“I’ve been in a car with you and I’m still willing to do this. That’s love for you, baby.”
“You know more than what job I do or what hobbies I have, I have you.” She picked up my hand and kissed my palm before placing it on her face and leaning against it. “Loving and being loved by you is like having a dream I never dared dream come true. The rest is just an exciting adventure that I’m open to completely.”
“Best Christmas ever and it’s barely started.” I pulled her into my arms and claimed her mouth, pulling the thin straps off her shoulders.
“Leo. Jules,” Bea called out to us and knocked on our door. “Get up. We want to open presents.”
I groaned, and Jules fell onto her back, laughing. “Come on. We’ll have to save that present for later.”
We headed out of our room hand in hand. “This way, babe.” Instead of going into the lounge, I guided her towards the front door. “Where are we going?”
“It’s been a rough couple of months, Jules, but it didn’t stop me getting you something for Christmas, and I’m even more confident about it than I was before you showed me your ideas.”
I opened the front door and ushered her out ahead of me. Parked in front of the house was my Jeep attached to my Christmas gift for Jules.
“A caravan?” She squealed so loudly I had to cover my ears until she was far enough ahead of me I could risk dropping my hands.
“Well I know how much you love camping, and you said you wanted to visit your grandparents in Queensland, so I thought we could make it a road trip.”
“Then we could live at the farm in it while we build our home and the gym?” She bounced on the spot, barely able to contain her excitement.
I cocked my head to the side. “That part just fell into place perfectly this morning.”
“Does this mean you’re moving out?” Bea and Angus appeared behind us.
“Looks that way,” I replied. “You’ve been amazing having us so long.”
“You could’ve stayed as long as you wanted,” Angus said, slapping me on the back.
“I don’t want you to go,” Bea said, linking arms with Jules. They had become as close as sisters over the past few months. Her best friend, Sia, had returned from overseas, but I couldn’t remember whether she was sticking around or not. It was like I’d been floating round in a bubble for the past few months.
“We won’t be far away,” I said.
Five years ago, my world had changed from colour to black and white when my father had been ripped from my life. Despite the horrors I’d faced culminating in the deaths of my mother and Nick, two people I had once loved, I’d been given closure. With that closure came hope, and with hope came the colour, brighter than ever.
Epilogue
Leo
Eighteen months later
“Did you know that mythology influenced the naming of many objects in the night sky?” I asked. I knew how to turn my crazy girl on.
She smiled. “No. I did not know that.”
“The planets all have names from Roman mythology.”
We’d thrown a massive bonfire party and the last of our friends had just left. It was a cold night, but that never bothered Jules. She was wrapped up in her warm jacket and she was cocooned in my arms.
“Tell me more.” She turned and leaned her back against me, looking skyward. I heard her sigh contentedly.
“Mercury is named after the speedy messenger god because it revolves fastest around the sun, and you already know that Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, shines the brightest.”
“I love that.” She sighed again.
“I can keep going if you like?”
“Of course. You can keep going all night if you like.”
I chuckled and tightened my arms around her. “Mars is named for the god of war because it appears blood red, and Jupiter is the single most important god, so his name was given to the largest planet in our solar system.”
“I am fascinated by all of this, you know?”
“I have gotten that impression.” She elbowed me gently and I kissed her neck.
“Less well known are the names of the Galilean moons of Jupiter. The four largest are named after mythological women: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. They were all desired and subsequently taken by force by Jupiter. Unsurprisingly, they revolve around him.”
She turned her head and scrunched her nose up. “Ugh. That’s not fair, is it?”
“Life isn’t always fair, Jules, especially in the myths.”
“Look.” She squealed, pointing to the sky, startling me with her sudden outburst.
“What?” I asked, my eyes following the line of her arm up to the clear night sky.
She gave me a nudge. “A shooting star. You have to make a wish.” Her navy eyes sparkled in the moonlight.
“I don’t need any wishes.” I kissed the top of her head. “I have everything I need right here.”
“You’re a sweet talker, Leo Ashlar.” She whispered, turning in my arms to face me. “You still have to wish on a shooting star. It’s the law.”
I chuckled. “Hate to break it to you, Jules, but it’s not even a star.”
“Do tell.” She used her husky voice and raised her eyebrows.
I swivelled her around, and holding her firmly against me with my left arm, I pointed my free arm to the sky. “They get called ‘falling stars’ or ‘shooting stars’, but they actually have nothing to do with stars.” I feathered kisses along the back of her neck and was now more than ready to call it a night and whisk her off to bed.
“Well what are they, then?” she asked breathlessly.
Not wanting to let my girl down, I answered. “The visible streaks of light like you just saw are meteors. They’re interplanetary bodies that burn up as they enter the Earth’s atmosphere at extremely high velocities. The air friction vaporizes them into the white-hot streaks of light.”
“I love it when you talk dirty.” She ground her backside into my crotch and I was just about done for.
“You are insatiable. Lucky I have an endless supply of astronomy trivia to keep you happy.”
She turned, wrapping her arms around my neck. “I am happy. You know that, right?” She placed her gloved hand over my heart. “I’m happy when we’re together. It doesn’t matter where we are or what we’re doing. We belong together, Leo.”
