by E. S. Hart
Jake started to laugh a bit relieved that she still had that look of adoration in her eyes.
“You are still the same man," she added firmly, "and to me you are beautiful” she told him and placed her lips onto his.
Jake placed arms around her and pulled her closer to him before picking her up and carrying her into his bedroom. Jake placed her down on his bed and went down to meet her arms locking around his neck.
Simone started to pull up on Jakes sweater when she instantly felt him pull away from her. "Jake what's wrong?" she questioned on edge.
"I don't want you to—to see the rest of my body. Like I told you at one time my face and hands weren't the only thing that had been burnt," he told her solemnly with disgust.
"Jake I told you I don't care. I don't care about any of this," she motioned to his face and body. "I know who you truly are and your scares are not it. Yes, they are a part of what you went through in the war, but they are not what makes you the good man that you truly are," she told him adamantly as she grabbed him to her and claimed his lips to hers again. Simone grabbed at his sweater again and found Jake helping her take it off of him. Simone gasped not from the ugliness of the scares but from the pain it must have caused this man. It basically broke her heart. She found herself kissing his chest where the severe burn scars were displayed.
Jake found that her actions were sending him over the brink. He started to pull at her clothes and before either of them knew it they were lying skin to skin next to each other.
Simone knew that although, Jake's body had been scarred and burned badly that he was still a strong, muscular man and his hands on her body made her feel secure and extremely heightened to the man and her desire for him.
Jake loved the way this woman looked and felt. He couldn't believe that he had this woman in his bed. He thought this part of his life was over and done with the moment his fiancé gave him back his ring. He never thought in a millions years that someone like Simone Tyler would ever want him this way. He slowly lowered his mouth to capture one of her breast nipples into his mouth and started to suck on it. He could hear her gasp and grab at his hair in the back of his head. He loved looking at this woman as he slowly started to trail kisses down her body to her pubic area.
Simone could feel her body wanting more and more from this man. He was starting to send her over the brink and then reality jumped in. "Jake," she gasped out loud as she tried to get his attention.
Jake slowly looked up at her. "Yes," he seemed to struggle with the word.
"Do you—do you have protection?" she questioned with a whimper.
Jake bolted up, "Damn! No!" He couldn't believe he was acting so irresponsible. There he was about to penetrate this woman with his very, swelled cock and he hadn't thought about protection. What kind of a person with a medical background would be so stupid?
"It's okay, Jake," Simone tried to comfort. "I have protection in my purse," she told him.
"You do?" he asked surprised.
"Yes, and before you think I'm carrying it because I have all those pop star, wild parties that singers have been rumored to having, I am not one of those people. Now on the other hand, I have some people in my band that like to pick up someone for the evening after a show. Anyway, one of the band members gave them to me at the beginning of my tour as a just in case thing. At the time, I laughed but now I'm glad he did." Simone reached over and grabbed her purse off the side table and opened it. She extracted a condom package and handed in to Jake. "Here?"
"Why don't you put it on me, Simone," he encouraged with a groan, relieved that this woman had what they needed. He hated to think he was going to have to take a cold shower to find release when all he wanted to do was feel his cock inside of her.
Simone had never placed a condom on a man's cock before, even though, wasn't a virgin and she would never tell Jake that because that wouldn't be true. She had given up her virginity to her boyfriend in her senior year of high school when she thought that he was her one and only; then to discover that he was fouling around with the head cheerleader. She had been heartbroken at the time but always knew that one day she would find a man who would truly love and want to be with her. She didn't know if Jake was this person but she did know that she wanted him to fuck her at this very moment. She fumbled with the condom wrapper and pulled out the prophylactic from the package. She slowly took a deep breath and took his cock into her hands gently while stroking it and then placing the condom over it. Her actions made her so wet and tight between her legs. She needed this man so desperately and she just couldn't wait any longer. "Jake I need you now," she told him as she lay back with her legs spread wide apart.
Jake didn't need any more encouragement as he swooped down and penetrated her with one quick thrust.
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Jake rose from the bed the next morning as Simone still laid there asleep. He got dressed and walked out into the living room. He looked over at where Max laid sleeping and checked on the dog to see that he was breathing steadily. He walked over to the piano bench to remove the pieces of paper he had been working on. He knew he had to work to finish it. He felt extremely inspired to do so before Simone left.
