by Scott, D. D.
He helped her maneuver her spent body to her knees. She’d never, at the same time, felt so exhausted but exhilarated beyond her wildest fantasies. Completely satisfied but unable to get enough of him, she wanted to pleasure him like he’d so graciously fulfilled her initial desires.
He got behind her and put his hands on each side of her hips. She moved onto the head of his hard length, marveling at the feel of him solid and firm against her backside.
He entered her slow as before. But once he got into her as far as he could, he gave her a sweet surprise thrust. Then another. And another. Each one more intense, more wanting than the previous surge.
Moving her body back and forth, away from then toward him, he created an impassioned, intense rhythm, taking her on one incredible ride. She felt him shake against her as he dug his fingers into her hips.
Letting out a guttural groan of sheer, unfettered pleasure, he came to his ultimate release inside her.
His body quivering and shuddering in tiny spasms, he gave a guttural, pleasure-rich groan then collapsed against her back, staying inside her until both of their breathing steadied. Gently pulling out of her, he rolled her over and lay beside her.
She laid her head on his chest and wrapped one leg over his, unable to ignore how her body still trembled and shook coming down from ecstasy.
Listening to their rapid heart beats pulsing against each other in perfect unison, Jules knew she’d never again be the same woman she was before this night. She’d never felt so safe, secure, loved and beautiful.
In Cody’s arms, making love to him, her heart and soul were complete.
“I love you, Sweet Man,” she said, lifting her head long enough to look into his eyes.
Unless the moon spilling into their bedroom from the open patio doors was playing tricks on her, there were tears in his eyes.
“I love you more, JuJu Bee. Making love to you is beyond anything I’ve ever experienced. You’re amazing,” he said kissing her nose then tucking her head back onto his chest where it fit like a piece finishing a puzzle. “I’ll always be here for you.”
Jules closed her eyes and let his promise wrap around her heart. Maybe there was such a thing as forever.
Chapter Thirteen
Christmas trees and aphrodisiacs.
Not even tree trimming, Cody thought, was typical with Jules at the helm.
Following a great Thanksgiving at the diner with the entire gang except his dad, Jules had asked Cody to help her get an early jump on her holiday decorating. She planned to spend the rest of December on the Cruz wedding. And from the number of boxes and bags covering the floor and every available surface beyond, they’d be working ‘til then getting Jules’ home ready for the season.
Jules had shipped Tulip out to stay with The Moms, so she and Cody would have the house to themselves. And wanting every last minute she’d devote to him — and him alone - plus needing a distraction from thinking about his dad, Cody dove into decorating.
Trimming trees with Jules, however, wasn’t like anything he’d seen in any country Christmas book. They weren’t going to be stringing cranberries and popcorn.
Jules had much more elaborate plans involving huge hand-made bows, art glass ornaments, floral wire, tons of way out there floral picks — which just looked like big, sparkling sticks to him — and a shitload of pipe-cleaners. Well — he called them pipe cleaners. She claimed the proper name was floral stems. Whatever. The name didn’t excuse the fact that the job she’d instructed him to do was complete hell.
What happened to good ‘ole Christmas tree hooks to secure ornaments on just the right bow?
If she thought he was helping unwind these bastards from the tree branches when it was time to take down all this crap, she was nuttier than even he’d estimated.
He had to hand it to her, though, she’d learned some pretty cool tricks from the decorators and event planners she’d worked with in Manhattan and was now schooling him way beyond what he thought he needed to know.
But if it made her happy, he was good with that. Perfectly good.
She hovered over the six, seven-foot trees he’d helped her pick out then cut down at the tree farm.
Six trees last year would have been unthinkable. What had she done to his sense of reason?
But after Tulip’s information that evergreens were the herbal equivalent of Viagra, Cody was more than willing to put one up in every room of Jules’ house plus his.
“Bring on the evergreens” was his new motto.
Taking charge of their stomachs while Jules reigned over the rest of their night’s decorative adventures, Cody finished filling the fondue pots and preparing dipping items.
Chocolate was an aphrodisiac too, right?
He’d asked Tulip and not only gotten confirmation on that useful tidbit but received a box-kit of chocolate-themed bedroom treasures to prove it. ‘Course he hadn’t yet told Jules about Tulip’s gift, not sure she’d think it was as much fun as apparently Tulip and her patients did.
But if it wasn’t, no worries. Although, he’d sure like to test it out.
The hot little get-up clinging to Jules’ holy-wow curves fired up every part of him now pinched tight beneath the zipper of his jeans.
No tree trimming he’d attended had been lead by a woman who looked more ready for a martini lounge than being covered with sap from head-to-toe — but that was his Jules.
She didn’t wear an apron or chef’s coat in the kitchen when she should and looked as if she’d stepped out of Saks Fifth Avenue on her way to a fashion show instead of a private, tree-trimming party.
“I still can’t believe you’re wearing that to decorate,” he said, enjoying her skinny-as-all-hell jeans, purple sequined cut-out top and sparkling, silver suede spikes. “You look way too good to be working at home. I should be taking you out.”
“Yes, you should. But regardless of what the moments in my life call for, where my clothes are concerned, I let my spirit move me.”
