Jason stood. He needed to get out of there before Lori got back. If she found him here, she'd think he was checking up on her. And he was. He needed to think.

He set his cup in the sink. "Well, I've gotta go." He left Jude sitting at the table and headed for the door. Before he opened it, he spoke again without turning around. His throat constricted, and he feared he might cry like a baby if he didn't leave quickly. "I've got your back, man. No matter what," he choked out. As though the place were on fire, he left, shutting the door behind him and practically running for his car.

Jude sat at the table, never more stunned in his life. No, Jason hadn't gotten every detail correct, but that smarta.s.s b.a.s.t.a.r.d had figured most of it out. He understood the gist, and Jude was immensely relieved and grateful. It took a tremendous load off his shoulders knowing his best friend wouldn't stab him on his way out of town if it came to that.

And more importantly, Lori would be cared for.

Jude's phone rang and he cringed as he glanced at the caller ID.

"Give me good news, Stanton," he said instead of h.e.l.lo.

"I wish I could." His commanding officer's voice wasn't cheery today. "Still trying to locate the mole. I have a team on it, but he may have entered the States. I need you to be diligent. Don't do anything stupid. Hang tight until I gather more intel."

"Are we talking days? Weeks?"

"Days. Sorry, man. That's all I've got."

Jude shut the phone off and set it on the table. He stared at it like it was a piranha while he wrapped his hands around his coffee cup again. "So much for vacation," he muttered to the empty room.

This situation was f.u.c.ked up, and now he had Lori to think about.

Jude wanted to kick himself in the a.s.s. He shouldn't have been so quick to return to Emergence. It would have been prudent to wait a few months until the dust settled. He'd been anxious.

And now it might cost him. h.e.l.l, it might cost others too.

He pondered the idea of sending Lori home now, or at least heading to the base, but decided it was best to wait until he heard from Stanton again. If US soil had been breached, he was better off staying put for the time being, as Stanton said. If his unit could put an end to the threat without causing a stir, Lori would never have to know what happened.

If not, he was ready. Thank G.o.d Jason had come around. Lori would lose her mind over this, but he'd have no choice but to drop her off at Jason's and return to help his unit.

He cringed, knowing she wouldn't survive the fallout a second time. Not with their relationship intact. This wasn't in the plans. He'd returned here hoping he was safely going to bide his time for the last several months of his active duty, advising other personnel with the National Guard. After a few weeks of vacation, he'd intended to sail home free. Not this. A return to his unit hadn't been in the cards.

All he could do now was wait.

Chapter Sixteen.

Lori stepped inside and quietly shut the door behind her. She was early. Her last cla.s.s had been canceled. It was midafternoon. Jude wasn't expecting her.

She made quick work of removing her clothes and setting them aside. A slight chill climbed up her skin. It wasn't warm enough in the house for nudity.

As she rubbed her arms, she paused. Jude sat at the kitchen table. He was leaning back in the chair, his ankles crossed at the end of his straight legs, his hands wrapped around a mug. He didn't acknowledge her.

Lori approached, padding softly across the floor. "Jude?"

When she reached his side, she peered into the mug to find it almost full. She pried the mug from his grip. It was cold. He'd been there a while.

"Jude?" she repeated. "You okay?" Being submissive was the furthest thing from her mind. Finally, she touched his arm.

He turned his gaze to her. "Hey, baby," he said as he plastered a smile on his face. "How was work?"

Lori set the mug on the island behind her. "Fine." She tried to act nonchalant as though undaunted by his strange behavior.

Jude turned his chair to angle it toward her, and she stepped into the V of his legs. He held her at the waist and took a nipple into his mouth, circling it with his tongue languidly.

Something wasn't right with him. There was no doubt of that, but he'd chosen to distract her with s.e.x rather than talk to her.

He switched b.r.e.a.s.t.s, and she grabbed his shoulders to steady herself. She pulled away from him so that her breast popped out of his mouth. "Talk to me." This had to stop. His silence. His secrets. Everything. The man was disturbed. He had s.h.i.t happening she knew nothing about. She needed answers.

His nightmares, his brooding, the phone calls, the long-suffering bouts at the computer, his lack of sleep...all of it. "Jude."

