When he broke away, Penny feared he had changed his mind. As he looked down at her body, he said with an uncharacteristic quaver in his voice, “I’ve never been with anyone I actually care about and I’m afraid that I don’t know how to do this.”
Seeing his genuine concern, she said. “Then let’s take it slow and go one step at a time.” She unbuttoned the one button that separated her skin from his, revealing her body to him and said, “Just touch me.”
His hands instantly appeared on her breasts. He had longed to be able to explore the silk of her skin and he wasn’t disappointed. When he absentmindedly licked his lips, she cupped her hand behind his neck and pulled his face down toward his mouth’s obvious target. She arched into him and let him become familiar with her body.
Loving the feelings that he was stirring inside of her, she pulled him up and took ownership of his mouth, leading their kissing to become even more intense. Feeling his now very hard arousal pressed against her, without breaking their kiss, she took ahold of his night pants and pulled them down as far as she could reach. She prayed he would continue where she left off.
To her joyous surprise, he lifted off her enough to finish what she started. But instead of lying back down, he moved further down her body so that he kneeled over her calves. He then slowly pulled off her lace underwear.
Once she was naked, he crawled up between her legs and positioned himself back on top of her with his arousal pressed against the opening to her warmth. When he hesitated, she begged, “I need to feel you inside me.” She shifted her body so that his arousal began to enter her.
He closed his eyes, reveling in the feel of her as their bodies became one.
Her breath caught as she felt him stretching her, loving that every nerve in her body was becoming alive again. She desperately wanted more, so she used her legs to force him to fully sheath himself inside her. Her fingers clutched onto the blankets with a death grip as she cried out with the sensation.
He pulled back and, when he didn’t thrust back inside her, she wiggled into him and begged, “Please, Jax. Don’t stop. I need more.”
Jax gave into his desires and Penny’s desperate pleas. He began to move himself inside her and watched her every subtle reaction. For the first time in his life, he ignored his needs completely and focused solely on the woman lying below him. Their passion grew quickly as they unleashed the feelings that they held for each other.
As he repeated the movements that she seemed to respond to the most, he was shocked to find that the more he gave, the more she wanted and the more he wanted to give. Hearing the room fill with the sounds of passion he was coercing out in her, he had one and only one goal—making her cry out her pleasure.
When Jax felt Penny tense, seeming to fight her own body’s responses, he whispered in her ear, “Let yourself go.” When she exposed her neck to him, he took the hint and latched on. As soon as she felt the penetration of his teeth, her body began to tremble. She arched her back as she finally gave in to the pleasure. His cries matched hers when he felt her climax and his body responded in kind. She cried out again as she became instantly chilled from the icy coolness as he fully released his passion.
As they lay wrapped together and he licked a trail of blood off her neck, she closed her eyes and let out a soft moan. Not only did he have a part of her inside him, she now had a part of him forever inside her.
After their bodies calmed, he shifted positions so that he was lying beside her. She wrapped herself around him so tightly that he actually had to adjust her position so that he could breathe. As they lay side-by-side caressing each other, she whispered, “Thank you.”
He hugged her sweaty body and replied, “You need to know that I would do anything for you, Penny.” So that he could hold her even closer, he pulled back the sweaty shirt that somehow had stayed on her while they made love and tossed it onto a nearby chair. With her totally naked, he pulled her back on top of him, wanting to again feel the warmth of her body pressed on his.
With her cheek over his heart, she listened to the rhythm. Normally his heartbeat was very slow, but she was shocked to hear it beat at a loud and quicker pace. She also noticed that his normally cold skin offered a slight glow of warmth. She assumed that it was how his body normally reacted to being intimate but, in the back of her mind, she hoped that somehow her touch was unique and caused the changes.
Their bliss was interrupted when Penny’s stomach growled. The sound shocked both of them since it was the first time her stomach had asked for food since the accident.
Although Jax’s stomach was almost purring from the addition of Penny’s blood, he knew she hadn’t eaten anything since the previous evening. He said, “I think it’s time to get up and feed you.”
Penny knew that he was right, but she wasn’t ready to return to the real world that was waiting for her. She locked her muscles in place, making him grunt with the force and said, “I don’t want to get up yet.”
When her stomach rumbled again, he patted her backside and offered a compromise, “How about you go take a quick shower while I fix us something to eat?” Seeing her disappointment, he added, “After you eat something I’ll crawl back under the covers with you and let you squeeze the life out of me some more.”
She liked that picture so she eased her hold, allowing him to let out a breath. While he stretched out his muscles to regain feeling to all of his limbs and teased her about her bear hugs, she crawled out of the bed.
She tossed a sheet over him and said, “I’ll be back shortly.”
He watched her body move as she walked naked to the bathroom. He couldn’t help himself and he called out, “The twins are right about something.”
“About what?”
“You do have the cutest ass I’ve ever seen.”
