Less than Perfect, S. J. Evans [classic literature books txt] 📗

tickling her. Her breath caught in her throat for a moment as she remembered how his lips felt against her skin and she had to fight to stop herself from grabbing him to kiss him. She knew he was sweet and would never hurt her, but something ticked when his hands touched the sensitive spot at her hips and she flinched away.
“Stop,” she breathed, prying his hands away from her hips. “It hurts.”
His face contorted in concern as he pulled his face away to look her in the eyes. “I’m sorry, Skye,” he said hastily. “I wasn’t thinking. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“I—I know, Jules,” she whispered. “It’s just sore still, that’s all.” She shuddered, remembering rough Johnny’s hands invading her.
Jules pulled her into his chest, holding her protectively with gentle arms. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, resting his chin on her head. “I wish I could’ve stopped him.”
She whimpered, tears welling in her eyes as she remembered Johnny’s breath ragged against her back. She tried to ignore the memories, to shove them far into a dark abyss where they could stay, but it wasn’t easy, even with Jules holding her. She realized just how much Johnny had broken her when he’d decided to invade her. She was broken, beaten, and scared, all over again.
Clutching Jules’s shirt in her weak hands, she breathed in his scent and convinced herself he wasn’t Johnny, he wasn’t going to hurt her. “Jules?” she rasped.
He kissed her head. “Yes, Skye?”
“They’re going to catch Johnny, right?”
He sighed. “Yes, trouble, they will catch him.”
“And he’ll never hurt anyone I love?”
“Never.”
She inhaled his scent and felt that familiar reassurance bubble up inside of her, warming every inch of her body. “Jules?” she asked again.
“Hmm?” he murmured, rubbing her back.
She pulled away from him, looked in his cool emerald eyes, and touched his face, tracing a finger over his jawline and then lips. “Kiss me,” she whispered, barely audible. Her heart started pounding, fear and anxiety coursing through her veins. Part of her feared what a kiss would do to her; the other wanted it more than anything else.
A frown crawled up his face, his expression darkening with unease. “Skye, I don’t want to do anything that’ll bring back bad memories,” he countered. “I don’t want you to do something you’d regret.”
She shook her head vigorously, despite the pain it caused, and pushed herself closer to him, their faces mere inches apart. “I could never regret kissing you, Jules. I love you, and I’m willing to take a chance kissing you.”
He opened his mouth to protest again, but Skye pushed herself forward, kissing him. His taste collided in her mouth, mint and vanilla, sending tingles down her spine. She threw caution at the wind, kissing him more aggressively as her hands tangled in his hair. Jules’s lips softened at her touch, melting into the kiss, and quickly his hands were at the sides of her face pulling her into the kiss.
Her heartbeat was banging against her chest, from passion and aggression, burying the fear she’d once had about the kiss. The kiss, she realized, was exactly what she needed. She needed assurance that Jules was hers, he wouldn’t hurt her, and in time everything would go back to how it was when Johnny wasn’t a threat. She needed Jules; her heart ached to be with him.
Pulling away from the kiss, she pressed her forehead against Jules’s. She was breathing heavy, taking short breaths as she stared into his heavily lidded eyes. Catching her breath, she pushed on his shoulders until he fell back against the bed and she fell down on top of him. She lay on him, running one hand through his tousled hair while the other traced his jawline again. Her body thrived on the energy that sparked when they’d been kissing, but as she lay above him, the world started to fall away as sleep began to take her away.
“Jules,” she breathed. He stared deep into her eyes, still catching his breath from their passion. “Please stay with me,” she pleaded. “Stay with me while I sleep.”
He narrowed his brows. “You want me to stay with you while you sleep?”
Giggling at his surprise, she planted a small kiss upon his lips before rolling off of him. “I just said so, didn’t I?”
He laughed nervously, turning over so that he was again looking in her eyes. “But what about what Johnny did? I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”
Why does everyone keep bringing him up?

She sighed. I just want to forget he ever happened to us.

