Chapter 219

Joseph’s POV

“Sorry, Elder. I didn’t mean to do that,” Jack, one of the warriors, said as we both stared down at my crushed cell phone.

I spent most of the day training the new warriors while Carter did some patrolling at the North borders after we had a recent invasion. Jack was my sparring partner and when my phone fell to the ground, he attacked it with a sword.

“I got a little carried away,” Jack said, gritting his teeth nervously.

I rolled my eyes and picked up the remains of my phone. Now I wouldn’t be able to talk to Tessa and I wasn’t due to leave the mountains until tomorrow night. I hadn’t spoken to Tessa all day yesterday and I was planning on calling her later.

But now that was out of the question. She was probably already worried.

“I’ll buy you a new one,” Jack continued when I didn’t say anything.

“Don’t worry about it,” I said, my tone dry as I placed a hand on his shoulder. It took everything I had not to lose my shit on this kid. “Just be more wary next time. You did well today. Go find Carter and see if there’s something else you can do.”

I turned and walked away because if I stayed any longer, I probably would have killed him. I was going to need to return to the city early before Tessa got too worried about my absence.

I didn’t leave until later in the night, but Bernard understood that I had to go. After a round of goodbyes, I got in my car and took off.

I didn’t even bother returning to my villa, I went straight to Tessa’s apartment. I was thankful she gave me a key to her apartment. After I let myself in, I went quietly into her room. The first thing I noticed was her phone on the floor in front of her bed. I frowned at it and saw that a text thread was open.

It was our text thread. My heart squeezed painfully in my chest when I read her last message. She was so upset, and it was my fault. I should have reached out to her earlier, way before my phone broke, but I lost track of the night. I slept all day and by the time I woke, I knew she’d be sleeping so I didn’t bother to reach out to her.

But I knew that wasn’t an excuse. I hated that I put her through that worry.

She was sleeping soundly in bed under a mound of blankets. She was the most beautiful thing in this entire world, and I was lucky to be able to call her mine.

Stripping off my clothes, leaving me in nothing but boxers, I slid into bed beside her. I swiftly moved my arm under her body and pulled her close to me. She moved to adjust herself, but I don’t think she fully woke up. Her head now rested on my chest and her arms were wrapping around me just as mine were wrapped around her.

We held one another close until about 5 am, which was only an hour later, and then her groggy murmurs woke me. She yawned as she lifted her head. Peering around her room, her entire body stilled once she realized what was happening.

Her gaze slowly lifted until they met mine and her breathing hitched.

“Good morning,” I said in a low voice.

“Joseph?” She whispered. “What are you doing here? How are you here? What?—” She breathed as she quickly sat up.

“I know you’re probably mad at me,” I said, trying to get her to lie back down. “My phone broke last night. I came back early so I could see you.”

“Your phone broke?” She asked, her brows furrowing together.

“Yes, my sparring partner broke it by accident,” I said, rolling my eyes at the memory.

Her rapid breathing seemed to have slowed as she narrowed her eyes.

“I was worried about you…” she whispered. “I thought—”

Tears instantly welled in her eyes, and I sat up, wrapping my arms around her. She buried her face in my chest, and I felt the wetness of her tears. It made me hold her even tighter.

“I’m so sorry…” I whispered. “I didn’t mean to scare. I should have reached out much sooner. It was wrong of me…”

“I thought you left me…” she admitted in barely a whisper.

“What? Why would I ever leave you?” I asked, completely confused.

“You have before.”

My heart utterly broke from her words. She was referring to when I ended our dating trial and told her we couldn’t be together. At the time I worried that her being with me would only put her in danger. But I realized I was just being stupid and that I was actually putting her in danger by not being with her.

I had no intention of ever leaving her again; it was the farthest thing from my mind.

“I was in denial before,” I said in return, burying my face in the nape of her neck and showering her with little kisses that made goosebumps form on her skin. “I didn’t want to admit how I truly felt for you. I thought I was protecting you. But I’m never going to make that mistake again, Tessa. I love you. You have to know that.”

