I opened my mouth to protest but this time, he didn't let me. He kissed me. Oh, how he kissed me. This was the seventh wonder of the world. Being in his arms. This was my sanctuary.
He devoured me, broke me apart and put me back together again. Thoughts of being afraid flew out of my mind until all there was, was me and Jack.
His lips moved over mine sensually, his tongue slid over mine erotically. It was all I could do to stay standing. Then it wasn't. I wasn't standing on my own. He was holding me up and the kiss changed into something that could only be described as ravenous. The click of the lock was the only warning I had before my back crashed against the blinds, the noise like a bomb going off in the abandoned lobby, but neither of us would have noticed. His fingers sank into my hair, holding me right where he wanted me. Right where I wanted me.
He pressed against me, our bodies melding together, every inch of him touching every inch of me. His hands moved to the back of my thighs and with very minimal effort, I was lifted into the air, his hips sliding between my now open legs. It was the first time in my life that I honestly thought I could survive without breathing. His hardness to my softness. Breathing wasn't an option anymore. This was what I needed to survive. Just him.
Liquid heat pooled between my legs and he rolled into me, hitting that spot on my body that needed more.
I gasped and kissed him back full force as if my very life depended on it. No, because my life depended on it. A low rumble vibrated in his chest as my fingers found the back of his head and tugged on his shaggy hair.
"Ari, I'm not a saint and you're the air I breathe. If we don't stop, I'll end up taking you right against this door and I don't want our first time to be against a door because I was an impatient bastard."
At that point, I would let him take me out on the street if it meant not stopping.
He broke away from my lips and pressed hot kisses down across my jaw, my neck, my collar bone. Gently sinking his teeth into my skin until I moaned, then licked and kissed at the mark I'm sure was there.
"I need you, Jack," I panted, not realizing until just then how completely I loved this man. Even when we were out of control, he wanted what was best for me. He pressed his forehead to the center of my chest as we tried to catch our breath. He was still holding me up against the door, my legs wrapped tightly around him and his hands kneading the flesh just below my ass.
I dropped my head back against the blinds and closed my eyes.
"I'm all yours, baby. I'll do whatever it takes, Ari. I know I've let you down in the past and I know you deserve better, but I can't stop loving you."
He had pulled back far enough to see my face and I wanted to tell him that it wasn't me that deserved better. But hearing those words, that he loved me, it made everything else disappear. I dropped my face to his neck and inhaled deeply.
"Ari? Don't hide from me, let me see you."
I took a deep breath, his scent filling me up with a confidence I never knew I could have again, and then I let it out slowly as I looked into his eyes. My voice was raspy when I spoke. "Is it possible to love someone so much that you feel your broken places mend together with just one look from them?"
He grinned, the pull of his lips so perfect that I felt like a Goddess knowing they had been on me. "It's possible. Because every look from you makes me whole again."
My eyes burned with hot tears, begging to fall and I dug my fingers in and held on tighter. He molded himself against me and captured my mouth again, tenderly but with the same level of passion that had taken my breath away.
Then we were moving. The blinds fell away and we were spinning. He bumped into the front desk, knocking books to the ground and a cup of pens went scattering across the floor. But he didn't break the kiss and his feet kept moving. His hands moved to my ass, cupping me and gripping me tightly while he supported my weight. It didn't take long to make it to wherever he was going and I heard a door click shut before my back was pressing against the cushions of a couch.
His lips moved down my chin while his hands moved up to my waist, scooting me up the cushions so he could settle himself in the cradle of my thighs.
I took that quick opportunity to look around, discovering that we were in his office at the back of the shop.
"Jack, is anyone else here?"
He shook his head and kept kissing down my neck. His hands brushed up my ribs, barely caressing the sides of my breasts before moving back down. His hot kisses made me dizzy and at that point, I didn't care if there were a hundred people in the building. I didn't want this to end.
Jack curled his fingers at the hem of my shirt and started pulling it up. My chest was heaving and my legs were shaking. He slowed down, kissing a path back to my lips and kissing me sweetly.
"Are you okay?" he asked roughly and pressed his forehead to mine.
I closed my eyes and took a few deeps breaths, savoring the closeness and willing my body to relax.
"We don't have to do anything, Ari. I'm perfectly content with lying here and kissing you all night, or even just talking."
I giggled and opened my eyes, looking up at the shy grin he was giving me. His hands had stopped on my waist and his fingers were caressing the revealed skin of my stomach. Each move back and forth sent heat to my core and it wasn't long before I was literally aching for him.
"I want this, Jack. I've wanted this for so long. I just..." I trailed off, trying to put into words the things that were going through my head. I wanted him, but it had been so long since I had felt this kind of intimacy before. I didn't know what I was doing anymore.
Jack gazed down at me and moved a hand up to my face, trailing his fingers over my cheek and across my lips. He waited.
"I don't know how to do this anymore," I whispered. "And I'm a little scared of what's to come."
His fingers stopped and his grin faded slowly. I thought I had ruined the moment and I prepared myself for the distance he would put between us.