He lifted his gaze to hers. It spoke volumes. She stared into his eyes for long moments. He was hurting. There was no doubt. He had issues she would never understand. But he loved her. He looked at her like she hung the moon. She was his lifeline. His eyes alone told her how sorry he was...and how much he wanted her.

She could pester him, but it would do no good. He would never divulge his demons. He couldn't. But it didn't change their dynamic. She was his. If she intended to stay, she needed to let the past ghosts go and surrender to him fully. And there was no way she would ever leave Jude Cavanaugh.

"I need you," he finally said.

She nodded. "I'm yours. Always. Forever." Another moment pa.s.sed as his gaze widened as though shocked by her admission.

And then Jude surprised her by standing and lifting her onto the table, kicking the chair out of the way. "Lie back, hands over your head."

She shivered as her back hit the cool surface of the table and she lifted her arms. Goose b.u.mps rose on her skin.

She watched as Jude yanked his T-shirt over his head and tossed it aside. He then undid his jeans and stepped out of them, taking his underwear with them. He held her gaze as though this entire act was important, breaking it only to bend down and retrieve a condom from the pocket of his pants.

As he rolled it on, she glanced down and found his c.o.c.k firm and bobbing toward her.

Jude spread her legs with both arms, tucking them in the crooks of his elbows. He leaned in close and licked a path across her s.e.x, flicking his tongue over her p.u.s.s.y. "G.o.d, Lori. You taste like heaven," he whispered. He did it again and then righted himself and plunged into her in one thrust.

She gasped, unaccustomed to this show of domination from him. Sure, he'd f.u.c.ked her hard and fast on many occasions in the past, but not this week. Not this fast. Not with this intensity.

Jude groaned. He held her open, gripping her thighs as he lifted her legs over his shoulders.

When Lori scooted back, he pulled her forward. She curled her fingers against the table, unable to make purchase with the smooth surface. G.o.d, it felt good. She loved long and drawn out, but sometimes a quick f.u.c.k hit the spot. And right now, with the world hanging in the balance, she needed him as much as he needed her.

Her p.u.s.s.y tightened around him as her arousal shot sky-high in moments.

She wanted desperately to partic.i.p.ate, to grab his arms and lift her torso and move in the same rhythm he used. But with her hands lying useless above her, the f.u.c.k was all his. All she could do was take it and enjoy the ride.

Jude thrust into her over and over, making her body jerk back and forth. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s shook with each thrust. They felt heavy.

"Pinch your nipples for me, baby. Play with them. I want to watch." Each word came out strained as he instructed her.

Lori lowered her arms, glad for the ability to partic.i.p.ate in some way even if it was only to fondle herself for him. She squeezed her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, needing the contact. Now was not a time for a gentle caress. She grabbed her nipples between the thumb and pointer of each hand and twisted them.

"Pinch them, baby."

She obeyed, tipping her head back as the sensation rushed from her chest to her p.u.s.s.y.

"Harder." G.o.d, he was in a zone.

Lori squeezed until the sharp pain made her moan and mingled with the intense pleasure inside her p.u.s.s.y. She loved the pleasure/pain. He knew that. It heightened her arousal every time.

"Again, baby."

She pinched the aching buds again, this time lifting her chest off the table. She was so close. She needed contact with her c.l.i.t to push her over the edge. No hands were available for that. The way Jude held her legs made it impossible. The way she lay across the table made his c.o.c.k stroke her G-spot, but her p.u.s.s.y didn't make enough contact with the base of his d.i.c.k.

"Let it go, baby. Come with me. Use your t.i.ts to get off. Don't think about your c.l.i.t right now." He knew her so well.

Lori closed her eyes and kept playing roughly with her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, pinching and twisting her nipples as hard as she could endure.

"Gorgeous, baby. Can you feel my c.o.c.k against your G-spot?"

She nodded as best she could.

"Use that. You know you can. Concentrate." His thrusts increased and she lifted her a.s.s just enough to add pressure to her G-spot. G.o.d, that feels good.

Lori licked her lips as she grew closer.

"Now, baby. Now," he called out.

He took her over the edge with him, using his words. Lori held her nipples tight and rode the waves of her o.r.g.a.s.m as Jude pulsed deep inside her. It was a different sort of release than she was used to. Coming from her G-spot, it was deeper, more fulfilling. Rare.

