by Sable Hunter
When his teeth grazed her nipple, she jumped and gasped, admitting to herself that she enjoyed a tiny bite of pain with her pleasure. “I love what you do to me, Judah.”
He scooped her up into his arms and placed her gently in the large tub. A dozen jets or more churned up the water. As his eyes ate her up, he realized she reminded him of Venus de Milo emerging from the sea. How she could appear so demure while looking sexy as hell was a mystery to Judah. He’d never seen anything so beautiful as her standing nude, with wisps of steam encircling her perfect body.
“Join me.” Excitement warmed her core as he stepped into the tub, turned her around, and they both sank in together amidst the millions of bubbles boiling from the water. The tub was huge, but Judah was tall, he still had to bend his legs a bit, and the tops of his knees emerged from the surface of the water. As she fit herself between his legs, lying with her back to his front, Pepper felt positively decadent.
Even though she knew what was on her mind, she decided to prolong the suspense. Seeing bath gel on a shelf by the window next to the tub, she took it and squeezed some into her hand. After rubbing it between her palms, she washed her legs, long gliding strokes, lifting one high and then the other. Knowing he was watching her every move, she made the show as sensual as she could. The only indication that he liked what he saw was the sound of his breathing becoming heavier in her ear. When she had finished with her own legs, she washed his, rubbing his calves, his feet, and his thighs. As she was about to squeeze more gel into her palm, he stopped her.
“Here, give me that, you’re making me crazier than I already am.” Taking the bottle, he reached over her head and put some in his own palm - - and that was when the magic began.
“I love it when you take control,” she whispered.
After lathering his hands, he massaged her back and arms, paying special attention to her fingers. He didn’t realize that her clit was tingling with every simple touch he bestowed on her body. When he pulled her back against him and cupped both her breasts, Pepper’s breath hitched in her throat. His hands made circles around them, coming closer and closer to her nipples. By the time he skimmed her puffy areolas, she was lifting her hips rhythmically up and down in the water in silent supplication. A whimper of delight bubbled forth from her lips when he splayed his fingers and caressed her nipples, allowing the stiffened peaks to pop up between each digit.
She was incredibly aroused. “I love your hands on my body.” Her voice was husky with anticipation of what he’d do next.
“I could play with you for hours.”
“Please do.” She smiled, leaning against him, more than thrilled to feel his erection thick and hard between them. For long, luxurious moments, she lay there while he worshiped her breasts – rubbing, kneading, lifting, weighing. He made himself happy, massaging their tender softness, then milking the nipples until she was squirming with desire.
“My turn,” she announced abruptly. Pepper wanted him as frantic for her as she was for him. Before he could stop her, she turned in the water to face him. He was a sight to behold. The steam had made his long, gorgeous mane slightly curly. Due to the hour, the scruff of his beard was heavier than usual. He looked primal, alpha, feral with need. Leaning forward, she kissed him, a fierce mating of lips and tongue that left them both breathless.
Kneeling before him, she lathered her hands once more and played with his chest, weaving her fingers through the mat of dark hair, tugging at his male nipples, before delving beneath the bubbling waters to find his swollen cock. The gel caused her hands to be slick and able to glide smoothly over his velvet covered steel.
He didn’t let her erotic advance go unanswered – as she stroked his cock, he massaged the secret place between her thighs. Their hungry tongues rasped together as they pleasured one another, sharing long, deep kisses that served to escalate their desire to new heights.
“I need to fuck you, baby.” Judah growled the words, his breath labored, his heart booming in his chest. “I’m desperate for you.”
Pepper’s whole body tingled at his bold, erotic words.
Rising from the water, his huge cock was just a fraction of an inch from her mouth. She couldn’t resist, she licked him from tip to root. He shuddered in her hand and clasped her head. “God, baby.”
