Page 36 of See Her
Great.
I tilt my head up at him more, not letting my gaze falter.
“I love you,” he declares softly, instead of what I was semi-fearing. The words sail straight to my heart, delivering a hard pang that sends a ripple of warmth through the rest of my body. His eyes seem to search mine, as if cautiously gauging my reaction.
I feel a nervous smile pull at the sides of my mouth as I return his stare, looking for signs of kidding. “You do?” is the best my befuddled ass can come up with. I feel a slight shiver run through me, despite being tucked against Jack’s warm body.
“I do,” his soft grumble affirms. “I’m so fucking crazy about you,” he admits, pulling me closer. “I know it’s crazy, it’s only been a couple of weeks, but I fucking know it.”
“How?” I breathe out as the dam in my heart starts to break, flooding my soul with the love I’ve been trying not to believe I’ve been feeling for him. Like he said, it hasn’t been very long.
He shakes his head and his shoulders rise slowly. “I’ve felt it ever since I saw you dance. I was already smitten with your kindness and your smile. You make me laugh and you inspire me more than anything ever has. And when I saw you in that studio, I saw so much beauty and passion exploding out of you. I knew it then, and I haven’t stopped feeling it since. It’s just there, Maze. When I’m not with you, I’m thinking about you. I can never seem to wait until the next time I see you, and I’ve never felt more alive.”
I finally let my eyes close, just to let his words settle over me as I place a hand on his chest. The smooth plane of muscle with the ink etched into the warm skin has quickly become my favorite place tonight.
“I think I know what you mean,” I admit as I open my eyes to face him again, wanting him to see my truth.
“You do?” he asks, tilting his head and brushing a strand of hair off my forehead before locking his hands behind my back, and I nod. “You feel it too?”
I draw in a deep breath, for some reason craving courage to say it. “I do feel it, Jack. All of it.”
“Will you say it?” He leans in closer, resting his head against mine, and I don’t feel pushed or prodded. He’s letting me know I’m safe to tell him how I feel.
“I love you,” I murmur back, and Jack lets out a tender sigh, grinning as he plants a sweet kiss on my lips.
I kiss him back, and we give and take for a while, each touch of ourlips pressing deeper and lingering longer, and I feel my breath picking up to accommodate.
“Sweetheart,” Jack rasps, pulling away just enough to speak the word.
“Yeah?” I breathe out.
“Do you take the pill or anything?” he whispers almost uneasily, and when I shift in his lap, I realize he’s grown hard again. My sex takes notice and begins to warm between my legs at the thought of having sex with Jack again.
“Yeah,” I whisper between yearning kisses.
“I’ve never been with anyone without a condom,” he proclaims, his voice breathless. “I’ve never wanted to, but I do with you. I want to feel you. We don’t have to you if you’re not ready.”
“I want to,” I nod, my heart tumbling in my chest.
“You sure?” He takes hold of my face, placing a fierce kiss to my lips before ravaging a trail down my throat.
“Yes, Jack,” I promise him, the words escaping my mouth on a wayward breath.
“God,” he husks, gathering me closer and making me feel his straining erection between us. A moan escapes from back in my throat when I feel the skin-to-skin sensation brushing against my center, and my hands clamp down on Jack’s shoulders, squeezing and trying to get myself under control. I’ll die of disappointment and embarrassment if I come before he’s even inside me.
Jack releases me with one hand to reach between us and line himself up with my opening, his eyes closing at the contact. After inching the tip inside, he lets go and grabs onto my hips, pulling me down deeper. He goes slow, letting out a breathy moan as I descend. I hold on tight to his shoulders, gasping at the deep but welcome fusion of our bodies.
We’re a breathless duet of movement as Jack rocks my hips, finding a motion and a rhythm that gets us perfectly in sync with each other and I try to follow, rolling along with his guidance.
“I love you so much,” Jack professes, thrusting up into me with savoring strokes.
“Jack,” I pant along with our cadence. “I love you too.”
Jack
The next morning,the incessant ringing of my phone breaks through the thick fog of one of the best sleeps I’ve ever had. I come a little bit closer to consciousness with each ring, and struggle to piece together the reality of the moment.After six rings, the noise stops.My eyes are still glued shut, but my other senses are picking up my surroundings. I smell Mayzie all around me, and when I shift slightly, I feel the skin of her warm body pressed against mine, her head on my chest.I finally pull my eyes open to see a mess of light brown hair just inches in front of me, picking up rays of daylight.The ringing starts again, and fury starts to ignite inside my head which isn’t awake enough to process the annoying sound coming from my pants on the floor. I amnota morning person.
I decide to lie here and ignore it. Hopefully whoever it is gives up this time. I close my eyes again and lean my head forward to breathe in the hair that’s in front of my face. When I get the scent of Mayzie’s flowery shampoo, one part of me definitely starts to wake up, and the ringing stops again. Hallelujah. The skin on her arm feels cool as I run my hand up and down it.