Forsaking All Others

by Linda Hudson-Smith

  Weston was still dressed, making it impossible to take it to the ultimate level. In the next instant she was unbuttoning his shirt and then unzipping his pants. Just as eager to get on with it as she was, he helped her disrobe himself.

  Before Weston was completely nude, wanting to save the best for last, he lifted Jessica and carried her into the bedroom. After rolling back the comforter, he got into bed first and then pulled her in next to him. He kissed her over and over again, making her want him more and more.

  Slowly, keeping his eyes locked with Jessica’s, Weston removed his silk boxers.

  The moment Weston’s majestic tool came into full view, Jessica’s hands flew up to her mouth. Furling and unfurling her hands was all she could do to keep from screaming out loud. How magnificent his arousal was.

  Then fear suddenly set in on Jessica, causing her to grow very nervous, looking as if she didn’t know what to do next.

  Seeing how nervous Jessica had gotten, Weston realized he might have to go back to square one. There was no reason to rush this. He loved her too much not to consider that she might be having a change of heart. If that were the case, Weston would definitely understand.

  Weston looked into Jessica’s eyes. “What’s going on, baby? What’s wrong?”

  The only response Jessica was capable of giving Weston came in the form of a deeply probing kiss. She had only been fearful of what he might think of her afterward, but that was over now. Because she didn’t know what would happen beyond Aspen, she wanted all of him. Jessica wanted the memories of their lovemaking to remain in her mind and heart forever. All the time they were guaranteed was right now.

  Jessica rolled over and prompted Weston to take the lead. He looked at her questioningly, trying to make sure he understood her perfectly. There was no room for mistakes here, none whatsoever.

  Jessica smiled, nodding at the same time. “I’m so ready for you,” she whispered.

  Weston knew that it was now up to him to make the final determination. It wasn’t hard for him to make a choice based on wanting her as much as she desired him. As his tongue traced her breast, she arched into him, thus the decision. Turning their bodies into a raging firestorm was his last coherent thought.

  More lathered up than he’d ever been in his life, Weston knew it was time for him to take them to heaven. The abundance of moistness between Jessica’s legs allowed him to make his entry, slowly, surely, completely. As she cried out his name, he buried his manhood deep inside her, tenderly rocking back and forth.

  Weston wanted the ride to ecstasy to be perfect for Jessica in every way, as he teased and gently manipulated her body, nipping her with his teeth, kissing her in the most intimate places on her body. She struggled to remain in control, tugging hard at his hair every time he made contact with a supersensitive spot.

  As this incredible sensation took them both over, the lovemaking intensified. As nude bodies thrashed about in the bed, gyrating together in wild abandonment, they were totally in sync with the rhythm of their tantalizing movements. Jessica was thrilled that she had surrendered all to the man she loved. Weston had submitted his all to her.

  As Jessica and Weston’s overwhelming climax seemed to rock the floor beneath the bed violently, they breathlessly called out each other’s names. Panting and gasping for breath, Weston rolled off Jessica and immediately brought her into his arms. As he wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, he kissed her thoroughly. “I love you. That was incredible!” He rolled his eyes to the back of his head. “You are incredible!”

  Before Jessica could respond to Weston, her cell phone rang, irritating them both. The decision to ignore it came easily. She was in heavenly bliss and she wanted to remain there. As a special ring tone sounded seconds later, she knew an urgent message had been left. She looked at Weston and shrugged. “Sorry, but I have to get that.”

  “I understand.” He reached over to the nightstand and retrieved her purse.

  “I think you’d better get over here in a hurry,” said her mother’s voice. “Don’t call. Just get here. Right away.”

  Jessica looked puzzled and scared. “I have to go, Wes.”

  “What! What do you mean? Right now?” He looked at his manhood, doing his best to will it back down. Jessica had him wanting her all over again.

  “I don’t know. Mom just left a message saying I needed to get over there right away. I hope there’s nothing seriously wrong. She sounded so strange.”

