Page 67 of The Plus One
Couldn’t.
Because Indira, with those goddamn eyes that saw straight through every wall he tried to build, kept him rooted to the spot.
“Is that what you actually want?” she said, voice even. “You want me to leave you alone?”
Jude swallowed. He tried to say yes—was desperate to force out the syllable. But his mouth refused to let him lie to her.
“Because I think, what you actually want, is to grab this moment with both hands, and never let it go. I think your brain has convinced you that you don’t deserve to be cared for. Well, I’m calling bullshit. Because I care. And I’ll keep caring. I care now. I cared yesterday. I’ll care tomorrow. Every single day, I will sit outside your doorstep. And I’ll wait. I’ll wait until you need me, and I’ll be ready. Nothing you can say will change that.”
Jude’s pulse pounded so hard, he felt it in his palms, every joint of his fingers. His entire body ached from the building pressure.
“People get so few moments,” Indira said, her voice cracking as she stepped toward him. “And you’ve had so many robbed from you. I’ll never, ever be able to fully understand what you’ve been throughbut I’m not going to let you walk out of here and pretend that neither of us care.”
She took one more step toward him. Within reaching distance. He could do it. Do what she said. Reach out with both hands and hold on to the thing he really wanted.
“So let me in, Jude,” she whispered, two teardrops racing down her cheeks. “Even if it’s just tonight. Please. Let me in.”
Jude had no fight, no restraint, left in him. He wanted her too badly. He wanted her smile and her laugh and her biting sarcasm. He wanted the warmth of her skin and the way she made him feel alive. He wanted her comfort. He wanted Indira.
Jude closed the remaining space between them, one hand plunging into her hair, the other gripping her hip. He kissed her, pouring every overwhelming emotion into the touch. If it was just tonight, he was going to give her all that was left of him.
CHAPTER 23
Jude
Indira’s giant bee costume was dropped and forgotten as Jude picked her up, one hand cradling her ass, the other braced against the wall as he turned, pressing her into it. Indira’s legs cinched around his waist, holding him snugly against her as their teeth clashed and tongues dragged over each other.
“Upstairs,” Indira groaned before kissing and biting his neck. Jude happily obliged.
Or tried to, at least. He tripped after the second step, and they plopped apart, both breathless and giggling in a heap on the steps.
“So smooth,” Indira said, wasting no time and crawling on all fours up the stairs. Jude’s cheeks heated, and he smacked her on the butt as he frantically followed, eliciting a shriek and more giggles from Indira.
They kissed down the hallway, bouncing off the walls as they consumed each other, unable to ever get close enough. Crashing through the door, Jude shut it behind him with his foot, then walked Indira to his bed, watching her fall against the white comforter.
Jude paused, forcing himself to savor this moment. Savor Indira. He didn’t want to miss a second. Her hair spread out like ink in water across the sheets, pupils blown out and breaths coming short as she looked up at him.
After a moment, Indira sat up, reaching out her hand, eyes locking with Jude’s. He took it, braiding their fingers together, and meeting her on the bed.
They touched each other slowly, the intimacy of every caress intentional as they removed each other’s remaining clothing with reverence, peeling away all the layers between them. They lay down, kisses deep and tender and tinged with desperation, lips molding together in delicious torment. Jude wanted to devour her.
Indira climbed over him, straddling his lap, pressing her chest against his. It felt like his entire body, every nerve, every muscle, every cell, sighed in sweet relief at the feeling of skin against skin. Indira’s softness and warmth and the delicate scent of her scrambled his brain.
She rested her cheek right over his pounding heart, taking a deep inhale, then letting the breath out with a sigh of happiness, the warmth of it traveling through his skin to swirl around his chest.
Jude felt her heart knocking against his, and he wondered if the rhythm of their heartbeats matched.
“Should we get a condom?” he asked, fingers tracing up her thighs, memorizing their curves.
Indira looked at him, her tongue making a slow glide across her bottom lip. “I’m on birth control and got tested after everything with Chris. If you’re in a similar spot…” Indira’s cheeks flushed a decadent pink. “I think I’d like to feel only you.”
“I’m negative too,” Jude said, fire licking through his body.
He didn’t miss her wicked smile before she started kissing him again. Indira dragged her lips and teeth down his neck and chest, hands working between them. She stroked his length softly at first, like she wanted to commit every inch to memory.
“I want you to feel good,” she said, the words sinking through his skin and lodging firmly in his heart. “Does this feel good?” she asked, and Jude groaned his assent, her touch firm and electric.
“Tell me what you like,” she whispered, the words hot and hoarse and safe. Jude’s hands trembled as they roughly traced along her body,gripping her hips and pulling her closer, Indira’s moan punctuating the moment.