She lifted her tear-filled eyes to meet mine.

“I love you too,” she whispered back.

Our lips met and at that moment I realized I was created and molded to love Tessa. My entire heart, my entire being, was all for her. She was mine just as much as I was hers.

She parted her lips which gave me the perfect entryway to slide my tongue into her mouth and taste all that was mine. The longer I kissed her, the more I craved her. I needed her and I was planning on showing her just how much I needed her.

I traced her silk nightgown with my fingers, wanting her out of it so badly. As if she read my mind, she lifted the nightgown over her head and threw it to the ground. It was then that I realized she was completely naked.

My cock grew from the feeling of her naked flesh against mine as she wrapped her arms around my neck and deepened the kiss even more.

I nipped at her bottom lip and brought it further into my mouth, using my tongue to coat it with my saliva until my lips crashed into hers again and my tongue explored her entire mouth, twirling around as her tongue explored mine.

I broke the kiss and traveled my lips down the nape of her neck, her breath hitching as I nipped at her flesh until I reached her breast. Her nipples were hardening and growing pink as her entire body flushed from my touch. I loved that I had this effect on her.

Licking around her nipple, I watched goosebumps form on her flesh. I concurred her nipple with my teeth, making it grow even harder in my mouth. Then, I traced her chest with my lips before concurring her other nipple. She draped her fingers through my hair and massaged my head as I continued to tease her.

I traced my fingers down her smooth and delicate torso until I reached her lower region. She was wet and ready for me. I wanted to taste everything she had to offer so I lowered my kisses down her belly. She arched her back and spread her legs for me as I lowered myself between them. She was anticipating what I would do and I’m pretty sure she stopped breathing as I kissed along her inner thighs, licking at her juices and taking in her beauty.

Her breathing hitched when I started to tease her clit with my tongue. I pumped my fingers in and out of her core, feeling her juices coat my hand. She gasped loudly as her back arched and her nails dug into the bed sheets.

With a tremble of her body, she released her pleasures, and I smiled as I trailed my kisses back up her body and concurred her lips. She deepened the kiss and shoved her tongue into my mouth, tasting herself on me.

I rolled onto my back taking her with me without breaking the kiss. She started to kiss down the inside of my face and down the nape of my neck before she lowered herself onto me and I felt my manhood sliding into her. I hadn’t even realized she moved my boxers down, but now it was my turn for my breathing to hitch.

I watched her in awe as she played with her own breasts and slowly moved her body up and down.

She was so incredibly beautiful and sexy that I knew I wasn’t going to last long. She moved her hands up her body and she ran her fingers through her long brown hair as she continued to ride me. Her breathing was heavy, and it moved her chest with each intake.

Feeling my climax reach its peak, I gripped her hips and moved her even faster. I lifted myself so I could wrap her in my arms and suck on her nipples. As my tongue twirled around her cleavage she moaned softly, and I knew from the delicate sound she made that she was close to another climax.

I felt myself growing even more inside of her within seconds I reached my peak and I exploded. My completion triggered another orgasm for Tessa and her entire body trembled as she released herself onto me.

Her lips found mine and we hungrily kissed one another not wanting to separate for even a second. Sweat poured from both our bodies and we breathed into one another like we depended on each other’s air to get through.

Her legs remained around my waist, and I remained inside of her. I kissed her temple gently as she closed her eyes and rested her face on the nape of my neck. She tightened her hold on me, not wanting to let me go and I never wanted her to let me go.

The sound of a door closing made both our bodies still. It sounded like it was the bathroom door.

I was soon on high alert as I moved Tessa off my body and reached to grab my boxers that had fallen to the floor. Somebody was in Tessa’s apartment.

Fury was already swelling inside of me, but it instantly started to subside as Tessa wrapped her arms around my arm.

When I looked at her, I saw panic in her eyes.

I wasn’t prepared for her next words.

“My father and Penny are here.”