  “I’ll walk you back to the town house.”

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “Yes, I do. There’s no way I’d let you walk back there alone, period. Let’s hurry and get dressed.”

  It was extremely cold outside. With Jessica dressed the way she was, the wind could easily penetrate her skin. She never dreamed she’d be walking through the forest dressed in formal attire. Although she had brought along the sexy change of clothes to the cabin, the teddy and matching robe weren’t appropriate for the outdoors. Besides, there was no way she’d wear something so sexy in front of her parents.

  The sky appeared low to Jessica, as if she could reach up and grab a piece of it. The tall pines swayed in the breeze, dancing to the rhythm of the slow-moving wind. The breathtaking sounds of nightfall fell all about them. This was the time of morning when animals came out of the forest to forage for food. Jessica wondered if she would see any wildlife. She sure hoped so.

  No sooner had Jessica’s thought left her mind than she and Weston saw a family of deer. Her breath caught at the sight of them. The doe, her eyes shining like a beacon, her white markings distinctive, seemed to be very protective of her two babies. Jessica couldn’t tell if the other large deer was male or female until she saw the antlers. She wasn’t sure if all male deer had antlers or not, but she thought so.

  Once Jessica’s eyes adjusted better to the darkness, she saw dozens and dozens of wild rabbits scurrying about. She was so excited, yet mindful not to disturb the animals in their natural habitat. All she could do was look at them in wondrous awe.

  Jessica was absolutely stunned to see Jarred standing inside the front hallway of the town house. He had his arms open wide to her. For the first time in their long-term friendship she was hesitant with him. Part of her was happy to see him, but the other part was a bit perturbed by his unexpected appearance. That he would show up here in Aspen without giving her any kind of notice wasn’t sitting very well.

  Instead of Jarred waiting for Jessica to come to him, he rushed over to her and took her into his arms, crushing her to him. He then kissed her fully on the mouth, shocking her senseless. This was not the type of friendly kiss they shared upon greeting and departing. It was the kind of kiss only lovers indulged in.

  Jessica was already thoroughly embarrassed by Jarred being there, but the passionate display of affection had turned her face red. As she thought of Weston, she wondered what he must think about all this. When she turned to look at him, the shocked expression on his face had her wishing this wasn’t happening.

  Weston easily figured out that this was more than likely the guy Jessica had had numerous phone conversations with. For someone who was just a friend, the kiss Jarred had whipped on Jessica had been far more than friendly.

  Jessica appeared downright nervous about the entire situation. She could hardly believe this was happening. All the others present looked quite surprised and nervous, too. Three of the four families had come back to the town house once the gala was over. The Carlisle family were the only ones who had gone back to their place.

  Jarred held Jessica at arm’s length. “You don’t look too happy to see me. Sorry I didn’t call first. I wanted to surprise you.”

  “Well, you did that, for sure. I am surprised. What made you decide to come to Aspen?” She regretted that question as soon as it slipped off her tongue. She was more concerned with his response than anything. That Jarred had showed up in the middle of the night was puzzling to her. It was after 3:00 a.m.

  �
�Loneliness, I guess. I missed you something awful. The holidays haven’t been the same without you. My flight was delayed out of L.A. for several hours. I should have been here at nine-thirty, in time to bring in the new year with you and the family.”

  Now that Jessica’s concerns had been realized, she groaned inwardly. She couldn’t believe what Jarred was putting down. What was he hoping to accomplish by this asinine move? He acted as though they were lovers when they were anything but. For him to fly all the way to Aspen on a whim was insane, on New Year’s Eve, no less.

  Jarred was there now, so Jessica had to deal with it, but that didn’t mean she had to like it. When she got him alone, she planned to tell him exactly what she thought of his not-so-brilliant idea. With that settled, she introduced him to the other guests. Everyone in her family was very familiar with Jessica’s best friend, but none of them seemed pleased by his surprise visit. Roman looked really upset about it.

