“Clothing is highly discouraged,” she says.
We look at the mountains, and I think about how different being here has been from my everyday life. No meetings, no pressure, no performance. Just Julie and me and this ridiculous cabin that’s become our perfect bubble.
“Damn, I love spending October with you,” I say out loud, and she grins.
20
JULIE
Iwake up at Riverside, and the weight of the world sits heavily on my chest. Nick’s already awake, staring out at the mountains through the massive windows.
“Can’t sleep?” I ask, curling into his side, pressing my cheek against his heart, listening to the steady beat.
“Just thinking.” He kisses the top of my head.
I sit up to look at him. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
“I have a bad feeling about going back.”
“Nick—”
“I know; I know. It’s just the feeling.” He pulls me closer to him. “It’s just … this week with you has been perfect.”
“Does that have to change?” I ask.
“No, it doesn’t. But it will.” He traces patterns on my bare shoulder. “I’m afraid this will scare you away.”
“Why? Talk to me.” I kiss him.
“The media, the gossip sites—they have ruined every relationship I’ve ever been in. This—all of this—is usually the catalyst and the cause of the end.”
We’re quiet for a moment, just holding each other as morning light fills the room.
I exhale. “It’s a lot to deal with. I’ve never craved attention. There are times when we’re alone when I question this.”
He studies me. “I have a lot of baggage. It’s what stopped me from pursuing you before.”
“That makes me sad.” I sit up. “Ready for a relationship tip?”
He nods with a smirk.
“This?” I wave my hand around. “You’re mourning the end before it’s begun.”
Nick licks his perfect lips, sitting upright too. “We have a deadline, Jules. Less than a month to decide if this is something you want to deal with for the rest of your life. The public scrutiny won’t change. The rumors won’t change. The tracking of us and our life and our relationship status, lies, rumors—all of it will not magically disappear. If you choose me, you choose everything that comes with it, and I need you to think long and hard about that.”
He leans forward, his hand slides up the back of my neck, and he grasps my hair. He presses kisses down my throat, and my breathing grows ragged.
“This is just a taste of it,” he warns, his teeth grazing across my sensitive skin as he leans me back, pushing up my T-shirt.
My chest rises and falls, the cool morning air brushing against my nipples, already hard and begging for his attention.
He kisses up my stomach, then captures my nipple in his mouth before sliding to the next one.
“You have to be absolutely sure I’m what you want on Halloween.” His voice is low.
“I know,” I whisper, my breathing increasing.
The sun filters through the curtains, casting a golden glow across the bedroom. The silk sheets are cool against my bare skin, and I try to remember every feeling. As he continues to kiss lower, my stomach tightens with anticipation. I want him, and the delicious craving of having exactly that makes my pussy clench. He sits upright on his knees between my thighs.