“I don’t care to think about what he did anymore, Jules. What he did doesn’t matter when I’m with you. All that matters is being with you. I want to forget what happened, Jules, and you’re the only one who can help me forget.”
Something flashed across his features for a moment, so fast she couldn’t even comprehend what is was, and a weak smile crawled up the corners of his lips. Surprising her, he leaned in and kissed her on the lips, the brush of their lips sending shivers up her arms.
“I’ll stay,” he mumbled around the kiss, smiling wider. “I’ll stay for as long as you’d like; as long as your mom’s okay with it too though, of course.”
“Good,” she whispered, pulling him closer. “Tuck me in?”
He chuckled, nodding. And in one quick movement, he lifted himself up off the bed and looked at her for a moment. “You really could use a brush,” he teased, pointing at her hair.
She tried to scowl at him, but his voice tickled her nerves and soothed her already sleepy body, cradling her in a shelter of peace. “You’re an idiot.”
“Maybe.” He grinned. “But at least I’m your idiot.”
She smiled as he picked her up and cradled her in his arms before laying her down at the head of the bed and tucking her under the blankets. She loved the way he touched her, so carefully; it reminded her why she trusted him in the first place. She could tell by the way he touched her that he loved her; he didn’t even have to say it.
She peered up at him, catching his hand in hers and intertwining their fingers together. “Stay with me,” she repeated. “Right next to me.”
Vaguely, she felt something touch her legs before the bed creaked under someone else’s weight. For a moment she tensed up, remembering every time her bed had creaked under Johnny’s weight, but when she felt warm arms pull her against a warm chest, all fear fell away. Jules was with her, holding her, and she had nothing to fear anymore.
“I’ll stay with you forever, Skye,” he whispered in her ear. “I’m not going to let anyone hurt you ever again. You’ll never have to worry about losing me.”
Those were the last things that settled in her mind before a warm blanket of darkness took over her body, cradling her in a long-awaited shelter of dreams.

Pitter-Pat

“How’re you feeling?”
Jules had his arm snaked around Skye’s waist as they sat beside each other on her bed, careful not to touch any of her fading bruises. She appreciated his gentleness with her considering the fact that she wasn’t completely healed yet. It didn’t bother her when he touched her unless he gripped too hard or pushed too far, which she knew he wouldn’t cross the line doing.
It had been three days since part of her worst nightmare became a reality. Two days since she’d first woken up free of Johnny’s tormenting grip on her life. And one day since she’d first admitted everything Johnny had done with her to the police. Being in the room alone with the Chief had been even harder than she’d expected it to be. No matter how hard she’d tried, she hadn’t managed to contain her tears as she told him about Johnny’s abuse. She told him everything, holding nothing back. And by the end of their session together, she’d become numb, silent and in a daze. Relief replaced the grief she’d felt talking through everything with the Chief. But the reality of it all had left her in a haze.
Letting out a sigh, she twisted her way out of Jules’s arm so that she was sitting on his lap instead. “I’m feeling great, Jules,” she told him in confidence. “I’m better now that everything is out in the open and I don’t have to hide anything anymore.” She scooted forward a little, straddling him, and traced a finger over his jawline, pulling his face closer to hers. “Plus I have you by my side. Nothing could be better.”
He grinned. “What about this?” he countered, brushing his lips over hers before kissing her passionately. He pulled her closer to him, gently, hands at the small of her back. At first, she kept her lips frozen against his in surprise, but in one quick moment she melted into the kiss, allowing him free access.
His touch sent her body into a start, thriving off of an entirely different energy. There was a tingly sensation that sprang throughout her, spreading warmth along every inch of her body. She broke free of the kiss for a moment, catching her breath, as her heart started to race from the sparks of their sudden passion. A smile spread across her face as she looked at Jules, eyelids heavy in satisfaction.
“I guess I was mistaken,” she whispered, their faces only mere inches apart. “That

was better.”
He chuckled, eyes suddenly bright. “I thought so.”
Before Skye could even reply, he spun her around so that she lay underneath him on the bed, his arms supporting himself on either side of her head. She was afraid for a moment, memories of Johnny vivid in her mind, but she quickly bit down her fear and smiled at him, a little on the nervous side. Seeing the look of most sincere love and desire Jules has for her, she bit her lip and pulled him closer to her by his shirt.