  Weston couldn’t hide his dismay over what was right before his eyes, but he knew he had to remain cool and calm. He was sure Jessica wasn’t playing games with him, but he couldn’t say the same thing for Jarred. He was adversely affected by what was happening, but there was nothing he could do about it. This was Jessica’s showdown.

  As much as Jessica wanted to explain things to Weston, this wasn’t the appropriate time or place for it. It had to be done, though. However, it was hard for her to explain something she didn’t quite understand herself. She wasn’t even sure Jarred knew what he had done. Why all of a sudden was he showing a romantic interest in her? When had he decided to make her the target of his unwanted affection?

  Samuel stepped in to rescue Jessica. He took Jarred’s coat and hat from his hand, offering him something hot or cold to drink. Jarred asked for a cup of hot tea, which Jennifer offered to make.

  When Jarred told everyone there were no vacant rooms at the resort, another serious problem was presented. Samuel looked to Weston at that point, since he had leased the last two-bedroom cabin. Weston knew it was selfish of him, but he wasn’t about to house the guy rivaling him for Jessica. There was no way he wanted to share any space with Jarred, period. Standing in the same room with him wasn’t at all pleasant for Weston, especially since he and Jessica had just finished making love.

  As far as Weston was concerned, Jarred wasn’t acting like just a friend to Jessica. Somewhere between L.A. and Aspen, Jarred seemed to have decided that he wanted a different type of relationship with her. Weston was almost sure of that. Jessica had looked very surprised to see him there, but beyond that he couldn’t tell a thing. It looked like he might have to fight for her after all, even though he didn’t think she expected such.

  All things considered, Weston thought it was time for him to say his farewells. He was tired and more than a bit upset. Jessica’s friend turning up out of the blue wasn’t something he had figured on. It was especially hard on him because he didn’t know what it all meant, nor did he know how he felt about it.

  Jessica wasn’t an easy one to figure out, Weston deliberated. Nothing in her demeanor gave her true feelings away. Whether she was happy to see the guy or not was anyone’s guess. He was sure Jarred was also trying to figure that out.

  Weston held his hand up in a farewell gesture. “Good morning, everyone. Hope to see you all at breakfast.” His eyes zeroed in on Jessica after that remark, but he only held her in his gaze for a moment. Weston then turned and headed for the exit.

  Looking totally perplexed, Jessica didn’t seem to know what to do. Was running after Weston an appropriate response in light of what was happening? But how could she let him go without saying anything? They had just made heart-stopping love. He deserved more than a wall of silence from her. “Excuse me,” she said to Jarred. “I’ll be right back.”

  Jessica grabbed hold of the knob before the door shut completely. After stepping out into the hallway, she called out to Weston.

  Weston stopped dead in his tracks, keeping his back to Jessica for several seconds before turning around to face her. Seeing her standing there, looking so unsure, caused his heart to ache. The look of uncertainty disturbed him. He quickly walked back to her, taking both her hands into his. “Are you okay?”

  Jessica nervously shuffled her feet. “I wanted to tell you goodbye. I also want to thank you for a beautiful evening, every part of it, especially our after midnight rendezvous. You are beautiful to me. I love you.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. Then her lips met up with his in a searing kiss. “See you at breakfast. Pleasant dreams.”

  Weston lifted her hair at the nape of her neck and brought her back in close to him. “They’ll be pleasant, as long as you show up. Promise me you’ll be there.”

  “I promise.”

  Weston smiled. “I love you. If you need me, I’m just a phone call away. Good night, sweetheart.” As he walked away, he turned around and blew her a kiss.

  Chapter 10

  Jessica loved Jarred, but it was really hard for her to understand why he was acting as though he had a personal interest in her. He had been going out of his way since he had first arrived, to make Weston think they had more than a solid friendship. Now that he had left her with no choice, she planned to confront Jarred about his disingenuous behavior. He had been staying in the spare bedroom at the town house. Roman wasn’t too happy about it, but Sahara had convinced him that they couldn’t leave Jarred stranded.

