Cut Free (The Sublime Book 4)

by Julia Wolf

He groaned when I rubbed my clit against him, and then he flipped us over, so I was on my back and he was on top of me. And then he really started to move. This was making love multiplied by make-up sex times infinity.

  My fingers dug into his shoulders with each long, deep stroke. My knees squeezed his hips, holding him. And he watched me through it all. His eyes never left my face, even as he reached between our writhing bodies and circled my clit with his fingers.

  “Charlie...oh god, Charlie,” I panted.

  “It’s okay. I know, I feel it too.” He thrust harder, rotating his hips when he was so deep inside me, it took my breath away. “Let it all go, Eliza. Give it to me.”

  My eyes rolled back then, and I was sent floating through the clouds, my limbs shaking as gusts of unbelievable pleasure blew through me. The only thing I was aware of was Charlie’s body moving inside mine and the sounds he made as my inner walls squeezed his length. He let out a deep, guttural groan and followed me into the sky. Our love, our pleasure, it elevated us, it freed us, it let us fly.

  When he started to soften inside me, he rolled to the side, pulling me onto his chest.

  I had started to fall asleep when he said, “So, this is what it looks like.”

  Without opening my eyes, I asked, “What?”

  He ran his fingers down the length of my nose, then tapped the end. “Being wildly in love.”

  I opened my eyes and smiled at him. “Yeah, I think you’re right.” I kissed the bottom of his chin. “And, Charlie?”

  “Hmmm?”

  “You and me? We’re my favorite love story. When I wasn’t looking, we slid right into the number one spot.”

  He squeezed my shoulders and planted a soft kiss on my forehead. “I was always looking. I saw it happen. I even made up a name, just like you do.”

  I giggled. “You did?”

  “I’m calling us ‘Rebel with a Heart.’ What do you think?”

  I closed my eyes and nuzzled into his chest, a sleepy smile spreading across my face.

  “Who’s the rebel in this story?” I asked.

  “It’s you, Eliza. It was always you.”

  In his arms, I let myself drift, finally in the place I’d always wanted to be. With Charlie in my life, there was balance and peace. My heart was full, and my love? Well, it was wild.

  Acknowledgments

  I’m not a runner. Not in a cute Eliza way where she hates running but can run ten miles without breaking a sweat. Nope, that’s not me! I do admire people who run though, especially long distances like marathons. I had several rock star women advise me as I wrote this story that I have to thank. Kim, Steph, and Ashley, without you, Eliza’s marathon would have been boring and one dimensional! Steph, thank you for telling me about your poor toenails and training schedule. Ashley, thank you for your fire hydrant story. It definitely added to the drama of Eliza’s race. And Kim, thank you for sparing no detail of your training and what your body went through. The three of you helped add authentic details to the story that I couldn’t have dreamed up on my own!

  To my beta readers, Tonya and Janet, thank you for your supportive words and asking insightful questions that made this book better.

  To my editors Ashley and Monica, as always, you take my words and make them shine. It’s become apparent that I have no idea how the hell to use a comma, so I’m glad I have the two of you in my corner.

  As always, thank you to my family for being you. All of you drive me crazy, but I love the juice out of you!

  About the Author

  Julia Wolf is a lover of all things romance. From steamy, to sweet, to funny, to so dirty you’ll be blushing for days, she loves it all.

  Formerly a hair stylist, she spent years collecting stories her clients couldn’t wait to spill. And now that she’s writing full time, she’s putting those stories to use, although all identifying characteristics have been changed to protect the not-so-innocent!

  Julia lives in Maryland with her three crazy, beautiful kids and her patient husband who she’s slowly converting to a romance reader, one book at a time.

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  JuliaWolfWrites.com

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  Also by Julia Wolf

  Run With It

  Cut Short

  Cutting In

  Cut Loose

  Coming in October 2018

  Pixie Cut

  One

  Words to live by: never underestimate a short blonde woman in a fabulous pantsuit.

  But they did. They always did.

  I liked to think of myself as a cross between Veronica Lake and Katherine Hepburn, with a splash of Lucille Ball thrown in. My resting Kate face was on point and thanks to my hair stylist BFF, my blonde waves were too. But I seemed to always find myself in ridiculous situations and putting my foot in my mouth; enter Lucy.

  Okay, so I was probably more than a splash of Lucy. More like a whole gallon. Or a swimming pool.

  But things were going to change. This week I was starting fresh. New house, new job, and new attitude. No more Lucy, a lot more Kate.