Pepper loved his taste – salty, musky, like a clean, sexy man. She took him in hand, cupping his balls and pulled him deep into her mouth, swirling her tongue around the head, sucking him off as he grunted, tensing his muscles, and curling his toes. Pepper licked and sucked, bobbing her head, taking him so deep that he spurted pre-cum on her tongue. She licked and sucked the little slit on top, knowing she tasted his life-essence, the very substance that she hoped would one day give her a child.
“Wait!” he told her, urgently. “I can’t take any more, I want to cum inside you.”
Pepper started to stand, but he stopped her. “Turn around on your hands and knees.”
“Okay.” Judah didn’t wait for her to obey, he held her by the waist and helped her into place. Kneeling behind her, he placed his knees on either side of her calves. Pepper could feel his cock probing at her entrance. She closed her eyes in breathless anticipation.
“Oh, God, yes,” she keened as he worked his way into her eager pussy, quivers of delight spreading her. Inch by glorious inch he filled her, stretching her until he was fully seated. Pepper moaned her satisfaction, this was more to her than an erotic encounter, this was two people joining as one.
“Pepper, my Pepper,” he groaned at how amazing it felt to be inside her.
“I love you, Judah. I love you so much.”
Judah gripped her hips and began to move. Slow, smooth strokes. She pushed back, grinding her pussy on him, glancing back over her shoulder to see how he looked while he took her. Giving her a satisfied grin, he popped her on the bottom.
Loving his playfulness, she giggled and pushed back, daring him to repeat the erotic smack. “Do it again.”
“Oh, you want more?”
She laughed and said, “Yes!” He paused for just a second before he popped her again. When he heard her sexy moan, the sound went right to his cock and Judah was compelled to increase his pace, to fuck her harder. As he pumped in, he made her cheeks pink with light pops of his palm on her ass. Deeper and deeper he plunged. His balls slapped her clit and he bent over her, grasping her breasts and tugging at the nipples.
Pepper closed her eyes and whimpered, “God, this feels so good!” Her fingernails clawed at the bottom of the tub, the water was splashing over the side with the force of their back and forth movements. Neither of them cared, their focus was on each other – his cock, her breasts, her pussy.
“Judah!” Pepper cried as her need for release began to rise higher and higher. He was now hammering into her so hard, she was holding on to either side of the tub in order to say upright. Slap. Thrust. Slap. Thrust. “Oh, fuck,” she whispered, so turned on she couldn’t see straight. “More, more, please more!” she screamed.
Judah covered her from behind, rutting into her with more desire and need than ever before. He palmed her tits, pulling at the nipples, then found her neck with his teeth and bit down.
“Judah!” Pepper’s whole body jerked as a huge tidal wave of pure ecstasy washed over her. Ripples of sheer bliss rose within her, making every cell warm and glowing with fulfilled passion. Stars exploded in her mind’s eye, as bright and spectacular as the fireworks they’d shared.
Judah held her tight as she shook, holding her up, lest she fall. He plowed so deep, he felt as if he touched her womb. This was more than fucking, this was the melding of souls, the mingling of spirits.
“Yes!” he shouted as he reached his own release, his body shaking, his cum shooting from his body and filling her up. “Oh, God, baby,” he whispered as he cradled her to him, raising up on his knees and bringing her with him. He kissed her neck, one hand caressing her breasts, the other going down to caress and rub the paradise between her le
gs. “You give me more pleasure than I ever knew possible.”
Pepper sighed with happiness and rested completely and securely in his arms.
Let whatever would come against them come. They were together – and that was all that mattered.
* * *
Judah was right – during the next week, the storm of the century hit and it all came crashing down on him.
Reporters haunted him, they and their cameras followed him everywhere. There was nowhere he could go that they didn’t follow.
The phone never stopped ringing.
Record sales and downloads of the album dropped severely.
Rumors swirled. Ugly rumors. Every time the story was told, the details became more embellished. Each time any of them turned on the television, Judah’s face and Ivana’s accusations were front and center.
