"The sun isn't even up yet," I mutter to Jack as he kisses up my shoulder. "Can't we sleep just a little longer?"
"I don't want to sleep," he says. "I wanna do this," he kisses the back of my neck, "and this," he tickles down my spine with his tongue, "and this," he grabs my ass cheek and squeezes.
I turn over and face him in the semi-darkness. "You have to calm that anaconda down," I say.
"I still can't believe you said that to her," Jack says with a chuckle. "Fucking weirdos."
"You think it's weird?" I ask, stifling a yawn. "I don't think it's weird. It's just not something I'd ever wanna do."
"I'm entirely too territorial to go in for that shit," Jack says, biting at my earlobe.
"I appreciate that about you
most
of the time. Just not when it leads to things like last night."
Jack's dark eyes go serious. "I know."
I think he's learning to let go of his past, like he keeps asking me to do. I have to admit, seeing him ready to kick the shit out of that guy last night was a turn on. Maybe it's for the wrong reasons, but I like that he claims me.
"Just think, we have only one more day here, one more
night
," I say.
"Did you mean what you said? About being perfectly happy at my place with a beer and a blanket?" His face is earnest.
"Yes, I meant it. I love your house and I love being in it. With you," I kiss his scruffy cheek.
"Let's go ahead and leave today," he says. "Head back home, have one more night that's ours before we have to go back to day-to-day shit. Whadda ya say?"
"That sounds perfect," I answer. Jack's shirtless body is stretched out next to me, his long arms where I want to be. I run my fingers around his shoulder and then touch his face. "You know, last night made the second time you've gotten physical over me. I might start to think you're overly protective."
"I am. I just take care of what matters to me, of what belongs to me." He kisses the palm of my hand. "You do belong to me, Carly."
"I know I do," I say and lean in to kiss his fat lips. "And you belong to me, no matter how many hot husband swappers wanna get in your pants."
He kisses me then and pulls my bottom lip between his teeth. "I wanna get in
your
pants," he growls.
I pull the sheet back and expose my naked body. It's a bold move, one I'd never dream of trying with any other man, but Jack has awakened the sleeping, sultry part of me that's inside every woman, just waiting for the right man to stir it. "I'm not wearing any pants," I tease.
Jack whips his arm around my waist and pulls me to his side of the bed. He plants a multitude of kisses all over my neck, pausing to bite and suck at the tenderness of my shoulder. His hands, so familiar and warm, dance up my back and around my shoulders. He pulls me on top of him, kissing the top of my breasts. We're going to make love in the early morning sun.
"Lean back," Jack whispers. His hair is tousled and his eyes are needy.
I sit back on him and feel the bulge pressing at my pussy.
"Your body is a temple," Jack says. "And I want to worship you."
I push up off him and pull his jockeys down. His cock springs free and fully erect, glistening on the top with fluid. My hand guides him into me and I shift my ass so I can move. His chest muscles tense as he clamps his hands down on my hips.
His dick feels so good inside me as it hits my clit. I grind my body on him, relishing each time he closes his eyes and moans. Jack's hands pull me down so he can suck my nipples.
"Slow down," he says. "We don't have to be in any hurry."
I relax my speed and he thrusts up into me slowly. I let my legs slip back a little and he hits higher inside me. His teeth graze the tenderness of my nipple and I groan in his ear. My hair hangs down in his face, so he twists it in one fist and holds it at the base of my neck.
"You have no idea what you do to me, what you're like," he mutters. His hips push into me over and over. My body practically hums, vibrates around him. This much passion in one man shouldn't be allowed.
I hold on to my orgasm, waiting to go with him when he tenses up. He spills inside me and I throw myself into the pulsing as I come. My body trembles in the release.
"Goddamn," he mumbles, letting my hair down in a cascade around us. I fall into the pillow beside him and wait for the tremors of satisfaction to subside.
"I love it when we go at it hard, but sometimes," I kiss his collar bone, "taking it slow is the way to go."
"I'll take you any way I can get you," Jack says. I move off him and he pulls the sheet over us. He slips his arm underneath my neck and pulls me close.
"Do you think we'll always be like this? This crazy about each other?" I ask, lacing our fingers together.
"I'll always be crazy about you. You do it for me, doll." He kisses my temple.
"I've just never met a man with stamina like you," I confess. "It blows my mind."
"Stop," Jack puts up a false resistance. "I have no control over little Jack. He's in love with you."
"You do your dick a major insult when you call him 'Little'," I say.
"What do you mean? You don't think it's little?" Jack lifts the sheet up and my eyes go to his softening dick. It's still thick and long. He lets the sheet fall, much to my displeasure.
