The soft cotton slid off of my shoulders, baring me all at once. No striptease, just flesh. He'd seen me practically naked before, so the near-reverence on his face surprised me. He reached toward me, then hesitated, his eyes flicking up to my face. I took his hand and led it to my breast, moaning as he cupped me. His thumb brushed over my nipple and it hardened under his touch.

“You're so beautiful,” he whispered, taking my other breast in his free hand.

I let myself enjoy his touch for a minute, the way my skin hummed against his, and then I reached for his towel. It fell to the floor, revealed the solid, muscled thighs I'd known he had. The deep v-grooves of his hips that pointed down to the dark curls surrounding his cock. He was half-hard and not quite too big to do what I wanted.

I went to my knees, earning a sharp inhalation from Julien. I placed my hands on his hips to steady myself and leaned forward, taking all of him into my mouth. He moaned my name and his hands buried themselves in my hair. He didn't apply any pressure though, letting me move as I wanted. I could feel him swelling in my mouth and knew that soon he'd be too large for me to take completely, so I took advantage of the time I had, applying suction to his full length as I moved my head. When, after a few passes, he was nearly fully erect, I began to run my tongue along the length of him, using my hand to work him until I heard his breathing quicken.

“Too close.” He backed away from me and held out his hands to help me to my feet.

I backed toward the bed, pulling him with me. I reached into the night table and pulled out one of the condoms I had left over from my time with Brock. Julien was a bit bigger, but not enough to need a different size. That was good, because I didn't want anything to stop what was coming next.

I pushed aside my blankets and sat down on the edge of the bed. Before I could slide back, however, Julien knelt in front of me, nudging my knees apart.

“My turn,” he said.

“It's okay.” I brushed his hair out of his eyes. “Just let me take care of you.”

He shook his head and leaned forward. “I want this.”

I wasn’t going to argue with that.

Julien pressed his lips against the inside of my thigh and then held onto my hips as he ran his tongue along the sensitive skin between my legs. I cried out as his lips and tongue began to explore me as thoroughly as they had explored my mouth earlier. I fell back on the bed, letting the sensations wash over me until I came, moaning as his tongue thrust in and out.

My hands fisted in my sheets and my body tried to twist and turn, but he held me in place, sliding two fingers inside me even as I was still quaking with my release. He crooked them, rubbing against that spot inside me, and every muscle in my body tightened. I heard him swear, but I couldn't think clearly enough to understand why.

When I started to come down, he was on the bed next to me, running his fingers lightly up and down my arm.

“We don't have to do anything else,” he said softly. “Not if you don't want to.”

I picked up the condom packet from where I'd dropped it and handed it to him. He smiled, then tore it open and rolled it on, the hitch in his breathing telling me how close he was.

“I don't know how long I'll last,” he said. “You're so tight. Nearly cut off the circulation in my fingers when you came.”

I ran my hand down over my stomach and let my index finger slide between my lips. I shivered as it brushed across my still sensitive clit. I spread my legs and looked at Julien. I wasn't going to talk him into it, no matter how badly I was aching for him to fill me.

He rolled on top of me, keeping enough weight propped on his elbows that he wasn't too heavy. I relished the weight of his body as he pressed onto me. He reached between us, his hand brushing against my clit as he positioned himself against my opening. I shivered and wrapped my legs around his waist. My heels rested at the base of his ass and I felt it flex as he pressed inside, slowly entered me inch by glorious inch.

He squeezed his eyes closed as he moved, an expression of almost painful pleasure on his face. My body opened to him, but the fit was tight, causing delicious pressure and friction against every cell. His muscles were trembling by the time he was completely inside and I could feel the strain of him trying to give me time.

“It's okay,” I said. “You don't have to wait.”

It proved how close he was that he didn't argue with me. He began to move in steady, deep strokes that made me moan. And then, when the head of his cock pressed against my g-spot, I gasped out, “Yes! Right there.”

He shifted and his thrusts now included exactly what I needed to start pushing me, fast, toward another climax. My nails raked down his back, not hard enough to break skin, but enough that he hissed in pleasure when I did it. His teeth nipped at my breast before he pulled some of the soft skin into his mouth. Every pull brought blood to the surface and the knowledge that he was marking me spiked my arousal.

As he began to speed up, driven by his own impending climax, I could feel my own approaching. It became a race as I moved my body with his, against his, desperate for us to finish together. Then, as he came with a shout, he ground down against me, giving me the friction I needed to fall over the edge.

I could feel our hearts thudding in our chests, beating in a complimentary rhythm. Our skin was slick with sweat; our bodies still deeply joined as we rode out our orgasms. Even before I started to come down, the thought came to me that what I'd been missing with Brock was right here with Julien. No matter where things went from here, the two of us were connected.

I pulled the blankets around us as Julien slid out of me. I wrapped my arms around him, his head against my chest as he fell asleep. Only when I was sure he was under did I let myself relax enough to fall asleep.

* * *

Less than five hours later I was pulled from sleep by loud banging at my door. I climbed out of bed, hoping it wouldn't wake Julien. He turned and moaned but didn’t wake. Good, he deserved to be able to sleep. I snatched my robe off the floor, pulling it on as I hurried down the stairs. Who would be at my door at seven-thirty in the morning without calling first?

I yanked the door open without checking, my brain still too befuddled by sleep to completely function.

My jaw dropped.

It was Reed, standing at my door, looking like he hadn't slept much either. He didn't bother with a greeting or anything else, just blurted out what he'd come to say.

“These past two months have been killing me. I told Britni I couldn't do it anymore. It's over, Piper. I'm getting a divorce. All I want is you.”