I screamed out his name when I came, and it wasn’t long before I felt him swell bigger inside of me, getting harder, longer, though I didn’t think it was possible. His big body shook above mine.
And then several hard thrusts later and he came inside of me, groaning out what sounded like my name, coming across more like a prayer than anything else.
He buried his face in my neck soon after, as if to hide away from the vulnerability I saw in his eyes. He should know it was far too late.
I already saw how vulnerable I made him.
It was only fair. After all, I had never felt so stripped bare than I did at that moment.
If I was Jackson Wright’s biggest weakness, then he was my strength. And I should be more scared than he was to losing the other person because you sure as hell could survive without your weakness. But what would be left of me, if I was ever forced to go without my strength?
We laid in each other’s arms after. If I was clingy before, I was more so now that we made love.
I could have never kept my defense up, not when it came to Jackson, and now that I knew what the other girls had felt when he took them to his bed, I was much more possessive with him.
He was mine, and I would be damn if someone else knew how it felt to have Jackson Wright wholly devoted to them as he was to me.
“Jackson, tell me again about the house we’re going to live in,” I whispered once more.
Again, I felt him smile before he planted a chaste kiss on my cheek. “Hmm, let’s see here. Ah yes, we’ll live in a house near the lake.”
“But not too close.”
He kissed me once more, this time on my lips. “Not too close, we wouldn’t want the children to fall in…”
36
Past: Emily
Two days before graduation, Jackson hung our caps and gown side by side in the walk-in closet. A sweet reminder of the days to come when we wouldn’t have to worry about the pettiness that was high school, and where we wouldn’t have to deal with people like Jude and Beth.
Though a small part of me was sad to say goodbye—after all, I did spend four years of my life there—a bigger part was just ready for it to be done and over with.
I stood outside the closet door and looked at the maroon color fabric. Jackson was granted a graduation stole for his academic achievements, though it was Aiden who won the spot for valedictorian, and much to his dissatisfaction, would be delivering a speech during the ceremony.
I thought it was wonderful he got it and told him so. But the smile on his face when I told him I was proud of him made me think he might have found it amusing. It seemed he thought I was cute… like a little kid.
He even ruffled my hair, much to my horror. Jackson wasn’t of any help. He laughed during the whole exchange.
I felt arms wrap around me, bringing me out of my thoughts. I leaned back against his big, strong body and let him hold me. “Are you happy?”
“With you, I am very happy,” I told him.
He smiled as he nuzzled in the side of my neck. I moved my head to the side and gave him more access to it.
“Is that how we really look to other the people?” I asked when I took in our gown once more.
“What do you mean?”
“Your gown looks so much bigger than mine. Is that how we really look?” He shook with silent laughter. “This isn’t funny. It’s a serious question. Jackson, will you stop laughing?”
“I’m sorry,” he said. He didn’t sound sorry. “Are you now just noticing how small you are?”
“What? I am not small. I’m average size. You’re just huge, that’s why everyone seems small to you.”
He turned me around, though I refused to look at him. “Emily, whenever you walk in a room full of people, you are easily the smallest person around. Unless of course, you are surrounded by children.”
I finally met his eyes and glared. He kissed my nose.
I looked down at the collar of his shirt. “We don’t match.” I sounded a little sad, even to my own ears.
Jackson shook his head. “No way. Look at how well you fit in my arms now.” He squeezed me tighter as if to prove his point.
“I guess I do fit in your arms rather nicely,” I said, feigning a sniffle.
Jackson’s smile widened. “And when I kiss you, even though I have to bend down, it still leaves me breathless.”
I smiled then. “You right. You’re such a wonderful kisser, you make having to lean up on my tip toes all worth it in the end.”
Jackson laughed again, though his eyes had become heated. Ever since we made love for the first time, I had become well aquatinted with that look.
It was the look that told me he was going to carry me off to bed and have his wicked ways with me.
“Hold on, before you distract me, I need to ask you something.”
“How do you know I’m going to distract you.”
“Your eyes. I know what it means now,” I said.
He threw his head back and laughed. “And before? When I looked at you like I am now. What did you think that meant?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know.” I hit his chest. “Stop distracting me.”
“Okay. Ask away, darling. You know the answer will be yes.”
“You don’t even know what I’m going to ask.”
“You make it hard to deny you anything.”
I bit my lips, a smile threatening to show. “Can you drive me back to my dad’s house after graduation? There are things there I want to take with me.”
“Of course. But what is it?”
“Some of my mom’s stuff. You know, pictures and stuff. I don’t think my dad will notice. He never ventures into the attic. He keeps all of her things up there, but I think it’s too painful to see them.”
“Okay.”
I smiled, glad to have gotten that conversation out of the way. I looked up at him expectantly and opened my arms out for him to hold me. I needed him to hold me. He laughed as he took me in his arms. “Eager, are we?”
“Yes,” I admitted. Though I was still shy, Jackson made me brave. I knew he wouldn’t reject me if I voice my desires, in fact, I think me doing so just turns him on.
