IT ONLY TOOK ONE brush of Juniper’s lips against mine to know that this kiss would haunt me forever.
Considering how close I’d been to kissing her on the dance floor, I should have predicted this. I had predicted it in a way. It was why I’d asked Grayson if Juniper could stay with Nessa; my self-restraint was so fucking weak that I barely trusted myself around her.
But what I hadn’t predicted?
Juniper saying all the things she’d just said. Juniper kissing me like this.
Fuck, her lips were heavenly. They swept over mine once, twice, waiting for my reaction. Waiting to see if I would push her away.
As if I could ever.
If she was going to offer up her mouth for me, I was going to fucking take it.
I gripped her chin between my fingers, holding her there to ensure I could kiss her back and kiss her good. Juniper’s breath hitched when my mouth moved over hers. I traced the seam of her lips with the tip of my tongue, back and forth, until she opened for me. And when she did, that was all it took for me to lose it.
With a moan, I crushed my lips to hers, needing to kiss her deeply and soundly. She deserved a kiss like that. She deserved all the kisses, but this was the only one I could give, so I was going to do it well.
Juni kissed me back just as aggressively, throwing one arm around my neck while the other stayed tucked between us to hold up her dress. She tangled her fingers in my hair while her tongue played with mine, flicking into my mouth and driving me wild.
Of all the times I’d imagined what it would be like to kiss Juniper St. James, I never conjured up this.
“God, Juni,” I groaned before diving back in.
This wasn’t just a kiss; it was Juniper consuming every inch of me. My skin burned. My body ached. My hands moved, finding curves I’d been dying to touch all night. She felt criminally good. My lips had a mind of their own, trailing from Juni’s mouth and kissing her jaw, neck, collarbone. She arched for me, gasping when I found a particularly sensitive spot. She tugged harder on my hair like she wanted more.
I wanted more. I wanted her. I wanted to taste every inch of this woman.
The need, the want, the desire that I had pushed away and denied for so long—this kiss was unleashing it.
Holy shit, I wanted her. So. Goddamn. Much.
I pressed my lips in a line ascending her neck before catching her lips with mine again. Fuck, I could feel her smile in the way that she kissed. Of course she smiled when she kissed. How very Juni-like of her.
“I need you to take kissing me as seriously as I take kissing you,” I mumbled, my lips curving up to mimic hers.
“I do,” she gasped. “It’s just that you’re good at this.”
Heated, foolish pride burned in my chest. “I’m good at a lot of things, Rosie.”
She laughed, lightly and beautifully, and then I stole that laugh with my mouth, not releasing it again until we were both breathless.
“Julian,” she whimpered between barely parted lips. “Show me. Show me what you’re good at.”
Fuck.
Her voice slipped and slurred, and hearing her say my name like that brought me to my senses. I wrenched my lips off hers.
“Juni, you’re drunk,” I gasped, pushing the words out of my mouth as a reminder to myself. “You’re drunk, Juni.”
She stumbled back a step, and I took that opportunity to put a bit of space between us even though it felt like it would be the goddamn end of me.
“I’m fine, Julian,” she said through heavy breaths, still clutching her dress to her chest.
I couldn’t help but notice she didn’t try to tell me she wasn’t drunk.
“You’re drunk, Juniper.”
“You already said that.”
“It warranted being repeated.”
And I’d keep repeating it to myself if I had to.
Juniper plopped back onto the bed. Both dress straps were falling off her shoulders, and God help me, I wanted to strip her of that black, silky thing.
Temptation. Hell, the temptation. If Juni hadn’t made it abundantly clear that it would hurt her feelings, I would be hightailing it to a different room to stay for the night.
Juniper’s pouty, kissable lips were an utter distraction, so I forced myself to turn around and search for her pajamas instead. Thankfully, they weren’t hard to find, tossed on top of her suitcase.
“Arms up,” I muttered, bringing her pajama shirt over to her with shaky hands. There was too much adrenaline coursing through me.
Her brows furrowed. “You’re going to kiss me like that and then put my clothes on?”
Although I was equally frustrated, I didn’t say anything. Something told me that if I gave Juniper an inch of how I was feeling, she’d run a mile and ruin me forever.
“You kissed me, if you recall.”
Juni rolled her eyes. The shots of booze had made all of her movements seem increasingly dramatic—more than normal. Regardless, she lifted both of her arms above her head, and by some miracle, I slipped her shirt over her head before that dress fell completely. It bunched beneath her pajama top.
“Are you wearing a bra?” I asked, wanting to make her as comfortable as possible. I couldn’t do anything about the raging headache she’d likely wake up with, but I could do something about this. “Did you want to wear one to bed?”
“I’m not wearing one.” Her eyes swam drunkenly as she looked up at me. “But do your hands count? Because I wouldn’t mind wearing them to bed.”
This was a torture unlike any fucking other.
“My hands do not count,” I said woodenly. “I’m putting you to bed, Juni.”
Juniper smiled, and all I could think of was how that smile had felt pressed against mine. “I think you said that sentence incorrectly,” she said.
“Oh?”
“I think you meant to say… I’m taking you to bed, Juni.” She cocked her head to the side. “Is it too late to ask for that proof? Because I think I’m ready for it.”
I hung my head for a second while collecting myself, my hands balling around her pajama pants in frustration. She wanted to joke about me taking her to bed, huh? She wanted proof that I’d leave her satisfied as all hell? God, she had no idea the things I would do to her in this bed if I could. She wouldn’t be smirking at me like that when she couldn’t walk after getting what she asked for.
“Here.” Taking a deep breath, I lifted my head and threw her pants at her. “Put these on.”
“I’d rather not.” She threw them back at me, hitting me square in the face. “It was roasting in here last night. I’ll just wear my shirt. It’s long.”