  So much for her and Weston spending their last days just hanging out together, taking things slow, Jessica thought. They both had been looking forward to the time they could devote to each other now that the family-oriented festivities were out of the way. All that had changed with Jarred’s unexpected arrival. He had been an absolute butt at breakfast. Weston had left long before the meal was over, obviously upset by the things Jarred had been doing and saying. However, he was coming by later.

  Jarred came into the living room and set down on the coffee table two mugs of hot cider. “You should probably let it cool first. It’s really hot.”

  “Thanks.” Jessica turned sideways and looked Jarred right in the eye. “What is really up with you? Why are you acting so strange all of a sudden?”

  As Jarred took a seat, he shrugged. “Isn’t it obvious? Are you really missing the point of what’s going on? If so, do you want me to spell it out for you?”

  Jessica looked annoyed. “Spell it out for me. I don’t play guessing games.”

  “I’d like us to be more than friends—”

  “Impossible.” Jessica felt bad for cutting Jarred off before he had finished his sentence, but she hadn’t been able to curb her matter-of-fact response.

  “How come?”

  “Because we’re friends.”

  “Is that the only reason?”

  “No.”

  “Maybe you should go ahead and spell things out for me since I don’t get it.”

  “I’m romantically involved with Wes.”

  “And?”

  “And what?”

  “You’re returning to L.A. and he’s going home to New York. That should pretty much end things between you two. Don’t you think?”

  “No, I don’t think. We’re going to have a long-distance relationship.”

  Not believing a word of it, Jarred sucked his teeth. He couldn’t understand how Jessica thought such a thing could ever work out. “How long do you suppose that’ll last?”

  Jessica didn’t like all the negativity Jarred projected. “For as long as we want our relationship to last. We are serious about each other.”

  Jarred looked skeptical. “The intentions may be good, but Wes is a hot-blooded brother. Do you actually think he’s going to remain faithful to you during the long absences? If so, you’re more naive than I’ve suspected.”

  “I’m not the least bit naive.” Jessica sounded exasperated. “Some people can be in a committed relationship, you know. Everyone is not like you.”

  Jarred narrowed his eyes. “That was a low blow. What are
you trying to say?”

  “I believe I said it. You haven’t been able to commit to a single soul since I’ve known you. Wes and I will work out our long-distance issues. We are committed to doing just that. I wish you weren’t so negative about this.”

  Jarred’s eyes softened. “I’d be able to commit to you. It’s that way for me because I’ve never been with the right person before. You are right for me. Why do you want to involve yourself in a long-distance relationship when we can be together every day? Flying back and forth between two cities will get old. Trust me on that.”

  Wishing she had the nerve to tell Jarred exactly what she thought of his comments, Jessica got up from the sofa and paced the floor. If she dared to speak her mind, she could lose his friendship. She didn’t want that to happen, nor did she want to offend him, despite the fact he had insulted her plenty.

  “Could you be romantically interested in me?”

  Oh, how she wished Jarred hadn’t asked that question. She couldn’t beat around the bush on it. She hadn’t had one romantic thought about him. He wasn’t her type. Although handsome and charming, he owned numerous character defects. Above all, he lacked the ability to commit to another human being. Even when he was in a supposedly exclusive relationship, his eyes wandered. That wasn’t all that roamed, either. He had dated more than one woman during most of his so-called serious relationships. Jarred was a big cheater, the one character defect in a man that she could definitely live without.

  “You see me as that bad, huh?”

  Sparing Jarred’s feelings was important to Jessica. She didn’t have to be mean-spirited about this because he didn’t agree with her and Weston’s plans for the future. “I just don’t see an us, you and me romantically linked, period.”

  “Why not?’

  “Please, let’s not go there. Just accept that I’m in love with Weston.”

  “In love with him? When did that happen?”