As he clutched me close, holding me against his body, a feeling so intense rushed through my system that I had to bite down against my lip. I couldn’t say it. Even if I felt it I couldn’t say it. It would only make things worse. It would only make it harder to stay away from him after he was healed and off to live his life. But as I laid there, with nothing but pure satisfaction quaking me from head to toe, I felt his lips press against the shell of my ear.
“I love you, Brooklyn.”
And as tears rushed my eyes, the words fell effortlessly from my lips. As if I had been born to say those specific words to this specific man.
“I love you, too, Jude” I whispered.
22
Jude
For the first time in my entire life, all felt right with the world. The pain I felt cascading throughout my body was muted a bit by the pain medication. But, the rest of it was buried beneath how absolutely wonderful it felt to have Brooklyn on top of me. Her perfectly imperfect body, laying against mine. Spent from the love we had made.
Come to think of it, I was pretty sure this was the first time I’d ever made love. It was the first time something that I’d ever felt so strongly about someone after engaging in such a personal endeavor.
I didn’t want the moment to end.
But, I knew if I fell asleep beneath her like I wanted to, someone would find us, and both of our lives would be over. So, after gathering ourselves in silence, she helped me back across the hall. We’d wanted to stay curled up and sated in her bed, but the risk of being caught together there was much greater. There was no reason for me not to be in my bed, after all. And I was hardly up to the task of jumping up and hiding if someone came knocking.
With gentle hands, she got me settled into my bed and kissed me on my forehead.
“Stay,” I said, taking her hand.
Her eyebrows rose. “In here?”
“Yes. We’ll lock the door so no one can barge in, and if someone questions us about it? I’ll come up with something.”
“I don’t know, Jude. That seems kind of risky.”
I held her hand tighter, hoping she wouldn’t move from my side. “Come on, Little Rosie. You’re the one who’s checking on me anyway. I don’t think anyone will try to come in, or even question why you’re in here if they do come in and see you behind a locked door.”
She giggled. “You seem pretty confident about that.”
“Just lock the door and come lay down. That’s all I’m asking.”
She looked around nervously, as if he couldn’t make up her mind. Then, with the cutest giggle I’d ever heard, she ran to the door and locked it. Feeling her slip under the covers with me filled out the definition of ‘heaven’, and for the first time in all my days I understood what true happiness felt like. It felt amazing to have her in my bed. Next to me, with her arm slung around my waist and her wild hair caressing my skin.
I pulled her close and she settled her head on my shoulder. Feeling her warm breath against the crook of my neck.
And within minutes, we were both asleep.
23
Brooklyn
Waking up in Jude’s arms, I felt safe, even cherished. What a strange way to feel about the man who had made the last year of my life completely miserable. And I knew he was awake as well when his tickling fingers danced a line down the small of my back, making me shiver. I rolled over and lifted myself above him, careful to keep weight off his ribs. He raised his hand and brushed my hair away from my face, tucking it behind my ear. The moment gave me pause. In my sleep-induced haze, for a split second I saw Jude in a completely different light. The tender gesture felt foreign, and so unlike his macho, tough-guy persona I was so well acquainted with.
I didn’t want the moment to end.
He pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it onto the floor. Since he slept without a shirt, I didn’t have to worry about doing the same for him. And with one look—one brush of his lips against the crook of my neck—I knew what was about to happen. I wanted it, too. I wanted all of him he could give me, come hell or high waters.
I softly rolled him over and straddled him like I had last night. With his bruises taunting me and his eye twitching with what I could only assume was pain, I steeled myself against my knee-jerk reaction. I wanted to pull back. I wanted to slide away from him and kiss his pains and aches away. I wanted to shoulder this burden myself so he didn’t have to be uncomfortable any longer, no matter what it stripped from me.
But, as if he knew what I was asking, his hands gripped my hips. Stilling me on top of him as his cock grew hard against my wet core.
So, without another concern given, I released him from his pajama pants and sank down on top of him. I closed my eyes in pleasure at his warmth and hardness, readying myself for the kind of orgasm I’d never had before. A morning one. Like a cup of coffee, or some pancakes before starting the day. I felt energy rush through my veins as he twitched against my walls, making me shiver before we even began to move. And when I opened my eyes again, he was looking at me with a softness in his eyes I had never seen before.
Jude and I, for all of our differences, had sex many times in the past. But, this time was different. This time it felt more like coming together and less like a battle to determine a winner. We kept our eyes locked the entire time.
And it was magical.
The way his hips rolled effortlessly against mine made me feel powerful. The way his eyes fluttered closed every time I ground myself against his cock made me feel beautiful. His hands slid up my waist, finding my own as our fingers locked together. He braced his arms against the bed and helped to prop me up as my head fell back and my hips bucked wildly. Seeking an end against his throbbing girth. Oh, how he filled me. Oh, how my juices dripped for him. And as his bed softly began rocking, a smile overtook my face.
Before I began to shake.
“Jude,” I choked out
“Come for me. I’m so close. Brooklyn, do it. Let go for me.”
My head fell back. “Oh, fuck. Jude. So good for me.”
