Something was somehow familiar. There was the hint of an aftershave she had come to know well in the air that hadn’t been there before. She realized who it was just before he spoke.
Jackson brushed a strand of hair off of her forehead and kissed it lightly. “Jenna, are you awake?” His voice was a whisper.
Relief flooded her veins. “Yes,” she said sitting up and smacking him on the shoulder. “And don’t do that to me again. You scared me half to death. I thought you were here to kill me or…”
“Hey…everything’s alright.” Strong arms circled her waist in an attempt to calm her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to wake you up if you were still asleep, so I didn’t turn on any of the lights. I would never do that to you on purpose
“Where did you go? I didn’t think you were coming back.”
“What gave you that idea?”
“I don’t know,” Jenna lied.
“I thought you might be hungry when you woke up. I only meant to run out for a few minutes, but I didn’t realize everything decent around here closed at ten. I had to settle for fast food. It’s in the kitchen if you’re hungry.”
Jenna hadn’t realized almost twelve hours had passed since she’d eaten until he mentioned food. She became aware of the vague rumbling in her stomach, but something else that was bothering her. There was something that she had to straighten out first.
“I need to say something to you, Jackson, and I need you to try not to rationalize what I’m saying until I’m done. I need you to hear me – really hear me. Okay?”
Jackson pulled away to look at her. She could make out his face in the small amount of moonlight streaming through the window. “Okay,” he replied.
“I heard everything you said to me earlier,” Jenna began. Her lips were suddenly dry and she flicked her tongue over them before continuing. “I appreciate everything you said and I have a lot of respect for you for not wanting to take advantage of the situation, Jackson, but I…I want you to know what happened earlier hasn’t changed anything for me.”
He started to respond, but Jenna shook her head to let him know she wasn’t done yet. “I want you now as much as I wanted you last night and you should know…It’s you I want, not some meaningless distraction or escape. I want you, Jackson. You.”
Jenna waited for what felt like an eternity for him to respond. Her mind searched for every argument he might be formulating to be ready for his response, but he remained silent. The air between them grew thick and she found it difficult to think about anything except his nearness. After a lifetime, Jackson spoke.
“Are you done?”
Not really the response she’d hoped for or expected. “I am.”
“Okay. I didn’t want to be accused of not hearing you out.”
Silence.
“Um…I thought you might have more to say about it.”
“I’m done talking.”
While she was still trying to make heads or tails of what that might mean, his lips moved over her own.
Huh?
Oh.
Ohhhh…
Jackson rose slowly, pulling Jenna up onto her knees on the bed, never once breaking the kiss. Something, and she didn’t know what it was, in that slow intensity told her this was happening. Now. Tonight. Since the wait was over, all need to rush through anything was no more. She could spend all enternity in that moment, basking in the unhurried unraveling of passion through the kiss. More would happen when more happened. What mattered was that it was happening.
Except…The scratchy fabric of shirts between them was incongruous. That anything could exist to stand between them was impossible. And wrong. So wrong.
Her fingers found the bastard shirt’s hem, tugging in seamless motions until she was forced to tear herself from the kiss to discard it onto the floor. She felt Jackson’s strong hands slip under her shirt and lift it over her head. Then his arms were around her again, pulling her so close their bodies were one continuous, provocative line.
Jenna could feel Jackson’s hot, ragged breath setting her skin on fire as he kissed her neck and a strange mixture of emotions filled her. She’d wanted men before, but none as desperately as she wanted him at this moment. Tony had been the only other man in her life to awaken such strong desire in her.
Jackson pulled back, almost as though he guessed the turn of her thoughts. “It isn’t too late to stop if you’re not sure about this.”
In the past, she might have taken the out he offered and shut herself away again, but there was no going back for Jenna. Not now. Not anymore. Her mind was now ruled by her body’s longing for him and the time for being rational was a distant memory. Her need for Jackson was an all-consuming flame inside her.
“Jackson, you are the only thing I’m sure about right now,” Jenna replied, unfastening the button of his slacks.
“Good,” Jackson said, husky. He caressed her cheek with his thumb and gazed into her wanting eyes. “You have no idea how badly I want you, Jenna, how much I’ve wanted you since the first moment we met.”
She allowed herself to take in the tension in his well-muscled torso with her eyes and knew what was stirring inside her would sweep her away if she let it, if she let him, but she realized with a sudden clarity that she didn’t care. “You’re wrong. I do know because I feel it too.”
In one fluid motion Jackson stepped out of his pants and laid her back onto the bed. He brushed a rough kiss on her lips and began to explore her body, first with hands, then with lips. Jenna could tell he was enjoying taking his time in removing the few articles of clothing remaining between them. She let him prolong it for as long as she could stand, but her skin was alive with sensation and that unhurried unraveling sensation from before was kicked away by the unruly waves of want rolling over her. Every inch of her body ached for him as he placed fiery kisses all over her, dying from the building anticipation.
“Jack…son…”
Their mouths found each other again and she kissed him with a ferocity she didn’t know existed, much less that she possessed. Jenna let her hands play through his hair and heard a soft moan, but it took her a second to realize it came from her. Jackson lifted his head slightly so they were looking into one another’s eyes. It frightened and excited her all at the same time to see the raw desire she felt mirrored in his sexy blue eyes.
“Wait.”
© 2009, Sydney Katt. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use of content will result in dragon attacks.
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