Her words resonated with my soul. “It’s the only thing that matters to me, Jules.” I pushed a strand of her hair that had fallen across her face behind her ear. “You are the most important person in the world. You are my everything.”
With eyes brimming with tears, she whispered, “I love you, Leo.”
“I love you more.” My mouth crashed down on hers, devouring her body and her soul through our joined lips. I belonged to her and she belonged to me. Nothing would ever change that. We were connected on a level no one could touch. We were soul mates.
“Let’s go inside.” I kissed her forehead and took her hand, leading her back towards our house—the house we’d built from the ashes.
We didn’t speak as I led her through the back door. We kicked off our boots and removed our coats, placing them on the hooks in the utility room before walking quickly down the hallway. The sexual tension heightened with every step. I was concerned I might spontaneously combust at any second. Our bedroom just seemed too far away, and I chuckled when she stripped her clothes, dropping them one by one along the hallway. She was reduced to underwear by the time we reached our bedroom door at the front left corner of the house where the spare room used to be in the original farmhouse.
“Slow down, princess.” I chuckled as I scooped her up and carried her towards our bed, kissing her neck and loving the sound of her whimpering groans.
“I need you naked five minutes ago.” She groaned again as I sucked a little harder on her neck.
“I’m going to enjoy torturing you for a while yet I think,” I said against her lips then took the opportunity to deepen
the kiss.
She ran her hands through my hair and held my head as she opened her mouth for my insistent tongue. I lowered her to the bed and came down on top of her.
“You’re a bit feisty tonight, babe.” I hovered above her, pinning her hands above her head. “I’m a sure thing, so just relax and enjoy it. Okay?”
Her cheeks reddened, but her body relaxed and I released her hands.
“Close your eyes, Jules,” I demanded firmly.
She did as she was told and I stopped a moment to admire the incredible beauty lying on the bed before me, blonde hair splayed out around her like a halo. My angel. I was so hopelessly in love with this girl, and I would be forever grateful that she was a permanent fixture in my life. I kissed the swell of her breasts, one then the other as her nipples screamed for attention. Snapping the front clasp of her bra, I tugged the lacy material from her body and flung it across the room. She opened her eyes briefly and I gave her a stern look.
“Sorry,” she muttered, closing them quickly.
I rewarded her with my mouth on her left breast, flicking the nipple with my tongue, a delicious torture I knew sent her right to the edge of sanity.
“I want you,” she panted out, her back arching to push her breast further into my mouth.
I cupped her other breast with my right hand and massaged it as I continued my sensual assault. When my mouth replaced my hand, she let out a loud groan and tried to wrap her legs around my backside to pull me closer to where I knew she needed me most. She was falling apart at the seams and I knew she didn’t want to be put back together.
My mouth started blazing a trail south. When I hooked my fingers in the lace underwear, she lifted her hips to make their removal swift. She was now lying on our bed completely naked and wanting.
“Open your eyes, Jules.” She complied immediately and I was met by a frenzy of navy-coloured lust. I could never get enough of those incredible blue eyes, and I was momentarily spellbound.
“What are you waiting for?” she asked, propping herself up on her elbows.
“I’m just appreciating the view before I take what’s mine.”
“Can you at least get your clothes off so I can appreciate the view too?” She winked at me and I had to laugh as I reached behind and pulled my t-shirt over my head.
Her eyes perused my chest as if I were a tasty dish, but she was welcome to the whole damn menu. “There is no part of your body that isn’t absolute perfection.” She glanced at my jeans then back up to my eyes, raising her eyebrows to indicate her desire for me to hurry up and lose the jeans.
“Your wish is my command, angel.”
“I love it when you call me angel,” she whispered.
“You were sent to me from somewhere. I have no idea where, but I’m grateful every day.”
“Fewer beautiful words,” she panted. “Fewer clothes.”
I shook my head and chuckled, but pushed my jeans and boxers down, letting them pool at my feet. I leant down and pulled my socks off as I stepped out of my jeans. She groaned, knowing I was doing it slowly just to torture her. When I stood up, as always, she went into full ogle mode. Her eyes were drawn down to my straining erection.
“Babe, that looks uncomfortable.”
“Are you done ogling your poor boyfriend yet?” I asked when she dragged her gaze away from my crotch and met my eyes.
“I will never be done ogling my smokin’ hot boyfriend, but I’d rather do it from close up.”
Without hesitation and done with my torture, I knelt on the bed at her feet and gently pushed her legs apart, kissing my way up her inner thighs. She gripped the bed covers as my mouth got closer to its final destination. I picked up her legs from under my thighs and placed them over my shoulders before giving her what she needed exactly where she needed it. What felt like hours of foreplay erupted almost instantaneously as her thighs clenched around me and my name was said as two extra-long syllables.
Before she came down from her high, I moved up her body and thrust into her. I don’t think she even realised I’d changed position until she opened her eyes and found me staring at her, smiling triumphantly.
“You are so fucking beautiful when you come apart like that for me.” I pulled out and then quickly thrust back inside her harder this time. “I need to see that again, but this time I’ll be right there with you.”