She turned and tried to look at her backside. Seeing nothing special about herself, she rolled her eyes and disappeared into the bathroom. Although she went in on her own, she left the door open.
Jax continued to lie in bed for several minutes, pondering on the events of the morning. He never had felt such euphoria after having sex. Just the thought of Penny’s naked body pressed against him made his body begin to respond again. When he realized that the curves he was thinking of were, at that very moment, being covered by a waterfall of warm water, he wanted to know what her skin felt like under hot streams. When he saw that she had left the door open for him, he convinced himself that it was his responsibility to join her in case she needed his touch. Deciding that food could wait for a few more minutes, he threw back the covers and jumped out of bed.
Just before he started to head toward the bathroom, his eyes caught something on the sheets. He looked down to examine several stains and knew exactly what they were. Given their placement he also knew that it wasn’t caused by the bite on her neck.
He raced into the bathroom and threw back the curtain, asking in a panic “Are you okay?”
Penny jumped at his tone and replied, “I’m fine. Why?”
“There’s blood on the sheets. I can’t believe I hurt you. I should never have agreed to this.”
She shook her head, fidgeting nervously. “You didn’t hurt me. I’m perfectly fine.”
He wouldn’t accept her response and said, “Don’t lie to me; I was too rough. Let me check you out.”
She shook her head. “That isn’t necessary and I’m not lying. There’s nothing wrong.”
Seeing an odd look in her eyes, he tried to guess. “Your cycle?”
She shook her head. “No, but don’t worry about it. Just go fix something to eat. I’ll be there in a minute.”
When she tried to close the curtain, he stopped her, sensing her embarrassment. All of a sudden it dawned on him the possible reason. He asked, “You’ve had sex before, right?”
She started to nod, but then stopped herself, blushing her answer. She was saved from having to respond verbally when his phone rang in the other room. Before he left the bathroom, he growled the
command, “Don’t move.”
As soon as Jax disappeared, Penny quickly jumped out of the shower. She grabbed some clothes that she had laid on the floor the night before. She quickly dressed and snuck into the bedroom. When she found Jax in the far corner talking quietly to someone, she used the distraction and headed for the door.
Jax quickly hung up the phone and, before Penny could grab the door handle, he appeared instantly blocking her path. He let out a low growl and said, “Not so fast.”
Her face fell. She really didn’t want to have this conversation but, given the look in Jax’s eyes, she knew he wasn’t going to let her leave until he had his answers. She let him lead her back to the bed where he forced her to sit.
He paced in front of her, not caring that he was still naked, and asked, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because if you knew, you would never have agreed to be with me. I know that I’m not your type to begin with and, if you knew I had no experience at all… it’s embarrassing. What was I supposed to say? In case you’re interested, I’m a 26 year old virgin.” She looked down to hide the warmth growing again in her cheeks.
Hearing the tone in her voice, he knelt in front of her and said, “But your first time shouldn’t have been with me. It should have been with someone you cared about.”
Her head snapped up and she replied, “But you are special to me. You’re helping me through my worst nightmare and this morning was more special than I can find words to express. I’ll cherish this memory forever.”
“Wasn’t there anyone special in your life?”
“Not really. At least not anyone that I cared enough for that I wanted to share a bed with. You’ve met my brothers and know that they are—” Her flow of words stopped abruptly as a pain stabbed her in her chest. She repeated her last statement with a slightly different verb. “…were very protective of me. During high school and after, they put the fear of God in anyone that came near me. But I really didn’t care. I wanted to wait until I found the right person to share my body with. I guess I don’t have to worry about them scaring men away any more. I’ll have to learn to take care of myself from now on.”
“No, that’s now my job.”
Seeing a look of possession growing on his face, she said, “I meant what I said earlier. Just because we had sex, doesn’t mean that you’re now stuck with me. You have no future obligation and I promise I won’t put you in that position again. I know we come from two different worlds and that I don’t fit into your life. This can be our secret. No one will ever know what happened between us.”
“I’ll continue to take care of you even after we return home. Your brothers cared deeply for you. During their visit, they pulled me to the side and asked me to watch over you. Max said that if anything happened to them, they wanted me to take their place as your protector. I agreed to their request. I may be a lot of not so nice things, but I always keep my word.”
Penny was surprised by the resolve in his voice and that her brothers had approached him about watching over her.
Knowing that a conversation involving her brothers was too painful for her, Jax softened his tone and said, “Let’s not worry about the future. I’m here right now and won’t leave your side until you’re able to stand on your own.”
“But…”
Before she could say anything further, he pressed a finger to her lips to quiet her and said, “We can talk more later.” Wanting her to have some private time to recover, he shocked her when he helped her undress and put on one of his t-shirts. While tucking her back in bed, he asked, “Can I ask you something personal?”
“Nothing you ask could be more personal than what I just confessed, so go ahead.”
“When I rescued you from the water during the hiking trip, was that the first time you allowed a man to see you totally naked?”
