Fool For You (Made for Love Book 4) (65 page)

We ran into a really nice group of people, in town on vacation from Georgia. When they saw me snapping a picture of Judah, one of them offered to take a couple shots of the two of us together. It wasn’t until she asked that I realized I have not one picture of just the two of us. All the pictures from my birthday, before everyone was too intoxicated to care about selfies, he and I were in a group. The closest thing we got to a couple’s picture was a shot of us with Harper and Ben. Needless to say, I didn’t hesitate to take her up on her offer.

We found somewhat of a secluded spot to spread out our picnic, and enjoyed the meal we brought along with us. When I got chilly, Judah settled me between his legs, wrapping his arms around me to keep me warm so that we could rest for a little while longer. After we spent an hour in our own little world, we decided to make the long walk back to the car so we could drive back to the resort.

Now that we’ve returned to the room, there’s only one thing I can think about…

That bathtub
.

“Hey, Judah?” I ask, setting my camera bag and my phone on the dining room table.

“Yes, Teddy?”

I turn in the direction of his voice and spot him across the room, his focus glued to his phone. Something tells me that it’s probably work distracting him. Admittedly, I’m surprised that he’s gone this long without at least checking in, and I almost feel bad for wanting to steal back his undivided attention.

Almost
.

“Did you have anything else planned for us before dinner?” I ask, making my way toward him.

“No. Is there something you’d like to do?” He’s obviously speaking to me, but by the way his thumb keeps scrolling on the screen in his hand, I’m afraid I’m about to lose him to whatever task is sucking him in at the moment.

“I’d like to take a bath and soak for a little while.”

“All right.”

“Judah?” I murmur as I stand before him. I pull at the hem of his sweater, slipping my hands underneath his t-shirt before I begin pushing both up over his sculpted abdomen. “I want to take a bath and soak for a little while
with you
.”

When my hands are halfway up his chest, his gaze locks with mine. He lifts his arms up, silently giving me permission to finish what I started, and I push up on my tiptoes, tugging the garments over his head. As I drop the items on the floor, I kiss the smattering of hair at the center of his chest, peeking up at him from beneath my lashes. He watches me, speaking not a word as my lips travel down. When I reach the top of his pants, I straighten back up, my hands working to loosen his belt.

Just as I’m getting ready to pop his top button, he grips one hand around both of mine, stopping me.

“Five minutes. I’ll meet you in there.”

“Promise?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.” I grip the top of his pants, pushing myself up on my tiptoes once more as I pucker my lips. He kisses me, then taps the side of my ass. Understanding that he’s signaling the beginning of his five minutes of work time, I leave him to it.

I undress in the bedroom before I go to fill up the gigantic tub full of water. Even though it’s not particularly cold outside, I flip the switch to turn on the fireplace—just because I can. As I let the water run, I stand in front of the mirror, pulling my hair up into a ponytail before twisting it around itself to form a knot on top of my head. After a long day on my feet, my muscles are excited for the pool of hot water that awaits.

I turn the faucet off before the water can get too high, and just as I’m stepping in, Judah enters the room. I stand in the middle of the tub, waiting for him to join me—and when he does, he grabs both sides of my face before leaning down to kiss me passionately. I hum a pleasant sigh into his mouth, gripping hold of his wrists as I return his affection fervently.

When he pulls away abruptly, I’m left breathless—gaping up at him.

“What was that for?” I manage.

“Felt like tasting what’s mine.”

I feel it as my whole body heats up in a blush; only, it’s not embarrassment I feel. Rather, I’m overwhelmed with the excitement that comes with hearing him claim me. It might not be a declaration of love—not yet—but I’ll wait. For him, I’ll wait.

He sits down in the water, stretching out his legs before guiding me down between them. When he pulls me back against his chest, wrapping me in his arms, I can’t keep the grin off my face.

“Why, Judah Danyl St. Michaels, are you turning into a cuddler?” I gasp teasingly.

He grunts in response, but doesn’t let me go, and I sigh happily, relaxing into him further.

“Why don’t you have a tub?”

“I don’t take baths,” he states matter-of-factly.

“You are right now.”

“I wouldn’t be if I didn’t have company.”

“Well, we could do this more often if you had a tub.”

“Noted.”

I close my eyes, reveling in the warmth of the water, the heat of his body, and the burning fire. I wish I could spend all of winter like this.

I’m not sure how long we sit in silence. It’s a comfortable sort of quiet, though, and I like it. But when the urge to speak arises, I don’t fight it. I feel as though this shared moment of intimacy deserves something more—
I
long for something more. More of him.

“Judah, tell me a secret,” I murmur, my voice hardly louder than a whisper.

“Excuse me?”

“A secret. Tell me something nobody else knows about you.”

He doesn’t answer me right away. In fact, he doesn’t answer me for so long, I’m afraid he’s not going to at all.

“Jude?”

“I’m thinking.”

I try to wait patiently while he continues to
think
. I’m surprised it takes him so long. He’s such a mysterious man, I imagine there are lots of things that nobody knows about him. Nevertheless, I appreciate him taking the time to find the right thing to share with me, and I wait with bated breath.

“Sometimes I wish I knew who my father was.”

His admission isn’t at all what I was expecting, and I’m instantly filled with the desire to comfort him. Except, when I try to move, he tightens his grip around me, keeping me right where I am. I don’t fight him, but he can’t stop me from speaking, so I do.

“Jude—have you ever tried looking for him?”

“No.”

“I’m sure your mom could—”

“Teddy, it’s not necessary for me to look for him. It’s not a relationship I want.”