“That’s some spirit.”
Jules took down her hair from the hot, messed up sweep it was in then twisted and maneuvered it back up. Now loosely toppled and gathered at the back of her head, big sexy curls framed her flushed face and neck.
But if Cody wasn’t mistaken, he’d swear her skin looked blotchy.
“Get over here and let me see those bumps. Do you have hives?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Just a little allergic reaction.”
She scratched her forearm leaving a huge red welt soon joined by a multitude of mini bumps.
“I hope you’re not allergic to me.”
“No,” she laughed removing the clunky glass bangles from her wrists to scratch the hell out of the skin underneath.
“I’m a tad allergic to Christmas trees.”
“You’re what?! What were you thinking then buying half the damn forest?”
He may be trying to bring humor to their medical crisis, but she had him worried to death. He’d never seen her like this and didn’t like the looks of the fiery rash one bit.
“I saw the tree farm and thought it would be fun. I figured I could mind over matter my allergy.”
“Honey, sometimes your mind doesn’t seem to have much matter.”
“Cute. But the experts say you outgrow that kind of stuff. And I haven’t had real trees for years. Not since my parents — never mind. So much for that idea, I guess.”
Watching her dig at the bumps popping up all over her arms, Cody felt terrible. But hearing her reference her parents and memories she’d shared with them, he felt worse.
But dammit. What a goofball. Like you could convince your body it wasn’t allergic to something. If only he could pummel the idiot intellectuals who’d led to Jules’ pain.
“Go get in the shower and get that sap off you. I’ll get rid of these damn trees.”
Cody nuzzled Jules’ neck, bopping his nose against the huge silver hoops in her ears. “You’re something else, JuJuBee.”
; So much for evergreen trees as aphrodisiacs. He’d have to skip right to the chocolate toolkit.
He hummed along with George Strait’s rendition of “The Christmas Song” and escorted Jules out of the great room toward her master bath.
Entering the bathroom, he was transported to a Mediterranean spa.
Candlelight filled the space with a seductive and ultra warm glow. Shimmering crystals and stones sat on every smooth surface in the oasis. Probably some Feng Shui or chakra healing thing. Like he’d know which. Although he wouldn’t mind learning. That was his Jules, and he respected her — chakra quirks and all.
She always filled him with the same light she strategically used in every room she created. And everything she brought to his life seemed to brighten him a bit.
Probably a half dozen mosaic holders — all the colors of the sea — and too many to count tea lights and candles flickered just like his soul did in her company.
She was an inspiration and didn’t even know it, a trait he found irresistible.
She kicked off her shoes, shimmied out of her jeans and winked, almost as if she were giving him a private strip tease.
“Wanna join me?”
“Thought you’d never ask. Here, let me help you off with that,” he said, sliding her sequined top over her arms and head, trying not to let the rough plastic edges of the sequin sets scratch her irritated skin.
There was something about undressing her that Cody found highly sensual. It was that juxtaposition of already knowing what lay underneath while his mind conjured up the images one-by-one.
He knew very well what was there. He’d captured all her sexy curves in Cabo and had seen them in his bed or hers every night since they’d returned home.
As she turned from him to warm up the shower, he took in the beauty of her naked body.
He’d first been attracted to her eyes, her smile, her face and hair. And still was. But getting to know her hips, back, and gorgeous backside had been and continued to be intimate milestones more than satisfying to his senses.
Just looking at her made his insides warm-up like a pre-heating oven, building to a point he could barely contain. Everything about the woman was a high-heat turn on.
“You know, this shower is made for two, and I’ve never tried it out,” she said then bit her lips in a naughty way Cody couldn’t dare ignore.
“Let’s break it in then,” he said, tapping her bare butt with the palm of his hand, wishing he could hold onto its supple sweet shape awhile longer but wanting to get her in the shower and the evergreen washed off her skin. “Let’s get you de-sapped.”
Cody pulled off his clothes, not sure how he was going to control his urge to ravish her. But he was more concerned about getting that sap off her body than taking care of his needs.
With him close behind, Jules opened the tempered glass doors and headed into the spacious mist.
Noticing the temperature controls were jacked up hotter than he liked, Cody lowered his hot-water handle then cranked on the cold. Being beside her would more than make up the difference. He programmed his jet sprays to a much higher pressure than her summer, rain-shower sprinkles, hoping the added pressure would compensate for doing without her body rubbing against his.
The testosterone crisis of Jules sharing her shower space without him able to properly thank her was creating a much larger turmoil than he thought he might be able to handle. Rinsing off, he tried focusing on his family problems instead of the hotter-than-hot woman standing next to him.
The water beat away his disappointment as well as the hurt and confusion his dad had dished out by not returning home for the holiday. Closing his eyes, he wondered what he would do if he ever faced the guy again. Giving up on an immediate epiphany, he opened his eyes.
Heat and steam enveloped him from Jules’ next door sauna.
“How do you stand it that hot?” He crossed over to her, willing to absorb the extreme heat to be closer to her gorgeous curves.
“C’mere and I’ll show you,” she said, wrapping her body around his, burying her head in his chest.