"Are you fucking serious?" I ask, knowing full well he's not. "I have to soak in the bathtub some nights, just because my pussy aches."
"You're full of shit," Jack laughs. I can tell he's eating this up.
"No lie," I say, holding my fingers in the sign for Scout's Honor. "You and that anaconda cock."
Jack laughs in my ear and I return it. He exhales heavily next to me.
"What time do you wanna leave?" I ask.
"No rush. We can grab some breakfast here and then there's one more thing I wanna show you."
"What might that be?" My dislike of surprises forces me to ask.
"Nope," Jack shakes his head. "You'll see when we get there."
I curl my body against his and rest. I wasn't lying about the hot baths; Jack has taken a toll on my body, but it's totally worth it.
We sleep again, this time until almost eleven. Jack is such an early riser, but I like my sleep and he lets me have it.
I find him in the kitchen setting up breakfast.
"Safe to say you ordered one of everything," I gape, looking at all the boxes of food.
"Not everything, but mostly," Jack says, sticking a strawberry in his mouth. I take a plate and pile on some pancakes, eggs, blueberries and a biscuit.
"Hungry?" Jack asks with a smile.
"Well, I didn’t really get to eat dessert last night, ya know." I shoot him a 'piss-off' look and then a grin.
"Me and my alpha male bullshit," Jack says, taking the chair across from me at the table.
"I can't wait to get home," I say between bites of pancake. "I miss your house."
"You should stay with me this week," Jack throws out. "I mean,
all week.
No more of this going back to
your
house bullshit." He takes a bit of bacon before sticking it out at me, "You should just go ahead and move in with me."
I take a drink of orange juice and look at him. "I like it when you make jokes. You're so funny!" I grab the piece of bacon from his hand and stick it in my mouth.
"I'm serious," Jack says. "I want you to live with me."
We've both stopped eating at this point as I try to guess what's going on in that gorgeous head of his.
"Come on," I dismiss it. "We can't live together."
Jack's expression never changes, but he puts his fork down on the plate. "Why not?"
"Um," I start, "let's see. We've only been together for less than a month, we both have trust issues, you hog the covers, we've only been together for less than a month." I search him for some type of agreement. "Isn't it too soon?"
"Says who?" Jack asks, picking up his fork and stealing one of my blueberries.
"Pretty much every relationship expert on the planet," I mutter.
"Don't you wanna live with me? We make good bed buddies," he grins.
"I know that, but I've never lived with someone before. You have. What if I can't do it?"
"What's there to do? You just do what you've always done, except we're together and we're committed."
I pick at the biscuit for a second, pondering this piece of logic. Waking up next to Jack every morning has been amazing, but I like my own space. I like being able to walk around the house without makeup and I leave my cereal bowls on the coffee table long after I've finished the cereal.
"You wouldn't wanna live with me," I warn. "I'd be a horrible roommate."
"Who said anything about roommates?" he asks, taking a sip from his coffee cup. "You'd be my live in lovah." He jumps his eyebrows up and down at me.
"So I'd be fucking you every night instead of paying rent?"
"Fucking, sucking...things would vary," he grins again.
"Let me think about it, if this is a real offer, okay?"
Jack drops all playfulness and takes my hand. "It's a real offer, Carly. I love you and I want you to live with me. Think about it."
I smile at him and hide behind my glass of juice. Live with him? Can I actually do that? I
do
feel like it's too soon. It has to be too soon. Claire hasn't even met him yet. Would it wreck such a good thing if I said yes? He's got a jealous streak a mile wide, normally that alone would be enough of a reason to say no, but I kinda like Jack's possessiveness. What has this man done to me?
§
I’m honestly a little sorry to see the cottage in the rearview mirror as we pull away from it. I'm still running the idea of living with Jack back and forth in my head, but no closer to an answer. He seems like he already thinks I'll say yes. It’s evident with his more-chipper-than-usual demeanor.
Jack eases the Escalade onto the side road that leads us away from the farm. Instead of getting back on the interstate, he travels further up the road toward the mountain, the lane winding around and around.
We drive up and up, eventually stopping at a clearing at the very top. Jack puts the Escalade in park and unclicks his seatbelt.
“
Where are we going?”
“
You’ll see,” he answers, stepping down from the Escalade. I open my door and follow him, carefully dodging rocks and tree roots. We walk down a tiny, one person path toward a small thicket of naked trees. Some leaves cling desperately here and there, but in a week’s time, they’ll be on the ground with their brothers.
The path gets narrower the deeper in we go, until it widens out in front of what looks like a chain link batter’s cage.