If I Return (8 page)

“Uh-uh,” Jack chides. “Watch me... in the mirror.”

My eyes open back up and I’m assaulted by the image of our bodies together. His skin is tanned golden against my paleness. His hand is stuck firmly between my legs, moving erotically against me. I glance up and his eyes are watching me carefully.

“That’s hot, right?” he murmurs.

“Yes,” I whisper but then I boldly tell him, “I want more.”

Jack issues a moan of appreciation over my words and slowly removes his hand. He pushes me a few steps forward until my pelvis comes to rest against the vanity, his chest mashed up against the back of me. He does nothing more than bend his body forward, which causes mine to bend under the force as well. When my breasts are mashed into the cold, granite surface, Jack pulls back. I start to turn to see what he’s doing but he places a hand in the middle of my back and keeps me still.

“Don’t move. And now you can close your eyes.”

I take a quick peek up in the mirror and see that Jack is gazing at my ass, his eyes fogged with desire. I study him for just a moment, locking the image in my memory, then I do as he asked, and lower my lids.

Jack takes his hands and smoothes them up and down my back. When he reaches my butt, he squeezes the flesh briefly before moving down my legs. He does nothing more but softly move his palms over my skin... caressing up the outside of my legs, and then moving inward to start a slow descent down to my ankles. I assume he’s kneeling but I’m keeping my eyes close as he asks, content to let my imagination show me what it wants to.

He leans in and his breath is hot against my skin. My muscles jump when he licks the area where the top of my thigh meets the bottom of my butt cheek. His tongue is wet and hot, and I cannot help the whimper that escapes my lips.

Jack’s hands come back into play, and he pushes my legs further apart. Then he spreads me open with his fingers and his warm mouth takes me from behind.

“Jack,” I moan, and I’m thankful that I’m lying over the counter because I would have fallen without its support.

He doesn’t acknowledge me but uses his fingers and his tongue to bring me to the brink of release. When he can feel my insides starting to tighten, he gently pulls away and I cannot help the groan of frustration that comes out.

“Just hold tight, baby.” I can hear him chuckling softly but I keep my eyes firmly shut.

I can hear him wrestling with the condom box, followed by the tear of the foil. A few agonizingly long moments later, and Jack is standing behind me again. His hands come to my hips and he flexes forward so I can feel him rubbing against me.

“Open your eyes, Hope.”

I do and look at him in the mirror. He has a lazy grin on his face and he meets my gaze. “Have you ever done it this way before?”

Words fail me; I’m so keenly aware of what he’s getting ready to do so I just shake my head. “Good. I’m glad I’ll be your first in this.”

I’m almost hypnotized as he reaches up and winds my hair around his hand. He tugs just a bit and it causes my head and upper body to lift up slightly from the vanity. Jack takes his other hand and grabs a hold of himself. He bends his knees slightly to position, and then he’s pushing into me.

I’m so ready—he slides in easily and the sensation is decadently filling. He sucks air in through his teeth and I see he has an almost painful grimace on his face. His eyes catch mine and his face smoothes out. “Sorry... but that just feels so fucking good. I hope I can control myself.”

His words cause my body to shudder. His free hand comes to my hip while the other holds me by my hair. Jack holds me in place as he pulls out and then pushes back in. Slowly at first, but then he builds up steam and power. His thrusts become deliberate and push against something inside of me that has my orgasm starting to fire up again.

I have no control over my words and they slip out of my mouth unbidden. “Harder, Jack.”

His eyes fill with surprise. “Are you sure?”

“God, yes... I’m sure. Please.”

He quickly lets go of my hair and now both hands are gripping my hips. He starts moving inside of me faster, his pelvis and thighs slapping against my backside. The pleasure is immense and I want to close my eyes against it, but I take one last peek at Jack. His own eyes are closed and he has his bottom lip stuck between his teeth. A bead of sweat trickles down his temple and I know he’s lost in the throes of some unbelievably hot sex.

I push back against him just as he starts a new thrust inside of me and our bodies collide almost violently. The move causes his eyes to fly back open and pin me with a feral look in the mirror. Then he gives me a wicked grin before bringing one hand around to my front to rub against me. I immediately break apart, my body racked with spasms of undiluted gratification. Jack pumps in me a few more times and then goes absolutely still while he holds my gaze in the mirror. The corded muscles in his neck stand out starkly as he orgasms so hard his entire body shudders but he never breaks eye contact with me. His breath comes out loudly and I can feel it glide across my back.

When our bodies finally quiet, Jack leans over and kisses me in the middle of my spine.

“Oh, Hope,” he says reverently. “What have you done to me?”

“Get the fuck out of town? He shaved your legs?”

My face burns red and I nod my head. I cannot believe I just told that to Audrey. I never thought I’d be the one to share details like that with her, but she keeps pumping me for information and I’m apparently weak willed. Besides, I have nothing to compare this to so I don’t know if I’m getting standard treatment from Jack or this is something insanely outside the box.

“Damn... I can’t believe I’m getting ready to say this, but I’m actually jealous of your love life!”