The jet sprays cascaded their backs like a trickling waterfall, awakening the most primal or urges.
She looked up into his eyes, her black mascara slightly smudged underneath her magical, dark espresso eyes, a dishevelment as endearing as her Medusa-like hair when they finished making love.
“Oh Boy,” he said. “I know that look. What’s on your mind, JuJuBee?”
Even though he wasn’t always comfortable with her inquiries, she pressed him for answers he wasn’t ready to give because she cared. And he could accept that. The fact she cared enough to ask meant a lot.
“Tell me about your dad. What do you think is up with him?” She continued scratching her arms which were still red as Cody’s beets.
Focusing on her allergies instead of his dad’s afflictions, Cody reached for a washcloth, filled it with liquid soap and, as gentle as he could, washed her arms.
He took a deep breath. He knew he couldn’t escape her fierce probe. She’d never let the topic go. She was a bulldog when she smelled a bone.
Knowing Grams and his mom, they’d probably thrown a big one right at her during Thanksgiving dinner.
“So how much do you already know?”
Jules opened her mouth in mock innocence then closed it, opting for a guilty but cute ‘you got me’ smile.
“So here’s the thing, Sweet Man. All I know is your dad left what about three months ago? Your mom seems to know why but doesn’t want to say, and Grams knows where but won’t say.”
“You know about as much as I do then,” Cody said, breathing in the rosemary mint shampoo he squirted in his hands to lather into her hair.
The bottle claimed the stuff was therapeutic. But it would take more than that to get him out of his family funk and free from Jules’ inquisition.
“Do you know anything that would hint at your dad’s motivation?”
Jules took over his shampoo job, apparently not impressed by his technique.
“Don’t pout.” She kissed his nose. “You’re doing fine, but I’ve got to smooth out the tangles you rubbed in. I just kind of hand comb the product through with my fingers like this.”
He watched her, almost hypnotized by her rhythmic scalp massage. “Uh, you can do mine too.”
“Then spill your guts while I wash your hair. This is me you’re talking to. Quit being so damn evasive.”
“Deal,” he said, handing her the shampoo bottle. “Start massaging.”
“Start talking.”
She went to work on his head, although not the one he’d like her to be working on. However, her magic fingers did seem to relieve some of the pressure trapped in his skull.
“Dad’s an alcoholic,” he said, opening one eye despite the shampoo danger zone, taking the risk of the burn to catch her reaction.
Typical for the strong woman he’d fallen in love with, she didn’t appear rattled by his revelation.
“How bad of an alcoholic?” She leaned his head into the water stream to rinse out the shampoo.
“Oh, he covers it well.” And he did, Cody thought.
He hadn’t known himself about his dad’s illness until that first night in middle school when he didn’t come home. He’d heard his mom crying to Grams on the phone, revealing the secret they’d been covering up for Cody’s sake.
“He’s been sober for several years now. I’d thought he’d actually kicked the disease. Evidently not. Mom and Grams won’t say what caused the latest binge.”
“When he was off the wagon was he ever mean to your Mom?”
Jules filled a washcloth with soap and washed Cody’s upper body, soothing his soul with each swath.
“He never got physically abusive that I saw or heard about. But he said awful things to her. I’m not sure how or why she took it all those years. Let alone now that he’s off his rocker again.”
And he wasn’t sure why. He’d told her many times he’d unders
tand if she left his dad. She’d always thanked him for his concern then changed the subject.
“Sometimes people are so used to living their misery, the idea of freedom or happiness beyond their despair scares them more. Does that make sense?”
“I guess so. But Mom deserves so much better. Why can’t she see that?”
“Once you adapt to surviving the dark sides of life, you no longer look for the light.”
Jules wrung the washcloth. Filling it again with soap, she went to work on his midsection, legs and feet.
Cody had never thought of addiction or living and loving an addict in that way. Maybe Jules was right. Maybe his mom was afraid to look for happiness, convinced she didn’t deserve it because she’d never known that kind of unconditional love.
“You’re so smart,” he said, kissing Jules’ forehead then wiping off a glob of soap from her cheek that she’d picked up from his upper thigh.
“Maybe. Maybe not. Depends on who you ask.”
“Well I’m not asking. I’m telling you that you’re one, sharp chick.”
She kissed him with her perfect lips, hands down his favorite part of her. They were the ideal soft, wet and warm. It was as if their mouths had been made out of the same mold — a perfect fit.
Desire shot straight to his chest, touching his heart before landing hard in his stomach and groin. His insides warmed, a pleasurable build-up getting way too strong to hold onto. Every nerve he had tingled at once.
Being needed and wanted by this incredible woman brought him an emotional enjoyment far outweighing the physical fulfillment. That she put value in him, depended on and trusted him, made him feel important, safe and secure.
He felt strong and capable of anything. At the same time, he felt comfortable enough to relax into his joy. He related to her more than anyone else in his life. Sharing their lives and thoughts, likes and dislikes, happiness and sadness, completed him.
He loved her more than life itself.
But could he hang onto her?
“Are you still in there, Sweet Man?”
She teasingly tugged at his once hardened length now shriveled from too much water and too many worries.
