Till There Was You

by Iris Morland

  “No, but that doesn’t mean anything.”

  “Jubi, there’s no way in hell it would be terrible.” His expression was serious now. “Do you know why?”

  She shrugged.

  “Because it’s you. Experience doesn’t mean the sex will be good. It’s already been amazing. The best I’ve ever had.”

  Her heart lifted at his words. “Really? You’re not just saying that?”

  “Jesus, no. I mean it. You’re—” He shook his head, like he didn’t have the words to explain it.

  Jubilee understood. Sometimes you couldn’t find the words to explain something that was simultaneously complex and simple, and she and Heath were both of those things. When she was with him, it felt right, yet there were reasons why they couldn’t be more than a fling. Reasons that seemed to be melting away with every time he kissed her, every time he looked at her, every time he said things like this to her.

  “Then I want to find out how good it really can be,” she said with a shy smile.

  He kissed her, his tongue tangling with hers, before he abruptly stopped.

  “You wouldn’t happen to have condoms, would you?”

  Jubilee shook her head. “Should I?”

  “No. I didn’t even think.” He blew out a breath as he sat up next to her. “Damn. I’m usually more prepared than this.”

  She sat up as well. “Do we need condoms?” At his look, she flushed. “I mean, are you clean? I am. Virgin and all that.”

  “There’s still a chance for pregnancy.”

  “Pull out, then.” At his surprised look, she giggled. “I’m a virgin, not a nun. I know about the logistics, Heath.” She pressed her hand against his thumping heart. “No more delays. Make me yours.”

  Heath didn’t need any more encouragement than that. He tumbled her back onto her bed, his weight resting on his arms so as not to crush her.

  “Tilt up for me. There you go.” He kissed her cheek, her jaw, as he took hold of his cock and began to slowly push inside her. “Relax, babe. I’ll go slowly.”

  She wanted to snap that she was trying to relax, but it wasn’t easy when something as big as his cock was pressing into her. He moved in small increments, letting her adjust, but when he finally was completely inside her, she felt like it was just too much. It took her a moment to get used to him.

  Heath was inside her. She wasn’t a virgin anymore. She was both thrilled and terrified at the same time.

  “Okay?” He touched her cheek. “Want to keep going?”

  She arched a little, his cock sliding deeper somehow. They both moaned. “Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, please.”

  He started a slow but steady rhythm, and Jubilee knew he was holding back. Sweat broke out on his forehead as he thrust. The initial discomfort faded until she felt that magical coil in her belly that signaled her release.

  “Move with me. There you go.” His breath was hot against her ear. “God, you’re amazing. So tight and wet. It’s like a dream.”

  She flushed with pleasure, and when she moved with him, he started thrusting faster. She moaned as he filled her, and it was exquisite. She couldn’t catch her breath. Her orgasm tightened and tightened inside her with each stroke of his cock, and then her release burst upon her. She cried out and clutched at him, like she was being tossed into the waves, and he held her close as her orgasm seemed to go on and on.

  “God, Jubi—” He groaned and pulled out just as his own release hit him. The heat of his seed splashed onto her belly right as she reached up and grabbed him for a kiss.

  Jubilee tingled from head to toe, and when Heath moved off her, she groaned at his absence.

  “Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you?”

  She smiled languidly. “No, you didn’t hurt me. That was…” Once again, she didn’t know how to describe what had just happened.

  I just slept with Heath, and I think my heart exploded.

  “Mind-blowing?” he supplied. He yawned. “Do you mind if I stay the night?”

  She didn’t even get a chance to reply before he fell into a deep sleep. Shaking her head, she got up to go clean up and put on her pajamas.

  When she looked at herself in the bathroom mirror, she wondered if she looked any different, no longer being a virgin. Her hair was mussed, her cheeks flushed, but she looked the same. She rubbed the small scar on her chest from where she’d gotten her bone marrow transplants, a small reminder of her former life.

  She thought of Halloween, how she’d stood in front of a mirror like this and vowed to get over Heath DiMarco. Now, standing there looking at herself, she knew that she’d never get over him.

