Chapter 1532
The rhythm of the island pulsed deeper, richer now - less a hum and more a heartbeat. It throbbed in the soil, in the air, in Jude’s chest as he lay beneath the golden canopy of the tree, tangled in limbs and breath and warmth.
Lucy lay half across him, her fingers lazily trailing patterns along his stomach.
Zoey rested with her head against his thigh, her eyes closed, lips slightly parted, humming softly in rhythm with the pulse of the tree. Sophie sat at his side, watching, her fingers combing through his damp hair with a care that made him ache.
They didn’t speak.
None of them had for some time.
Words had faded into something less necessary. Touch said more. So did breath. The connection between them had deepened, not just from what happened beneath the tree - but from the change that still echoed through Jude’s blood. He could feel it. Still himself, and yet more. The way his body responded now was different - not just to touch, but to presence. To the women. Their emotions shimmered at the edge of his perception, faint impressions that slid over his skin like warmth through fabric.
He could feel their devotion. Their ache. Their joy.
Emma climbed into his lap next, straddling him with a smile that was both shy and primal. Her body was slick with sweat, her curls falling around her face like a veil, her eyes glowing with something deeper than lust. He reached up to touch her cheek, and she leaned into his palm like it was the most sacred gesture in the world.
"I dreamed of this," she whispered.
Jude didn’t answer with words. His hands moved to her hips, guiding her down slowly, feeling the moment of union like an echo through time. She gasped softly, her nails digging into his shoulders, her body arching as their rhythm joined the pulse of the tree. Around them, the others watched - not with jealousy, not with envy - but with reverence. As if witnessing a ritual unfolding exactly as it was meant to.
Stella curled up behind him, her breath hot on his neck. Natalie and Grace kissed each other nearby, their fingers entwined, bodies pressed together as they watched the rising and falling of Emma’s hips with hungry eyes. Scarlet moved between them like smoke, tracing fingers along bare thighs, whispering nothing at all as her mouth found soft skin.