Love Required (25 page)

She sighed and dropped her gaze to his chest, hesitant to say what she was thinking. “I know, but I just don’t want you to get sick of me. I hate the thought that we’re being pushed on you out of obligation.”

Jason let out an exasperated sigh. “You’re gonna have to stop saying stupid shit like that, Tori. It really pisses me off.”

Surprised, she met his gaze. “It’s not stupid; it’s true.”

Jason let go of her and walked over to where Lexi’s playpen now sat. Setting her down, she voiced her disappointment but was easily distracted by a toy. Tori watched as Jason strode toward her, determination set in his eyes. When he reached her, one arm wrapped around her back and the other gripped the hair at the back of her neck. Pulling her forcibly against him, he angled her head so she had no choice but to meet his eyes. At another time, with another person, his actions might’ve scared her. But with Jason, it set her emotionally strung-out body on fire as arousal began to spread—awakening her.

“I’m really not sure how else to make you understand this. Maybe you’re not used to the idea of being loved by me yet. Maybe you’re not used to the idea of having someone strong enough for you to lean on. But you should know something about me. I don’t do
anything
out of obligation. Every single thing I do, I do by choice. I chose you to be mine. My heart chose you to fill an empty spot I had no idea existed until I laid eyes on you. It knew you were mine before I did.” Jason’s voice was strong and steady. It didn’t waver as he told her exactly what he wanted her to hear.

“And you are not being
pushed
on me. I’m taking what I want …
you
. Having you close to me isn’t just necessary because I don’t think your place is safe. It’s necessary because I’m a selfish bastard and prefer to have you here.”

She watched him watching her, absorbing his words. When her hands went to his face, he pulled her lips to his. He took what he just claimed was his. And she handed it right over.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

TORI figured she’d soaked in the tub long enough. After letting the water drain, she stood and dried off. Feeling marginally better, she took in her still slightly puffy eyes and sighed. Not much she could do about them at the moment. It was nothing a good night sleep wouldn’t fix. Wrapping her hair in a towel, she slipped on Jason’s shirt. When she walked out of the bathroom, she was surprised to not find Jason waiting for her in the bedroom. Moving to the hallway, she heard the shower running and felt bad he was using the guest bathroom. She was also a little disappointed he hadn’t joined her.

On her way to kiss Lexi goodnight, she walked past the bathroom door, which wasn’t all the way closed, and could hear him singing. She smiled at the thought of him singing in the shower. Her smile only grew when she realized
what
he was singing. Quietly, she opened the door and caught sight of his body looming behind the fogged class. Fully entering the bathroom and angling herself so she could see him better, the tears she’d thought were all gone made another appearance. But this time, they were happy tears, because seeing Jason in the shower with Lexi, singing
The Itsy Bitsy Spider
, was one of the sweetest things she’d ever seen. Dropping her gaze, she took in his body and couldn’t control the giggle that escaped her.

Jason stopped singing to look over his shoulder at her. Her hand covered her mouth in a failed attempt at holding back more laughter. Jason smiled and shrugged as he said, “I was going to use the bathtub but then realized how unsafe it is. This was the better option.”

Tori dropped her hand and gestured to his body. “Did you forget to take off your clothes before getting in, or do you usually shower in shorts and a t-shirt?” She couldn’t help but laugh again, as he seemed to be a little embarrassed by it.

He shrugged again. “I couldn’t shower naked; that just wouldn’t be right.”

Lexi let out a squeal as she splashed her hands against the wet shirt covering Jason’s chest. He closed his eyes to block the water, and when she stopped, he looked at Tori. “She does that when I stop singing.”

Tori picked up a towel and moved to the shower. When she opened the towel, Jason handed Lexi over. Once Lexi was wrapped up, Tori turned to leave but took one more glance at Jason and said, “Just so you know, you are
so
getting lucky tonight.”

His eyebrows lifted and a grin spread across his face. “Yeah I am.”

She laughed and shook her head as Jason began removing his wet clothes. Tori left the bathroom, saying, “Not even one yet and I catch you showering with a man.” Lexi reached up and started tugging on the towel wrapped around Tori’s head. It fell over them, and she laughed. Her daughter’s laughter helped relax whatever the bath had not.

