Page 66 of The Invitation

I flinch.

Using my feet as a prop, he rises and leans in, getting his face close to mine. Then he releases one ankle and walks his fingers up the inside of my leg and strokes through my recovering flesh. My lips part, air streaming past them, my body instantly convulsing.

“Overrated?” he whispers, bringing his finger to his lips and sucking it clean.

Fuck.

“You’re going to a lot of effort to get a woman into bed,” I say quietly, my eyes glued to his.

“Do you think I go to all this trouble for—”

“Every woman you want to fuck?”

He takes a moment, thinking. “I don’t, to be clear.”

Probably because he usually gets little resistance. “Lucky me,” I breathe as his mouth moves closer. The heat of his fresh breath warms my face, his signature musky scent sending me dizzy. He rests his lips on mine but doesn’t advance his move into a full-blown kiss. It doesn’t stop my insides from furling, though, my hands twitching, ready to grab him and haul him into me as I look into his eyes, waiting, my impatience growing. I can’t help but think that any kiss I experience in my future that isn’t with Jude Harrison will be subpar. How depressing. I release my tongue, lightly slipping it into his mouth, meeting his, and he groans, pushing his mouth harder onto mine and devouring me for a few brief moments before pulling away, leaving me listless and breathless.

“Let’s talk about your choice of polish,” he says, lowering back to the stool before me and lifting my feet onto his thighs. “Blue.” He pouts.

“I told you, it’s seafoam.”

“I chose nude.”

“They’remynails.”

“Tonight, Amelia, you’re all mine, so I get to choose.” He stands and moves onto a chair beside mine.Just tonight?“Callie,” he calls, and she pops her head around the door. I close my legs and pull my robein, making Jude smile mildly. “Amelia has changed her mind,” he says, matter-of-fact.

“Have I?”

“She’d like nude.”

“Would I?”

He looks at me with a dash of playful warning. “Just let me do all the thinking.” He takes my hand as Callie resumes her position and picks up her small nail drill, starting to remove the seafoam polish. “Hand massage?” Jude asks.

“Oh no,” I snatch my hand away, shaking my head. Definitely not.

“It’s part of the service.” He reaches for the hand cream on Callie’s workstation. “Isn’t that right, Callie?”

She giggles and blushes, keeping her attention on removing my polish as Jude pumps a few blobs of cream into his palm.

“And I know for a fact that you love a good hand massage,” he says, claiming my hand. Callie chuckles again, peeking at me.

“I don’t need a hand massage.” I glare at Jude, silently begging him not to do this here as he starts working the cream into my hand. Of course, my plea goes unanswered. I grit my teeth, closing my eyes, digging deep for the strength to sustain the next phase of his seduction as his fingers slip through mine. I’m taken back to the bathroom at my office building, when he blindsided me, and my recovering flesh starts to throb greedily for him again. A million curses are let loose in my head. I’m trying so hard not to tense so Callie feels it. I know I’m failing when she repositions my foot to where she wants it.

Jude’s soft, huge hands work slowly and effortlessly over mine, the fire inside me raging. “Jude,” I whisper, flexing my fingers as he rubs between them.

“It’s not nice?” he asks, pushing his bottom lip out, as if hurt.

My jaw tightens as I stare at him, tingles erupting, his magic hands crucifying me yet again.

He smiles. “I’m really fucking glad you accepted my invitation.”

“Your invitation to send me wild?” I ask on a whisper, making his smile widen.

“If it makes you feel better, you send me wild too.” He leans over and hovers his mouth close to mine, apparently unbothered by his staff in our sexually charged orbit. “If I kiss you, will you be able to control yourself?”

“Probably not,” I admit. “Will you?”

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