by A. Aubry
My legs wrapped around his waist as he began to move. Jackson’s lips moved down to my neck and my hips lifted to meet his thrusts. My hands tangled into his hair as my mouth fell open. The connection that I felt with Jackson was nothing I had ever felt before. It was like he fueled my desire while also taking care of it…he took my breath away, but he also breathed life into me. Jackson pumped into me harder and I couldn’t help the squeal that came out at the unexpected force.
“Did I hurt you?” He said quickly as he stopped all movement and looked down at me.
“No, baby, it felt good…keep going,” I grabbed onto his ass with one hand as my other pulled his mouth back down to mine.
His mouth opened for me as he picked up exactly where he left off. As he pounded into me I moaned louder. My release was coming in quicker than I wanted it to, but I couldn’t hold it back. I pulled gently on Jackson’s hair as I cried out his name, my orgasm taking over. Jackson continued to pound away and only slowed down once my release began to subside. He pulled out of me as he panted above me.
“Flip over,” he ordered.
I got onto my hands and knees, smiling to myself as Jackson aligned himself behind me. He thrust hard into me and I moaned louder than before. His hands grabbed onto my hips, guiding me to rock back and forth. One of my hands pressed against the headboard of his bed as I pushed myself back against him. Jackson groaned, and I knew I was doing something right. I could hear our skin slapping together and our pace increased.
“Oh, Jack,” I moaned as my mouth struggled to stay closed.
“You like when I fuck you like this?” He grunted as he pounded harder into me.
I moaned my response as my chin touched my chest. Jackson wrapped my ponytail around his hand and gently tugged on it.
“What was that, baby?” His grin was audible in his voice.
“I love it so much,” I groaned loudly.
“I know you do, your body tells me just how much you love it.”
My release jumped right to the top and I couldn’t contain it, “Shit…I’m coming!”
Once again, Jackson pounded into me right through it. How the fuck hadn’t he come yet? I mean, sure, he had lots of stamina because he was a baseball player…but damn. If there was an option of death by orgasm, I was pretty sure that that was going to happen to me tonight. I collapsed onto the bed as I gasped for air and Jackson pulled out of me, waiting for me to recover. I rolled onto my back with my hand on my chest.
“Dear lord, Jackson. Are you trying to kill me tonight?” I panted.
“What? I said I was goin’ to make it up to you,” he chuckled.
“One orgasm would have been sufficient, but I am at two and you still haven’t even come.”
“Are you complain’ about two orgasms, Madeline?”
“Complaining? No. Being near death? Yes.”
“I mean…there are worse ways to go,” Jackson laughed before pressing a kiss against my shoulder.
I got up on my elbows and brought my mouth close to his, “I want you to come with me.”
Jackson’s hand brushed through my hair, “I love when you tell me that you want that.”
“Really?” I furrowed my brows as my head tilted to the side slightly.
“Yes. Don’t get me wrong, I love makin’ sure that the girl is taken care of. But you are the only one who has ever told me that you want me to come with you.” His hands ran up and down my thighs.
“You’ve never told me that before, Jack,” I smiled shyly.
“I was always too embarrassed to bring it up…”
Sitting up, I wrapped my arms around Jackson’s neck as his hands continued to caress my thighs, “I love you.”
Jackson rested his forehead against mine, “I love you too.”
“Good, now will you please make love to me?”
“Well when you ask so nicely…” Jackson teased before pressing his lips against mine.
We laid back down and made love, Jackson finally getting his release as I reached my third orgasm of the night. Somehow, the third one was all the more intense. Spots lined my vision as soon as it hit, only dissipating moments after it ended. My head felt light and airy and my body felt warm and tingly. When Jackson regained some energy after his release, he moved next to me and pulled me into his arms. He brought the blankets up around our bodies as I rested my head on his chest. His fingers ran smoothly up and down my back.
“I’d never hurt you. You know that, right?” Jackson said quietly.
“Is this because I told you about my ex in Iowa?” I asked, my eyes fighting to stay open.
“It worries me, Mad. Guys like that, they don’t just simply let a girl go. Does he even know where you are?”
I pursed my lips, “No…I blocked him on all my social media and I blocked his numbers. I’m not friends with any of his friends in any way and I keep my information hidden from people who aren’t my friends. When I left him, I even left the little town I was from to move to the next town over until I got my job at the Pioneer Press. I didn’t even move out when he was there…I waited until he was at work and just vanished.”
“But you’ve been in the press because of me.”
“He wasn’t really into sports when we were together and if that man ever checked the news that would be the day we would see pigs fly as hell froze over.”
Jackson chuckled, “Okay, if you say so. But just know that I will never hurt you.”
I kissed his chest gently, “I already know that. You’d protect me and not hurt me.”
Just as Jackson was about to answer, his father stumbled into the room in an obviously drunken stupor.
“Jackson…what’re you doin’ in my bed?” He slurred.
“Dammit, dad, this is my room,” Jackson sat up as I held the blankets tight against my chest.