At his side, Pepper and Zion stood steadfast. His parents would’ve been there too, but Judah had begged his father to take his mother away, somewhere without a television.
They were trying to continue with business as normal, but the constant barrage of attention from the press made it difficult.
“You need to get out there, man. Tell your story. Let them see that you haven’t changed. Don’t hide from your problem, be the face of it. Take control.”
Zion’s advice was no surprise to Judah. He and Pepper had talked about the same thing. “I know I need to, I’m just trying to get an idea of how I want to handle it all.”
Reese, Shiloh’s manager, had volunteered to set up several interviews on late night shows, the daytime talk venues, and the primetime celebrity news and entertainment segments. Judah knew it was all necessary, but he couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. He’d even met with his therapist, getting his input on the best ways to handle this. What to say to his fans, those masses of average people who shelled out their hard-earned dollars on concert tickets, music, T-shirts, and whatever else his marketing team put before them. After several stabs at a speech, one that would serve as part confession, part appeal, part defense – he thought he was ready. Now, he was just waiting for the right opportunity to stand before his fans and lay it on the line.
Pepper wasn’t without her own issues. Her family called on the phone, they demanded she come back to the ranch. Heath and Ten even came to take her home, but she refused to leave Judah’s side. The only ones in her family who understood were Ryder and Philip. Since she was staying in Austin, Pepper and Judah paid a visit to her father. She knew Christian and Olivia didn’t watch much television, but she wanted to talk to them in person – just in case.
Her father surprised Pepper, he and Judah hit it off immediately and spent over an hour discussing the intricacies and genesis of jazz and blues. Olivia was totally sympathetic to Judah’s plight, she took Pepper aside and asked her a few questions. As a nurse who’d once worked in a mental treatment facility, she had special insight. “Tell me a bit about Judah’s experiences.”
Pepper sat facing her at their dining table, drinking a cup of coffee. “Well, I’ll try. I know he has hallucinations, but he usually can discern what’s real or what’s not. When inanimate objects speak to him, he’s not confused about the reality of the episode, he’s just concerned about the source of it. The things that get to him most is when he sees a person – like me, he has seen images of me that he thought were real, at first. When he sees other people, ones that he can’t recognize, he goes through a quick mental process to determine if he’s hallucinating or meeting someone new. The amazing thing is that he does this in public sometimes and no one ever knows the difference. I think it’s incredible how he deals with this.”
“I have seen him perform and watched him on television. I would never have guessed he suffered with schizophrenia. He is handling all of this admirably well. Does the doctor have any idea of the underlying cause?”
She shook her head. “The only thing I’ve ever heard was timing, he started experiencing symptoms after a bout with mononucleosis, which I’m sure means nothing. I’ve read that schizophrenia usually manifests itself in the late teens or early twenties and no one knows why.”
“Hmmm.” Olivia rose and went to a bookshelf, running her finger along the books until she found the title she was looking for. Pulling it from a shelf, she leafed through it. “Ah, just as I remembered, there could very well be a connection.” She came and sat down by Pepper. “For many years, doctors and scientists thought this disorder was a result of bad genes or bad parenting, but that might not be the case. Later research has shown there is some evidence that viruses like those that can cause mono may integrate with a patient’s DNA and interfere in the replication process, creating an enzyme that can cause disorders such as schizophrenia.”
“So, it’s not necessarily something that’s passed down from parent to child.” She said this out loud, not realizing until this moment that this was something she had even considered. Their relationship had not progressed to the point where commitment was on the table, but she knew if it ever came up, this factor would be a concern for Judah.
“No, it’s not. You also have to understand that this condition affects people in many different ways. Just saying someone has schizophrenia is like saying something is brown, you have to discern what shade of brown, and that term can describe any color from the palest shades of beige to a color that’s almost black.”
Pepper thanked Olivia for her insight, but when they left she didn’t get a chance to discuss what she’d learned with Judah – another crisis hit them right between the eyes.
