Love Left Behind

by S. H. Kolee

  "I must have left it in the cab," Jackson replied with a rueful grin. "It's okay. I'm already soaked and it's a short walk home."

  I shook my head. "Come upstairs. You can't go home like this. You'll catch a cold."

  "Emma, really, I’m okay. This wasn't some ploy to get you to invite me upstairs, as much as I'd like to strip you naked right now. I know you need to get up early for work tomorrow. I'll have to wait for Wednesday."

  I knew he was right. I knew that inviting Jackson up wasn't a good idea. I didn't want to risk being late for work tomorrow and I didn't know what time Claire would be home. But at that moment, I didn't care. All I knew was that I wanted Jackson. And that want overpowered everything else.

  "I know," I whispered. "But there's no way I can just go to bed now. All I can think about is you being inside of me. If you don't go up with me, I'm just going to have to make myself come. And my fingers don't feel nearly as good as your cock."

  Jackson's arms tightened around me, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Sweetheart, you only have to ask once. Although one of these days, you're going to have to let me watch you touch yourself."

  We rushed up the stairs to my apartment, barely making it to my bedroom before we started stripping off our wet clothes. We didn't even make it to the bed. Jackson turned me around so my hands were braced against the wall and he swiftly entered me from behind, each thrust taking me closer and closer to the edge. His hands cupped my breasts, holding on to them as he pumped furiously, his fingers twisting my nipples until I cried out. He reached down with one hand and stroked my clit as he continued pounding into me. I was unable to swallow my cries when my orgasm made me shudder as wave after wave of pleasure wracked my body.

  As the last tremor left me, I moved back against Jackson, wanting him to find his release as well.

  "Please, Jackson," I whispered. "Come inside me."

  Jackson groaned as he started thrusting again, his hands now on my hips as he slammed in and out of me.

  "You feel so fucking good, Emma. So tight. So wet. This is mine, Emma. This is mine."

  Jackson thrust in me one last time, crying out gutturally and making unintelligible sounds as he pumped his release into me. I tightened my muscles, milking him, wanting every last drop of his come inside of me. I felt an acute need to be as close to him as possible, to have everything from him. Because he had everything from me.

  Chapter Eight

  June fell into a pattern as Jackson and I spent as much time together as possible. I stopped by the gym most weekdays after work and afterwards we would either go out to dinner or make dinner at Jackson's apartment. It was getting harder and harder not to spend every waking moment with Jackson, but I forced myself to spend at least a few nights at my apartment, much to his displeasure.

  I made a concerted effort to spend some time with Claire, making sure we had dinner together a few weeknights and spending Sunday afternoons at Max's, along with Nathan and Mia and, of course, Jackson. Luckily, Claire seemed to approve of our relationship so she never seemed to mind my frequent absences.

  Jackson always wanted to have me around, so I spent most Friday and Saturday nights cheering him on during their play. Saturday afternoons were the best when we would explore the city. Our activities ranged from the typical tourist attractions, like the Statue of Liberty, to strolling through festivals and eating our way through the city.

  I was completely happy during those days. Work was going well, and Janet often told me how much of an asset she thought I was as she gave me more and more responsibilities. Jackson fully supported my ambitions, accepting that I often had to work late with no complaints. On those days, I skipped the gym and went straight to Jackson's apartment, knowing he would be waiting for me with dinner. And we couldn't seem to get enough of each other in bed. I was sure the flame of our attraction would die down after a while, but we still made love with the same urgency of our first week.

  It was after one of those intense lovemaking sessions, while Jackson cradled me from behind, spooning me, that he whispered those words to me.

  "Emma, I love you."

  My heart burst with emotion. I had been saying those words to him in my head, but I had been afraid to say them out loud. Jackson saying it first freed me, making my heart gape open. I was completely vulnerable yet completely happy.

  I turned around in his arms, gazing at him as he looked back at me seriously.

  "I love you too, Jackson. I never thought I could love someone as much as I love you."

