Why Him?_May December Romance

by Rie Warren

  Crouching behind me, Jude carefully rolled down my stockings. He tenderly lifted my tired feet from the high heels, massaging my ankles.

  I smiled again, taken by his gentleness as much as his domination.

  He pulled off my panties then kneaded my bottom in two large hands while he licked and kissed up the backs of my thighs.

  “Spread your legs and press out your ass so I can see my cum drip out of you.”

  And the dirty man was back.

  Just his words did it to me . . .

  I arched my back brazenly and awaited his next naughty command.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Jude

  MY CUM SLID FROM Cady’s pink slit while I nibbled the back of her thigh, my fingers caressing from her ankles up to her knees. I could see I’d stretched her, and I fucking liked it.

  Rising behind her, I spun her up into my arms. Our lips melded together until I dropped her on the bed.

  She watched while I flung off the rest of my clothes.

  No words now. Because there were none. Just us. Just heat. Just bodies.

  Just love.

  Christ, I love her so much.

  Her eyes drifted from my chest to my abdomen to my cock that had already sprung back to thick hardness.

  I crawled up over her, kissing the swell of her hip, the indent of her waist, the underside of her breast to one pert nipple that ripened beneath my tongue.

  With a sultry laugh, Cady pushed at me. I went with her, letting her roll me to my back as I stretched beneath her.

  “You’re mine now.” She straddled my lap, her sweet cunt riding along the solid length of my cock.

  Muscles bunching, I gave a harsh grunt. “I always was.”

  Her head dropped, her lips landing on mine, and her tits swayed against my chest. The sensation of her erect nipples raking through my hair tugged a groan from my throat, and she laughed hoarsely again.

  I only moved my hands to clasp the round flesh of her ass when she perched her pussy above my dick. She looked into my eyes, dancing her slippery gash around my cockhead.

  Snarling with the need to be deep-seated inside her, I tried to pull her down on my thick rod.

  Cady rocked up, tits bouncing. Her tongue leaped out to trace along my lips like she used the tip of my cock to trace around the wet warmth of her cunt.

  “Ask me,” she said, her tongue touching the corner of my mouth.

  “Fuck me, darlin’.” I grasped her head in my hands and plundered her mouth in wet hot swipes. “Fuck me before I toss you over and tear into you again.”

  Dipping a finger between my lips, she dipped the head of my cock into her lush heat.

  “That’s not very polite, Jude.” Her hips undulated from side to side, swishing around the first inch of my dick.

  I beat my head back, hands smacking her ass with loud snaps before I skimmed my palms to the tits I held gently.

  “Please,” I said from between gritted teeth, eyes flashing.

  As she slowly lowered herself onto my cock, I rose up enough to watch my rigid flesh disappear into her soft-hot surrounds.

  Cady sat, ass on my thighs, pussy engulfing me, and her back slowly arched in one amazing vision of femininity.

  My breath caught in my throat, and she held me spellbound. That instant I was fully inside her, and she was completely mine.

  I ran a hand down between her breasts and over her belly, marveling at her beauty.

  Her eyes fluttered open, and she began this hypnotizing gyrating motion that stirred my cock from within her deepest recesses.

  “You’re so goddamn perfect.” I held her hands in mine, kissing her shoulders, licking her neck, finding her hot parted mouth.

  Her pace unhurried, she took me. Up and down. In and out. Over and over. Soft and slow. Heated and sexy.

  And after she came with my thumb barely touching the side of her clit, I flipped her to her back.

  I wanted one last thing.

  I wanted her to look at me when I filled her with my cum. I withdrew to the tip and waited, poised, until her eyelids fluttered open. I brushed her lips with mine, tasting her warm moan when I slowly entered her pulsing flesh.

  One hand cradling her face, the other cupping her ass to draw her up onto me, I penetrated her with long smooth strokes.

  Her neck arched. “Jude.”

  Her legs wrapped around my hips. “Jude!”

  As she climaxed on my cock, I quickened with powerful thrusts, jarring each gasping breath from her body.