With a soft growl, I felt his body steady. He trembled beneath me as my walls milked his dick, pleasure coursing through my veins. My eyes rolled back. My toes curled so deeply I thought they might break off. Such a tender moment, yet it brought more pleasure than I’d ever experienced with Jude. And as my nipples puckered tightly, I felt his arms pull me down against him.
And with a grunt, I collapsed on top of him. Breathing heavily against the crook of his neck.
“I love you,” I whispered.
He kissed my temple. “I love you, too.”
I snickered. “I’ll never get used to hearing that.”
He ran his fingers through my hair. “And I’ll never get tired of saying it.”
After, I rolled onto my back, my entire body shaky from the encounter and the realizations and the admissions. I stared up at the ceiling with his arousal dripping from between my legs, coating my thighs and wetting the bed beneath me. Thank fuck, I was the one tasked with keeping his room clean. That meant no one but myself would clean up the evidence of our debaucheries.
And as I rolled over onto my side, I found Jude already staring at me with the sweetest grin on his face.
I sighed. “That was….”
“Unbelievable,” he finished for me.
We laid there together for a while, drinking in each other’s closeness. He smelled so good, even after just waking up. But, of course, it couldn’t last forever, and asharp knock came from the door, causing me to jump.
I exchanged a look with Jude before I slipped out of bed.
“Jude, the doctor will be here to see you in a few moments.” It was one of the assistants.
I yanked my shirt on and pulled my hair into a ponytail.
“Okay,” Jude said as I tried to put myself together.
I heard the steps fade down the hall, so I turned to face him. “I’m going to get dressed and grab us coffee and breakfast. Want anything in particular
?”
He chuckled. “Brooklyn, you don’t have to do that.”
“Do what?”
“It feels a little weird now, having you wait on me. Now that we’re—” He cut himself off.
“We’re what?” I twisted my necklace, avoiding his eyes.
“You know, we’re….” He faltered.
I nodded slowly. “Jude, I know you’re engaged. You don’t have to act like this is something it isn’t. I’m just enjoying the time we have together for now. And I don’t want to think too much about it, because if I do, I’ll realize that what we’re doing is pretty fucked up, even if Margeaux is a total bitch.”
“Even so, we both agree we’ve got something going here. So, it feels weird to have you fetching me breakfast and coffee.”
I folded my arms. “Okay, go on and get us coffee then.”
He leaned up, flinched at the movement of his ribs, and leaned back against the headboard. “All right, you have a point.”
I smiled and opened the door, where the doctor was waiting. “Come on in, Doc. He’s ready for you.”
After the doctor walked in behind me, I turned and winked over my shoulder. Which tugged a smile across Jude’s lips and caused the doctor to pause in his place. I guess Jude didn’t smile often for the people around him.
And it only made me hope I could get him to smile more as the days ticked by.
24
Jude
Brooklyn and I spent the next few days in a sort of dream world with a population of two. And since Margeaux hating being around sickness or weakness so much, she couldn’t hardly bring herself to visit me. Even her calls directly to me were few and far between, although she blew up Brooklyn’s phone with orders and requests for updates.
That, I did not like. Not one damn bit.
Nonetheless, I had never been so happy. The past three mornings, I had woken up to Brooklyn’s lips wrapped around me, and damn, could that girl give a blow job. Unlike Margeaux--who expected me to do all the work--Brooklyn was creative and always flexible in bed. And because of my injuries, she ended up taking on the majority of the load. In more ways than one.
Damn it, this girl couldn’t get any more wonderful if I had built the fucking girl myself.
As the days passed by, I started to feel better. The pain started easing some in my chest, and the fuzziness of the concussion faded away quicker than I thought it would. Brooklyn was not only keeping me warm in bed, but also taking great care to keep me on the right track, according to my doctor. And the stronger I felt, the more I treated her to things at my side. I mean, I couldn’t whisk her away to Italy for an Italian lunch like I wanted to. But, I treated her to other things. Like, sinking between her legs after a nap and waking her up with a smile on her face. And flipping her over before driving my cock deep within her just so I could watch pleasure blossom over her face. I got to take some of my control back. I felt more powerful as the days went by.
And I wanted Brooklyn to reap those benefits as much as she could stand.
As far as my rehabilitation was concerned? Well, that was a nightmare. It sucked balls, and it hurt more than it should. Nonetheless, Brooklyn tried to make it as palatable as possible, and I respected her a great deal for that. We stretched together once in the morning and once at night, and she just happened to wear these cute little shorts every single time. It gave me a great view of the assests I’d fallen head over heels in love with, but the best part was watching relief rush over Brooklyn’s face. It seemed she enjoyed the stretching just about as much as I hated it, and I loved the smile that crossed her face.
I loved everything about her, really.
And, she wasn’t letting me get anywhere near alcohol, which sucked the most, despite the fact that I knew it was better for me. She tried to fight me over the cigarettes one time and lost, though. I knew quitting for me was the best thing, but I’d have to do that on my own, because if I couldn’t have alcohol to relax with, then I needed my nicotine.
Though, as the days waned on, I noticed I didn’t smoke as much.