It was not long. Juni stood, wiggling her hips to shimmy out of her dress, and I suppressed a groan. Her shirt barely covered her ass. One little bend and I’d be able to see everything.
“You have to wear the pants, Juniper,” I said, desperate now. I needed every bit of barrier between her and me. Because that kiss…shit. If her mouth tasted that good, I couldn’t even begin to imagine how good her pussy tasted. And the longer she stood there without pants on, the harder it was not to find out for sure.
I couldn’t, though. I knew I couldn’t, and I wouldn’t. I could go to bed tonight dreaming about going down on her, but I couldn’t touch her. I couldn’t taste her.
“Fine,” Juni huffed, ripping her pajamas back out of my hands. “I’ll wear the pants and take off my shirt instead.”
She had to be fucking kidding me.
“You can’t sleep without a goddamn shirt on, Juniper.”
I would lose my mind and never get it back.
“Why not?” She arched her brow. “You didn’t wear a shirt last night.”
“Is that what this is about?” I threw my hands up in frustration. “You’re still mad about that?”
“I was never mad about it,” she clarified, making a face like that was a ridiculous assumption even though she’d brought it up at least three times last night. Although, if she wanted to admit she’d been worked up about it for another reason, that was fine by me.
I smirked. “Not mad, huh?”
She gave me the sheepish version of my expression. Coy and timid all in one. “Not mad.”
“So you’re saying you liked it.”
I wanted to make her say it.
Juniper’s eyes narrowed before she plopped back onto the bed, nearly missing the end of it when she did. Christ, she wouldn’t be able to walk tomorrow regardless of what we did—or didn’t do—in bed.
“That is not what I’m saying,” she argued. “I’m saying that if you can sleep half-naked, I should also be allowed the same courtesy.”
Technically, she had a point. Even if it was one that I hated.
“Fine.” I shook my head in defeat but started to unbutton my shirt in the same movement. Juni’s mouth snapped shut as she suddenly gave me her full attention, studying my hands. The heat in her gaze nearly made them fumble.
“You don’t have to wear the pants, but will you at least wear this instead?” I asked, shrugging off my button-up and thrusting it into her lap.
She picked it up thoughtfully. “Instead of my shirt? Why?”
“It’ll cover more of you,” I muttered before striding to the bathroom and shutting myself inside it, needing a goddamn minute to cool down.
I splashed water over my face before doing it again more aggressively; the first time hadn’t been enough of a shock. Water sloshed over my neck and shoulders before dribbling down my chest.
It didn’t do anything, though. I could take a freezing cold shower and still be running hot for Juniper St. James.
Steeling myself, I walked back into the bedroom.
I should have steeled myself harder.
“Fuck.”
“What?” Juniper did a little spin for me, pirouetting sloppily. She nearly tipped over completely before catching herself with a laugh. “Don’t you like it?”
I fucking loved it; that was the problem. Seeing her in my shirt sparked possession in me even fiercer than on the dance floor earlier. She should get rid of those striped pajamas and wear this every night. Even if I never get to see it again, at least I could imagine it.
“What’s that?” she asked when I couldn’t find an appropriate reply. She pointed at my hand.
“Oh.” I cleared my throat. “This is a washcloth.”
“A washcloth?”
“If you want to take your makeup off.” I held it out for her to take. “I know that’s like…important or whatever.”
She walked toward me slowly, waiting to grab the washcloth until she was close enough that I could see her pupils dilate.
“That was very…nice of you. Or whatever.”
I didn’t know what she was doing, but I couldn’t handle the wash of emotion that accompanied her thick voice. I turned around, grabbed my own pajamas, and ducked back into the bathroom to finish getting ready for bed. When I returned, Juniper stood before the mirror, her shiny and renewed face full of concentration while she tried to pull the bow out of her hair.
“Here,” I said softly, helping her untangle it.
Juni’s eyes followed my every movement in the mirror, and it took everything in me not to look back at her.
Once the bow had been removed, Juniper spun slowly to face me again. It reminded me of what she’d done not thirty minutes earlier. And although it pained me to interrupt the cycle, I couldn’t relive the torture, even though some of it had been bliss.
“Bed,” I said with a grunt before scooping Juniper into my arms and carting her off to the mattress. I dropped her onto it, and she squealed as the mountain of blankets and pillows consumed her. With a huff, she covered herself before peeking out above the comforter with eyes that told me everything.
“I promised I would put you to bed and make sure you got lots of sleep this weekend,” I whispered, a reminder to both of us.
She nodded and opened up the covers, welcoming me to get in. “Get lots of sleep with me?”
I inhaled slowly, unsure I was ready for what this night would bring. But when I turned off the lights and dipped beneath the covers, the comfort of being near her warmed me in an entirely different way. So annoyingly familiar and sweet and perfect.
Once I snuggled in toward her—close enough to feel her but not close enough to touch her—I heard Juniper sigh. It was a contented sigh.
“Your shirt smells good,” she breathed.
I snorted into my pillow. “You told me I smell. Remember?”
“That was a lie.”
I figured it had been. But still, it made me wonder…
“How often do you lie, Juniper?”
A quiet moment passed.
“With you or in general?”
“With me.”
“All the time.”
She didn’t hesitate to answer that question.
“Did you lie to me tonight?” I asked before holding my breath and waiting for a reply.
I didn’t have to wait long.
“Not at all.”
Daring to get closer to her beneath the covers, I curled an arm around her waist. She settled right into me.
Yeah, I was going to miss this.
I transferred my head from my pillow to hers to whisper in her ear. “Ironic, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.” She didn’t turn around, but I could tell she wanted to. I wondered if she could tell what I wanted, too.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Her voice started to disappear into the night. “It’s ironic, Julian.”