Although the color of her cheeks once again gave him his answer, she said, “I guess that’s why I got so mad at you for not reacting.”
He replied, “Trust me, I reacted and I’m very honored that it was me.” Somehow the knowledge made his protective feeling for her grow even stronger. Every viewable inch of her had been for him alone. He asked, “Are you going to be okay if I step outside for a few minutes? I want to make a few phone calls.”
When she nodded, he handed her the remote control and commanded, “You stay put and rest.”
Penny knew better than to argue and liked the protectiveness he had in his voice. She replied, “Take all the time you need. I know that you most likely need some fresh air. I’ll be fine.”
Although he wanted nothing more than to crawl back under the covers and intertwine their bodies again, he replied, “I promise I’ll be gone for only a few minutes. If you need me, call out. I guarantee that I’ll hear you.” He shocked her even more when he leaned down and gave her a deep kiss.
When they split apart, he leaned back and, when she watched him grab the shirt she had worn earlier, she questioned, “Don’t you want to wear something clean? I got that shirt all sweaty.”
He finished buttoning it, sniffed a sleeve, and said, “I like how it smells.” He waggled his eyebrows and gave her a playful growl before heading out the door.
Chapter 28 - Confession
Jax was true to his word and returned quickly. As he entered the room, he announced, “Food is already on its way and the family says hello. They want you to know that they’re thinking about you.”
Penny was hit by a pang of guilt and said, “I really should call them.”
“They understand and know that you’ll talk them when you’re ready. Right now let’s focus on getting some food in you. Lunch should be here any minute.”
After the delivery man dropped off the bags, Jax spread out on the table everything he purchased. He wanted to make sure Penny ate something so he used his Casper knowledge to buy items he knew she liked.
Penny wrapped up in a sheet and walked over to the buffet of food. As she sat back on the bed with a container of french fries, she asked, “I’ve shared my secret now time for you to share yours, so out with it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Tell me the truth about how you manage to always buy the things I like. And don’t tell me that you’re a good guesser.” She offered a suggestion, “Are you sure you can’t read minds like Ben?”
He shook his head. “I’m just very observant.”
“But prior to this trip, you and I didn’t spend much time together one-on-one. And there’s no way that you could have seen me eat some of these things. Many I only eat—”
Before she could complete her thought, he finished it for her. “…at night.”
A look of confusion grew on her face and she asked, “How would you know what I eat at night?”
He looked away not sure how to respond.
Seeing his mental struggles, she said, “No more secrets between us.”
He sighed, knowing that he needed to finally tell her the truth. While staring out the window, he asked, “Do you recall the first time we met?”
“Yes. You came into the store to look at climbing shoes.”
“That wasn’t why I was there. I came to check out the source of my family’s destruction. I’m a protector of my world and my job has been to kill anyone or anything that threatens that.”
“And you considered me a threat?”
He turned toward her and said, “I did, that is, before I got to know you. You have to understand that when Humans discover us, we’re tortured and experimented on. That’s why Changelings had to go into hiding. We were being slaughtered out of fear. We had to fight back to survive.”
She replied, “Humans have the ability to be quite evil.”
“There’s evil in my world as well.” He spread out his arms and said, “Just look at me. I’m the perfect example of that evil.”
She shook her head in anger and exclaimed, “No, you’re not evil and I don’t ever want to hear you refer to yourself that way again! If you were
evil, you would have killed me the day we met.”
“I tried.”
With a look of surprise she asked, “What?”
“The night I first met you, I followed you to your car.”
She gasped. “You were the creature that stepped out of the woods?” When he nodded, she asked, “Why didn’t you kill me? I couldn’t have fought you off.”
“I was about to attack when you left with your police escort.” Wanting her to know the whole truth, he explained his actions. “When you began to interact with the twins, I feared you would be our destruction. I vowed to protect my world even if that meant taking you out of the picture permanently. I came to the store with every intention of killing you. It had been a few weeks since I hunted Human prey and I was even excited by the thought of it. If it wasn’t for that cop showing up, I would have ripped your throat out and not thought twice about it.”
“Why did you hate me so much?”
“It wasn’t that I hated you. Actually, I didn’t even know you. You were someone that could expose my world and, as a potential threat, you needed to be eliminated.”
“Why didn’t you talk to me to confirm that I was actually a threat?”
“As you’ve already found out, I don’t do anything half way. Before getting to know you, my life was very black and white. Ensuring our secret meant that you had to die.”
“Then why did you give up the hunt?”
“I didn’t.”
“But I didn’t see you again until months later at Sam’s.”
“I decided to track down where you lived. I staked out your home and waited in the shadows. A couple of days after the parking lot incident, you came home and I snuck into your house while you were asleep. I was within inches of slitting your throat. My pulse raced with excitement just thinking about causing your death and my mouth watered, anxiously waiting for the taste of your blood.”
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