Her expression goes serious but tender at the same time. “I’d give you a shot at a whole lot of things, Jude Kingston. You’ve more than earned it.”
“You mean, like anal?” I tilt my head.
She flings a pillow at me.
I fall back on my ass, laughing. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.” I tickle the bottom of her foot. “Seeing you smile after the kind of day you’ve had? It’s a feeling that rivals winning the Super Bowl. True victory.”
I don’t have much experience with women in situations like this. It doesn’t help that I grew up in a home full of boys. But I am doing everything I can think of, everything in my power, to help her cope with the revelations she discovered this afternoon.
It devastates me to see Iris in so much pain. Especially pain inflicted by her mother. Hasn’t she been through enough?
First, that whole mess with Kirk. Then, losing her sandwich shop. Now, this? No wonder she’s wrecked. I doubt she can weather even one more blow from life.
“She didn’t mean to hurt me, y’know…” Something like guilt covers her features.
I imagine she’s making excuses for her mother. “I know,” I assure her.
“She was doing what she thought was best for me.”
“You don’t have to justify anything to me, Iris.”
She picks at a loose thread on the comforter with her fingernails. “I just…I don’t want you to think that she’s a bad person.”
I drop my head and shake it. “You’re truly incredible.”
I’m in awe of this woman. In her darkest moment, she’s here trying to protect someone she loves. Even though that person is the one who caused her this pain. I’ve never met anyone more beautiful than Iris, on the inside or on the outside.
After all the destruction I’ve witnessed in her life, one thing is blindingly clear. Iris Merlini does not need a fuck buddy. She doesn’t need a sort-of-boyfriend. She doesn’t need any of that fake bullshit. This woman needs someone who’s all in, all the way committed. Because she’s never had anything or anybody she could rely on. Now, I want her to rely on me.
I’m in too deep to run anyway. I can’t resist this unwavering pull to be there for her. Especially since she was there for me when no one else was. More than anything, she needs to know what it feels like to be protected. Cherished. Needed.
No one has ever done that for her.
But I could.
I can.
Fuck—I will.
There’s no use in pretending anymore. We might be fooling ourselves, but what we’re doing feels more real than anything I have ever experienced. What I feel is genuine. We can call this whatever we want, but we’re two people who are falling for each other.
I lift her foot and place a kiss on the arch. “You deserve to be cherished, Iris.”
I kiss her shin.
“Respected.”
I kiss her kneecap.
Loved.
I don’t stop kissing her skin until I’ve traced a path up to her core. With tender hands, I spread her thighs, spread the lips of her pussy, taste her the way she needs to be tasted. Slow, patient, thorough. Until she’s fisting the sheets, bucking against my mouth, calling my name.
She’s trembling as she descends from the high of her orgasm. “Jude…” she whispers. So much reverence in her tone. “You're so good to me…It’s too much.”
Throbbing cock clenched in my fist, I crawl the length of her body until my pelvis is aligned with hers. Her fingers cover mine and she gives my cock a soft stroke that makes my vision blur at the corners. My face drops into the sweet-smelling curve of her neck as she guides my bare cock inside her.
The effect of this woman on me…
If I knew anything about love, I’d have to guess that I’m on the brink of it. And with Iris, it doesn’t scare me one bit.
“You are a goddess, Iris.” I trail the length of her neck with my mouth. “Let me fucking worship you…”
39
Iris
Lily’s kitchen is absolutely adorable, like something straight out of an old edition of Country Living Magazine. There’s chicken and rooster wallpaper and an old-fashioned kitchen set that has seen better days. There’s just something cozy and warm and inviting about the place.
I’m huddled around the kitchen table with Lily and her sisters…my sisters, I guess. I’m still not quite used to that idea yet. Nerves are eating at me. Now that I know these stunning, fierce, brilliant women are my family, I want so badly for them to like me. I’ve always wanted a sister, and now, overnight, I’m given three.
I was afraid that after my mini-meltdown at Faith’s barbecue, they’d think I’m an unstable weirdo. But they’ve welcomed me into the fold like I’ve always belonged here.
The girls invited me to the quaint, old farmhouse where Lily and her husband, Jakob, live with their half-dozen babies and Jakob’s grandmother in the picturesque Reyfield countryside. Faith explained to me that even though she and the girls have an office space in the local community center building, they often work here at Jakob’s farm since it’s close to the small plot of land where they grow fresh produce for their non-profit.
“Can you explain what the Mellow Initiative does?” I cradle a warm cup of tea in my hands.
Faith smiles and rocks forward on her chair. “Basically, once a week, the fruits and vegetables that we grow here on our small plot are taken to the community center where I work and Gracie teaches middle schoolers how to prepare healthy meals which is no easy feat because the last thing middle schoolers want to eat after school is vegetables.”
My mind drifts to someone else I know who isn’t a fan of his leafy greens. Beyond the window, I can see Jude, together with Maxwell, throwing a football with Lily’s sons in the wide open fields of the farmlands.
“Gracie’s a badass in the kitchen, by the way,” Lily tells
