Crumbling Walls (Jack and Emily #1)

by Laura Strandt

  Heading to their room, Jack let them in and, shutting the door, turned to survey the place. There were two double beds, a TV, bathroom, a typical hotel room, at least in comparison to the two he had stayed at in the past. As he had explained to Emily as they were registering, “With eight people, you never stay in hotels. It’s either camping or relatives floors.”

  Emily smiled, “Still beats me.”

  “True.”

  The only thing un-typical about the room was the fact that they were both in it, several hundred miles from home.

  Luckily, Jack had to disturb the awkwardness by calling his mom again to fill her in. By the time he hung up, Emily had gone back out and brought in the cooler and bag of snacks they hadn’t eaten from the car.

  Stashing the food in the fridge, “So, hungry?”

  “I’m still stuffed from the pancakes.” With a yawn, “I am tired though. How ‘bout you?”

  Emily nodded, “I didn’t sleep at all last night.”

  With a glance at his watch, “It's almost six. We could nap now or just wait until later, watch some TV and go to bed?”

  Having the obvious internal debate, the bed won, “Maybe just a little nap?”

  He laughed at her and, without embarrassment, “You need someone to keep you warm?”

  “Of course. Who else's leg am I gonna shove my freezing feet under?

  “Wow, you make this nap sound more and more appealing all the time.”

  They fell asleep quickly and stayed that way for the next four hours or so until Jack’s bladder decided to get the better of him. Sliding out of the warm nest they’d made, he hurried, then slid back behind her, shivering slightly because of the freezing floor in the bathroom.

  Cuddling up, he moved his arm back over her waist and, feeling the warm skin there, shifted his hand to her belly. It was about now he realized he wasn’t that tired anymore.

  Instead, he lay enjoying the closeness of her and surveying her very tempting exposed neck. The temptation won and he began lightly kissing the same scar he had before. Then he moved on.

  Slowly, he kissed the exposed nubs of her spine until he ran into the top of her shirt, at which time he turned a little and headed along until he found her ear. She wasn’t awake but had shifted a little onto her back, giving him more surface area to work with.

  He now had that beautiful jawbone to deal with as well as the perfect curve of her ear. Kissing them both thoroughly, he didn’t notice her eyes had opened up and that he was being watched.

  He didn’t know it until he felt her cheeks pull into a grin. Looking up in surprise, he saw the smile and couldn’t help but return it.

  “Hi.”

  “Hi.”

  Propping himself up on one elbow, “You were too beautiful not to kiss.”

  “I’m not complaining.” Lifting her head slightly off the pillow, she met his lips.

  It didn’t take long for the kiss to go beyond where they usually stopped. Way beyond. Way, way beyond.

  By now, she had rolled towards him and his hand was traveling up and down her back slowly, feeling the ridges of the scars. After a few minutes, without pretense, his hand moved up her side and to the front. Before he realized, his hand was grazing the side of her breast and there it froze, because reality came back into the picture. Breaking the kiss, “I’m sorry.”

  Emily looked at him, almost amused, “I didn’t stop. You did.”

  “You know that you can though, right? Just say the word and I’ll quit, I swear.” Her mouth curved into a smile that Jack had no choice but to kiss again, “I love you.”

  “I love you back.”

  After another minute, she pulled away, “One second.” Sitting up, she pulled her shirts over her head, then as she watched him watching in awe, she pulled off her bra as well.

  Lying back down on her back, she laughed as he asked, “Can I?”

  With a nod, he shifted down a little and began kissing her now exposed belly button, which he savored for a few moments before slowly working his way upwards. He enjoyed each of her ribs equally before finally reaching the bottom tip of the scar that ran diagonally across her chest.

  He gave this scar, as promised, its due time and kissing the length of it, he asked her quietly when he reached the end, “Have I made this one better?”

  Her voice, low and slow, “You make everything better.” Smiling, he moved back down to her belly button, tongue darting around the edges, shivers racing up her spine and causing her back to arch towards him, “Jack?”

  Unwilling to leave his spot, he asked in a muffled voice, “Yeah?”

  “Have you done this before?”

  “Never. Why?”

  “Because you’re really good at it.”

  ▪▪▪

  Nearly an hour later, just as both were beginning to drift off, Emily growled deep in her throat, “Damn it.”

  His grip tightened momentarily on her hip, “You okay?”

  “I just realized I need to go to the bathroom and it’s freezing out there.” Sitting up, she grabbed the closest piece of clothing, namely Jack’s extremely thick and extremely warm long-sleeve thermal shirt. Sliding it over her head, she hurried and was crawling back in bed, shivering, a few minutes later.