Tori got her dried off and dressed for bed before sitting down and reading her a story. A short while later, Lexi was asleep in her playpen and Tori was sneaking out of the room. Closing the door quietly, she came in contact with a warm body and smiled. When Jason moved her hair to the side, he kissed her neck. “Is she asleep already?”

She turned to him and nodded. “She was exhausted—busy day for her. First, the playdate in the morning with Ella, then she flirted with Sean and Logan for a few hours. And then she topped it off by showering with a man.”

Jason pulled her to him. He only had a towel wrapped around his waist, but his skin was already dry. “Don’t say it like that … ‘a man’ makes it sound creepy.”

Even though she was only joking, she didn’t want to belittle what he did for her. So she gave him a serious face and apologized, “You’re right. I’m sorry … forgive me?”

Standing up on tiptoes, she placed a quick kiss to his lips. He squeezed her to him and lifted. As he carried her toward the bedroom, he said, “I can think of a few ways you could earn my forgiveness.”

Dropping her lips to his neck, she bit him gently. “I bet you could.”

She felt his body shudder against hers as he walked them to the bed. Setting her down before him, he took her lips in a demanding kiss. His tongue swept in and stroked her own, seeking her attention. Responding to his actions, she gave as good as she got. Their tongues caressed each other as his hands found the hem of her shirt and lifted. They separated for a breathless moment, before his lips were back on hers. Her hands dropped in search of the towel, needing to feel him, searching for his heat.

Jason’s hands stopped her pursuit and she voiced her displeasure. He chuckled as he broke the kiss. Finding her gaze, he said, “Hang on, baby, you’ll get what you want soon. But there’s something I need to do first.”

Confused, she waited for some indication as to what he needed to do. His hands rested on her bare hips, and he used his grip to turn her body away from him. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but she enjoyed his hands on her skin nonetheless. His right hand slid up her side and moved to her back, a fingertip stopping over her shoulder blade. When it slowly traced a pattern, she realized what he was doing.

Trying to turn toward him, he halted her movements before placing his lips on the scarred skin. Then he moved his lips and began to kiss every spot that she’d damaged when trying to flee from Damien. Each press of his lips released the tension that had formed in her shoulders. She stood quietly, letting him do what he needed to do.

JASON didn’t know how he’d never noticed them before. Small, irregular-shaped patches of skin were spread across her shoulder blade. Some were bigger than others and had a bit of a raised texture to them, but they were subtle enough to remain unseen. When looking closely, they reminded him of the spots on a cheetah. He made sure to kiss each and every one of them, cataloged them, and committed them to memory.

Her body had tensed for a few moments before relaxing to his touch. Making her uncomfortable was the last thing he wanted to do, but it was necessary. Tori’s history was rough, albeit for a short period of time, and it left physical scars. But those scars did nothing to take away from the beauty he saw in her, both inside and out.

When he finished kissing the last scar, he turned her around. Claiming her lips in a sweet kiss, he whispered, “You are so beautiful.”

Dazed, she opened her eyes and stared at him. “You make me feel beautiful.”

“Good,” he said with a smirk before he dropped to his knees in front of her. She followed his descent and watched him as he slid her panties down her legs. Tapping her ankle, he let her step out of them, then returned his attention to her stomach. His eyes scanned the soft skin, which showed proof of motherhood, until he found it. Mixed in with her stretch marks, he found a long, thin line. It was clean-cut, which explained its near invisibility. Pressing his lips to one end of it, he repeated his actions.

Tori’s hands cupped his head as he covered the scar with kisses and tiny strokes of his tongue. When she thought of her scars, he wanted her to think of him on his knees in front of her, and not how she got them. Finishing, he stood quickly and cupped her face in his hands. Pressing his forehead to hers, he whispered again, “You are beautiful, Tori.”

She gave him a shaky nod before her hands yanked the towel from his waist. When her small hand wrapped around his hard length, he hissed at the contact. He hadn’t realized how aroused he’d become as he tended to her scars. But now, as her hand stroked him, he was ready to explode. Stilling her hand, he took a deep breath, willing his excitement down a notch.

