Safeguarding Kelly(27)
Author: Zoe Dawson

 

Cupping his hand against the angle of her jaw, he stroked her soft skin and brushed another soft kiss against her forehead. Smoothing down some wisps of hair, Jason rested his head against hers, a solemn, reflective feeling washing through him. He stared off into the darkness, then inhaled and said, gently caressing her jaw. “I really thought about what I want, now that I know my responsibility. I’m not going to leave you holding the bag.” His throat suddenly closed up on him and he tightened his hold on her face, hugging her head against the curve of his shoulder He had to wait for the tightness to ease, then he spoke, his voice husky with emotion. “Then there was you.”

 

Her head came up, and she stared at him, a stunned expression on her face. “What about me?”

 

A warped smile appearing, he tucked some loose hair behind her ear. “You were a force of nature. I never had a chance,” he said, his voice husky. “To be fair, I didn’t really want one.” She stared at him, and Jason ran his thumb down her cheek, a tight feeling unfolding in his chest. “I got run over and I wanted to be flattened.”

 

“Jason…”

 

He pressed his thumb against her mouth, trying hard to maintain the trace of a smile. “I knew I was in trouble the moment I laid eyes on you.” The tightness in his chest expanding, he shifted his gaze to her mouth as he drew his thumb along her lower lip. Clearing his throat, he stroked the corner of her mouth. “I knew I wasn’t going to be able to keep my hands off you. I was reckless and irresponsible. We both made mistakes.” He shifted to the fullest part of her mouth, his expression sobering. “You were my sweetest, best mistake,” he said, his voice gruff.

 

He looked up, something painful tugging at his heart when he saw the glimmer of tears in her eyes. Sliding his hand along her jaw until his fingers were buried in her hair, he drew her head down, the fullness in his chest making his throat cramp. He took her mouth in a soft, comforting kiss. Wrapping his fingers around the back of her head he held her still as he softly, slowly brushed his mouth back and forth across hers, tormenting her, tormenting himself. “You are so beautiful,” he whispered unevenly against her mouth. “All I could think about was getting you alone, getting inside you.”

 

Releasing a pent-up breath in a rush, Kelly slid her arms around his neck and moved on top of him. Closing his eyes against the onslaught of sensation, Jason turned his face against her and wrapped her in a hard, enveloping embrace, wondering how in hell he had ever managed without her. Grasping a handful of hair, he clenched his jaw and turned his head against her, something raw and wild breaking loose inside him. A tremor coursed through her, and she drew up her knees and pulled out of his hold, her hair cascading around her face as she rose above him. Realizing what was happening, realizing what she intended, he snatched her hand away. She twisted her wrist free, then drew his hand to her mouth and placed a hot, wet kiss against his palm. Lacing her fingers through his, she caught his other hand and repeated the hot erotic caress, then forced his hands down by his head. Another tremor shuddered through her, and she rose up, then lowered her weight on him, taking him deep inside her. Naked. Unprotected. Deep, deep inside her.

 

Breaking out in a cold sweat, Jason clenched his jaw against the sharp, electrizing surge of feeling, his shoulders coming up off the mattress as she moved once, twice against him. His heartbeat a frenzy in his chest, his pulse thick and heavy, he tightened his fingers through hers in a white-knuckle grip, turning his head against the pillow.

 

“Kelly…damn…babe. I can’t…protection.”

 

Bending over him, she stroked the palms of his hands with her thumbs, her breasts grazing his chest. “No,” she whispered brokenly. “No.” Another shudder coursed through her, and she tightened her hold on his hands her breath catching as she flexed her hips her hot, wet tightness gripping him, stroking him, drawing him closer and closer. “It’s safe. I’m on the pill. I don’t want anything between us.”

 

An agony of sensation shot through him, and he rolled his head again, the cords of his neck taut, and he sucked in a breath through clenched teeth. She urged him with her body, and he was on the verge of letting go of this hard ride.

 

Then she moved again, taking him ever deeper inside her and he went under, the fever claiming him. He groaned and flexed beneath her, driving inside her. She claimed him as he claimed her.

 

Trailers of a dream faded in his mind when Jason surfaced from sleep, half-conscious of a numbing weight on his arm. He shifted and stirred, a jolt of pain shooting through his shoulder, and he drowsily licked his lips and opened his eyes. The room was still dark, and Kelly was sound asleep, her head resting in the hollow of his shoulder, but he knew from his internal clock that it was early morning. He waited for the mental fog to clear a little, then he carefully drew her head onto his chest and flexed his hand against the pins-and-needles sensation. Scrubbing his face to rid himself of the last vestiges of sleep, he tucked his head and brushed a soft lingering kiss against her forehead, smiling a little when she made a soft sound and turned her face toward his warmth. If only things could be that simple.

 

Brushing back the wisps of hair clinging to her face, he kissed her again, then cautiously rolled his throbbing shoulder. Easing the tightness, he leaned forward and stuffed two pillows behind his shoulders, settling himself into a more comfortable position before resting his still-tingling arm along her hip. He stared into the darkness thinking about what had happened last night. He had received something from her that he had never expected. An emotional gift.

 

But what left his gut in a knot was the way they left it. He had said what he needed to say, what he needed to feel whole and right. Releasing a heavy sigh and feeling apprehensive, he gazed at her. Damn if she wasn’t full of surprises. He lightly brushed his thumb along her high cheekbones, then tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Remembering the galvanizing instant when she had taken him deep inside her, Jason tipped his head back and closed his eyes, fighting the urge to draw her up against him. He waited for the thick, heavy surge to ease a little, then took a deep steadying breath and glanced at the clock on the bedside table. Five o’clock.

 

She stirred when he eased away from her, and he leaned over and brushed a light kiss against her temple. “We wouldn’t want Kiko to catch us together,” he whispered gruffly. “I’m going in to work early. You go back to sleep.” He lifted her hair off her face, then drew the comforter over her shoulders. He waited until he was sure she was asleep, then eased his weight from the bed. Making as little noise as possible, he collected his clothes and the alarm clock, then went to the window and closed the blind.

 

He listened for any change in her breathing, then left the room, closing the door soundlessly behind him.

 

His expression somber, he went into the bathroom, looking at his reflection in the mirror over the sink as he turned on the taps. That fragile look on her face bothered the hell out of him. It was clear this whole situation was stressful, and it was a lot to assimilate in one short night.