"I don't know everything that you have been through, Ari. I hope one day you'll tell me. What I do know is that I love you. I love you with every part of me. Down to my very soul. And I want more than anything to take care of you. To show you how much you mean to me. God, baby, I've wanted to show you, to tell you for years."
He kissed the corner of my mouth and wiped away the trail of tears that had fallen down into my hair. This was my beautiful. At the right time. In the right place. With the right person.
With Jack.
"Nothing bad can come from that, Ari," he added softly.
"I love you, Jack."
He exhaled loud and long, as if he had been holding that breath in for a long time and the smile on his face was devastating. Heart stopping. I couldn't imagine a world ever surviving without that smile.
"Show me, Jack," I whispered against his lips.
The frenzy that followed would be forever seared into my memory. He kissed me hard, his tongue pushing past my lips with a groan and his hands fell back to my waist. He broke the kiss long enough to remove my shirt and then he was back, devouring me.
I couldn't get enough of him.
When he pulled away and stared down at me, I wanted to fold my arms across my body and hide, but he didn't let me. His eyes darkened to an impossible shade of blue green and his hands moved across my skin, tracing the lines of my tattoo that peeked around my ribs.
I could see his thoughts as clearly as he could see me. I was beautiful to him.
"Do you know how long I have waited to touch you like this? To see your beautiful body on display for me?" he asked as his hands moved up under my breasts.
"As long as I've waited for you to do it," I answered and closed my eyes.
"Open them, baby. I want you to see who is loving you, who is making you feel good."
I opened my eyes at the same moment his fingers curled into the cups of my bra and gently yanked the material down. The cool air made my already aching nipples go solid and the sight of him bending his head towar
d them almost sent me over the edge.
He pulled one into his mouth, flicking his tongue while his other hand cupped my other breast.
"God, you taste so good," he mumbled against my breast and switched over to give the other one some attention.
My fingers were gripping his hair tightly, holding him against me while I writhed beneath him. When I felt him grind his erection against me, I cried out. "Jack, please!"
He moved away from my breasts and kissed his way down over my belly, dipping his tongue into my navel before moving farther down. His fingers tugged at the button of my jeans and spread them open so he could kiss the edge of my panties. My legs were shaking, but so were his hands.
We were both lost to each other and it felt unbelievable. Right.
He tugged my pants down, taking my panties with them and helped me pull each leg out. I lay there before him, almost completely naked with the cups of my bra still folded under my swollen breasts.
"Fucking perfect," Jack growled and then his hand was cupping me, his fingers delving into my folds and finding me ready for him. "Jesus, baby. You're drenched."
My cheeks filled with heat, but I didn't give a damn about being embarrassed because he seemed to really, really like that I was so ready for him.
He kissed my face while his fingers explored my folds, circling and gently pressing the spot that drove me insane.
"I'm going to make you come because I can't wait another minute to see your body light up for me. Then I'm going to take you up to your apartment and I'm going to make love to you all night long. I'm going to bury myself inside of you and never come up for air."
He pushed a long finger inside of me and I arched my back at the sensation. I felt my muscles grip him as he pulled out and returned with two fingers while his thumb circled that tiny bundle that was begging for more.
"Yes, please. Oh God, that feels..."
Jack groaned and thrust his fingers inside, curling them up before slowly pulling them back out. He played my body like it was made for him. He watched me, reminding me to keep my eyes open and savoring every movement I made.
The pressure in my core built until I was ready to burst.
"There it is, Ari. Fuck, you're there and I want to see it. I need to see it. Give it to me, sweetheart."
Lights exploded in front of my eyes and a wave of heat washed over me. His fingers kept thrusting and curling, his thumb kept circling and pressing, and I was no longer in control of my body. I sunk into the waves as they swirled over me and the only sound I could hear was Jack's heavy breathing, his tender words of love, and the roaring in my ears.
Minutes later, I had caught my breath and felt Jack's lips everywhere. My body felt languid, but still reeling with the need for more of him.
He combed his fingers through my hair and smiled down at me. "You're mine, Arianna West. You're finally mine."
I wanted to shout my agreement and beg him for more, but he was already moving. He helped me pull on my pants and shirt and led me through the shop, switching off lights as we went. He locked the front door and tugged me along as we made our way up to my apartment.
I was waiting for something to stop us. Something to interrupt the moment and disappoint me. But nothing happened. No phones rang, no one was around to stop us, and by the look on Jack's face, he wasn't about to let anything interrupt us anyway.
Seconds later, we were inside my apartment and I was pressed against the door with Jack in between my legs once more. He yanked at my clothes, removing his this time, too.
"Wait!" my brain finally caught up and I noticed something strange. "Was my door unlocked?"
I hadn't used my keys to open the door and I had been so distracted with Jack that I didn't even think about it until now.
Jack smiled mischievously. "No, I unlocked it."
"But how? You don't have a key," I said breathlessly as he kissed a path down my throat.
"Yes, I do."
I blinked, confused.
He chuckled and kissed his way back up to my lips. "I'm the owner and you're the best fucking tenant I've ever had."