“Are you sure?” His dad laughed before Janette appeared behind him.
“Oh my goodness, Jackson, I am so sorry. Your father obviously had a little too much fun out with Madeline’s parents,” she said before she realized I was in the bed with Jackson.
“Hi Janette…happy to see that you all had fun,” I waved.
Chase raised his fist into the air, “Your parents are a hoot!”
“That’s enough, Chase. Let’s go to our room and let these two have their privacy,” Janette scolded as she turned him around and escorted him out of the room, closing the door behind her.
Jackson sighed as he laid back against the pillows, “Do you think that means your parents will like me now?”
I kissed his lips softly, “Come with me tomorrow morning and find out.”
He nodded as he brought me close to his side once again, “Okay. We should get some rest.”
“Yeah, you did nearly kill me tonight,” I giggled as I laid my head on his chest again.
“And you loved every second of it,” Jackson responded.
“Yes, I did,” I whispered and closed my eyes, allowing sleep to drag me under.
Jackson and I woke up early and showered together before heading back over to my place. Just when I thought that Jackson wasn’t as nervous as he was before, when we even got close to my apartment, he wouldn’t take it his eyes off the road and both of his hands were clutching the steering wheel so tight that I could see his knuckles turning white. I even reached over and put my hand on his leg but that did nothing to loosen him up…not even when I moved my hand further north. He pulled his truck into a parking space in front of my apartment and came around to help me out. As he tried to lead me into the building I stopped him.
“Why are you stoppin’?” He looked back at me, our fingers still laced together.
“Come here, Jackson,” I said softly as I tugged him towards me.
He sighed and circled his arms around me, “I’m bein’ tense again, aren’t I?”
I smiled, trying to hold back a laugh, “That is an understatement.”
“I’m just worried that they aren’t goin’ to like me still. Sure
, they loved my dad and Janette, but I’m not like them.”
“I know you aren’t like them because you are Jackson. You are funny, smart, protective, loving, and you make me happy. If my parents still aren’t on your side one hundred percent, they will come around. They have to love you eventually because I love you and you aren’t going anywhere.”
“I just don’t want to make things difficult between you and your family. I know how much they mean to you,” Jackson pursed his lips and looked away from me.
I turned his face back towards me, “Jackson, you mean a lot to me too, you know. I think the best way to address this situation is to talk to each of my parents separately. I’ll distract one while you go and talk to the other. Tell them what you have told me and be honest about yourself and our relationship. It’s all about being honest and putting yourself out there.”
Jackson chuckled and shook his head, “I am goin’ to marry one smart woman.”
“I’m happy that you realize that now,” I teased as I leaned up on my tiptoes and kissed him.
We walked up to my apartment where my parents were already up and eating breakfast. I talked my mother into helping me make breakfast for me and Jackson. While we cooked, Jackson and my father talked. By the way they were laughing and joking around, I had a good feeling about how things were going. As soon as our breakfast was done, I took Jackson’s into him and we ate as my parents picked out a movie for us all to watch.
With Jackson’s arm wrapped around me and my father’s arm around my mother, we all sat in the living room and enjoyed the movie. Jackson even felt comfortable enough to sneak a few kisses to me and I knew that things went well with the talk with my dad. When the movie ended, I asked my dad to come for a walk with me to go get my mail. That gave Jackson ample time to talk to my mother while we were gone. I even took the long way to the mailboxes so that I could let them have a few extra minutes.
After we returned with my mail, Jackson said he had to go to get ready for his game. I walked him back to his truck and I could tell that he felt better about everything. Now, I just wanted to talk to him for a few moments. Jackson led us past his truck and walked me to the trail that we had taken our walk on several hours after our first date. We sat on the same bench where he helped inspire me to write for my book and the memories made me smile.
“What are you smilin’ about?” Jackson asked as he turned to me.
“The memories that this bench brings back,” I smiled shyly and locked eyes with him.
He nodded, “Ah, yes, the kiss that changed everythin’.”
I circled my arms around his neck, “You knew it then that that kiss was the kiss that changed everything, didn’t you?”
Jackson smirked, “I had a feelin’, but I didn’t wanna get my hopes up too high.”
“Now here we sit, engaged and over the moon in love.”
“And happier than ever,” he added.
“Oh? So, you worked that Jackson charm of yours and got my parents on your side?”
“Jackson charm?”
“Yeah, that undeniable way that you get anybody to do exactly as you say,” I giggled, “How else would I trust you enough to let you take me on a walk after knowing you a whole day and a half?”
Jackson chuckled, “You have a point. But, yeah, I think I got them on my side.”
“What’d you say to them?”
“I told them that I loved their daughter very much and that I would never hurt her. I came clean about my past and how I was young and thought I was in love when I proposed to and married Josie but that it was a big mistake. This time, when I proposed, I knew that what I have with you is the realest thing I could ever have and that we are gonna work out. I also apologized for proposin’ before I met them and not askin’ for their permission. We had a heart to heart and it felt good to get everythin’ off my chest.”