  Jackson's eyes glittered with emotion as he tightened his arms around me. "You and me, Emma. It's you and me against the world. There'll never be anyone else for me."

  He kissed me but it wasn't just a kiss of passion. It was a kiss of promise. A promise that we would be together forever.

  July came with a lot of heat and humidity and we spent the Fourth of July in Jackson's apartment, straining to catch glimpses of the fireworks over the East River between buildings from his balcony. We had passed on Nathan and Mia's barbecue, and I worried out loud that we were isolating ourselves. But Jackson just shrugged, saying that we saw them almost every Sunday and that he wanted to spend the holiday alone with me.

  I was a nervous wreck when he announced that his mother was coming into the city for a charity function one day at the end of July and he wanted me to meet her. Jackson reassured me repeatedly that his mother would love me, but it didn't make me any less nervous. Fortunately, Jackson's mother was gracious and sweet when we met for lunch, telling me that she was glad that Jackson had finally found someone. Jackson had just grinned widely, obviously happy that his mother and I were getting along so well.

  I didn't tell my own mother about Jackson during her frequent phone calls. My mother had been disappointed and upset about my broken engagement to Sean, so I didn't think she could handle me having a new relationship so quickly. She didn't do well with change and I didn't want to ruin my happiness by having to justify it to her.

  August was a busy month. I had a lot on my plate at Mass Comm and Jackson's play had completed its run so he was going on a lot of auditions although not much was panning out. We spent a bulk of the month furniture shopping and it thrilled me that I had so much input in decorating his apartment. Jackson surprised me with a diamond pendant set in platinum on a silver chain at the end of August, announcing that it was our three-month anniversary. I protested that it was too generous and I hadn't gotten him anything, not knowing that we were celebrating our three-month anniversary, but he had silenced me with a kiss and asserted that his present was seeing me wearing nothing except his necklace. I was happy to oblige.

  It was the Friday before Labor Day and I was itching to leave the office. Jackson and I were going to the Hamptons where we had rented a house for the weekend, along with Claire, Nathan and Mia.

  I heard the intercom buzz and picked up the receiver.

  "Hi, Janet."

  "Emma, can you come in here for a minute. I just want to go over some things before the long weekend."

  "No problem."

  I replaced the receiver and walked into Janet's office, notepad and pen in hand. We had developed an easy working relationship these past couple of months as Janet had gained confidence in my skills.

  I settled into the chair across from her, my pen poised above my notebook.

  "Do you have plans this weekend?" Janet asked. I wasn't surprised by her question. As our working relationship grew, Janet had shown more interest in me as a person and we often traded stories about what we had done over the weekend. Most of her life seemed to revolve around work, but she seemed happy with it.

  "I'm going to the Hamptons with my boyfriend and a few friends. What about you?"

  "I'm heading up to Connecticut to visit my parents. I'll be working most of the time there though. I want to make sure everything is perfect for our presentation on Tuesday with Canonfield."

  We were pitching a new marketing campaign to Janet's biggest client, and ev
en though we were their agency of record, they were opening the field for their latest campaign to other agencies and Mass Comm was looking at Janet closely to ensure that she kept Canonfield as a client.

  "I hate to ask this of you last minute, especially during a long holiday weekend, but some pivotal changes just came in from creative and I need them to be integrated into the presentation. The changes are complex so it'll probably take some time. Can you work on it this weekend? You can take it with you to the Hamptons."

  Although I didn't relish the idea of spending some of the weekend working, there was no way I was going to say no or show any reluctance. I knew how important this was to Janet. I also appreciated the fact that she wasn't asking me to come into the office to work on it.

  "Of course," I replied easily. "I'd be happy to."

  Janet spent the next hour going over the changes with me since they were significant revisions. Afterwards, she said I could leave for the day, asking that I email her the revised presentation, as well as saving it to a disk.

