“Like what?” she asked warily.
He gave her a mysterious grin. “Oh, like maybe that Hannah’s been moved to a regular ICU room where she can have more visitors. And that her doctors think she can come home in another month if she keeps improving. Plus, I’ve almost convinced my father to bid on a sustainable housing development, though I won’t be convinced until he signs on the dotted line. Oh, yeah, almost forgot. I broke things off with Devon a couple of weeks ago.”
Scarlett stared at him, unable to believe her ears, especially considering the very casual, offhanded way he’d just made that last statement.
“You - you did?” she asked haltingly. “Um, should I be saying I’m sorry?”
“Nope. Especially since you and I both know that would be a lie. Frankly, I’d been thinking of ending things with her for awhile now. She was getting too demanding, too clingy, and kept throwing hints about wanting to get engaged. So the breakup would have happened sooner than later. A certain kiss sped things up a bit, and gave me inspiration to make it happen.”
Scarlett’s cheeks flushed hotly, as she continued to stare at him in disbelief. “It did? Really? I mean, why? I’m not that good of a kisser, you know, don’t have very much experience and I’m just guessing you - ”
“Hush.”
Jackson wrapped one arm around her narrow waist, pulling her flush against him, while placing his index finger over her lips.
“I, on the other hand, happen to think you’re a very, very good kisser,” he whispered, nuzzling his face against the side of her neck. “But then again, it’s been over two weeks, and it was just that one time, so maybe you ought to give me a reminder so I can reassess.”
She was way too startled by his sudden, unexpected actions to react for a few seconds, standing limply in his embrace as he pressed his lips against hers coaxingly, his kiss thorough and unhurried and positively irresistible. Then, when his tongue parted her lips with a smoothness that left her a little in awe, Scarlett slid her palms up over his T-shirt covered chest to clasp around his neck, opening her mouth up to his eagerly.
Jackson slid his hands down her back until they were cupping her ass. In deference to the hot weather today she’d worn a pair of cute cotton shorts that he had bought for her in Phoenix, and she could feel the heat of his palms through the thin fabric. A low moan rose up from her throat as the kiss continued to heat up, a moan that grew a little bit louder when he slid his hand beneath her thigh in order to wrap her leg around his hip. That particular position allowed him to nestle the hard bulge of his erection right up into the notch between her legs, while the hands that continued to cup her buttocks began to slide her up and down his body. It was like fucking while fully clothed, she thought faintly, all too aware of how wet she was right now, and how if he kept this up for another minute or two she was going to come right there on the spot.
They stumbled into her bedroom, still entwined, their mouths still fused tightly together, before tumbling - or was it falling? - onto the brand new bed that she had yet to sleep in. Jackson’s hands were seemingly everywhere now - sliding up the side of her bare thighs to squeeze her ass, cupping her breasts - breasts that were still on the small side despite the pounds she continued to gain gradually - tenderly stroking her flushed cheek.
She gasped as one of those clever, capable hands slid down her belly to cup her vulva, then hid her face against the duvet in mortification since Jackson would certainly feel just how wet she was through the thin cotton of her shorts.
“I need to get inside you right now,” he rasped, his fingers suddenly clumsy as he began to unfasten her shorts. “Need to feel all of this wet heat around my cock. Get naked for me, Scarlett.”
Too aroused and almost dizzy at how quickly and unexpectedly all of this was unfolding, Scarlett blindly obeyed his orders - possibly the first time in her entire life she’d ever acquiesced without arguing - and shoved off the shorts and her now soaked panties. But she balked at the idea of taking off her T-shirt and exposing the ugly scar, even though he’d already seen it. Getting a quick glimpse of it, however, was a whole lot different than being up close and personal with it and she stubbornly kept the upper half of her body covered up.
Jackson, meanwhile, was tossing off his own clothes haphazardly, barely giving her time to gaze lustily at the tanned, muscular expanse of his chest, and then to stare hungrily at the thick, pulsing length of his penis. Before throwing his jeans onto the floor he fished a foil packet out of the back pocket, tearing it open, and rolling the condom over his erection, then crawled back onto the bed.
“Uh, uh,” he told her, shaking his head as he began to pull her T-shirt up. “Bare assed naked, Scarlett. That means top and bottom. And before you start giving me attitude, I don’t give a rat’s ass about your scar. Already seen it, it doesn’t creep me out, and I’ll tell you now that I won’t mind at all if I have to rip your clothes off.”
That provoked a reaction from her, and she all but snarled as she whipped her top off defiantly, then made short work of the sexy lace bralette. She knelt proudly in the middle of the bed, knowing that the ugly, puckered scar on the side of her ribcage was in full view. But rather than shudder in revulsion at the sight, Jackson shocked her anew by bending his head low enough to press a row of kisses along the full length of the scar.
Scarlett was trembling in reaction, so moved by this tender gesture on his part that words failed her. He gently eased her back down onto the bed, putting his arms around her, and touching his forehead to his.
“You’re a beautiful woman, Scarlett,” he whispered passionately. “Every inch of you. And especially that scar you try so damned hard to hide. That scar represents all the hardships you’ve overcome, all the fires you had to walk through, and how you emerged from all of it to be the bravest, most compassionate, and finest woman I’ve ever met. That’s what makes you truly beautiful. Now shut up and kiss me.”
Whatever smartass retort she was about to make was swiftly silenced by his kiss, this one wilder, hungrier, dirtier than earlier ones. She whimpered beneath the fierce pressure of his lips, especially when his hand fondled her breast, his thumb whisking over the small, tight bud of her nipple, causing her spine to arch off the mattress in reaction. She dug her fingers into the hard flesh of his buttocks, silently urging him to finish what he’d started.
She bit down on her lip as he spread her thighs apart and then sheathed himself inside of her with one hard, possessive thrust. It had, after all, been a long time since she’d had sex, and none of her previous partners had been anywhere near as big as Jackson.
Scarlett didn’t realize she was panting, practically gasping for air, until he cupped her cheek tenderly, his body remaining motionless as he gave her a bit of time to adjust to this unfamiliar intrusion.
“You okay, babe?” he asked, his voice husky but his expression as tender as she’d ever seen from a man.
She nodded, wriggling a little beneath him. “Yeah. It’s just been awhile, you know. I think the term muscle memory maybe doesn’t apply to uh, certain muscle groups.”
Jackson chuckled, giving her hipbone a gentle squeeze. “Smartass. You feel really tight, too, so we’ll take this first time a little easy.” He lowered his head to whisper in her ear, “Even though I’m so hard right now that I want to fuck you until you scream.”