He was the owner that had let me move in whenever I was ready. Of course he was.
I couldn't stop the giggle bubbling up my throat, but he swallowed the sound with another passionate kiss. When his shirt went flying across the room he pulled me against him and strode to the bedroom, kissing me ravenously. As if he hadn't had even close to enough of me.
We fell to the bed and he ripped my pants off. I realized just then that I had never put my panties back on and I had no clue where they were, but I didn't have a chance to wonder because Jack was kneeling on the floor and yanking my body down the bed until his face was between my legs. His hands pressed against the inside of my thighs, spreading me open for him and I dug my fingers into the blanket beneath me.
Never.
I had never done this before and even if I had, I wouldn't have remembered it.
Jack's hot breath slid over my skin as his lips found the inside of my thigh, just below the crease where my leg joined with my pelvis.
I lifted my head, my eyes wide and my body trembling.
"Shhh, I'm going to take care of you, Ari. There's nothing else but you and me." He kissed my other thigh and moved one arm around my hip to press his hand over me, pushing me down into the mattress while his other hand sunk between my legs.
I heard him murmur something under his breath but couldn't make out the words. Then I felt it. That first slide of his tongue.
My hips shot off the bed but he was ready for it and held me in place and licked me again, groaning as his mouth covered me.
He was everywhere, never stopping, never slowing. He consumed me and discovered me until I was dizzy from the pleasure. When his fingers sunk into my core, I felt the pressure once more, but he didn't push me past it. Instead, his mouth and hands fell away from my body and in the next second, he was covering me with his own. His pants were gone and it was just the two of us. Skin against skin.
He wrapped his arms around me and kissed me fiercely, forcing me to taste myself when he slid his tongue inside my mouth. My eyes nearly rolled back into my head. It was powerful, the things this man could do to me. The things this man knew I needed.
He pressed his hips into mine and I could feel him nudging against my entrance. I raised my hips to try to get him to push inside, but he didn't allow it.
"I'm clean, Ari."
It took me a moment to understand what he was saying and I gazed up at him. His arms held his weight on either side of me and I could see the tremble in his muscles. He was holding back, making sure that I had the control and the say in whether or not this went any further.
I was on birth control. I had been since the first time Roger... I didn't want to think about it.
I moved my hands down to Jack's hips and pulled him toward me, lifting my hips so he could press into me. That first push was glorious, but it sent me into a frenzy for more.
Jack was panting, his muscles constricting as he tried to hold back.
"Please, Jack," I cried.
It was all he needed to hear.
He pushed forward, sinking in to the hilt and we both moaned. He filled me so perfectly, so completely. I felt that familiar burn of tears and buried my face in his neck.
"I love you," he whispered against my neck. "I'll love you forever."
My chest was near to bursting with love for this man and I still felt the bewilderment at knowing he wanted me, but I didn't let it plant any seed of doubt. This was it.
Jack slowly pulled out of me, both of us gasping with the movement, then he thrust forward hard, pushing me up the bed an inch or two. My body pulsed around him and that's when he lost it.
He thrust in and out, his hands moving everywhere. Cupping my breasts, tugging my hair, lifting my hips to meet his. His lips never left my skin as he made love to me and I held on for dear life, praying it would never end.
"Jack. Oh God, Jack."
&nb
sp; "I'm here, Ari. Christ, I'm right here. You feel so damn good, baby."
His pace quickened and that pressure was back. My muscles tightened and he tore his lips away from my skin and breathed against me. "Yes, Ari, sweetheart. Let me have it. Let me feel it. Come for me, baby."
He thrust deeper, harder, his pelvis rubbing against me just right and I cried out with my release. "Yes!"
I was under the waves again, but this time Jack was right there with me. His arms tightened around me as he thrust once more with a loud groan and spilled himself inside of me, our bodies pushing and pulling at each other.
He collapsed on top of me, but his weight was only there for a moment before his hand cupped my ass and kept me around him. He turned us, never leaving my body as he positioned me on top of him, sprawled out over his chest. A chest that I finally got a good look at.
I knew he would have more tattoos, but for a tattoo artist, he didn't seem to have nearly enough. The one on his chest was the biggest out of them all and when I focused on the design, my breath left me.
A giant oak tree covered his chest, the trunk beginning down at his side and the branches stretching up over his collar bone, just barely stopping before his neck where a t-shirt would still cover it. It was our tree. The one that was a part of half the memories I had of him. There was the faintest bit of color depicting a sunset in the background. And right there, directly over his heart was the silhouette of a woman.
I ran my fingers over the design, tracing the branches and stopping on the woman. The picture looked so familiar and I knew without a doubt the woman was me. The view of the tree was exactly how one saw it from directly below it on the hill. The rock the woman was sitting on was the same and the silhouette...
Jack sat up, pulling my legs around his hips and holding me tight against him, refusing to leave my body for as long as he could. I didn't think it would be a problem since I could already feel him hardening inside of me.
His hand rested on top of mine and he leaned forward to kiss the rapid beating pulse at my neck.
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