  I packed up my things, smiling as I straightened the picture I had on my desk. The picture was one of Jackson and me that we had taken on top of the Empire State Building. We looked happy and relaxed with our arms around each other and my head tucked under his chin. Whenever I felt stressed or overwhelmed at work, I only needed to look at that picture to feel a sense of calm. No matter what happened at work, Jackson would be waiting for me at home with a loving smile and kiss.

  I said goodbye to Celeste, who had spent the day complaining that she was spending the holiday weekend stuck in her apartment with her husband doing nothing, and I rushed home. Jackson was picking Claire and me up and I needed to finish packing.

  When I got home, Claire was in her bedroom and I stuck my head in the open door.

  "Hi! I see you're doing the same thing I need to be doing."

  Claire had her suitcase open on her bed and was busy filling it to the brim. She sighed in frustration as she waved at her suitcase.

  "You'd think we were going for an entire week instead of a weekend by the way I'm packing. I can't seem to decide what to take, so it makes me want to take everything."

  "I'm sure whatever you choose will be perfect. I need to change and get packing too."

  When I got to my bedroom, I pulled my hair into a ponytail and quickly changed into a white skirt and fitted tee, relieved to be out of my stifling work clothes. I dragged my suitcase, which I had already half-filled the night before, in front of the closet. I was more decisive than Claire in choosing what to pack, probably because I had much less clothing.

  I rolled my suitcase into the living room and sat down on the couch, pulling out my phone to make sure I hadn't missed any text messages from Jackson. I saw I had one and opened it, still eager to hear from him even though we had been together for over three months.

  Can't wait to see you, sweetheart. I missed having you next to me last night. I'll be there at 6.

  I felt a warm glow, happy that Jackson couldn't seem to get enough of me as much as I couldn't get enough of him. I checked the time and saw that it was a quarter to six. Claire lugged her suitcase into the living room, collapsing next to me on the couch. She raised her eyebrows when she saw my Tumi suitcase.

  "Nice suitcase."

  I rolled my eyes. "Jackson insisted on buying it for me after I told him about the debacle with my humongous plastic burgundy ones. He wouldn't take no for an answer."

  It had become a habit of Jackson's to perpetually buy me things, even though I protested. I didn't need a lot of the things he gave me, but he told me that he wasn't buying me things because I needed them. He was buying me things because it made him happy, and his money from his grandmother was just sitting around. Admittedly, it had been fun spending Jackson's money to help him furnish his apartment, but I was okay with that since we were buying things for him.

  "Jackson's always been generous," Claire said. "If he can't be generous with his girlfriend, who can he be generous with?"

  "I guess," I said reluctantly but then smiled. "Although I have to admit it's nice not having to lug those atrocious suitcases around."

  I heard the front door buzzer and jumped up, eager to see Jackson. He was all smiles as he ran up the stairs as I stood in the open doorway, drinking in the sight of him. His green eyes were twinkling and he looked gorgeous with a lock of his dark hair falling over his forehead.

  "Hi, baby," he said, picking me up effortlessly and twirling me around. I laughed at his silliness, feeling breathless when he set me down on the ground. "I've missed you."

  "It's only been a day since we saw each other," I replied drily, although I had been missing him as well.

  "That's one day too many." Jackson leaned down and kissed me and I stood on the tips of my toes, letting him know without words that I had missed him too.

  I heard a throat clear and I pulled back, embarrassed that I had forgotten Claire was in the room.

  "Sorry," I apologized with a weak grin. "I guess we got a little carried away."

  "No problem," Claire said with a bemused smile. "I just don't want to be late picking up Nathan and Mia."

  "We should get downstairs. I'm double-parked and the last thing I want to do is get a ticket before we leave."

  Jackson carried our suitcases down the stairs with ease and stowed them in the back of the SUV he had rented for the weekend. I slid into the front seat as Claire climbed into the backseat. It was a short ride to Nathan and Mia's apartment and we waited in the car while Jackson called them on his cell phone, telling them we were out front.

