with her.
What she makes me feel.
My heart is overflowing with emotions I haven’t ever allowed myself to feel for a woman. Even tangled in the sheets, her face relaxed and peaceful, she’s the most beautiful thing I’ve woken up to. Her breathing is soft and steady, her chest rising and falling with each inhale and exhale. Her features are serene, an expression of absolute trust that makes my heart clench.
I need to ensure it stays that way.
After last night, I know I will never be without her in my life. For the first time, I truly understand what I’m risking. I’m not just selfish for wanting her so much, for thinking I can have it all before getting closure on the bastard who killed Tanya. I’m endangering her more than she already is.
Now, after waking up tangled in her, my resolve is even stronger.
Still, I need these few moments. I need to store them away in a sacred place no one can touch so I know what it’s like to live with Kalie by my side for those dark days to come when she can’t be next to me as I finish the job I was set out to do. It’s not that I don’t want her there, it’s that I refuse to endanger her. Having Kalie by my side is everything I could possibly dream of. She’s perfect—someone brave enough to put her heart in my hands even after everything I’ve done.
Without thinking, I reach out and brush my fingers gently across her cheek. Her nose twitches, but her eyes stay closed. She shifts slightly, tucking herself closer to me in a way that’s so trusting and pure I’m afraid it’s going to destroy me. Then her lips part, and she breathes three little words that crush my soul.
“I love you.”
