by Alice Raine
Using a gentle grip on my chin, he lifted my gaze to his. ‘Yes, I do. I should have been there for you, or at least have made more time to call you, and meet you...but I just got...so...obsessed, I guess,’ he confessed, looking mildly embarrassed.
‘So all this time I thought you were avoiding me, but you were sitting in a van just outside,’ I mumbled quietly. ‘I thought you wanted to finish with me.’
‘What? Why on earth did you think that? I told you how serious I am about you, Caitlin. How serious I am about us.’ He sounded confused and I felt my stomach muscles relax as I laughed with embarrassment.
A hot flush shot up my neck as I gave a self-conscious shrug. ‘I thought maybe once you'd had time to think about me being a...a virgin, it might have put you off. I mean, I already have a shit tonne of baggage, add that to the mix and it hardly makes me an attractive package.’ My voice was no more than a whisper, but Jack immediately shook his head as he maintained the grip on my chin, not allowing me to look away for even a millisecond.
He smiled, such a tender expression burning on his face that my breath caught in my lungs and my heart clenched.
‘I told you that doesn't bother me,’ he whispered. Suddenly, my view shifted as Jack moved like lightening to stand us up, and arranged us on the sofa so he was sitting down and I was straddling his lap.
Letting out a shriek of laughter, I steadied myself by resting my hands on his shoulders, enjoying the feel of his strong muscles underneath my fingertips.
‘Quite the opposite, in fact,’ he continued. ‘I find the fact that your body is untouched very attractive...a huge turn-on.’ Jack paused, running both hands gently over my clothes. His fingers trailed practically everywhere before coming to rest on my thighs as he sighed contentedly. The pleasure of his delicate touch sent a shudder through my body, and Jack smiled lazily.
‘And to be frank, if I wasn’t so dog-tired after filming every day and spending practically every night working with Flynn, I would lay you down right here on the deck and show you exactly how much you turn me on.’ As he spoke, I began to feel through his jeans exactly what he was talking about as his erection pressed against my crotch.
Crikey. My cheeks felt like they were completely burning as an embarrassed grin spread across my face.
Jack joined our hands, interlocking the fingers and gently twirling our thumbs together. ‘Are we OK?’ he asked.
‘Yes.’ My answer came without hesitation. ‘But no more secrets, OK?’
Jack nodded immediately, his hair flopping over his brow and causing me to immediately tangle my fingers through it and push it back from his face. ‘Of course. I promise. I hated not telling you, but I thought you had enough on your plate as it was.’
Rolling my eyes, I frowned and chewed on my lip. ‘And don’t take any stupid risks. If you track him down, I want you to promise me you’ll call the police and let them deal with it.’
Jack noticeably tensed, and as I stared into his eyes, willing him to agree, I saw a tick develop in his jaw as his eyes clouded over. I understood that he wanted to avenge the things Greg had done to me in the past, but I couldn’t lose him, not now that I’d finally found him.
‘Caitlin...’ His low tone had a touch of warning to it but I didn’t let it deter me, and instantly shook my head. Wrenching my fingers from his grip, I poked at his chest. ‘Feisty. I like this side of you,’ he murmured, his lips tweaking with a seductive smile which I expected was supposed to distract me from the topic at hand. It was a close run thing. Jack giving me the sultry ‘come hither’ eyes was a pretty appealing sight, but this was way too important for me to lose focus.
‘No! No, distractions or excuses, Jack. You could get hurt, and I can’t stand the thought of that. Besides, if you find Greg and do something to him you could end up in prison!’ My voice had gone high and panicky, so I paused to draw in a breath, swallowed hard, and lowered my eyes. ‘I can’t lose you, Jack. I...I need you.’
As much as I loved the connection between the two of us, I also slightly resented it because it was everything I always swore I would never be: clingy, emotional, reliant, needy...Ugh. I sounded like some limp rom-com character. Jack, however, didn’t seem repelled by my pathetic confession at all. In fact, his reaction seemed quite the opposite as his hands settled on my hips before his face crumpled into a soft, sweet smile.