He carried me over our bed, setting me down on the edge, as he frantically tugged at my clothes until I was naked in front of him.
He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me in, and I gasped at the sensation I felt when my naked breasts touched the soft texture of his cotton shirt. My nipples hardened into aching peaks, and I was sure Jackson could feel them pressed against him.
He kissed me as he ran his hands down and cupped my breasts, squeezing them, fondling them, playing with them.
I grew aroused and felt the dampness between my legs that told me I was ready for him.
I tugged at his jeans, his shirt, anything I could get my hands on. I just wanted him as naked as me, and I wanted him inside of me as soon as possible.
“Jackson.” My groaned of frustration turned into one of pleasure when he cupped my sex and move his hand roughly back and forth, creating delicious friction that I could feel all the way down to my toes.
I moved my hips along the rhythm his hand set, my very own clutching at his shoulders when I felt myself building up… and up…
My world exploded, and I could no longer keep as I was. I collapsed onto Jackson’s big body and let him hold me as I tried and failed to gather my bearing. It was useless.
My limbs were useless.
I let Jackson adjusted me in the center of the bed, before pulling back, standing in front of me.
I leaned up on my elbow, keeping my eyes trained on him as he stripped away the remainder of his clothes. Though it wasn’t the first time I saw him naked, I was still fascinated with the way his body was built.
I couldn’t imagine all the boys… all the men in the world to be built like him. He was hard all over, his chest defined and his biceps about as big as my thighs. And the hair on him. I was fascinated with that as well
. Light brown hair scatter over his chest, not overly heavy, but enough to show off that male beauty, and the happy trail on his abs, leading to the body part of his that I had grown to love.
I blushed just looking at him.
He grinned as if he knew just what I was thinking. He probably could. Moving to the bedside table, he opened the top drawers and pulled out a condom. I watched as he covered himself with the rubber.
I crooked my finger at him, beckoning him to me. He smiled and climbed on the bed, laying his body on top of mine.
“Should we get you ready first?” he asked.
I glowered. “I am ready. I need you inside of me, Jackson.”
He leaned down and kissed me. I opened my mouth and let him in, and at the same time, he entered me. I clenched around him, and he groaned against me.
“Jackson,” I begged when he was fully inside.
He removed a piece of hair from my face and looked down at me with tenderness. “I got you, Emily. Do you trust me?”
“You know I do.”
“I know.”
“Please move. I don’t think I can take it anymore.”
He complied and moved his hips. I closed my eyes and held onto him. I didn’t think I could ever get tired of this. I loved the way he felt when he moved above me. I loved surrendering the control I had held so fiercely close to me for the better part of my life and gave it all to him because I knew I was safe with him.
I wrapped my legs around his waist and urged him on. I needed to feel him lose control because as much as I love the orgasms that he gave me, watching him lose himself was ten times better. He moved harder and faster.
And it wasn’t long until I felt him shake, his grip on me tightened, and with a shout, he came. His pleasure triggered my own, and I followed shortly after, clinging to him just as tightly as he clung to me.
“I love you,” whispered against his neck. I wasn’t sure if he heard me or not, and it didn’t matter, because I needed to say it anyway.
He had become the most important person in my life, and I needed him more than I needed my next breath. Perhaps this codependency wasn’t healthy. It didn’t matter.
I still needed him anyway.
The morning of graduation was a flutter of activity. But not in preparation for the graduation itself.
Aiden and Grant came by first thing in the morning, and we all planned on heading there together in Jackson’s car. Jackson made everyone breakfast, and Grant helped. Aiden and I were hopeless when it came to cooking, so we sat on the barstool, and talked and laughed.
None of us were in a hurry. We didn’t much care about getting to graduation on time, though I knew we would since Aiden had to present a speech.
I asked if he was nervous, and he shot me an amused smile before he shook his head.
Before we knew it, the four us walked out to the driveway. There was a universal message that I would sit up front with Jackson. I smiled and made my way over to the door Jackson held opened for me, and despite our friends waiting in the backseat, he bent down and buckled me as he usually did.
“Aw, Jackson, are you going to help me with my seatbelt?” Aiden teased.
“Yeah,” Grant spoke up. “I think I might need help with mine.”
I looked up front and didn’t say anything, though by the look on Jackson’s face, I could tell he was amused. I wasn’t sure if he was amused by my embarrassment or by their teasing. I didn’t ask.
Graduation was held in an auditorium at a local college. The campus was huge and confusing, but Jackson led the way with confidence. “You’ve been here before,” I commented.
“A few times, when I had friends graduating before,” he answered.
“Have you ever thought about staying here in this place after graduation?” I asked.
Jackson turned toward me. I looked up ahead where Aiden and Grant were at, talking about something I couldn’t hear before looking back to Jackson.
“Where I go doesn’t really matter to me,” he said. “Just as long as you’re there.”
“But if you wanted to go somewhere,” I said.
