He silences me with a kiss. This one is fueled by a new kind of desperation that has my toes curling and my chest tightening all at the same time.
I’m hit with a wave of different emotions. Happiness. Sadness. Fear and uncertainty.
I might not have it all figured out, but I do know one thing: Lily was right. My biggest issue isn’t that I don’t trust Julian, but that I don’t trust myself.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Julian
I do my best to hide my true feelings about Dahlia’s news as we head toward town in my truck. She deserves my support, no matter how much I dislike the idea of her leaving again.
I ask all the right questions and politely listen to all her answers, but her lack of enthusiasm worries me, and I wonder if I’m failing at my attempt to play it cool.
Don’t ruin her moment with your bullshit.
Easier said than done, especially once she asks me an impossible question after I park in the half-empty lot behind the diner.
“What about us?” She assesses me from the corner of her eye.
I bite down on the inside of my cheek.
Say something.
As much as I want to, I know I shouldn’t. She worked hard for her recognition, and the last thing she needs is me tainting tonight with my insecurities.
So, instead, I undo her seat belt and pull her across the bench.
She places her hand against my chest to stop me. “What—”
I kiss her next question away while lifting her so she can straddle my thighs. She matches my punishing pace, bruising my lips in the process as she seals her mouth against mine.
I worship her body with my mouth. Tongue. Hands. Not a single spot within reach remains untouched, and she mirrors my desperation with her own.
Her fingers embed themselves into my shoulders as she grinds against me until the front of my pants is soaked with her need. I dig my fingers into her hips and lift her back and forth, earning a hiss and a tug on my hair as she presses on my straining cock.
“Julian.” She tugs my head to the side by pulling on my hair. “We need to talk.”
“Let’s talk after? Please.” I throw her back on the bench.
She parts her thighs. “Okay, fine, but what if someone sees us?”
“No one is around.” I tuck my legs in the cramped spot between the gas pedal and the bench before lining my face up with her pussy.
She rises onto her elbows and scans the parking lot. “Yet.”
I slap her pussy hard enough to knock the air from her lungs. “Focus on me, sweetheart.”
Dahlia wants to know what will happen to us once she accepts the offer, and I want to make my intentions obvious. Words were never my strong suit, so I would rather show her instead.
She cuts me a look as I lift the hem of her skirt toward her stomach. I lean forward, drag my nose over her underwear, and take a deep breath, making her blown-out eyes go wider.
I nip at the material, and her head drops back with a sigh as I slide her soaked undergarment down her legs. Goose bumps cover her skin, and I trace my way back toward her dripping center with my calloused hands.
Her legs drop to the side as I crawl between them and kiss her.
She slides her fingers into my hair and tugs. “We need to make this fast.”
“Why?”
She answers by pulling me toward her. I quickly become distracted by her pussy and pleasuring her with my tongue. Her moans of encouragement fuel me, driving me closer to the edge of insanity.
I thrust my tongue, and she jolts with a gasp. My fingers soon replace my tongue, turning her into a writhing mess beneath me as they work in tandem.
Every time she gets close to the edge, I pull back, wanting to prolong the moment.
“Julian,” she whispers with a harsh breath.
I suck on her clit and curl my fingers inside her.
She shakes her head. “It’s too much.”
There’s no such thing wherever she is concerned.
“You can take it.” I tease the sensitive spot inside her, earning another sharp inhale.
She claws at my hand. “Please let me come.”
“Such good manners.” I press my thumb against her clit.
Her thighs stick to the leather bench beneath her—both from her arousal and the sweat clinging to her skin. She shakes as I tease that spot again until she erupts on my fingers. I sit back up and tug my pants down far enough to get on a condom.
Dahlia trembles as she begins to come down from her high, although I don’t let her fully return to reality as I have her straddle me again.
“Remember how I won the competition at the Harvest Festival?”
A moment of clarity passes over her. “Yes.”
“You promised me anything I wanted.”
“Did you finally decide?” Confusion bleeds into her voice.
My grip on her hips tightens. “Yes. I want you to answer one question honestly.”
“That’s it?”
I nod.
“What do you want to know?”
“Are you falling in love with me?”
No hesitating. No deep breaths. No questioning myself or whether asking her was a mistake.
Tell me this isn’t all in my head.
Give me something to hold on to before I lose hope of us getting a real chance.
Show me that we can survive anything, your long-distance job and trust issues included.
The whooshing sound of my heart pounding fills my ears, so I nearly miss her answer.
“Yes.”
All my thoughts scatter as warmth radiates through my chest, burning a path from my heart to my lower half.
With a full-body tremble, she rises to her knees and slides down my cock until she is fully seated. My thighs shake beneath her as I fight the pleasure threatening to consume every rational thought.
Dahlia was made for me, and I won’t let another day go by where she doesn’t know it.
“I want to hear it.” My nails bite into her skin.
“Yes, I’m falling in love with you, but I don’t know how I will ever get over—”
I lift her and slam her back down, cutting her off midsentence. “We’ll figure the rest out.”
“But—”
I repeat the same action while switching angles, earning a spine-tingling rush as she takes every inch.
Dahlia holds on to my shoulders while she follows the pace I set. My pleasure climbs as she glides up and down my cock, working herself to my groans of appreciation.
Her tempo changes, desperation biting at our heels as Dahlia chases her release. I’m not too far off, although I refuse to let go until she does.
At one point, I take over, holding her down by the shoulders as I pump into her from below. A galaxy of stars explodes behind my eyes as she clenches around my cock with the sweetest moan.
The angle sets her off, and it only takes a few thrusts for her to shatter around me with a cry. I don’t stop moving as I fuck her through her orgasm. My fingers dig into her shoulder as I hold her in place, her pussy clenching around me like a vise custom-made to drive me wild.
She bites into my shoulder to muffle her cry, and my cock drips in response. I find my pace again, her pussy making it impossible to think as I slide in and out.
She kisses my forehead. My cheeks. The slope of my neck and the spot right below my ear that makes me shiver.
Sex with her has always felt incredible, but this…this is fucking phenomenal.
I’m falling in love with you. Her soft confession replays in my head.