‘Caitlin, sweetheart, you have me. Believe me, you have me.’ His voice cracked a little as he leant forward and placed his lips to mine. He didn’t kiss me, exactly, just joined our mouths as he closed his eyes and held me tightly.
Leaning back a touch, he spoke, his warm breath fanning across my tingling lips. ‘I’ll be careful. And if we find him, I’ll get the police involved. I’m not going anywhere, I promise.’
Taking in a deep breath, Jack raised his eyebrows and briefly flicked his tongue over his bottom lip. ‘While we’re on the subject of our relationship...I wanted to discuss going public.’
‘Going public?’
Grimacing, he nodded. ‘We’ll probably be spotted together pretty quickly. If we don’t make some sort of statement to the press they’ll make our lives hell.’
I couldn’t seem to breathe quite right. My lungs were almost frozen with the idea of the world knowing my business. I’d lived the past three years so carefully hiding my every move that going to the complete opposite pole seemed like utter madness. What if Greg found out?
‘No. I don’t want anyone to know. Not yet.’
‘No?’ Jack repeated. ‘I know you wanted to keep quiet in case Greg tracked you here, but he knows you’re in LA. It doesn’t seem a valid reason to keep quiet any more.’
I could see he was disappointed, and I hated to be the cause of that, but I just couldn’t do it, not yet. ‘It’s not that I don’t want people to know, Jack, I do...but...well, I can’t put you at risk by being linked to you. He knows I’m in LA, but he doesn’t know I’m dating you. He’s totally nuts, if he finds out, he might target you. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you.’
Jack looked like he was about to protest at my words, but running his gaze over my worried face, he paused and sighed. ‘OK. We’ll keep it quiet for now, but don’t think I’ll hold off for ever, Caitlin. I want the world to know you’re mine.’
Shivering, I nodded as desire shot through my system. Somehow knowing that he desired me that much made my lust rise like a volcanic eruption, and after sitting pressed together and breathing the same air for a few seconds, Jack locked our lips and moved beyond a simple touch to something far more heated as his tongue immediately sought access to my mouth.
‘God, I’ve missed you,’ Jack muttered, before skipping gentle and moving straight to desperate and hungry as he groaned, slid a hand around the back of my neck, and pressed his tongue into my mouth greedily, taking all that I would give. I melted into his embrace, giving just as much to the kiss as he did.
Our hands began roaming, touching each other over our clothes and getting me so worked up I found my body instinctively starting to grind against the hard bulge I could feel below me. Jack thrust his hips upwards, making me groan at just how good it felt, but then, after whipping me into enough of a frenzy that I very nearly insisted he took me to bed, he pulled back and gave me a tired smile.
‘Sorry. I got a bit carried away,’ he admitted sheepishly.
If he hadn’t looked so knackered, I might well have attempted my own form of seduction, but he really did seem exhausted, and so when he began to help me off his lap I shifted to his side and watched as Jack opened the wine and poured two glasses.
Handing one to me, Jack sipped his before putting his glass down, moving sideways, and laying down with his head resting in my lap. The sofa was far too small for this type of position, but Jack tucked his legs around the end and balanced them on the adjacent side table in what appeared to be a comfortable position before letting out a long sigh.
Utterly relaxed, I sat with my wine in one h
and and began to stroke Jack’s hair. After only a minute, I heard his breathing change and deepen as he seemed to fall asleep. A smile curved my lips as I continued to play with his hair while he snoozed. It still amazed me that I could feel this relaxed with a man in my presence, so I sat blissfully absorbing the quiet time, revelling in this new development.
Staring out at the moonlit beach behind the house, I shook my head in disbelief; we were so comfortable in each other's company that it felt like we had known each other for years, and I was starting to like the feeling of togetherness very much indeed.
Jack must have dozed for about half an hour, because my glass of wine was long finished when he made a quiet humming noise in my lap and stretched an arm out. Blinking, he pushed himself up, yawned, performed an even bigger stretch, and looked across at me sleepily. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep. It’s not been the most exciting evening for you, has it? I should probably just have napped in the van instead of spoiling your night with Allie.’