  Nuzzling her neck, groaning her name, I lunged a final time into her clutching heat. Buried inside her, my cock exploded in throbbing splashes, jerking and flexing and unloading.

  A long rumbling groan filtered from my chest. I panted, easing out of her, smoothing a hand down the sweat-slicked front of her body. She whimpered and squirmed and threw one leg across mine when I settled onto my back.

  We lay there, sprawled in the middle of her bed—the place I’d wanted to be from the first time I entered her house.

  Smiling, I drew fingertips down the slope of her breasts that cushioned against my chest. Finding her nipple, I lazily swirled around it, and she murmured my name, kissing my throat.

  “Does this mean I can take you out tomorrow night?” My voice sounded husky and unused.

  In an instant, Cady popped up, eyes that had been sleepy now wide and alert. “What?”

  “A date. With me.”

  She untangled herself, quickly rising from the bed. “Jude. This isn’t . . . we’re not . . .”

  “Oh, so you think I’m good enough for a fuck, and that’s it?” I jumped up after her, suddenly so pissed off I could hardly see straight. “What? You just want to go back to a weekly wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am?”

  Her guilty expression showed everything.

  “That’s not gonna happen anymore, Cady. Either we do it all or nothing at all.” My hand slashed across the air in front of her.

  “Then it’s nothing. We’re nothing.” Her firm resolve gutted me, and I stood there, chest heaving, anger barely leashed.

  Flinging out a low curse, I yanked on my jeans.

  She grabbed a robe.

  I wanted to shred the fucking thing from her body.

  Instead I stomped back to her and took her by the shoulders, shaking her. “What if I don’t just want sex with you, Cady? What if I never did? I want all of you. I want this. A life!”

  “No. No. No!” She shoved me away. “I don’t want this. I told you the first time. You know I can’t!”

  “Bullshit. You’re scared, that’s all. Look, I get it. Because of Gregory, but I’m not him. I’m not gonna cheat on you. There’s no way.”

  “You get it? You’re twenty-six years old, and you get it? What it’s like to be betrayed so terribly? To raise three children virtually on your own? To think you’re never going to fall in love again? Then—”

  “You love me?” I stared at her, filled with even fiercer emotion.

  Her cheeks splashed with color, but she shook her head. “I don’t. I don’t love you, Jude. I can’t.”

  “You’re in love with me, Cady,” I said it more gently, overwhelmed that it could be true. “And I love you.”

  She swallowed, her gaze on mine. And I thought she was gonna rush into my arms and finally give in, but that would’ve been way too fucking easy, wouldn’t it?

  She stepped back instead. “There’s no future in this. You’re too young, you really want to be saddled down with me and my three kids?”

  “Jesus motherfucking Christ! Not this again. I don’t give a fuck how old you are. Yes, I want you. Yes, I want to be burdened with your sons. I think I’ve goddamn proven it. YES. There’s a future in us if you’re brave enough to want one.”

  She remained silent, face averted.

  I took her hand in mine, bringing it to my chest. “I still believe in love. I believe in us. We’re good together.”

  “It’s not enough.” She tugged her hand free.
/>   “We are. We’re enough, Cady.”

  “You don’t know that,” whispering, she frowned.

  “So it was okay for you just to fuck me when you wanted to, as long as you weren’t emotionally involved?” I sneered, because an aching wound was opening inside me where my heart should’ve been.

  And I really wanted to hurt her like she’d hurt me.

  “It wasn’t like that,” she protested.

  “Don’t kid yourself.” My voice was razor sharp. Sharp enough to cut. “You were using me. You got exactly what you wanted, only on your terms. And I was more than willing to give it to you because—goddammit—I knew there was more to you. Only you don’t want more from me. I can either be your fuck buddy or take care of your kids, but I’m not good enough to be everything you need? That’s bullshit.” I grabbed my shirt and pulled it on. Then I jabbed my finger at her. “You’re one fucking obstinate woman, you know that?”

  “You’re fired!”