CHAPTER 15
Simone found that the next three days past quickly as she found herself bonding more with Jake. She also found that she was the happiest she had been in her whole life. There were only two things that seemed to ruin that happiness, the first being that Jake had gone back to wearing his mask. She had told him that it didn't matter but for some reason he couldn't seem to let go of the thing. Then there was the fact that she knew that she would be leaving before long. She told herself over and over again that this was what she wanted and leaving Jake here was what he wanted. Yet, she couldn't just walk away from him; not now, not since she found he had touched her heart in a way that no man had ever manage to do so before. She felt she was in the middle of a sort of tug of war. She knew that life was continuing on outside the cabin that she and Jake had somehow made into a home with each other. She also knew that her career was obviously on hold and she could just imagine her manager right about now. She knew he had to be livid and probably a bit frantic at what had actually happened to her. Simone knew in the end that there was really no way that she could truly stay in a secluded cabin with Jake. Yes, she knew her feelings for him were strong but she just didn't know if she could give up everything else for him and the reclusive life that he led. So she knew that she needed to leave and that she needed to do it soon while she still had the nerve to do it.
≈
The day did finally arrive and Simone found herself packing up her things. She saw Max walk into her room whimpering. She smiled over at him as he entered the room. She knelt down to pet the dog still smiling at him. How she had come to love this dog, it was just as hard to leave him as it was Jake. She picked up her suitcases and walked out into the living room. She saw Jake standing by the window looking out. She placed the suitcases down and watched as he turned to look at her.
Max started to scratch at the front door as if to say he needed to go out. So, Jake opened the door for Max. Jake shut the door and looked back over at Simone. He proceeded to walk over to the piano bench to take out the pieces of paper he had been working on. He walked over to Simone. “I have a gift for you,” he told her handing over the pieces of paper.
Simone looked down to see that it was a song of sorts but it was one that she wasn't familiar with. She looked up at Jake in a questionable way.
“I wrote that song for you, Simone,” he informed her.
“You wrote this for me?" She questioned speculatively. "You said that you hadn't written anything new in years. That you hadn't been inspired to do so,” she told him a bit astonished that he had written a song for her, after all, this time.
“I guess found my muse; only she had taken human form in the guise of a woman with a broken leg who sang like an angel. I hope you will consider singing this song, Simone one day.”
“I
would be proud to, but on one condition that you play the piano when I do so,” she told him and watched as he turned away from her.
“Simone we've been all through this,” he argued.
“Yes, but things have changed" she argued back. “I saw you for who you really are and it didn't matter. Jake it doesn't change the fact that you are a good man, and a talented one at that,”
“Simone you accepted me because you know me for who I am on the inside. The rest of the world will only see a deformed man. When it comes to celebrities, people expect nothing but perfection. You of all people must know this.”
“If that is what you are upset about, you can always have more plastic surgery. There have been so many advancements since you went into isolation. I am sure there is more that can be done for you,” she tried to reassure.
“Even with more plastic surgery I will never be the person that I was before,” he told her.
“Name me one war veteran who is,” she argued and saw how he looked over at her with interest. “You can't go through a harrowing experience such as war and not be forever changed by it. There is a saying, war is hell and I believe that is true. Don't you see some veterans are like you, a person can see the lasting effects that going into combat did to them, but there are those who have those scars on the inside; they are just as real. Jake, it's never easy to come back from something so terrible and I am sure you are not the only one who wants to hide away, or has hidden away. But, Jake I can't support that because all of you fought for this country; you were willing to lay down your lives for the freedom that this country has become known for. You fought then, and I am asking you to fight now," she pressed firmly.
“You're asking me to trust the outside world that they won't shun me? Yet, look at the stories of the "Phantom of the Opera" or *"The Hunchback of Notre Dame" neither of those deformed characters was ever accepted for who they were,” he challenged back.
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*The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a 1996 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 34th Disney animated feature film; the film is based on Victor Hugo's novel of the same name. The plot centers on Quasimodo, the deformed bell-ringer of Notre Dame and his struggle to gain acceptance into society.
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“Those were fictional stories, and I have one for you, *"Beauty and The Beast." "Remember that fairy tale about a beastly man cut off from the world till a young woman loved him and then he became the handsome prince.”
“There is no handsome prince here, Simone,” he argued.
“You forget, the girl didn't fall in love with the prince, she fell in love with the beast because she saw who he was on the inside. Jake on the inside you are a handsome prince, can't you see that?" She cornered. "Jake, I'm asking you to trust me and be willing to take a leap of faith and to show the same bravery you did when you chose to put on the military uniform. Do it for me, do it for all the veterans out there, but most of all do it for you.” she told him.
