Page 161 of Jude

A hoarse, breathless growl escaped his throat as the truth that I wanted him back broke through his disbelief.

He gathered me close, hauling me up into his lap.

His sinewed hands slid down my back to grip my thighs, crushing me to him till no air remained between us.

Jude buried his face in my neck, his mouth finding the sensitive skin beneath my jaw.

He trailed his lips to mine and kissed me, hard and possessive, until I gasped with need, my fingers tightening in his hair.

His touch shifted, gliding with hunger over my waist, up my spine, mapping every curve as if establishing his claim over again.

He needed to prove to himself that I was real, that I was in his arms, and that I was still his wife.

He pulled back enough to find my eyes again, his hot exhalation sweeping over my skin.

Joy lit his features before he claimed my lips in a long, bruising kiss, releasing weeks of agony, silence, and violent, unexpressed yearning.

I let out a soft sigh into his mouth.

My hands moved under his jacket, gliding over the rigid muscle beneath.

He deepened the kiss, his tongue claiming mine until my breath hitched.

I pulled him closer, sinking into his touch.

We held each other as dusk faded into night outside, our breathing synchronizing in the quiet sanctuary while the ambient light died around us.

His chin rested on my head, his muscled arms forming a solid lock.

‘About the paperwork,’ he growled into my ear. ‘Does this mean -?’

‘Burn it all,’ I murmured into his throat. ‘I’m not signing those divorce papers. I adore you too much to let you go.’

‘Fuck, woman, I love you,’ he rumbled into my hair. ‘I don’t deserve you, but I’m never letting you leave my side again.’

He reclined back with a ragged exhale, and as I sat on his lap, he reached under the collar of his tee.

His calloused hand pulled out his chain, with his Aquila pendant and a ring.

My soul jolted.

My diamond ring.

With grim focus, Jude unclasped his chain, removed the band, and held out a hand to me.

‘Til death,’ he rasped.

‘Sempre,’ I whispered as he slid the ring on my finger.

We shared a soft, poignant kiss that almost broke me as I re-clasped his chain behind his nape.

When we tore our lips apart, I rested my chin on his shoulder, arms around him, as I gazed past his ear toward the window.

A shadow caught the twilight outside the glass.

Perched on the limestone ledge, a sizable raptor peered down into the sanctuary, its curved beak and golden eyes glinting in the dark.

It wasn’t an Aquila del Bonelli eagle, but the size was similar.