“I told you it’d work out,” I grinned and kissed him hard.
“And I have learned never to doubt the smartest woman I have ever met,” Jackson smiled and hugged me close to him.
We talked for a few more minutes before walking back to Jackson’s truck. A few long kisses goodbye later, and he was off to work. When I went back up to my apartment, my parents had changed their tune about Jackson from the night before. Buying last minute tickets to his game after my parents persuaded me that they wanted to support him, we spent some much-needed family time together before heading out to Target Field.
The look on Jackson’s face when I went to give him his good luck kiss was amazing. He didn’t think that I was going to make it but there was no way in hell that I would miss an opportunity to support him when I was given the chance. We took our seats and cheered Jackson on. Everything was lining up exactly how I wanted it to and it made me so excited for the future. Jackson’s last engagement was short because Josie didn’t want to wait, but this time around I wanted Jackson to be part of the whole wedding planning process. He did say he wanted to get married before a new baseball season so that we would have time to go on a honeymoon. As I watched my future husband play the sport that he loved, I couldn’t remember a time where I was happier than in that moment.
Chapter Sixteen
Today was the day. It was the day that I was going to marry Jackson Ryder. The last four months had been insane to say the least. Jackson’s season came to an end and when I wasn’t working, we were planning our wedding. Our time together was spent focusing on one another far more than we were able to during his season and to say that he made me happy was an understatement. I officially moved the rest of my belongings into Jackson’s house in October and we were rather quick to adjust. I’d like to think it was thanks to our weeklong living arrangements that we had during his baseball season.
As of January first, I was no longer a writer for the Pioneer Press. Jackson said that I could quit my position because then I could focus all my time on my book that was coming along nicely. The other perk of being able to work from my computer was the fact that in February, Jackson was going to be living in Florida for spring training, so I would be able to go live with him. When I brought that up to Jackson, his face lit up. Never in the almost three years that him and Josie had been together had she ever come to live with him in Florida for the duration of his spring training. He was supporting me in my writing and I only thought it was fair that I go down there to live with him and support him. Besides, I couldn’t see myself living away from him for more than the week that I was forced to during the season.
But that was still a month away and today was going to be the day that really would change my life forever. I would no longer be Madeline Walker…I would be Madeline Ryder. The real torture that was taking place? The fact that I had not seen my soon to be husband in twenty-four hours. Since we didn’t really have a very traditional start to our dating or even to our engagement, Alexandria and Owen thought that it would be a good idea to be as traditional as possible when it came to our wedding.
I admired my reflection in the full-length mirror in front of me. My white lace wedding dress was fitted in the bodice but flared out at the waist. The long train made me feel like a princess. My hair fell in perfect curls and my veil was the perfect touch to complete my bridal look. Our guests were already downstairs and waiting to celebrate this moment with us. After much thought, Jackson and I decided to get married at his father’s house in Houston.
Chase and Janette’s wedding was perfect in the venue that their house provided, and it was secluded enough that the paparazzi couldn’t take pictures of me, Jackson, or any of our guests. There were many celebrities in the sports world that would be celebrating with us today and we wanted to give them absolute privacy. Besides, Houston in January was much nicer—and not to mention warmer—than the Twin Cities. Shelby handed me my bouquet of white and lavender roses, and I brought it up to my nose. The long discussion I had with my mother about real flowers versus fake flowers was enough to make me roll my eyes to myself. You could never replace the smel
l of fresh roses, so I got my way and had real flowers.
As my bridesmaids, Shelby, Miranda, and Tammy all chatted with my maid of honor Alexandria, I walked over to the window that had a perfect view of our guests taking their seats. Not being too far away, I had a perfect view of Jackson as he stood there with his father and stepmother greeting our visitors. Wearing a full black tuxedo with white button up undershirt and a black bowtie, even from the second floor of his family’s home he took my breath away. What I would give to be in his arms right about now. I saw Jackson take something out of his pocket as his father and Janette talked to the next guests in line before I heard the faint beep of my phone across the room. Alexandria brought it over to me with no questions asked. I smiled when I saw that he had texted me.
Jackson: You almost ready up there? Linda told me ten minutes until we begin.
Me: I’ve been ready, we could always tell her to hurry it up.
Jackson: We still have a few stragglers arriving now. Ten minutes is a long time to wait until I can see you again.
Me: I’m looking right at you right now…but it’s not the same as being able to be in your arms.
Jackson looked up and towards the house and I moved out of the way of the window. There was no way I was going to let him sneak a peek at me. When I looked at him it wasn’t much of a peek since I went with him and his groomsmen to pick out their tuxedos and get them fitted. We were both invested in every single part of the planning for our wedding. The only part that I did not allow Jackson to be a part of was picking out my wedding dress and I thought that was fair. It didn’t stop him from pouting for days because he didn’t get to be there when I decided on one.