by Calista Fox
Not only the spiraling lust that entwined them now that Kate had conceded to her desire for him. But also the complexities in her life. The past difficulties, the present challenges and the future ambitions that defined her, demonized her, drove her. He was obsessed with learning all the external threats as well as her internal weaknesses that had caused her to construct such solid walls around her. Ones he’d hacked through the tiniest bit this evening.
She’d reached out to him in her hour of need by asking him to accompany her to this familial obligation she was under. But he’d also gotten her to admit that she was hot for him. That she wanted something more from him than just a date.
Despite her contending it would only be sex between them—if she did permit them to take their mutual attraction that far—Jude suspected he was still only getting half the story with Kate. Confirming he’d only broken partially through her barriers.
That was a start, however. And Jude was not a man to give up when he could taste the effervescence of victory on his tongue. Though it wasn’t so much the triumph of breaking through Kate’s barriers he wanted to taste. It was Kate he craved.
Just as he burned to learn every intricate nuance of her heart, mind and soul, Jude had a desperate, overpowering desire to know every inch of her body.
No…to own every inch of her body. To explore all her silky skin and enticing curves with his mouth and hands.
And bring her endless hours of pleasure.
As he lathered up his palms and slid one over his thickening cock, his eyelids dipped and he allowed a new fantasy of Kate to play out in his head. He imagined her acquiescing to his request that she come to his apartment this evening. Visualized her untying the sash at her waist from the dress she’d worn that day in his office. Letting it fall open to reveal the black-lace bra and matching thong he’d considered she might be wearing underneath when she’d been brushing against him as she’d patched him up.
In his fantasy, her mesmeric, tawny gaze locked with his as she reached behind her and unclasped her bra. Her fingers curled around the straps at her shoulders and she slowly eased away the material, baring her breasts to him. The bra landed on top of her dress, pooled at her feet. Her thong followed. She stepped out of her shoes and into the shower.
Her palms splayed over his chest as his head bent to hers and he captured her mouth in a long, deep, searing kiss that held the potential to obliterate all that haunted them both.
His arms wound around her waist, holding her tightly to him as their kiss went on and on. Until they were breathless.
Then he released her and turned her around, pressing her up against the marbled wall. Raising her arms above her head. As the water cascaded over her gorgeous body, his hands glided downward, along her forearms, her femininely defined biceps and shoulders, her shapely sides. Across her belly, making her flesh quiver from his erotic touch. His hands roamed over her hips, her ass. His fingertips swept upward, lightly, teasingly grazing her spine.
He leaned into her, his mouth skimming her neck. His hands moved around to the front of her, cupping her breasts. He caressed and massaged, causing her to squirm under his touch so that her ass ground against his cock. Making him harder
His thumbs whisked over her nipples, tightening them. His lips and teeth gently tugged at the skin on her throat.
She moaned.
“Are you ready for me, Kate?” he whispered in her ear.
“So ready, Jude.”
One arm crossed her chest, still palming a breast, kneading it, while his other hand slid south to the apex of her legs. The pads of two fingers rubbed her clit, slowly at first, eliciting small, sexy whimpers from her.
As his cock thrust into her from behind, his fingers on her clit picked up a more insistent rhythm with more pressure.
“Yes,” she murmured.
His ass cheeks flexed and released as he pumped into her, his strokes short and deep. Forceful.
“That like, Jude,” she pleaded. “Just like that.”
He fucked her fiercely, until her pleading became more urgent, more desperate. Until everything inside her tensed and erupted and she called out his name.
Jude’s eyelids flitted open. He was rock-hard and exploded in his hand.
Jude arrived at Kate’s front door at seven on the dot. And stood in her doorway for another minute or two, searching for something to say, because she’d rendered him speechless.
On the other side of the threshold, Kate eyed him suspiciously.
“Too risqué for The Plaza?” she asked, a hint of insecurity in her voice Jude had never heard from her before. And never wanted to again.
“You are stunning,” he assured her. “Don’t think twice about that.”
She wore a siren-red dress. One-shouldered with a sheer scarf-type effect where the wispy material gathered at her shoulder and flowed along the front and back sides of her arm. The hem was short. Almost scandalously so. Enough to turn Jude’s blood to magma. Her long, sleek legs were toned and tanned, and her red heels were tall and spiky. She carried a tiny purse in one hand that matched the ensemble, and a wide diamond bracelet encircled her wrist. On her other hand, she sported a large oval ruby ring trimmed with diamonds.
Her hair was secured on the sides in a strategically haphazard manner, with loose tendrils at her temple and plump curls cascading down her back. Smokey makeup made her tawny eyes smolder and the other neutral shades accentuated her high cheekbones and flawless skin.
His gaze lingered on her glossy lips for suspended seconds, and Jude could not stem a dozen other fantasies he’d had of her, of Kate taking him deep into that lush mouth of hers. Sucking him hard until he lost it…completely at her mercy.