I slip on my diamond stud earrings and study myself in the mirror. I’m back in Audrey’s room, getting ready to go out to dinner with Jack. Even though I had packed all my clothes, I didn’t have anything nice enough to wear to dinner in the Five-Star restaurant that the Inn boasts. So I put myself at Audrey’s mercy and she has once again shined me up and dressed me in her sexiest, little black dress.

“So, is that stuff normal? I mean... in a sexual relationship?”

“Fuck no, it’s not normal, but it’s hot as hell. And you said he made you watch... in the mirror?”

I didn’t think it was possible for my face to get any redder, but it must have because I felt like I was having a hot flash.

“Is he a pervert or something?” I ask with dread.

“No way. He’s just really, really good. I mean, really good. Does he have a brother?”

I shake my head no. “Only child.”

Turning around, I hold my arms out for Audrey to inspect my final appearance. She gives me a quick once over and then says, “You look great. But seriously... why are you even bothering to go out to dinner? You should shackle yourself to his bed for the next three nights.”

“It’s not all about the sex, you know,” I tell her, a little miffed that she’s debasing something that is still special to me.

My time with Jack has been perfect. After our debauchery in the bathroom yesterday, he wrapped me up in a fluffy robe and carried me to bed. We stayed there all day, talking and watching movies. We ordered in food and then watched some more movies.

Even better... we made out. Like two teenagers, we just kissed and groped at each other. But before too long, he was inside of me again, driving me out of my mind with pleasure.

Jack and I talked until the wee hours of the morning and then he made love to me so slowly, I thought I would just melt into nothingness it was so blissful.

Today we went with the group to Biltmore. I was nervous because I wasn’t sure how he would act around me in public, but you would have thought we were dating by how attentive he was. We followed the group around on a tour, but we hung near the back of the crowd so he could whisper sometimes sweet, sometimes naughty, things in my ear. He held my hand the entire time and would often lean down to rub his nose along my neck.

When we returned, he told me to get dressed in my fanciest dress because he was taking me to dinner at the restaurant Starlight. So that’s why I’ve been primping for the past two hours under Audrey’s direction.

“Oh, honey,” Audrey says as she looks at me with sympathy. “Of course it’s all about the sex. This is a fling, remember.”

I don’t respond because those words cause my stomach to clench. I know, in my head, that this is just what she said it is. A fling... an extended booty call. A way for both of us to have crazy monkey sex, and then go our separate ways with smiles on our faces.

But I can’t help the fact that I’m starting to develop feelings for Jack. It has nothing to do with the multiple orgasms he’s given me. It has to do with the fact that he taught me how to make snow angels, he called me beautiful, and he talked with me for hours last night because he was truly interested in me. He asked question after question and, by the time I fell asleep in his arms, I realized he probably knew me better than most people did.

I brush past Audrey and head into the bedroom. Grabbing my purse, I check it to make sure I have my ID and lip gloss. She follows me in and touches me lightly on the shoulder. “Do you have feelings for him?”

Shrugging my shoulders, I sit down on the edge of the bed to slip on my black heels, not feeling the need or desire to voice my thoughts out loud.

“Hope... baby... if you have feelings for him, you should talk to him about it.”

I look up at her as she stands before me. “And say what? I want to keep seeing you. Even though you live in Kentucky and I live in Florida. Besides... he mentioned that this was only for a defined period of time. This is just a fling for him, so what does it matter what I feel?”

“Because he may feel the same thing. You don’t know for sure. And I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

A knock on the door prevents me from answering and I glance at the clock. He’s right on time.

Standing from the bed, I assure her, “It’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me, okay?”

She wraps me in a hug and squeezes me tight. “I love you, Hopey.”

I tell her I love her too and step back from her embrace. Her face is swimming in sympathy for me, and I can tell she already thinks it’s a foregone conclusion that I’m going to get hurt. It puts me in a sad mood so I try to put on my best face as I open the door to let Jack in.

“Do you want another bite?”

I look at Jack sitting across the table from me as he holds out the last spoonful of crème brûlée. He’s so handsome and my senses go haywire when he looks at me like that... with care and desire.

Shaking my head, I tell him, “I can’t. I’m stuffed and you’ll probably have to carry me out of here.”

He brings the spoon to his mouth and licks the cream off in a way that makes my blood start to race. “I’d gladly carry you out of here, as long as it’s straight to my room.”

My eyes lower shyly to the table because his overt attraction to me is still not something I’m used to. I wonder if he treats all women this way and I’m afraid I already know the answer to that question. It doesn’t stop me from delving though.

“Do you date a lot back in Kentucky? Or are you a confirmed bachelor?” I wince inside, afraid of the answer that is coming.

He gives me a slow smile, setting the spoon down and pushing the empty ramekin away. “I don’t have a lot of time to date with my work, but I’ve had a few relationships over the years.”

“So... what’s the life of an army helicopter pilot like?”

His eyes light up and, for the first time, I see that he loves his job. It’s more than just duty to him. “Every day is different but it’s a combination of keeping my pilot skills polished and managing the aviation crew. I could be stuck doing paperwork one day, and the next flying training missions. Sometimes, I’ll be asked to fly with a maintenance test pilot.”

“You love it, I can tell.”

“That I do but, again, the military is not my career choice. I’m actually anxious to get out and start college.”

“Have you been to Afghanistan?”