  Because how could she get over the man she loved?

  14

  Jubilee smiled as Heath piled more pancakes on her plate the following morning. They’d both woken up starving, and although Heath had been tempted to go a second round, their rumbling stomachs had been so distracting that he determined they needed breakfast before any more sex.

  It didn’t help his self-control one bit to see Jubilee wearing his shirt and nothing else, her hair still mussed from his running his fingers through it. She was flushed and happy, and she kept giving him looks from under her lashes.

  Heath decided he’d cook them breakfast, mostly to give himself something to do that didn’t involve pouncing on Jubilee. She’s probably sore. Give her a break, his mind said, but his mind had very little influence over his libido at this point.

  His gaze was far away as he flipped pancakes and scrambled eggs for them both. Last night had been…mind-altering. When he’d told Jubilee that the sex had been the best he’d ever had, he’d meant it. And now that he’d been the one to take her virginity…

  The caveman inside him gloated at that. That same caveman very much would like to toss her over his shoulder and carry her back to bed, especially when he turned to see the silky curves of her pale thighs peeking from under the hem of his shirt.

  “I’ll make coffee,” Jubilee said as she began to riffle through his cabinets. “Too bad you don’t have an espresso machine. Otherwise I could make you your usual latte.”

  His heart did that annoying squeezing thing when she said that. He could easily imagine her being at his place all the time.

  Hell, he could imagine her living here with him, making coffee, smiling at him, her scent permeating his sheets and pillows, hair ties scattered across the bathroom counter along with all the other little accouterments that went with being a woman. Soaps for every part of your body; lotions that smelled like flowers; various implements for making one’s hair straight or curly. He could see her shoes kicked off at the front door next to his own, or imagine her taking a bath at night, her skin gleaming, dewy, and warm.

  He swore when he realized one of the pancakes was burning. Taking it off the heat, he gave Jubilee a wry look. “I don’t usually burn breakfast,” he said.

  “Of course you don’t.” She stuck her tongue out at him, and he couldn’t stop himself from curling an arm around her waist and pulling her in for a deep kiss that made her tremble.

  After they’d finished eating and drunk four mugs of coffee between them, Heath leaned back in his chair and asked, “What are your plans for today?”

  “I have to go into work this afternoon. I know, lame. I’d much rather stay here with you.”

  “I agree. You should call in sick.”

  “And leave Megan on her own on a Sunday?” She clucked her tongue. “You’re a bad influence, you know.”

  At that, he picked her up, making her squeal, and placed her on his lap. His cock came to attention at the feeling of her in his arms, and he could tell by the redness in her cheeks that she’d noticed, as well.

  “You know who I think is a bad influence?” He kissed her jaw. “You are. Writing that list of yours. Leaving it where I could find it.”

  Jubilee mock-gasped. “I did not leave it on the ground for you to find it! That was an accident.”

  “Sure it was.” He smiled, nipping her
collarbone as he skimmed his hand up her thigh. “And I’m sure you just forgot to wear panties this morning, didn’t you?”

  She bit her lip as he caressed her mound. “I didn’t think I’d need them,” she whispered.

  “You’re a naughty girl. You act innocent and sweet, but I know deep down you’re not.” He parted her, her wetness coating his fingers within moments, and he kissed her roughly as he stroked her.

  She trembled and moaned, and he could feel her tightening around him with each movement of his hand. God, he couldn’t get enough of her. She was so sweet, so sensual, and she was all his—only his. She could only ever be his.

  His mind whirled at the possessiveness of his thoughts, so much so that he didn’t hear his phone ringing from his bedroom. He ignored it, letting it go to voicemail, only for it to ring again. And again.

  “You should get that,” Jubilee said, sitting up. “In case it’s important.”

  He wanted to say that nothing was as important as bringing her to climax, but she was probably right. What if something had happened to Rose again? After washing his hands at the kitchen sink, he went to the bedroom to see that his principal was calling him. On a Sunday.