He bit back a groan. Kate Stockman revved him like nothing he’d ever known. A greater rush than winning a fight or the most difficult of legal battles.
She was the ultimate high.
And goddamn it, the woman was hedging as to whether she’d gone overboard on her selection for her brother’s engagement party. As if she was uncertain about measuring up to others’ expectations of her, and it gave her pause.
This infuriated Jude—on her behalf.
“Kate,” he said as he took a few strides forward, forcing her backward so he could enter her apartment. “You are absolutely breathtaking. If you have even an ounce of hesitation about that, I will hunt down and torture whatever asshole planted seeds of doubt in your mind.”
“I—” She shook her head. Stared up at him with wide eyes, clearly startled by his intensity. But then she seemed to realize that she shouldn’t be—she knew this side of Jude.
When he was passionate about a conviction, it radiated from his every pore.
Kate let out a long breath. And more surprisingly confessed, “I’m not without my own personal complications, Jude.”
“Demons, Kate. They’re called demons.”
“Right.” She licked her bottom lip, her gaze sliding away for a moment. But as was her custom that he knew of, Kate held fast to her solid constitution and made direct eye contact with him again as she added, “I’m just not fully prepared to face those demons this evening. My family dynamic can be a bit complex. Be forewarned.”
He’d already ascertain this, hadn’t he? He’d been spun up after their phone call, wanting desperately to know what plagued Dr. Kate Stockman.
Even now, he yearned to release her from, cure her of, all that ailed her…with his own brand of therapy.
But he innately suspected it was more than a few rounds between the sheets that Kate needed. While that certainly might help to relieve some of her tension—as Jude’s fantasies of her did for him, to a small degree—he had a feeling what Kate really needed at this moment was an ally. Someone who truly saw her, accepted her and helped her to accept herself in this “complex family dynamic” she was obviously wary of becoming ensnared in this evening.
“You have a family, Kate,” he more casually commented, forcing himself to dial down the intensity. “
That’s an inherent complexity unto itself. One you should be grateful for.”
“I am,” she asserted. “Though they can be overly judgmental and of the ‘we know what’s best’ variety. That’s all I’m saying.”
Jude didn’t miss the tinge of self-deprecation in her voice. Perhaps the choices Kate had made in her life didn’t suit her parents’ vision for her.
He said, “I have immense respect for the way you follow your heart, Kate. At the end of the day, you alone have to be able to look yourself in the mirror, correct?”
Her head inclined to the side. She thoughtfully regarded him, then said, “Interestingly, Jude, I’m noting some inconsistency on your part. A similar appearance to when I was in your office, applying those bandages. Something’s eating at you that you’re not sharing with me.”
“Way to turn the tables, Doc.” He smirked.
She nodded. “Defense mechanism. But also…a true statement. Something’s rattling your cage. I’ve sensed it since you first contacted me following a full year of radio silence. It’s not just about me though, is it? About what happened between us in your office?”
“While that is an issue I intend for us to confront tonight…” He gave her a pointed look. “There is, indeed, something else ‘rattling my cage.’ It’s just not up for discussion this evening. We’re on a date, Kate. Not in a session.”
“Jude—”
“Kate, don’t press this. Not tonight.”
She stared at him a few seconds more, no doubt debating whether to challenge him.
He said, “I want you to enjoy this party. Whatever has you questioning whether you’re going to be excessively scrutinized and fall short in someone else’s eyes…let it go. This very second. You are going to own that room, Kate. And I’m going to be right beside you when you do.”
Now, she gaped.
Jude held her gaze.
It took a second or two, but she eventually pulled herself together. Her expression turned appreciative.
“I have reservations about how this is all going to play out,” she admitted. “When you don’t fit someone’s mold or ideal, it can create an uncomfortable situation.”
“I’ve never fit a mold, Kate.” He flashed a grin. “Because my life is mine to design. I still have a ways to go in defining that destiny. Apparently, so do you. My suggestion is, we take this event at face value—it’s a party. Let’s have some fun.”
He offered his arm. Jude wore Armani for the occasion. An all-black suit, including the shirt and silk tie. He liked the devilish air it lent, especially when paired with Kate’s seductive red dress and sensuous curls.
If she was worried about making a scene tonight—she had every right to be.
But in a good way. Because Jude had no intention of letting whatever fraction of insecurity she was fighting to conquer rear its ugly head.
She’d saved his life, after all.
Returning the favor in any capacity was the least Jude could do.
Kate could barely breathe.
It was such a normal function. One a person infrequently gave thought to. One that was as natural as falling asleep when you were exhausted, eating when you were famished, taking the stairs instead of the elevator when you required exercise or needed to stretch your legs, get your heartrate up, challenge your physicality.
And yet…there was nothing normal or natural about her response to Jude this evening.
She knew things about this man. Some pretty traumatic things, to be exact. His raw, razor-sharp emotions. His personal failures.
His demons.
