It was heaven, hell, and everything in between.
Josh let out another groan before he pulled out of me again. He slowly slid the toy out of me, and I whimpered at the resulting emptiness. After being so full for so long, it seemed wrong not to have something inside me.
The silk scarves went next, one by one, until I was finally free.
“Such a good girl.” Josh rubbed a tear of frustration from my cheek. “You swallowed every drop of cum. That deserves a reward, don’t you think?” He pushed his thumb into my mouth, letting me taste the saltiness of my need.
“Please—” A gasp cut off my words when he entered me and buried himself to the hilt in one smooth thrust.
“Fuck.” He cursed, his voice turning guttural as he thrust in and out of me. “You take my cock so well, Red. Like your pussy was made for me.”
Despite his filthy words, his touch was gentle as he kissed me and settled into a slow, leisurely rhythm. Unlike the previous times we had sex, this didn’t feel like fucking; it felt like something sweeter, more intimate.
It felt like making love.
The ball of tingles at the base of my spine climbed higher at the thought.
I closed my eyes, my breaths coming out in staccato bursts. It was too much. Josh’s kiss, the way he stretched me out, the sensitivity from the edging session…
My orgasm slammed into me, both unexpected and inevitable. I bowed off the bed with a sharp cry, and I didn’t get a chance to recover before Josh picked up the pace and pounded into me hard enough for a second orgasm to roll right into the first one.
“That’s it. Scream for me, Red. Let it all out.” Josh reached between us and pressed his thumb against my needy, swollen clit. “You come so beautifully around my cock.”
I did, again and again until I was limp with exhaustion and couldn’t scream anymore.
It was only when I collapsed against the bed, my body sore from multiple blinding, toe-curling orgasms, that he slowed his pace again and came with a heavy groan.
“Good girl.” He smoothed my hair back from my forehead and gave me a lingering kiss. “You did so well.”
It was embarrassing how much pride glowed in my chest at his words.
He rolled to the side of me and curled an arm around my shoulders, drawing me close. Goosebumps of pleasure dotted my skin when he brushed the back of his hand down my arm in a lazy pattern.
“You know, you’re the first guy I’ve been with in my room.” Drowsy content pulled the admission out of me as I snuggled deeper into his side.
I’d never truly cuddled after sex. I thought I would despise it, but clearly, I’d been missing out.
Josh’s hand stilled before he resumed caressing my arm. “First and last, Red.”
I laughed at his soft growl. “Possessive much?”
“Damn right I am.” He moved his hand up to cup my neck. The firm, territorial touch sent another thrill down my spine. “I don’t like sharing.”
“Sharing is a virtue, Josh.”
“I don’t give a flying fuck. I don’t share. Not when it comes to you.”
My breath hitched. Golden warmth spread through my chest and lit me up from the inside out.
I didn’t know how to respond, so I kissed his shoulder and basked in the moment instead.
I should get out of bed. Stella was coming home soon, and my clothes were still scattered in the living room, but I couldn’t tear myself away just yet.
One more minute. Then I’ll get up.
I buried my face in Josh’s chest, soaking in his warmth and scent. Between Michael and Max, our lives were storms of chaos, but at least we could find temporary peace in moments like this.
“Thank you,” he said quietly, breaking the silence. “For being here. I needed this.”
“Anytime.” I lifted my head, my chest pinching at the touch of vulnerability in his eyes. “But if you pull another edging stunt, I’ll chop your dick off.”
Josh’s face broke out into a dazzling grin. “I’d believe you more if you hadn’t come so hard around it multiple times, Red.”
I turned my nose up, my cheeks heating. “I was faking it.”
“Hmmm.” He leaned down and nuzzled my neck. “I can tell when something is real or fake. Your orgasms were real.” He grazed his nose over the line of my jaw before capturing my mouth in a soft kiss. “And so is this.”
The ache spread from my chest to behind my eyes and nose.
I didn’t trust myself to speak, so I turned my head away until I gathered my emotions.
I didn’t make a habit of trusting many people. I could count the number of people I truly trusted on one hand, and I never thought Josh would be one of them. But life had a way of blindsiding us, and for once, I didn’t mind.
Josh and I stayed entwined in comfortable silence until the clock ticked toward the half hour and he reluctantly pulled away.
“I’m gonna hop in the shower,” he said. “Stella’s coming home soon, right?”
“Yeah.” I sighed. I loved Stella, but in that moment, I wished I lived alone.
Josh gave me one last kiss before he climbed out of the bed and slipped out of the room. A minute later, the faint sound of the shower running filtered through the door.
His scent lingered even in his absence, and I wished I could bottle it up so I could carry it around with me all day.
If past me saw present me, she would’ve slapped me for being so sappy. But it felt good to trust someone enough to rely on them, and to have them trust you enough to turn to you when they were having a bad day.
I stared at the ceiling, unable to suppress a goofy smile.
I might’ve lain there all afternoon, or at least until Josh got out of the shower, had an incoming call not interrupted my cheesy inner ramblings.
“Hello, Jules.”
It was amazing how quickly two simple words could turn the mood.
A lead spike punctured the balloon of giddiness in my chest, and cold sweat slicked my palms at the sound of Max’s voice.
“What do you want?” The shower was still running, but I snuck a peek at the half-open bedroom door anyway in case Josh magically popped up again.
“It’s funny you should ask,” Max said. “I’ve just decided on the favor I need from you. Isn’t that wonderful? You’ve been so…eager to find out what it is.”
Dread formed a lead weight in my stomach. “Spit it out, Max,” I growled. “I don’t have time for your games.”
He sighed. “Where’s the patience, J? But fine, since you want to know so bad, I’ll tell you. I need you to retrieve something for me. I have some…friends in Ohio who are very interested in this item.”
Retrieve, AKA steal.
The lead weights multiplied. “And what is this something?”
“I’ll text you the picture and address.” I could practically see Max’s smug smile. “It took me a while to track it down. You’re welcome, by the way, for doing the hard work. All you have to do is what you do best. Lie and steal.”
Max hung up before I could reply.
That goddamn asshole. If I ever had the chance, I would chop off his dick and feed it to him.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t do a damn thing as long as he had that video of me, so I stared at my phone and waited for his text to pop up.
Once it did, I had to blink twice to make sure I was seeing correctly.
It can’t be. But no matter how much I stared, the image remained the same.
My blood iced over.
It was a picture of a painting. Brown and green splashed across the canvas in a way that was reminiscent of vomit, and tiny yellow spots added nonsensical detail on the edges.
The art was hideous, but that didn’t bother me as much as where I’d seen it before.
The item Max wanted me to steal was the painting in Josh’s room.