The Allure of Julian Lefray (The Allure #1)(68)

I laughed and pressed my hand to the center of her chest, pushing her onto her back.

“I’ve waited just as long, Jo, but you have to relax. You have the most beautiful body I’ve ever seen. Just let me touch you.”

She groaned and let her body fall back onto the bed. I gripped her hips and pushed her up higher on the bed. Her head hit the pillows and she watched me with a curious stare.

I scooted down and skimmed my hand down across her chest and stomach until I could grip her thighs and spread her legs even wider.

“Oh, Jesus,” she whispered, throwing her arm over her eyes.

“Jo, relax,” I whispered, pressing one hand to her stomach to hold her on the bed and using the other to keep her legs open. If I was about to put my mouth between her legs, I didn’t want her to buck up and break my nose.

“Okay. Okay,” she said, taking a calming breath. “I’m relaxed, I promise.”

Liar. Her body was still humming with nervous energy, but I loved the way she felt. She was so easy to touch, so full of beautiful curves that I’d been fantasizing about for the last few months. I was mesmerized by every part of her. The soft skin over her hip bones, the dip of her belly button, the arch of her back as I dragged my hand up her thigh and then pressed a finger inside of her.

Her lips parted and I gave her a second to still, then I followed the path of my finger with my mouth.

There was no point in waiting for her to remain still. Jo laughed and talked the whole way through the night. Every time I pushed her a little further, she’d slink back and make a joke, trying to lighten the moment.

She watched me with curious eyes as I slipped off my pants and boxer briefs. It was the first time she’d stayed silent the entire night. I crawled back on top of her and kissed up her chest, over the swell of her breasts, and up the side of her neck.

“I’m not nervous anymore,” she whispered as she wound her fingers through my hair. “I want this so badly.”

I leaned back to catch her eyes and we stared at each other in silence. If I stopped then, Monday morning wouldn’t be any less awkward. We’d already gone so far. I’d already seen every inch of her skin and I’d already heard a symphony of moans from her supple lips. No amount of time could erase those memories. I knew that, but as I slipped inside of her and she shook beneath me, I realized there was so much left hanging between us. She was completely open to me. For once, there were no pretenses or expectations. She wasn’t pushing me away and I wasn’t pretending that she was just a friend. No more playful, witty flirtation. Just lust, distilled.





Josephine





He took his time with me, winding his fingers through mine and pushing them out to the sides. He ground his hips against mine, watching and studying my reactions so he could discover what really drove me mad. I must have been so easy to read, because he could do no wrong. When he skimmed the tops of my breasts, I squeezed his hands tighter. When he caught my earlobe between his teeth, I moaned softly against his cheek. When I came apart beneath him, my whole body shook. My eyes squeezed shut and my nails dug into his skin so hard I was sure I’d draw blood.

In that moment…

I knew I was his.





Chapter Thirty-Nine


Josephine





Monday morning was monumental for two reasons.

First, we had to decide which architecture firm to hire for Lorena’s new offices. This was a big deal and would ultimately shape the entire design of her store.

Second, there was the little fact that Julian and I had made love on Saturday night and now we were going to have to work together. No biggie.

I woke up early on Monday, stood in front of my mirror, and applied a thin layer of makeup—mascara to hide my nervous eyes, red lipstick to give me false confidence. The entire time I got ready, I replayed the previous day and contemplated how easy it’d been to wake up in Julian’s bed.

“Dude, you’re basically crushing me right now,” I said, pushing him off of me at the crack of dawn.

Julian was a cuddler, a suffocating cuddler. I woke up with half of his body on top of my mine. I was practically suffocating and when I rolled over, my lungs thanked me for the extra air.

“Mmm…again,” he murmured, still half-asleep. His hand found my left boob and I rolled my eyes.

“You don’t get sex before I get breakfast. Now get up and let’s go find a bagel.”

“You’re so high maintenance.” He laughed, rolling over and stretching his arms above his head.

HELLO, NAKED JULIAN.

The man was all toned, tan skin and six-pack abs. I wanted to lick him from his toes to his forehead, but more than that, I wanted a bagel and some damn cream cheese.

“C’mon, c’mon, c’mon. I’m hungry.”

He groaned and threw the blankets off, and my eyes bulged out of my head a little bit. The man needed to warn people before he just stripped down like that. I was momentarily dumbstruck as I took in the contour of his abs and the curve of everything that lay below.

“Jo, my eyes are up here,” he joked.

My face turned the color of a Cherry Icee and I promptly turned away from him to examine his hotel closet.

“I’m stealing a t-shirt and then I’m going to leave this apartment to hunt down food. My stomach is eating itself as we speak.”