However, as she shut and locked her apartment door, linked an arm with his and let him escort her down the hallway, she had the peculiar revelation that she didn’t know Jude McMillan today. At this very moment.
Yes, she knew his past pains, his darkest hours. But that damaged soul she’d had exposure to years ago was evidently more multi-faceted than she’d anticipated. Because here he was, scaling back his aggression just enough to put her at ease on one of the most difficult nights of her life—without fully knowing how excruciating this was going to be for Kate, given her propensity for being a square peg in the round hole that was her family unit. Amazingly, Jude was already proving to be rock-steady.
They settled into the backseat of the limo he’d hired for the evening.
She smiled at him as he served her a glass of champagne. They touched rims and Kate said, “Here’s to someone else paying for our very expensive dinner tonight.”
He laughed in his warm timbre. “You have a quirky sense of humor, Doc.”
“And you have the uncanny ability to bring it out, Counselor.”
“I like it when you smile, Kate.”
They stared at each other for several suspended seconds. Then she sipped.
“Excellent taste in champagne,” she said.
“Your lips are damn tempting.”
Her teeth sank briefly into her bottom one. “That really has no bearing on the conversation.”
“I suppose not. Does it matter?”
“I suppose not.”
She continued to gaze at him, sensing the crackle in the air around them, feeling the electric current arc between them.
She dared to ask, “How was your shower?”
One corner of his mouth lifted in a roguish grin. “You were sensational.”
Heat flared in her stomach. She waited for it to burst on her cheeks, but it didn’t. There was no cause for a blush. She knew what she was doing with this man, knew the fire she was playing with.
Jude McMillan was but another complexity in her life, for various reasons. Yet…here they were. And she wanted very much to embrace the situation for what it truly was.
Kate needed a date for this party, yes.
Kate also needed…Jude.
One night. One time.
That was all he’d indicated he required of her. And all Kate could manage, honestly.
A win-win, right?
So she inquired of his most recent fantasy, “How’d you take me?”
His eyes darkened even more. The heat within her turned downright scorching.
“Against the wall, from behind. You enjoyed every second of it.”
Her breath caught.
“Do you want to know why I’m sure you’d enjoy it, Kate?”
She couldn’t speak around the air lodged in her throat.
He said, “Because I’m not apologetic about wanting you. And I know you want to surrender to me… Right?”
6
He didn’t wait for her response. His head dipped. His lips glided over hers.
A whisper of a kiss. So soft and tantalizing. Yet wildly electrifying.
The cords of her neck pulled taut. Her chest swelled with the sudden full intake of air as all of her most sensitive parts ignited.
For a fleeting moment, she recanted her earlier summation of their “win-win.” This was dangerous on so many levels. Trepidation skittered through her.
“Jude. We really shouldn’t—”
“Change the entire dynamic of our association?” His brow hitched. “We don’t pretend with each other, Kate. Remember?”
“No, we don’t.” A fact she couldn’t escape.
His gaze lingered on her mouth as he said, “Grant me some leeway here. Because, goddamn it…” He let out a low groan. “You’re more intoxicating than the private-reserve Dom.”
“My guess is, I should be more concerned about your potency versus that of the bubbly.”
“A roundabout compliment?” He kissed the corner of her mouth and said, “You can do better than that. Tell me I excite you, Kate.”
“You excite me, Jude.”
“Mm,” he said on a sexy growl. “Now, we’re getting somewhere.”
“I don’t dispute the mutual attraction.”
“You’ve managed to deny it for three years.”
“I’m a professional, Jude.”
“Yeah…me, too.” His mouth sealed with hers.
Kate didn’t miss a beat. Her lips parted. His tongue delved deep, twisting with hers.
All kidding fell to the wayside, because Jude’s kiss was evocatively serious, blistering hot.
She held her glass in one hand, but wound her other arm around his back, her fingers curling into his jacket as she leaned into him.
Melted into him.
Jude’s free hand cupped her nape, his fingers tangling in her hair.
Without even fully engulfing her in an embrace, he surrounded her with his heat and intensity. So that Kate was hopelessly lost… Forgetting how unsettled she’d been about this family event, about how she’d introduce Jude, about…everything.
None of it mattered. Not a single thing.
All that registered was how Jude lit her up. So easily. So effortlessly. He knew how to engage her. How to pull her close enough that she literally, physically and viscerally yielded to him.
Kate swam in a sea of conflicting emotions. Knowing on an intuitive level she needed to keep her wits about her. Though on a femininely instinctive level, accepting that Jude tapped into a part of her she’d shut down years ago. And there was a dash of relief that came with that realization, assuring her she wasn’t as frigid, sexually, as she’d secretly been fearing.
He pulled slightly away and whispered, “You taste better than the champagne.”
Her lips curved into a smile. “I don’t think anyone has ever kissed me like that, Jude.”
“A damn shame,” he murmured. “You were meant for kisses like that, Kate.”
His mouth pressed to hers again. Kate responded instantly, instinctively.