Ace Records was accused in a pay to play racket and Judah was devastated.
“What does this mean? Was my record popular or not? Was it jammed down people’s throats and it caught on because that’s all they could hear on the radio?” Honestly, this wasn’t something he’d ever considered.
After this blow fell, any thought of Judah coming forward about his mental health was put on the back burner until Reese thought the time was right.
… “Let’s get away,” Pepper whispered in his ear as they lay side by side in his bed. “Just for a few days until all of this nonsense dies down.”
She had a point, there wasn’t anything he could do at this juncture. He was between tours, the label was in trouble, the media was so full of news on the pay-to-play scandal that his troubles fell off the radar. “I don’t know whether to be thankful or upset.” He faced her, staring into her beautiful blue eyes. “I hate all of this, the politics of the business, the way every move we make is scrutinized and rehashed. All I ever wanted to do was make music. Why should people care about my private life?”
“I know it’s not fair, Judah. In this age of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and 24-hour cable news, nothing is private – for anyone. Think of the politicians, the actors, the CEO’s, no one is excluded from the scrutiny of the public and the microscope of society.”
He pulled her on top of him and kissed her with near desperation. “You’re what I’m holding onto, Pepper.” A wry laugh escaped his lip. “I’d hate to imagine going through this alone.”
“You don’t have to imagine anything of the sort, I’m here for you.” She wove her fingers in his hair, enjoying the silky texture. “Look, Zion has taken a few days off to be with Loren, let’s do the same. Let’s get away. Please?” Pepper didn’t know why she was insisting so hard. Deep in her gut, she had this weird feeling that she had to do something to distance him from his current situation.
“Okay.” He smiled. “Where do you want to go?”
She brightened, then pretended to think. “We don’t have to go far. A friend of Ten’s, by the name of Tanner Barron, owns a guest ranch down near Bastrop, Lost Pines Ranch. It’s very isolated and Tanner told me we’d have the place to ourselves, the only other people that’ll be there will be him and his wife. They’re getting ready to expand and the place is shut down until the fall.”
“So…” Judah grinned at her, “you’ve already called and made arrangements?”
&nb
sp; “Yea.” She blushed. “Tentatively. I just want to get you off somewhere by myself and hug you until you don’t hurt anymore.”
“Aw, baby,” he squeezed her tight, “what am I going to do with you?”
“Love me?”
“Oh, I do. I do.” Holding her gaze, he leaned forward to kiss her. Her lips were the softest thing he’d ever felt. He layered his mouth to hers and kissed her gently, but soon that wasn’t enough. Easing an arm around her, Judah pulled them flush together. As soon as her nipples grazed his chest, she sighed and he went instantly hard. His blood thrummed through his veins and the air between them became electric.
As they drank from one another’s lips, she ran her hand over his shoulders and down his side, causing him to shiver with need. When her hand closed around his cock, a bolt of lightning ripped through his body.
Pepper smiled, she loved how he reacted to her touch. Every time she stroked him, his manhood jerked in her hand.
“Put me in,” he directed her between kisses.
Face to face, she brought her hips as close as possible, lifting one leg over both of his, opening herself up to him. Pepper teased them both, bringing his cock to her entrance, then dragging the tip through her cream. “See how much I want you?”
“Amazes me each and every time,” he whispered. When she fit the tip of his cock into her passage, he bucked his hips and slid in slowly. “God, you feel good. So tight.” Little by little, he pushed in, groaning at the way her feminine walls enveloped him, the way they clamped down around him. He never failed to be awed by the joy of their lovemaking.
She clasped Judah to her, hungry for the way he made her feel. She craved the stretch, the burn, the way he filled up the aching emptiness that always signaled her rising need for him. “Just thinking about you makes me this way. I’ll hear your voice, picture your face, and I begin to hurt – a good hurt, a hungry hurt – where the only thing that can assuage my appetite is you.”