  Jack took his turn even faster and having pulled his socks, boxers and t-shirt back on, could barely keep his teeth from chattering as he snuggled back up behind her. He had ventured a quick look out the window and left the curtain partly open so she could see the snow. Lifting his head to look over her shoulder, “At this rate, we could be here for days.”

  “Could be worse, you know.”

  Finally warming a little, he rested his head and now non-chattering teeth on the pillow behind her, “Couldn’t have been better either.” Burying his nose in the back of her neck, he shut his eyes, not tired but not really wanting to be awake either.

  She lay there in the dark for quite awhile, before quietly asking, “Why’d it take you almost three weeks to stop and talk to me?”

  Grinning into her neck, he whispered, “I had no idea how to talk to someone so beautiful.”

  “So it was just on accident that you drove your bike past my house that first time?”

  “Yup. Decided I didn’t want to go home just yet, so I kept going down the block and there you were.” She was quiet for so long after this that Jack wasn’t sure if she fell asleep, so he whispered, “You still awake?”

  She nodded, “Just thinking about how much had to happen to get us here.”

  With a final snuggle, he shut his eyes, “Entirely too much.”

  “G’night Jack.”

  “G’night Em.”

  Chapter 21

  The following morning, Jack woke slowly, opening his eyes to find himself only a few inches from a still sleeping Emily. Memories of the night still foremost on his mind, he grinned, his body warming as he reached out to run his finger across her forehead.

  “Are you trying to wake me up?”

  Her mumbled voice amused him, “Naw, just like touching you.”

  Even though her eyes were still shut, her cheeks pinked while her hand slid across the distance between them, coming to a stop when she found a bare piece of skin, namely the upper part of his arm. Stroking it lightly, “You should do it more often.”

  “You are dangerously close to tickling territory, young lady.”

  Finally opening her eyes, she saw his twinkling mischievously back at her, “Really?”

  His fingers flew too fast for her to stop them and, soon, she was giggling uncontrollably, her neck vulnerable as she curled in a ball to protect her sides. About to call ‘uncle’ so she could take a breath, Jack stopped suddenly when his phone began ringing from the corner where he’d been charging it. Looking down at her in surprise, “How the hell does my mom do that? Can she see through the damn phone?”

  As both struggled to untangle themselves from the sheets, “How do you know it’s your mom?”

  “Because we’re al
one in a hotel room 120 miles from home, who else could it possibly be?” Finally working his way off the bed, he picked up the phone and with a self-satisfied grimace, he held it up towards her before hitting re-dial, “Told you.”

  “Hey Mom.”

  “Morning. How’d it go last night?”

  He suddenly forgot how to breathe for a second, then, “Fine. We got in, ate some of the food, watched TV then went to sleep. Woke up a little while ago.”

  “Any idea when you’ll be heading out?”

  Moving towards the window to look out, he saw a good foot of snow over everything, but he also saw the revolving lights of the plows working on the freeway that criss-crossed the view, “Um, well, there’s about a foot out there and the plows are working, but I have no idea when we’ll be able to leave.”

  On her end, Elizabeth was looking out the front window at roughly the same amount of snow covering their street, “Well, call when you leave, okay?

  Watching as Emily pulled her own clothes on, he momentarily forgot about his mother completely until, from somewhere very far away, he heard her voice in his ear, “What?”

  “I said, drive safe and let me know when you leave? Are you okay?”

  “Um, yeah, sorry, just hungry I guess. We’ll call.”

  Pretty sure the distraction was in the form of a 16-year-old girl with whom he’d just spent the night, she forced down her imagination and worry, “Okay. Love you.”

  “Love you too, Ma.” Hanging up, he turned to see Emily, half in her jeans, sitting on the edge of the bed, grinning at him, “What?”

  “Just enjoying the socks.” Jack looked down at his stocking feet, then moved in front of the full-length mirror hanging off the back of the bathroom door. Standing for a moment, he beckoned for her to join him. Shucking the jeans back to the floor, she came over, stopping beside him, “You called?”

  Laying his arm loosely over her shoulder, “Just wanted to see how good we look together.”

  Emily squeezed him tightly around the chest, “I think we look awfully good.”

  “Even with the socks and boxers?”

  “Especially with the socks and boxers.”

  ▪▪▪

  They managed to leave around two that afternoon and, limping their way slowly home, finally pulled to a stop in front of Emily’s house around ten that night. Giving her a good, long kiss goodnight at the front door, Jack held her close, “I’m gonna be lonely tonight.”

  “You’ve got seven other people with you. I highly doubt you’ll be lonely.”

  “But none of them are you.”

  Kissing him again, “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  ▪▪▪

  Driving home, he made it into the house and was just knocking the snow off his boots when the family piled into the front room and hallway. All kinds of questions were flying at him and, for the first time ever, he found it to be too loud. He held up his hand, “Just a second.”