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*Beauty and the Beast is an American film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is based on the French fairy tale of the same name by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont. Beauty and the Beast focuses on the relationship between the Beast,a prince who is magically transformed into a monster as punishment for his arrogance, and Belle,a beautiful young woman whom he imprisons in his castle. To become a prince again, the Beast must win her love in return, otherwise he remains a monster forever.
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“And for crying out loud get rid of that blasted mask,” she stated while walking over to him and removing the mask from his face. She threw the mask to the floor and stopped abruptly when they heard Max barking outside in a manner that told them that something wasn't right.
Jake looked over in the direction of the window. “What is Max barking at? He usually isn't that agitated unless he is trying to alert me to something,” Jake told Simone, who was all too aware of how good a watch dog Max was.
They both headed out the front door to go outside. Jake and Simone saw Max barking at something in the distance; they glanced over and saw that a forest fire had broken out and was obviously headed in their direction.
“Oh my God,” Simone exclaimed.
“I have never seen one of these so close to the cabin before and so out of control,” Jake exclaimed back. “We have to get out of here,” he told her point blank.
“Where exactly is my car located at?" Simone questioned.
"It's about a couple blocks east of here," Jake told her.
"Let's head to it!" She directed. "I'll get my purse,” she added.
“Good idea, I will fill some canteens with water and we can head on out,” he told her as they both ran back into the cabin.
Simone quickly grabbed her purse leaving her suitcases behind; they needed to travel lightly, but there was one thing she wasn't leaving behind and she grabbed the pieces of paper that Jake had given her earlier. She folded them up and placed them in her purse. Jake finished filling up the canteens and looked over at her.
“Are you ready to go?” He asked her in an urgent tone and watched as she nodded back at him. They headed out of the cabin and grabbed Max quickly.
CHAPTER 16
Simone, Jake, and Max headed down the path. The further they got to reaching her car, the more they realized that the fire had blocked some of the path's ahead.
“Damn, I hate fire!" Jake exclaimed while reaching up and touching his face. "Damn I forgot my mask!" He added, feeling quite self-conscious being outside without his protection, so to speak. "We're going to have to go through the brush,” he told her while leading her and Max in the direction of the trees to the right. “Hopefully, we can again make it to the road from there,” he stated as they headed into the brush.
Simone followed Jake and Max knowing full well that these two knew the area far better than she did. Yet, they found that the fire seemed to also be taking over this area as well. Simone felt as if they were running out of options and that they could be trapped if they kept going. Simone instantly became aware of a helicopter hovering over them and realized that it had to be the fire patrols out trying to stop the blaze. She knew from the news reports over the years how hard it truly was for such fires to be stopped at this time of year. In the summer months the foliage became drier than usually and because of that fires broke out and grew rapidly. It also became extremely hard to get them under control. Simone found that the smoke emanating from the fire was starting to make her lungs hurt. She started to cough and watched as Jake gave her a handkerchief that she realized was wet.
“Put this over your face and breathe with it,” he instructed.
Simone did as he told her. Simone saw Max head out ahead and got concerned at first, but then heard the dog barking.
“Max is telling us to go that way,” he told Simone as he led her in the same direction that the dog had gone a few minutes ago.
They continued to walk along and Simone sensed that Jake seemed to be become distant with a quiet, subdue demeanor. She watched as he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.
“Jake are you all right?” Simone asked in a concern tone as she placed a reassuring hand on his arm.
Jake didn't answer and Simone saw a distant look in his eyes also. She wondered what was truly going on in his head.
Jake could hear the sound of artillery firing in the distance, bombs going off in the distant as the whole world appeared to be on fire. He started to perspire profusely.
Simone could tell that all was not right with Jake. She watched as he continued to place his hands over his ears and to look around desperately. Simone felt concerned and scare
d and even Max now knew something wasn't right with his master. Simone knew that something was definitely wrong with him and then it dawned on her. She had heard that sometimes those who had experienced battle relived it in their minds when something reminded them of the turmoil. She grabbed hold of Jake more firmly and looked directly at him.
“Jake, look at me," she directed firmly, "this isn't Afghanistan, you are not in the war zone any longer,” she told him trying to get him to listen. “You're here with me! Please, Jake come back to me,” she said in a pleading tone.