  He frowned as he answered the call finally.

  “Heath?” Principal Anderson said, his voice harried. “Good, I’m glad you finally picked up. I need to speak with you. In person.”

  He heard Jubilee come up behind him. “Today? Is everything okay?” He couldn’t imagine what this was about.

  “Yes, and no. I’m sorry to be so vague, but I’d rather speak with you before the school week starts tomorrow. Can you meet me at my office this afternoon? Would one o’clock work?”

  “I can do that. I’ll see you then.” He hung up, staring at his phone in confusion. Fear began to coil in his belly right then.

  Had Principal Anderson found out about his past? Had he found out about Troy, Gregory, and Heath’s involvement with Johnny?

  “What is it? What happened?” Jubilee touched his arm. “You’ve gone white as a sheet.”

  He wanted to tell her everything, but the words died in his throat. Rose being understanding was one thing; he didn’t expect that from Jubilee. She’d been so sheltered, so protected, that he couldn’t bear to shatter her innocence right then.

  Or you just don’t have the courage to tell her the truth and have her despise you.

  “It’s just a work thing,” he explained. “I need to get ready, and you need to get to work, right?”

  “Heath, what is it? That wasn’t some normal call. And why would you have a work thing on a Sunday? That makes no sense.”

  He wanted her to stop talking, and shame poured through him. He gave her a tight smile. “Sometimes my principal wants to have staff meetings on weekends. It’s weird, but we put up with it.” He gave her a quick kiss. “Get dressed. You don’t want to be late.”

  Jubilee stared at him, her eyes narrowed, before she shook her head. She grabbed her clothes and headed to the bathroom. He almost expected her to slam the door, but when it closed with a quiet click, he flinched.

  Coward. You’re a coward, DiMarco.

  * * *

  Jubilee arrived at The Rise and Shine fifteen minutes past one o’clock. Expecting Megan to be annoyed with her, she braced herself, only to find not Megan waiting for her, but her mother.

  Jubilee couldn’t remember a time Lisa had ever graced The Rise and Shine with her presence. Lisa hadn’t eaten sugar as long as Jubilee had been alive, and she preferred green tea over coffee. Confused, Jubilee approached her like you’d approach a wild animal: with extreme caution.

  Luckily, there was a family eating muffins only feet away. If Lisa wanted to reprimand Jubilee for something, she wouldn’t do it in public.

  “Mom, what are you doing here? Have you seen Megan?” Jubilee went around to the register and took down the sign that said to ring the bell for service. “Did you want to get something?”

  “You know I don’t eat sweets. I wanted to see you.” Lisa lowered her voice, although Jubilee felt the chill behind it regardless. “You’ve been ignoring my calls since Thanksgiving.”

  Guilt filled Jubilee, but she refused to apologize for wanting to move to Seattle and go to college.

  Her heart sank at the realization in front of her: how could she move away and leave Heath? She loved him; she wanted to be with him. She couldn’t expect him to give up his job to follow her to Seattle. They could always have a long-distance relationship and see each other on weekends, but if he wasn’t willing to have a relationship with her when they were in the same town, why would he say yes to one where they lived hours apart?

  It was such a depressing thought that Jubilee didn’t hear Lisa’s next question.

  “Jubilee, are you listening to me? You’ve been acting so strange lately. What’s gotten into you?”

  Jubilee forced herself to push her thoughts of Heath to the side. “Nothing’s gotten into me. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier about going to Avila, but I wasn’t sure how to tell you or the family.”

  A customer approached the register, and Lisa stepped aside, but not before giving the man a cold look. The man hurried through his order and grabbed his coffee like he was afraid Lisa would knife him if he didn’t move quickly enough.

  “This isn’t just about you running off to Seattle,” Lisa said when they were somewhat alone again. “I’ve heard that you’ve been running around with Harrison’s friend. The teacher.”

  Jubilee flushed to the roots of her hair, almost dropping a can of coffee beans in the process. Swearing, she set the can on the counter before she spilled the beans all over the floor.