  "How long will it take to get to the Hamptons?" I asked, practically bouncing up and down in my seat with excitement. Jackson and I had never been able to go away for the weekend before because of his play, but now that it was over, I was anticipating a lot more fun weekends.

  Jackson smiled at me indulgently, lifting our hands that were intertwined and kissing the back of mine. "Probably a couple of hours with traffic."

  "You're going to love the Hamptons, Emma," Claire said, leaning forward between the front seats. "There's always a ton of amazing parties during Labor Day weekend."

  I turned around excitedly. "I heard the food there is incredible too."

  Claire nodded, although less enthusiastically. "There's a lot of great seafood."

  Jackson chuckled. "I think Emma is more interested in the food than the parties."

  "I admit it," I said wryly. "I'm dreaming of lobsters, not parties in mansions."

  Our conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Nathan and Mia. They loaded their bags into the back of the car and joined Claire in the backseat.

  "Hey, guys," Nathan said. He slapped Jackson on the shoulder. "Thanks for driving, man. It's much better than taking the bus."

  "Is this your first time going to the Hamptons, Emma?" Mia asked.

  "Yeah. Claire was just telling me that there are tons of great parties happening this weekend."

  "And the food," Mia said dreamily. "That's one of the reasons I love going to the Hamptons. The food there is to die for. I just hope someone is having a lobster bake on the beach."

  "See!" I said triumphantly, shooting Jackson a sideways glance. "I'm not the only one excited about the food."

  Jackson grinned. "Hey, I'm right there with you. I'll take a seafood feast over a swanky party any day."

  "Speaking of feasts and parties, I'll have to take some time out from the festivities tomorrow to do some work. My boss needs some revisions done for a presentation on Tuesday and I promised I would get them to her as soon as possible."

  "Poor Emma," Nathan said, shaking his head. "You'll be wiling away, hard at work, while I'm frolicking on the beach."

  Mia rolled her eyes. "The last thing anyone wants to see is you frolicking, Nathan."

  "That's too bad," Claire said sympathetically. "It must be pretty important if you have to work over a holiday weekend."

  "It is. We're trying to make sure our biggest client d
oesn't go to another agency, and hopefully our presentation will ensure that. Our creative department just made some changes last minute so that's why I have to do some work over the weekend."

  I squeezed Jackson's hand, hoping he wasn't disappointed that I had to spend part of the weekend working. "Sorry. Hopefully it won't take too long."

  "It's okay," Jackson said with a smile. "It'll be worth it when you're a hotshot executive and I can spend my days popping bonbons while watching The Price is Right."

  I laughed, appreciative of the fact that Jackson was so understanding.

  The traffic to the Hamptons was worse than expected and the drive ended up taking a little under three hours. When we finally pulled up to the house, I was relieved to be able to get out and stretch my legs.

  "It's beautiful," I said, gazing up at the house. There were plenty of lights on the exterior of the house so I could appreciate it even though it was dark. It was a large house with white shingles and black shutters, complete with a wrap-around porch. The house was right on the beach, and with the ocean as a backdrop, it looked picturesque and charming.

  "I'm glad you like it," Jackson said, grabbing my hand and pulling me into the circle of his arms, my back against his chest. He gave me a soft kiss on my neck and then brushed my ear with his lips. "This is going to be an amazing weekend. Plus I have great news."

  "What is it?" I asked, turning around to look at him. He just winked at me and nodded in the direction of the others who were busy pulling their luggage from the SUV.

  "I'll tell you later. I want it to be private."

  I was curious about Jackson's news, but I let him lead me into the house after he had grabbed our bags. The inside was as lovely as the outside, decorated comfortably in a shabby chic style.

  "How are we going to decide who takes which rooms?" I asked the group.

  "You and Jackson can take the biggest room since you'll be sharing one," Mia volunteered generously. "All the bedrooms are actually pretty big, so it's no big deal."