Chapter 58
Evelyn's POV
I shook my head slightly. "I don't have any either." The admission should have embarrassed me, but I was past caring about maintaining pretense. "But it's fine. I can take a pill tomorrow morning."
Julian's expression shifted immediately. The careful casualness vanished, replaced by something that looked almost like offense. "No," he said flatly. He started to push himself up off me. "That's not—bringing protection is the bare minimum for any man who wants to sleep with a woman. I'm not going to—"
He broke off. Ran a hand through his already disheveled hair. "There's a 24-hour pharmacy two blocks from here. I'll be back in fifteen minutes."
Before he could fully extract himself, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to my mouth. Soft and lingering. Almost apologetic. Like he was saying goodbye before a brief deployment rather than a quick trip to the corner store.
I reached up and caught his face between my palms. Held him in place when he tried to pull away.
"You'd better make me come before you leave," I said. My voice came out low and dangerous. "Because if you walk out that door right now and leave me like this, I'm going to finish myself off. And I might be thinking about someone else's face while I do it."
Julian went very still. His eyes darkened to almost black. "You're bluffing."
"Try me." I let one hand slide down from his face. Down his chest. Lower, until my fingers brushed the hard length of him straining against his jeans.
For a long moment he just stared at me. Then something shifted in his expression. Something predatory and possessive that made my pulse kick up another notch.
"Fine," he said. His voice had gone rough. Almost dangerous. "But when I make you come, sweetheart, you're going to be screaming my name. Not thinking about anyone else. Understood?"
Before I could respond, his hand was between my thighs. His fingers found my clit with unerring accuracy. Circled it with just enough pressure to make my back arch off the sofa.
"Already so wet," he murmured. His fingers slid through my folds. Gathering the slickness there. "Is this all for me, Evelyn? Or were you thinking about someone else when you took off that nightgown?"
"You," I gasped. The word came out broken as he pushed one finger inside me. Slowly. Carefully. "Just you."
His other hand came up to cup my breast. Thumb circling my nipple in the same rhythm as the finger working inside me. The dual sensation made my head spin. Made it impossible to think about anything except the pleasure building in my core.
"That's right," Julian said. His voice had gone dark. Possessive. He added a second finger. Stretched me carefully while his thumb found my clit again. "Only me. Say it again."
"You." My hips rolled against his hand. Seeking more friction. More pressure. "Only you, Julian—"
His mouth descended on my other breast. Sucked the nipple between his lips while his hand continued to knead the first. His fingers inside me curled. Found some spot deep inside that made electricity arc up my spine. His thumb pressed harder against my clit. Circling with increasing pressure.
The combination of sensations was overwhelming. His fingers working inside me. His thumb on my clit. His mouth on my breast. His other hand pinching and rolling my nipple. Every nerve ending felt like it was on fire.
"Let go," Julian commanded against my skin. His teeth grazed my nipple. Not quite painful but enough to make me gasp. "Come for me, Evelyn. Let me feel it."
He thrust his fingers deeper. Harder. The heel of his palm ground against my clit with each movement. His mouth released my breast only to trail burning kisses across my chest. Up my throat. He captured my mouth in a deep kiss that swallowed my increasingly desperate moans.
The pressure built higher. Tighter. His fingers curled again. Hit that spot that made my vision go white. His thumb circled my clit with relentless precision. His tongue tangled with mine. Claiming my mouth the same way his hand was claiming my body.
"Come," he growled against my lips. "Now."
The command pushed me over the edge.
The orgasm hit me like a physical blow. Pleasure so intense it bordered on pain crashed through me in waves. My back arched off the sofa. My thighs clenched around his hand. My nails dug into his shoulders hard enough to leave marks. A cry tore from my throat that might have been his name or might have been just incoherent sound.
Julian worked me through it. His fingers gentling but not stopping. Drawing out each wave of pleasure until I was shaking. Gasping. Completely undone beneath him.
His mouth moved from my lips to my jaw. My throat. Pressing soft kisses to overheated skin. His hand on my breast gentled. Soothing rather than stimulating. But his fingers remained inside me. Moving slowly as my internal muscles continued to flutter around them.
"So beautiful," he murmured against my neck.
When the aftershocks finally subsided, when I went limp and boneless against the cushions, he slowly withdrew his hand. His fingers glistened with evidence of my pleasure.
I watched through half-lidded eyes as he brought them to his mouth. Licked them clean with deliberate slowness. His tongue traced each digit. Savoring the taste. His eyes never left mine.
The sight sent a fresh pulse of heat through me despite my exhaustion. Made me acutely aware that while I'd found release, he was still achingly hard. Still fully clothed. Still in complete control while I lay naked and thoroughly debauched beneath him.
"Now," he said. His voice was rough with barely restrained hunger. "I'm going to go get those condoms. And when I come back, I'm going to make you scream like that again. Only this time it'll be my cock inside you instead of my fingers. And you're going to remember exactly whose name you're crying out."
He pressed one more kiss to my mouth. Hard and claiming. Then he reached for the discarded blanket and draped it carefully over my naked body. Then he was gone.
I lay there in the aftermath. My body still trembling. The silver cross cool against my overheated skin.
And I realized with sudden clarity that I was in far more danger from Julian Russell than I'd ever been from Viktor's hunters.
Because at least I knew how to fight killers.
I had no defense against whatever this was.