  “I can see it’s true, based on your face.” Lisa shook her head. “I can’t say that I approve of my children’s choice in spouses, but I thought that you would have better sense. You always did what was right. Besides, he’s too old for you, Jubilee. He’ll break your heart without a second glance.”

  “You don’t know that. You don’t really even know him.”

  “I know that he has a past of his own. I’m assuming he hasn’t said a word to you about it.” Lisa wrinkled her nose. “Men like him never do.”

  Jubilee had to act normally as more customers approached. She filled their orders without even seeing what she was doing, her heart pounding a mile a minute. Of course Heath had a past—they all did.

  But then she thought about what had happened this morning when he’d gotten that call. He’d refused to tell her what was going on, and she’d sensed that he’d been lying to her.

  Jubilee hated a lot of things in life, but she hated when people lied to her, ostensibly to protect her. Everyone thought she was too delicate, too sickly, to hear the truth. So they’d kept her in a bubble her entire life, and if her family had its way, they’d keep her in that bubble forever.

  Megan came out with a tray of blueberry muffins. Seeing Lisa, she raised her eyebrows. “Lisa, how are you? Did you want anything? It’s on the house, my treat.”

  Lisa waved a dismissive hand at her daughter-in-law, her gaze still fixed on Jubilee. “We’ll talk again. Don’t forget what I said.”

  “Well, that was fun,” Megan said wryly after Lisa had left. “What did she mean? What did she say to you?”

  Jubilee shrugged. “What else? Me going to Seattle. She’s not happy about it.” It wasn’t precisely a lie, but Jubilee couldn’t tell Megan her fears regarding Heath.

  Because if what her mother had said was true, Jubilee didn’t know if she could bear to know that Heath was just another person who wanted to keep her trapped in a life she desperately wanted to be free of.

  * * *

  Principal Lewis Anderson, a middle-aged man with a shiny pate and a generally calm demeanor, met Heath at the door of his office with a look that Heath could only describe as concerned.

  “Come in, come in.” He gestured for Heath to sit down. “Thanks for coming in on such short notice, and on a Sunday.” Lewis gestured at his casual c
lothes, a cotton t-shirt and jeans, with a wry smile. “Don’t tell the kids about this.”

  Heath had never seen Lewis in anything but a suit and tie, and seeing him dressed like this was jarring. It didn’t help that Heath’s nerves were tangled, his mind going over every possible reason why Lewis would’ve asked to see him like this.

  When Lewis sat down at his computer before turning the monitor toward Heath, it took Heath a moment to understand what he was supposed to be reading.

  Allegations Brought Against Elementary School Teacher with Shady Past

  The article had been published on the website for Fair Haven’s single, tiny newspaper. Heath’s stomach dropped into his toes and he struggled to breathe. He read the entire article, which included anonymous sources that told the entire story of Heath’s arrest years prior.

  “I can see by your face that you haven’t seen this yet,” Lewis ventured. He turned the monitor back towards him. “When I first saw it, I assumed it was ridiculous. Of all the people in this school, you, a drug dealer? Clearly you’d have a case for libel on your hands. And who authorized something like that to be published at all? But then I got this.” Lewis pushed a letter towards Heath, although Heath didn’t need to read this to know what it contained.

  It was from Rich. He’d made good on his threat, hadn’t he? He’d warned he’d ruin Heath’s life and career, and he’d done it.

  At Heath’s expression, Lewis sighed. “Is it true?”

  “Yes, but the charges were dropped and expunged. Nothing came of it.”

  “Clearly, and I don’t judge you for this. That being said, once this gets out to the public, I doubt they’ll be as understanding, especially with their kids’ education.”

  “It’s already out, though. That article—”

  “I contacted my brother over at the newspaper to get it taken down. It’s not a perfect solution, but better to nip this in the bud as quickly as possible.”

  “Thank you.” Heath swallowed, his heart hammering. “But you don’t know the full story. I’ll hand in my resignation tomorrow to avoid putting you and the school in a difficult position.”