He shook his head and smiled. “You still don’t get it.”
I frowned. “Get what?”
“I don’t care where I go as long as I am with you. How can you not see you’ve been set as my priority since day one?”
I grabbed his hand. “You say the sweetest thing.”
“They’re true.”
“I believe you,” I said. And I did. Even though Jackson had been known to sweet talk me, I knew every single word he had ever uttered out to be true. He wasn’t playing games. One of the many reasons why I had fallen for him.
When we walked to the auditorium, it was already packed with students and parents. I ignored most of the student, and even though I told myself not to, I looked around for Ethan, because I was curious. I didn’t see him, and I couldn’t say that surprised me. I did however saw Max way across the room, standing by himself. When our eyes, he gave me a smile that could almost be considered shy. Such an odd look on the boy who I would have never taken to be timid, but he looked it then.
It made my heart softened toward him. It made him looked more human, and a part of me wanted to know how I could have misjudged someone so harshly. I gave him a small wave, and he waved back before he was approached by a girl who looked only a couple of years older than us. They disappeared up the stairs shortly after, and I never saw him again.
Jackson was approached by a few of the students. I squeezed his hands when it didn’t look like anyone was going to leave him alone anytime soon. He looked down at me, and I told him I was going to Grant.
He smiled, and in the middle of his conversation with a boy I didn’t know the name to, bent down and kissed me. I smiled when he pulled back and left him to head over to Grant, who stood by himself.
“Where’s Aiden?” I asked.
Grant lifted his chin toward the front of the auditorium. “Up on stage, talking to the principal.”
I smiled. Even from where I stood, I could make out his frown. Since Grant’s last name and mine weren’t too far apart, we would only be a few rows apart, whereas Jackson was all the way in the back.
I was about to suggest we go find our seat when Grant suddenly tensed. I followed his gaze. “Your mom’s here.”
He sighed. “Yeah. I didn’t know she was coming.”
“Is your dad coming?” I asked.
He nodded. “I think he’s coming here with your dad.”
“My dad?” Again, he nodded. I didn’t even think my dad knew what today was.
“Yup. This is going to be so awkward.”
I shrugged. Even if my dad was coming, I doubt he would approach me. I haven’t seen him since that night in the kitchen. There was even less chance of me running into him now that I wasn’t living at home. I doubt he even knew I left. For some reason, that hurts.
“Are you going to say hi?” I asked him.
“Don’t need to. She’s coming over here.”
I looked over to where we last saw his mom, and sure enough, she was making her way over to us, a smile on her face, though it seemed tense. Grant and his mom exchanged awkward hugs. Her hug to me was just as equally awkward.
“Congratulations,” she said, beaming at us.
We both muttered our thanks.
It had been a while since I last saw Vivian Johnson and the same can be said about Grant. He didn’t talk about his mom, though I knew he was still hurt over her abandonment.
She didn’t look like she aged much, though it had been five years since she left, she still looked as I remembered her. She was still pretty and slender, her eloquent body still there. She had the same short brown hair, cut into a neat bob, and the same warm brown eyes she shared with her only son. Though there were definite crow’s feet around them now, it didn’t take away her beauty. She was still stunning, and still well put together, with her designer clothes and flawless makeup.
Her smiled dimmed t
he longer we each stood there staring at the other, but after a while, she looked over Grant and said, “You’ve gotten so tall.”
“Yeah, that’s what happens when you get older. You wouldn’t be so surprised if you stuck around.”
Her smiled disappeared then. “You’re still mad at me. I get it.”
Grant shook his head in disbelief. “Mad? I don’t think I’m mad anymore. Disappointed for sure. But being mad at you requires time and effort, and I just don’t have it in me to keep you in my thoughts.”
I grabbed hold of Grant’s hand. Though his words were harsh, he had my support, not his mom. I wouldn’t tell him not to talk to her like that. I was on his side.
Vivian blanched. Then, she directed her gaze to me and smiled, as if Grant hadn’t hurt her, though her eyes betrayed her. “How are you, Emily?”
“Good,” I answered quietly.
“You’ve really grown.” It was on the tip of my tongue to say something equally as mean as Grant did, but I didn’t. Instead, I nodded.
Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes this time. “You’re just as beautiful as your mother, though you don’t take after her.”
I didn’t say anything. I didn’t know how to respond to that. I knew I looked nothing like my parents.
“Although you do have some of your parents’ features. I supposed it very fortunate that you don’t look like either one of them.”
“Why would that be fortunate?” I asked, mildly curious.
She didn’t answer me. Instead, she said, “You have your dad’s nose.”
Grant and I shared a look. We both knew that wasn’t true, though we didn’t say anything. She continued on, and if she caught the expression Grant shot me, she ignored it. “It unmistakably your dad’s nose, down to the proud tilt of it. Although yours are softened by your mother’s eyes.”
She looked almost sad, and for some strange reason, that didn’t sit well with me.
Jackson's Girl: Being His Duology Page 30