Jude slowly lowered her legs until they hung over the table. He reached for her hands and pulled her into a sitting position, tugging her against his chest.

He held her tight, kissing her head everywhere. Her offended nipples smashed into his chest. He acted possessive, like a dying man on his last breath, and she prayed that wasn't the case, trying to ignore the fear niggling inside her.

His next words shattered her resolve. "I love you, Lori. So much it hurts."

She swallowed. He hadn't said that in forever. She loved the sound of it but hated the tone and the urgency she sensed. She lifted her gaze to his, her chin on his chest. "I love you too, Jude. More than I can express."

He smiled and brushed her hair from her face. They stared at each other for a long time. Finally he broke the silence. "I want to do a scene with you. At Emergence. Will you do that for me? Tomorrow night?"

She nodded but furrowed her brow. His demeanor screamed at her to take stock of this situation. She wanted to trust him, but the reality was she thought if she left the room, she would return to find him gone. Poof. As though he'd been an apparition and she couldn't hold on to it.

Desperation filled her. "Anything." She'd agree to whatever he wanted if it meant another tomorrow.

"I'll arrange it with Jason."

She nodded. The last time she'd known Jude to speak with Jason, it hadn't gone well. And now he was going to call his old friend up and reserve a spot for a scene?

Nope. This was not good. Lori held him tighter. She wanted to yell and scream at him to stop this charade and snap out of whatever the h.e.l.l was making him act so strange. She wanted whatever it was to disappear, and she knew deep down it would not.

He wasn't hers. For some reason, completely out of his control, he wasn't hers. He could share nice words and pet her hair back and f.u.c.k her until he collapsed. But he wasn't hers. She knew that in her soul.

She knew he would do the scene tomorrow night. She could relax with the knowledge she would have him one more day, but that was all she would get. It seemed climatic, as though she were caught in a nightmare she wasn't the director of. Some other puppet master held the strings, and he had plans she would never understand.

Jude began to sway with her in his arms. He kissed her everywhere his lips could reach. "I love you," he repeated. "Know that always in your heart."

Lori swallowed back tears that threatened to fall. She had to be strong. Make the most of their last day together. To do otherwise would not help matters. She wouldn't get more information out of him.

What she knew deep inside was nothing that might happen after tomorrow had anything to do with her. Jude loved her. He'd loved her the last time he left also.

Whatever he'd been involved in that ripped him from her arms two years ago had come back to bite his a.s.s. He would leave again. And this time, she knew he wouldn't return.

Chapter Seventeen.

Friday was a quiet day. Lori played the perfect submissive after teaching cla.s.ses all morning. She kneeled under Jude's desk for over an hour while he worked, her head resting on his lap. She occasionally stroked his c.o.c.k with her cheek, but he repeatedly stilled her with a pull of her hair. "If you keep teasing me like that, I won't hesitate to punish you." His voice was jovial, though. Not reprimanding.

Lori kept her movements subtle, but she caressed her jaw over his length and yawned intentionally to stimulate him into a better mood. Or any mood really.

Finally, Jude got up from the desk and left. In a few moments he returned and sat back down, as naked as she was. Before pushing the chair in, he caught her chin. "You need to suck c.o.c.k so badly, baby?" He smiled, but not in laughter.

Lori swallowed. Somehow she thought this might backfire on her.

And indeed she was right.

"Open," Jude commanded.

Lori spread her mouth wide. Instead of seating himself at her lips, however, Jude set a plastic ring in her mouth and attached the leather straps on both sides behind her head. He'd used the device on her years ago, but it had been a long time.

Immediately she couldn't swallow her saliva.

"You like c.o.c.k in your mouth, baby?"

She nodded.

He scooted up to the desk and held her head with both hands until he was lined up with her mouth. Finally, he slid his semi-erect c.o.c.k into her. "There. You may have your wish. Hold still. No movement. You aren't allowed to suck."

Oh my G.o.d.

Jude went back to typing on the computer, leaving her on her hands and knees, her mouth wrapped around his c.o.c.k and unable to get a good grip. Lori licked his d.i.c.k with her tongue. She at least wanted to enjoy the taste of him.

Jude didn't move as he spoke. "Every time you do that you will increase your punishment. Stay still."