“But you said—”

“I wish I knew who he was, not because I want to
know
him, but because I want him to know who
I
am. Vengeance. That’s what I want. I want him to know who I’ve become
without
him, and I want him to realize what a piece of shit he is for choosing to leave me even before he knew me. But I won’t look for him. As much as I would like to rub my success in his face, he doesn’t deserve the time or effort it would require to find him.”

I hear it. I hear his pain, even if he doesn’t, and it breaks my heart a little. He’s not a weak man, my Judah. It’s simply not how he was created—but I know there are things in his past that have hardened him. Now, I just want to wrap my arms around him and love him—love him with everything I am. I want to be the softness in his life. I want to be his safe place, for he is mine.

I try and move once more, but he won’t let me. I reach up and place my hands over his arms, locked around my body.

“Judah—let me see you. Please?” I tilt my head back, my lips finding the underside of his jaw. “Please?”

When he finally lets me go, I turn towards him, straddling his lap. He leans forward, giving me room to lock my ankles behind him as I press my chest against his. I can feel him growing hard beneath me, and my core pulses with need, but we both seem to ignore our bodies for the moment as we stare into each other’s eyes.

“Tell me your secret,” he insists, speaking before I can.

“Sometimes, I envy Harper. I mean, I love her to death—you know that—but sometimes, I look at her and…I don’t know.”

“What does she have that you don’t?” he asks, running a hand up the back of my neck and down again.

I pause, looking over at the flames that flicker beside the tub.

“Fire. She’s fierce in a way that I will never be. She always has been.”

“Look at me,” he demands.

I comply immediately, content to stare into those grey eyes.

He doesn’t speak right away, and I wonder what he’s thinking. Then, he slides a hand around my side and down my stomach. My breath hitches in the back of my throat when he slips two fingers inside of me, and a warmth spreads throughout my entire body at his touch.

“You are not without fire, sweetheart—you posses a dose of
wild
, and it’s just what I crave.”

His words spur me on, increasing my desire, and I grind against his hand with a moan.

“Judah…”

When he kisses me, I cling to him, needing everything he has to give. He continues to work his fingers in and out of me, but it’s not enough. I need more. I need
him
.
All
of him, filling me up—binding us together.

He grazes my clit with his thumb, and I sever our kiss, short of breath.

“Make love to me,” I plead.

Without a moment of hesitation, he pulls his fingers out of me, wrapping an arm around my back to keep me close as he uses the other to help him stand. He steps out of the tub, not even bothering to drain it as he heads for the towels. He taps my backside, signaling for me to let him go, and he lowers me to my feet before drying me off. He does the same for himself before discarding the towel and scooping me up in his arms, cradling me against his chest. I couldn’t keep the smile off my face even if I tried.

“I love you,” I whisper as he carries me to the bed.

He looks at me, his eyes roaming my face before he kisses my lips.

“Say it again.”

“I love you,” I repeat as he lays me down.

“
Again
,” he insists, settling himself between my legs.

“I love—” He eases himself inside of me, momentarily stealing my words. When I find my voice again, the sentiment comes out on a moan. “Judah, I love you so much.”

“Tell me again tomorrow,” he mutters before sealing his mouth over mine.

He glides in and out of me leisurely, creating a slow burn between us. I never want it to end—and for a while, it doesn’t. I love every minute—every touch, every kiss, every stroke, every
sigh
passed between us. When my orgasm blossoms, I can’t stop it, and I pull him over the edge with me. As I tremble beneath him, he roars above me, and I fall in love with him a little bit more.

He doesn’t pull out of me right away. Instead, he kisses me until my lips are swollen and on the verge of going numb—he kisses me until he grows hard inside of me, and then he makes love to me all over again.

We didn’t leave the suite all night. We fell asleep together after I’d made her come twice post-bath, sleeping until after the dinner hour. I don’t remember the last time I
napped
, and I found it surprisingly refreshing. Not surprisingly, I woke before she did, and I took the liberty of ordering us dinner, waking her upon its arrival. We ate at the dining room table, and when we were finished, I fucked her there, too. We then showered, ordered dessert upon her request, and spent a couple hours eating and kissing in the sitting room before I took her back to bed, where I had my way with her one last time before sleep overtook us both.

Now, as I lay awake, the overcast sky hiding the dawn of a new day, I look down on my woman. Her cheek is pressed against my chest, her arm draped across my waist, and one of her legs is hooked over mine, but not a single part of me objects. I would blame it on the sated bliss of this weekend, but it’s not that. At least, not entirely. She’s not a leech I wish to shake off of me. She’s a woman I wish to keep. She’s the woman I choose. Day after day, I shall choose to be her fool—so long as she loves me; so long as she chooses me right back.

I know there will come a day when she
does not
choose me. I’m not stupid enough to believe in forever, regardless of how much I may feel for her. Though, as I look at her now, I hope her time comes before mine. I hope that the repetitious act of her choosing me will end, that she will change her mind, that her desire to speak of her love tomorrow will fade before my choice to choose her tomorrow dissipates. I don’t want to hurt her—my shy girl who believes in love; who believes in
always
, in spite of the pain she’s endured. I’m not a monster, like the boy who claimed to love her before. I will not promise her love. I am not a
changed
man. I am still the man who seeks pleasure above all else. Right now, she’s the pleasure I seek. But I cannot deny that she means enough to me that I wish to spare her feelings.

My phone rings, pulling me from my thoughts, and I reach to grab it from where it sits on the bedside table. I have every intention of silencing it, until I see that it’s Benjamin on the line. I look down at Teddy, resting my free hand on her bare hip as I answer the call.

“Hello?” I mumble softly.

“Beaver Creek, huh?”