“Please, Jason … I need you.”

With a groan, he dropped them onto the bed. “I need you, too, baby.”  

Together, they worked in unison. Her hands gripped at him, pulling him tightly into her. His hard body found her heat before sliding in. They both sighed as his body rested firmly against hers. There was no space between them; they were one. When her body clenched around his, he pressed his face into her neck and swallowed hard. “You’ve gotta stop that, baby. I’m barely holding on here.”

She squirmed beneath him, her breathing labored as she said, “God, Jason, please let go!”

Knowing he could never deny her, he pulled his body back before slamming into her. She cried out, and her fingers dug into his back. Doing it again, he repeated the motion, loving every sigh and whimper she gave him. Feeling his release threatening to end things sooner than he wanted, he shifted his body slightly and thrust into her again. The new angle was a direct hit to her clit, and her body pulsed around him.

Giving her what she demanded, he felt her let go and explode around him. Her loud cries became muffled as she buried her face in his neck and rode out the pleasure he’d given her. Once he’d gotten what he wanted out of her, only then did he take his own pleasure. Sliding into her one more time, his body vibrated in release as his orgasm settled over him.

She sighed, and he pulled his face from her neck to see to her smiling. To see the look of satisfaction on his woman’s face was a heady sight. His body, which still hummed from his own release, responded and began to ready itself for her again. He knew she felt it, because her eyes widened in surprise before she asked, breathlessly, “Seriously?”

He kissed her hard as his body continued to demand more. Pulling back, he rolled their still connected bodies over so she was on top. She gasped as she thrust gently upward. He smirked and said, “Get used to it, baby. It’s what you do to me.”

~*~*~*~

TORI awoke a few hours later, startled by the dream she’d had. Her heart beat loudly in her chest, the sound of it filling her ears. A moment later, Jason was sitting up next to her, “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

His arm came around her, and she immediately turned into him, trying to calm herself down and erase the haunting images from her mind. Jason ran his hands down her back and kissed her forehead.

“Did you have a bad dream?” he asked, his voice thick with sleep. She nodded into his chest.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

She thought she could, and she tried, but all she could get out was Lexi’s name before a sob escaped her.  Jason pulled them back down on the bed and held her tightly. She knew it was only a dream, but the sight of Damien with his hands on Lexi was enough to make her stomach roll. Fighting it, she took a breath and knew she needed to check on Lexi. She had never had a dream like that before, and it was terrifyingly real. Sitting up straight, she went to get out of bed, but Jason stopped her.

“Hold on, let me get her for you. Just lay back down … okay?” All she could do was nod. Jason pulled on a pair of shorts as Tori found her shirt from earlier. Just as she pulled it over her head, she watched Jason walked back into the room with a sleeping Lexi. She felt bad about disturbing her, and Jason for that matter, but nothing was going to clear her head better than her daughter being safe in her arms.

Jason whispered, “Lay down, baby.” So she did. He stood over her and laid Lexi in the space between where she and Jason were sleeping. Excusing himself, he went into the bathroom for a moment before he climbed back in on his side. Tori looked at him in question. He yawned, then said, “You’ll sleep better with her in here.”

He pulled the blanket up over the three of them and rested his arm low over her hip. Before long, he was sleeping, and Tori was just watching the two of them. The soothing sounds of their combined breathing lulled Tori back to sleep in no time.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

TORI picked up the container of cupcakes she had saved for Hal. She’d invited him to join them to celebrate Lexi’s birthday at Jason’s house the day before, but he declined. Since Tori had been staying with Jason all week, she felt bad leaving him all alone. Even though she had seen him on Wednesday when she brought him his meals, she missed seeing him daily. Hal was like the grandpa she’d never had.

Jason walked around the corner into the kitchen, Lexi perched on his shoulders. When he spotted the cupcakes, he lifted his eyebrows in question. “Are those my cupcakes?”

Tori giggled as she shoved the container into her purse, hoping they’d make it out of the house with her. “You really need to get that cupcake obsession checked out.”