  I looked her up and down before spinning toward the door. “Not so fast, Cady, because I goddamn quit.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Cady

  FRIDAY MORNING, I MANAGED to haul myself from bed, my eyes sandpapery sore. I got the boys off to school, and they were more subdued than ever before. Regretting my fight with Jude, I wondered how much they’d heard last night. Regretted even more I’d told him to go, knowing he wouldn’t be back.

  Not ever.

  I called in to Joelle. She wanted to know all about my date with Troy. I begged off, telling her I was sick.

  I’d give myself one day. One day I spent alternately crying and berating myself.

  Maybe this was what I did. Ran men off.

  I cried some more and thought about texting Jude or, instead, deleting his info. I hadn’t wanted it in the first place. But that was a lie. I was a lie. I was a weepy mess, and I still looked for him to stride into the house days later, all bedroom eyes and big smiles and sexy suggestions.

  But he didn’t come.

  And I knew he wouldn’t.

  ****

  Monday was almost worse, because I had to face the music with Joelle, not something to ever look forward to. The woman had an uncanny ability to see right through all my bullshit.

  I fortified myself with a giant cup of coffee and two travel packs of Kleenex tissues stashed in my bag. I’d intended to sweep right past her desk, close my office door, then ignore all inquiries.

  Instead I took one look at her and almost fell apart again.

  “Oh dear.” She grabbed the bowl of candy on her desk and swiveled toward me in her chair. “This calls for Gummy Bears.”

  “I hate Gummy Bears.” My voice trembled.

  “They’re not for you.”

  I took a couple steps toward her. “He’s gone.”

  “Troy?” Joelle’s hand halted halfway to her mouth.

  “Oh, God, Troy. He’s the reason I’m in this mess in the first place.”

  “What exactly are you talking about?” She examined the colorful candy wad she held. “First of all, you’ve never called in sick a day in your life, and now you come to work telling me he’s gone. And by the by, you look like you could use a spa day, because you’re giving off a distinct woe is me aura, bags under your eyes and all.”

  I gave a halfhearted chuckle then choked on a sob that wanted to escape. “It’s Jude. Jude’s gone.”

  Peering at me curiously, Joelle gobbled some of her sticky sweets instead of hugging me. Probably because she knew I was on the verge of breaking down.

  “That’s what you wanted,” she said quietly, almost sadly.

  “I suppose it was.” My chin wobbled.

  “C’mere, honey-chile.”

  “I can’t.” I dabbed beneath my eyes. “If I start crying again, I’ll never stop.”

  ****

  Each day was endless. Every night interminable. Days lackluster, although the bright shiny fall weather didn’t seem to know.

  I was miserable. I knew the boys missed him too, and their consideration toward me was almost eerie. I wanted them to start bickering again. Heck, I would’ve been happy to find them concocting another Coca Cola-Mentos bomb on the patio.

  I wanted us to go back to normal.

  I figured Aiden was old enough now to watch his brothers when I couldn’t be home, and I made my schedule flexible enough for all the afterschool activities. I dreaded the thought of running into Jude at football—yet hoped more than anything I would.

  But he was never there. At least not when I was.

  We managed, but there was a yawning absence in the house. A man-sized absence.

  A Jude-sized hole in our lives because of me.

  How could it hurt so much? Worse than when I’d discovered Gregory was systematically, relentlessly cheating on me?

  But I knew. Jude had never betrayed me. He’d never treated me with anything other than respect and loyalty and kindness.

  As Thanksgiving approached, I thought of Jude and Rawls and even Skunk. I wanted them at my house, around my table. And then at Christmas—which the boys would spend with their father—I didn’t want to be alone.

  I didn’t want to miss Jude with this terrible ache inside my broken soul.

  Two weeks after our fight, Dane, Luke, and Aiden silently entered the living room where I sat in a big cushy chair, looking at work files on my laptop but not really seeing anything.

  I glanced up when Luke shoved Aiden forward.

  “Why me?” Aiden grumbled.

  “You’re the oldest,” Luke answered.

  “And we’re not supposed to know about this stuff,” Dane whispered in his not-so-quiet voice.