My head shook of its own accord as I cupped his cheek where he had creases from sleeping. Gently rubbing the marks with my thumb, I smiled at him. ‘No,’ I whispered. ‘I’m really glad you came in and cleared this all up. I feel so much better now.’
‘Good.’ Jack leant across and placed a quick kiss on my lips then gave a glance at his watch before grimacing. ‘I’ve got to be on set in seven hours,’ he groaned, flopping his head back on the sofa and closing his eyes.
Without really thinking it through, my mouth suddenly went into auto drive. ‘Would you like to stay? You’re tired and it will save you the drive home,’ I offered, trying not to panic about what might happen if he actually said yes.
But panic I did. Oh God,what would it be like to lie beside him in a bed, cradled in his arms?
Beside me, Jack sat up, breaking my panicked haze, and took my hands, grinning broadly. ‘You’re only offering because you know I'm so tired that your virtue will remain safe,’ he joked, and I immediately faked an expression of shock. Deep down I knew a little bit of what he was saying was true – I was getting nervous about our first time.
‘Cheeky!’ I giggled, as a pleasant warmth spread through my body. This man made me feel so good.
‘I really appreciate your offer, Cait. I’m so tired I think I could sleep standing up.’
‘Well, you won’t need to. Sean’s spare room has a double bed, you know.’ I gave him another impish grin, which seemed to make his eyes sparkle, and I stood up. ‘In fact, it might even be king-size,’ I pondered, as I pulled him along by the hand and led him inside.
Pausing inside the lounge, I locked the patio doors and we silently made our way through the house.
‘I’m not sure I’m Allie’s favourite person any more,’ he murmured, casting a lopsided grin over his shoulder, which caused me to frown. ‘When I arrived tonight she gave me the filthiest look I’ve ever seen and proceeded to lecture me about how you deserved much better than being stood up.’
Ha! I could imagine Allie laying into him! Jack’s lips twitched in amusement, but then his expression changed, morphing into one of regret. ‘She’s right. I’m so sorry, Caitlin. I wasn’t thinking straight, all I could focus on was getting you safe. I never in a million years thought you’d take my absence as an indication that I wasn’t interested. You mean everything to me, Caitlin.’
My pulse was thumping so hard that I wondered if he was actually able to hear it. I didn’t know what else to say, so I opted for staying mute and simply wrapping my arms around him.
‘Me too. I’m so glad we met.’ My words were choked and I had to swallow hard to try and prevent tears from escaping. As soon as I made contact with his firm chest, Jack made a mumbling sound in his throat and pulled me against him.
We stood like that until Jack leant back, stifling yet another yawn, and smiled at me. ‘I hope you don’t think I’m being too forward, but if you don’t mind, would you take me to bed now?’ Beneath the joking exterior I could see his smile was forced, so I nodded, led him upstairs, found him a spare toothbrush, and directed him to the en suite.
While Jack was brushing his teeth I dug under my pillow to retrieve my pyjamas. I eyed them critically before my nose wrinkled in distaste. They were comfy, but these baggy old PJs certainly weren’t something I wanted to expose Jack to. Swiftly depositing them in the wash bin, I exchanged them for a dark blue nightdress that I wore when the heat was oppressive. It had thin straps, revealed a bit more breast than was probably decent, and fell to mid-thigh. It was cotton, not exactly sexy lacy lingerie, but it was pretty enough and about the best I could do. There was no way I was spending my first night in bed with a man wearing holey old PJs.
As he reappeared from the bathroom, Jack immediately paused as he narrowed his eyes and took in my scantily clad figure. I stood motionless and holding my breath as his eyes darkened and ran down my body and back up again, before releasing my breath in a rush.
His heavy-lidded gaze locked with mine, and he stalked toward me, placing his hands firmly on my hips before lowering his head and kissing me firmly on the lips. I’d have to buy more nightdresses if that was the reaction they triggered.
‘God, you make it hard to breathe,’ he whispered against the corner of my mouth, before kissing his way down my neck and nuzzling the soft skin of my earlobe. His touch was so light, yet so confident that it immediately sent a shudder of pleasure ripping through my body, causing goose bumps to rise over my skin as my head spun with desire.