She opened her legs wider, allowing me to deepen the penetration.
“Yes.” She groaned, and it was the sweetest sound coming from my gorgeous girl.
My thrusts got harder and my mouth found its way back to her swollen breasts that I knew were aching for my attention.
“Don’t stop, Leo,” she begged. “Please don’t stop.” She wrapped her legs tighter around my waist and dug her heels into my butt, willing me to go faster, willing me to launch us both into glorious oblivion.
“I’ll never stop, babe.” I said, pressing a kiss into the dip between my breasts. “Never.”
I lifted my gaze to hers and our lust-filled eyes burned only for each other.
“I love you.”
“I love you too, Leo.”
My mouth crashed down on hers, devouring her while I resumed my thrusts, building to a frenzy within moments. “Come for me, baby.” My demand was spoken against her lips and she obeyed with reckless abandon.
“Leo,” she said, over and over again, her chant pushing me over the edge, and I released into her in one final thrust.
We remained joined, unwilling to break the beautiful connection. Eventually, I rolled off her and lay on my back, still holding her hand. I turned my head to the side so I could watch her chest rise and fall, still out of breath. She was magnificent and she was all mine.
“You are amazing,” she whispered, her eyes glazed in a post-orgasmic haze.
My smile widened. “Ditto.” I leaned forward and kissed her lightly before promptly falling asleep on my back.
***
Hours later, I woke up desperate to take her again.
When I moved on top of her, she opened her eyes. “I need you again,” I whispered.
“Take me,” I whispered.
We made love, revelling in our closeness and absolute devotion to each other. When she kissed me, her whole body spoke a language meant just for me. When we climaxed together, it was to the beat of our joined hearts. There was nothing more beautiful, more sensual or more perfect than our bodies coming together.
I kissed her gently before pulling out and replacing the covers over us. “Sorry to wake you up, angel.”
“Never apologise for waking me up for that.” Her eyelids were heavy and she was already back to sleep before she finished her sentence. Before I closed my eyes, I stared at her, knowing she was the most precious thing on Earth. We’d gone to Hell and back to get to this point, but we were here and we were here to stay.
***
I got up well before I knew Juliette would wake and headed for the kitchen to put part one of my plan into action—breakfast in bed. When I was done making an incredible mess in the kitchen, I returned to our bedroom, tray in hand.
“Morning, sunshine,” I said when I came through the door and found her sitting up in bed, yawning. “Breakfast in bed.”
“Seriously?” She grabbed the European pillow from the floor and propped it up behind her. “How did I get so lucky?”
“Luck has nothing to do with it, Jules.” I winked. “You put out twice last night.”
“Cheeky.” She couldn’t help chuckling and her cheeks reddened. It blew my mind I could still make her blush.
I placed the tray on her lap and picked up the coffee mug while she balanced it properly. I gave her a kiss to say good morning properly. “All set?”
She took the coffee from me and inhaled the fumes then looked up at me and smiled. “Thank you, babe. This is amazing. I feel very spoilt.”
“I want to spoil you. I love that I can spoil you whenever I want.”
“I love that you can spoil me whene
ver you want too,” she said, her grin only partly hidden by her coffee mug.
She replaced the mug on the bedside table then surveyed the other items I’d put on the tray. I was proud as punch and couldn’t wait for her reaction. A plate stacked with pancakes sat on one side of the tray with a small jug of maple syrup next to it. A bunch of freshly picked wildflowers lay above the plate. “Nice touch.”
“Thanks.”
“I think I burnt the pancakes slightly,” I said, still irritated.
She smiled. “Better than undercooked. Uncooked pancake batter is gross.”
“That’s true.” I walked around the bed and climbed in next to her. “I’ve turned the heating on, so the house should warm up soon, but until then, we’re staying right here.
“Fine by me.” She picked up one of the forks and handed the other to me. Two white napkins were folded and I was mentally willing her to pick them up. She did, and when she looked back at the tray, she noticed a narrow black box.
“What’s that?” she asked, intrigued.
I felt suddenly hesitant at my gift. “Just something I had made for you.” I picked it up and handed it to her. “Open it.”
She lifted the hinged lid and when she peeked inside, she gasped.
A few tears slipped down her cheeks and I knew I’d done well. “Venus,” she whispered without breaking her gaze from it. Carefully, she picked up the white gold, star-shaped pendant and draped the fine silver chain over her hand. Smiling, she raised her eyes to mine. “I love it so much.”
“It’s to remind you that you’re the brightest star in my world, baby.”
She leaned forward and kissed me. “Thank you.” She undid the clasp and handed it to me. She held her hair while I attached it. Her hand gravitated straight to the pendant now lying against her neck. “I will treasure it always.”
Part one was a success.
We stayed in bed for another couple of hours after polishing off the pancakes and coffee. She kept telling me how much she loved her necklace and that she’d never take it off. I’d been planning this day for a long time and, so far, it was going perfectly.
“Come on, lazybones,” I said, pulling the covers back. “Time to get up.” I felt an odd mixture of excitement and shitting myself. “I have something to show you.”
Impact (The Fight for Life #2) Page 23