  Curiosity piqued, I shut the laptop.

  “Fine.” Coming closer, Aiden took a seat on the edge of the sofa. “It’s Thursday night, Mom.”

  “What? Oh I guess it is.” I pretended I didn’t know exactly what day it was.

  “Well, I called Joelle to see if she’d come over.”

  “You did? Why?”

  Dane sat cross-legged on the floor beside my chair. “You used to go out on Thursday nights.”

  “That was to play Bunko with my girlfriends.” I thought I lied smoothly enough even though my heart fluttered.

  “Right. Bunko.” Aiden rolled his eyes in that typically teenage way.

  Luke stomped over looking so much like the best part of his dad. “Look, Mom. Enough is enough already. You and Jude were . . . whatever, right? We’re not dumb. And it had something to do with Thursday nights or something. And Jeeeeesus, just go win him back or something already.”

  “You knew?” I stared at the three of them.

  “Uh duh? The dude had his tongue shoved down your throat.” That was Luke again, no surprise there.

  Aiden elbowed him in the ribs.

  Dane piped up. “What Luke said.”

  Aiden leaned forward. “And you were a lot more fun with him around. Not that you aren’t awesome anyway, but—”

  “Okay. Okay! Y’all better stop now before I take away your computer privileges.” I gave a wet laugh, determined not to tear up again.

  “Aiden’s porn privileges more like,” Luke mumbled.

  I am not even touching that one right now.

  And then Joelle sauntered in, without knocking or ringing the doorbell. “Oh, Lord.” She tsked. “Mom’s not still hemming and hawing, is she?”

  The boys—my lovely loyal children—all nodded.

  Joelle took my hand and heaved me up to my feet. “You need a good swift kick in the ass.”

  She swatted my behind instead. “Get upstairs. Get dressed. Get Jude back. And stop making everyone miserable, for God’s sake.”

  Completely steamrolled in my own house, I hurried to my bedroom. I wouldn’t be a coward anymore.

  I changed my clothes, but what I chose to wear was nothing like the finely tailored outfits I usually met Jude in.

  I hoped he’d understand, because Aiden took one look at me and blurt
ed, “Really, Mom?”

  “Yes.”

  “She might as well wear the wolf costume again.” Nose scrunched up, Dane scanned me up and down.

  “She’s so gonna bomb out,” Luke muttered under his breath.

  Even Joelle looked skeptical.

  I was about to take the biggest risk of my life, and I wasn’t sure I even stood a chance with Jude anymore.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Jude

  THE PAST TWO WEEKS had been pure hell.

  I felt like a tool about the things I’d said to Cady, but most of it was true. And what the fuck was so wrong with falling in love anyway?

  All I wanted to do was screw someone else to blow off some steam, forget about her, get her out of my system and off my mind once and for all.

  Forget about her, ha!

  As if that was ever gonna happen. Not to mention it was a dick move, up and leaving without saying bye to the boys or anything. I missed the little nerd, the little delinquent, the not-so-little-anymore teen boy.

  I missed Cady a helluva lot more.

  The second week since I’d stormed out of her house, I stormed around my house.

  “Yup.” Dad sat in his recliner, the Thursday Night Game muted, while I paced from one room to the other. “I think you made the right decision, boy.”

  “How’s that?” I halted beside his chair, brows drawn down because I didn’t think I’d stopped scowling since I’d left Cady in her bedroom.

  “Redheads. Nothin’ but trouble.” Dad kicked up his footrest.

  “I wouldn’t say that.” I might start to take offense if he kept up with this angle.

  “I’d have given up on Cady too.”

  “I didn’t give up.” Now I really was getting annoyed.

  “You quit,” Dad said, all matter-of-fact.

  “After she fired me!” I bellowed. “She wasn’t paying me anyway.”

  “You were just taking care of her boys out of the goodness of your heart? Woman like that don’t deserve you.”

  “How would you know?”

  “Just sayin’.”

  “You don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.” I paced to the fireplace. “Cady’s an incredible woman. An amazing mom.”