Grasping his upper arms, I giggled nervously and wobbled on my unsteady legs. ‘Go to the bathroom, before I have my way with you.’ He was teasing, but the air between us was thick with sexual tension, and I was fairly sure that if I lay on the bed and offered my body it wouldn’t have taken much persuading to get him to join me.
Letting out a shaky breath, I licked my lips and turned towards the bathroom, which made Jack give a low growl. ‘It’s backless? Christ, Caitlin, you’re killing me,’ he groaned, before tugging me back into his arms and kissing me again, his tongue plunging into my mouth and ripping any remaining air from my lungs.
He gripped me tight as he continued with the thorough exploration of my mouth, but eventually, and reluctantly, he let me go and nudged me in the direction of the en suite.
I was in such a daze that I barely registered using the toilet or brushing my teeth. I did take a moment longer to thoroughly wash my face, though – I didn't want to wake up next to Jack in the morning with smeared make-up all over my pillow, or my face...or him, for that matter. Although there was a certain temptation in the idea of exactly how the make-up might get smeared and whereabouts on his body it might end up.
I’d never felt so wanton in my life.
I took a second to peer into the mirror. Even without make-up, my cheeks were flushed and my eyes were sparkling. Is that how a girl looked when she was preparing to lose her virginity? I wondered if I’d look different after we’d done the deed. Would I appear more experienced? More mature?
Instead of standing there like an idiot thinking about it, I decided it was time to head back to Jack and see where the night took us. I tried to suppress my nerves, knowing the most probable outcome would be that Jack would continue to be the honourable gentleman that he had been so far.
Even trusting Jack implicitly, my heart was hammering in my chest when I finally plucked up the courage to open the bathroom door and enter the bedroom again. The room was mostly in darkness, and it took my eyes a few seconds to adjust. Jack must have turned off the main lights and replaced them with one of my tiny bedside lamps, because once my eyes had recovered I noticed the room was lit with a soft, warm glow that crept across the bed and floor.
Softly shutting the door behind me, I padded over to the bed and couldn’t help but smile at what I found; Jack was flat on his back and fast asleep under the covers. I watched him for a few seconds, taking in his handsome, relaxed features, and the way his hair fell carelessly across his forehead, and then
slipped carefully under the sheets next to him.
As I lay back I felt my muscles slacken, and was glad that my earlier nerves were mostly dissipated. As I lay there listening to his soft breathing and smelling his lovely scent I felt a different flutter in my stomach–unreserved curiosity.
Glancing at Jack, I couldn’t resist looking under the covers. Biting my lip, and knowing this was wrong, I gave the covers a quick lift, which allowed me to glance down and see his gorgeous chest. A happy sigh slipped from my lips as I took in the dusting of brown hair. Letting my eyes slip lower, I saw that Jack was just in a black pair of boxer shorts, tight enough to give me a nice view, which caused me to instantly put the blankets down. God, I couldn’t believe I was perving over him while he was asleep!
With the image of his glorious body lingering in my mind, I turned off the bedside light and lay down, feeling mighty contented at my bed partner. Gathering the covers around myself, I fell asleep in no time at all with rather pleasant dreams of Jack and I rolling around my brain.
Forty-one
Cait
The sensation of something heavy pressing down on me woke me up. It felt like a tree branch was laying across my chest and I felt fear seeping into my sleepy mind. Why was I being held down? After another attempt to breathe only succeeded in gaining a small gasp of oxygen, my terror increased and my groggy eyes flew open.
Looking down, I saw a brown head of hair resting on my shoulder, and after a millisecond of confusion, I was then filled with rushing memories of last night and an overwhelming feeling of relief and safety. Jack! His left arm was the cause of my breathing difficulties because it was flopped casually across my chest, but given his large build the thing felt like it weighed an absolute tonne.
In actual fact, he had me pretty much pinned to the bed, because his left leg was also bent and casually laid over both of mine.
Jack Felton liked to snuggle in his sleep, who’d have guessed?