  Only Elizabeth ignored this and pulled him into a hug, “I’m glad you’re okay. Did you drop Emily off already?”

  With a nod, “Yeah. She got in fine and I’m here and I’m starving.”

  Will bustled most of the boys upstairs to bed while Jack followed his mom to the kitchen. Pulling out a few bowls, she quickly filled a plate and slid it into the microwave, “Thirsty?”

  “Yeah.”

  Handing him a full glass, then setting the gallon of milk in front of him, “So, what happened?”

  He nearly choked on the milk halfway down his throat, “Not much. I’d rather you let her explain if you don’t mind.”

  Elizabeth nodded, “Fair enough.” Getting up to grab the now warm dinner from the microwave, she set it in front of him, suddenly feeling awkward, “So, do you think they'll cancel school?”

  Jack just looked at her with tired eyes, desperately hoping to head off whatever was ahead, “Do you think we could talk tomorrow? Em'll be here after school for awhile and she'll tell you then, okay?”

  Knowing a dismissal when she heard it, she got up and leaning over to kiss the top of his head, she tousled his hair, “Okay. I’m going to head to bed then. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

  “We were all safe and holed up someplace warm, Ma. Why were you worried?”

  Hugging him good night, “I always worry.”

  ▪▪▪

  Will came through the kitchen a few minutes later just as Jack was putting his dish in the dishwasher and filling it up with detergent, “So, how’d it go yesterday?”

  Jack kept his sigh to himself, wishing he could just crawl into bed and dream, “It was fine. Like I told Mom, Em'll be here tomorrow and she would rather tell you herself.”

  Looking at his son closely, “I meant for you. I know she’s got a lot to deal with, but so do you. I just wondered how you were holding up.”

  Turning and leaning on the counter, he crossed his arms and couldn’t help but grin at his dad, “I’m holding up just fine.”

  “I’m glad she found you.”

  “So am I.” Will turned to go, but Jack stopped him, “You okay?”

  With a smile at his son, “Yeah, glad you two made it home in one piece. See you in the morning.”

  With that, Jack was once again alone in the kitchen and he seriously considered sneaking out to Emily’s, but fought the urge and headed upstairs instead.

  ▪▪▪

  Walking into his bedroom, he found Tim sprawled on his bed, finishing up what looked like history homework. Once Jack shut the door behind him, Tim shoved the book back in his backpack and sat up, “So, alive I see?”

  “Yeah, sorry to disappoint you.”

  Tim shook his head and stood, heading over to turn off the light, “You know, it would have been nice. I could have had my own room, a bit more elbow room at the table.”

  Jack stripped down and crawled into bed, “You love me and you know it.”

  Settling under his own blankets, “Maybe, occasionally.”

  They both lay there for a few minutes until, “Tim?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Remember when I asked you if you loved Sarah?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Have you slept with her yet?”

  Tim, who had almost been expecting the question eventually, answered his brother honestly, “No. We’ve come awfully close, but we both kind of decided we weren’t quite ready yet.” Settling with his arms behind his head, he grinned at the ceiling, “But I’ve got all the time in the world.” As almost an afterthought, he jokingly asked, “How about you and Em? Ever gonna get there or are you waiting for your third date?” The silence in the room was deafening and Tim slowly sat up as the silence continued to hang above them, “Jack?” By now he was out of bed and standing over his brother, who was staring thoughtfully at the ceiling, “Jack Andrew Callaghan, I asked you a question?” Jack stared past his brother for another second or two before locking eyes with him. Tim’s opened even wider as he backed up and sat down on his bed again, whispering, “Holy shit.”

  “You can’t say anything, Tim.”

  Sitting there, still dumbfounded, he couldn’t help but repeat his previous, “Holy shit,” followed by, “yesterday?”

  “Really late last night.”

  Tim stared at his younger brother, “Did you plan it?”

  Rolling to his side, “No. Of course not. It just happened. We were there and just, suddenly, everything was perfect.”

  “I don’t know whether to yell at you, be jealous of you, kick your ass or ask how it was?”

  “First off, don’t yell at me, okay? There’ll be enough of that if Mom and Dad find out. Jealousy is your issue. I really don’t want to get a boot in the ass and,” closing his eyes for a second, “it was better than you could ever imagine.”

  Given he was now wide awake, Tim slid back and leaned against the wall, “At the risk of sounding like Dad, I gotta ask, where did you find a condom in a hotel room in the middle of nowhere in the snow at midnight?”


  Deciding at this point that honesty was the best policy, “We didn’t.”

  “Oh hell, are you kidding me?”