  I flopped down on my couch, the only empty spot in my living room filled with boxes. I’d moved into my fixer upper rowhouse a week ago and hadn’t made much progress unpacking. Yet. Old me was overwhelmed by the thought of organizing and putting everything away. New me loved order and tidiness.

  New me just hadn’t quite shown up yet.

  I opened the box closest to the couch and peeked inside. Books. Well, that was one box that would have to wait until later since I hadn’t actually put together my new book shelves yet. I opened the next box and smiled. Kitchenware.

  I lugged the box into my open kitchen, the room that convinced me to buy the house. It was the only space in the narrow rowhouse that had been updated recently, with pale bamboo floors, a plethora of white Shaker cabinets, and quartz countertops so beautiful I wanted to kiss them. But I wouldn’t do that because I was the new me.

  Just a quick peck wouldn’t hurt, right?

  I set the heavy box down and blew my countertops a kiss. Baby steps.

  Opening the cardboard, I smiled again at the contents. Vintage orange Le Crueset cookware I’d found for a steal at a secondhand store. I’d had it since law school, when my kitchen consisted of a hot plate and microwave, but I couldn’t pass it up when I spotted it. I knew one day I’d have the kitchen of my dreams where I could put it to good use.

  I carefully unpacked each heavy piece and found a spot for everything in a cabinet next to my gas stove. I’d have to have a housewarming party soon so I could cook for everyone. Of course that meant I’d have to unpack all my boxes and make my place presentable. Maybe if I sent out an invitation, I’d have a deadline to motivate me. Or I could call it an unpacking party and con my friends into doing the organizing for me.

  Loopholes were my favorite. I was a lawyer after all.

  I unpacked a few more boxes in the kitchen and gave myself a pat on the back and permission to take a break. At this rate, I might be done unpacking by next month. Conning my friends was sounding more and more reasonable.

  Walking up a flight of narrow stairs whose carpet had seen better days ten years ago, I went into the master bedroom— the one room that was mostly put together— and opened my closet.

  The closet was the other thing that sold me on this house. At some point over the years, a genius had taken several feet from the bedroom to construct a glorious walk-in closet. The intention had probably been for a husband and wife to share it, but it was mine, all mine.

  The flooring was the original narrow-plank oak hardwoods and I’d put down a few fluffy faux sheepskin rugs to warm it up. The lighting had been just an exposed bulb with a chain attached, but I added a tiny chandelier to class up the joint. The walls were a creamy off-white, mostly covered by the Ikea closet system.

&
nbsp; I ran my hands along my suits and sighed. Along with my Le Crueset, I’d started collecting suits in law school as well. My first came from the same secondhand shop I’d found my cookware. It was a lipstick red Ann Taylor pantsuit. I still owned it, though it was a smidge snug in the booty region. When I tried on my first suit, a rush of power came over me and I wasn’t silly, bumbling, blonde Laurel. I’d transformed into powerful, educated, future-corporate attorney Laurel. That’s Ms. Campanella to you.

  My closet was the first thing I unpacked after I moved. My beautiful suits belonged in my beautiful closet. The were hung by color and season. I was only slightly ashamed to admit how many I had. But counting my internships through law school, I’d been wearing a suit on a daily basis for eight years, so I needed both a summer and winter black pinstripe suit with pants and a skirt, right?

  Going from working at a large law firm to being in-house counsel at a tech company would be an adjustment in more ways than one. But after the way I left my firm, I considered myself lucky when my friend Rachel’s husband put me in touch with his friend, Alex, who nabbed me the interview at his company.

  I was ready for a change, for a life outside of work and a more laid back atmosphere. But give up my suits? They’d have to pry them out of my cold dead hands.

  Sitting on the floor in the middle of my closet, I was at peace surrounded by all my pretties. The clothes didn’t make the woman, but they definitely gave me a confidence boost. So while my new office might be business casual...or just casual, really, I’d be showing up in a chic as hell winter white wool jacket with matching trousers.

  I ran my hand through my long hair and it got stuck on a knot. This hair was out of hand. Lately, I’d been so caught up in finding a job, moving, and not unpacking, I’d neglected my hair. Perhaps what I needed before my first day at work was a haircut. After all, my mother had always taken me for back-to-school cuts, and this was basically the same thing, except in the morning I’d pack my briefcase instead of my backpack and my thermos would be filled with coffee instead of spaghetti-o’s.

  At this point I’d do anything to avoid the dozens of boxes piled in my living room. A visit to my favorite salon and my best friend sounded like the perfect distraction.

  Pixie Cut

  Coming October 2018