After only a couple of days, I had cut back my intake by half. Half! And not even by trying. I just didn’t feel the need to reach for the pack with her sitting with me. We watched the cheesiest horror films during the days, taking great pride in who could choose the dumbest. The current favorite was Night of Horror - The Cluckening, where a farmer’s chickens took over and started murdering the townspeople. Her pick. And in the evenings, she fell asleep wrapped in my arms after being filled to the brim by my cock.
It was a full week of bliss before my mother decided to see me. Before she harkened for me, as if I were some sort of servant waiting to do her bidding. It didn’t shock me one bit when she wanted me to come to her, too. A car accident that almost took my life, and that woman couldn’t walk up two flights up steps to come see her own son for an entire week.
And when she wanted to see me, I had to lug my ass down to see her.
Selfish bitch.
Brooklyn made her displeasure known. “He can’t go down to her office, Assistant Ann. He’s on crutches in case you hadn’t noticed.”
“I have told you before, just ‘Ann’ is perfectly fine. You don’t need to call me ‘Assistant Ann’ every time we speak.” Ann’s upper lip curled.
She tried to play it cool, but Brooklyn always managed to get to her somehow. It was one of my favorite things about always having her around.
But, the assistant continued, determined not to back down. “And the Congresswoman has asked for him to be brought to her office. I’m sure you can make that happen.”
I saw the uncertainty rush behind Assistant Ann’s eyes as she looked over at me. How quaint. Even she knew what she was saying was absolute bullshit.
I wondered how much my mother was paying her to say stuff like that.
Brooklyn scoffed. “How?”
Ann looked blank, so my fiery Little Rosie continued. “Seriously, Assistant Ann. How? How are we supposed to get a man on one leg, who can’t even hardly sit up straight because of his ribs, down the stairs? Give me one idea. I’ll wait.”
Ann slowly backed out of the room. “Maybe I’ll just check back in with the Congresswoman.”
And when the door was finally closed, Brooklyn rolled her eyes. “Idiot.” She came over and pecked me on the lips. “I have to go change out Lila’s bedding and clean her bathroom. Find us something good to watch for when I’m done, okay?”
My lips lingered against hers. “Don’t take too long.”
She giggled. “I’ll try, but you know how these things go. Everything has to be perfect.”
I cupped her cheek. “You’re perfect.”
I’d never get tired of watching her blush.
“All right, Jude. Gotta go. I’ll be back as soon as I can, okay?”
I pecked the tip of her nose with my lips. “Okay. I’ll be here.”
As I watched Brooklyn leave my bedroom, I picked up my cell phone. Lila had been keeping her distance ever since her confession. I figured she knew what was going on and was leaving us to enjoy it because whenever Margeaux was coming over, she let me know with plenty of notice. So, while Brooklyn was cleaning her room, I figured the two of us could talk.
I pulled up a blank text message and plucked her name from my scroll list before I got to typing.
Me:
Your room’s being cleaned. Come sit with me
She must have been thinking the same thing, though, because she came through my door right as her phone beeped with my message. She look down at it before she held it up with a laugh. And as a grin crossed my face, I patted the bed next to me.
“Twins,” she said hesitantly.
Then, she came and sat at the edge of my bed, facing away from me.
I sighed. “Have you been avoiding me?”
She fiddled with her nails. “Kind of.”
“Because of Brooklyn?”
She snickered. “That, and because I feel weird. I’ve been keeping m
y distance, but I have seen and heard you two together the past few days. For months, I’ve been worried sick about you. The drinking, the reckless driving, and just in general you seemed like a different person. Half a week with Brooklyn, and you’re yourself again.” She shook her head. “No, better than yourself. This is the happiest and healthiest I’ve ever seen you, and you’re in a freaking cast, completely bedridden. I’m mad at myself. Furious, actually. You could have died in that accident, and it would have been my fault for setting up that lie.”
The tips of her ears were pink, a sure sign that she was doing her best not to cry. I leaned up carefully and placed a hand on her shoulder, not wanting another tear to drop from her eye on behalf of myself.
I squeezed her shoulder. “That’s not true, Li. It isn’t your fault I was feeling trapped. I don’t love what you did, but I definitely understand it. You were just trying to do what you thought was best. How could you have known that I had real feelings for her?”
She dropped her head and ran a hand over her face. “I’m still sorry.”
“We’re good, sis. You and me? We’ll always be good.”
She sat up straight and turned to me, meeting my eyes for the first time. “I’m here for you now though. Do you believe me?”
“I know you are.” I said with a nod.
And once I felt that familiar twinge in my ribcage, I slowly leaned back to settle against my pillows.
Lila took my hand. “What are you guys going to do now?”
“Do about what?” a cold voice came from the door.
“Mother.” Lila jumped up and stood straight, smoothing her slacks. “What are you doing up here?”
“I needed to see your brother.” She walked into the room, looking around. “And I was told that in order to do so, I would have to come to him.”
Lila nodded. “He would have a hard time on the stairs—”
“Hush.” She ran a finger across the top of my dresser, inspecting it for dust. “I’m here to speak to your brother.”
BITTER PRINCE | A DARK COLLEGE BULLY ROMANCE: HEIRS OF HAVOC Page 10
