“Baby, are you ok, what happened?” He kisses me all over my face, looking me over and holding me as if I might disappear. I do my best to answer.
“I’m ok Jackson, just groggy and my head hurts like a bitch!”
“Do you know who did this, did you see the person at all?”
“No, the last thing I remember is heading to my car. Everything else is a blur and then I woke up here.”
“Ok, I have an officer outside ready to take your statement. Are you up for it?”
“Yes, but there’s nothing to tell except what I already told you. I’m sorry I’m not much help.”
“It’s fine, we just have to document whatever you remember, so they can start the investigation. Are there cameras in your parking garage?”
“Yes, but I couldn’t park in my normal space, so I had to park in a corner and it’s a blind spot for the cameras.”
“Fuck! I want to look at them anyway to see if we can catch anything.”
Jackson turns to the girls and says, “are you ladies ok?”
“Physically yes, but I think we’re both pretty freaked out,” April says. We had no idea what to expect when we got here, and Chas had to threaten the nurse to let us back to see her.”
I laugh at that because that’s my girl. Never takes any bullshit and will not take no for an answer. I can just imagine that poor nurse not knowing what to do and just giving into Chas’s demands. I look over at her and smile. She comes over and makes Jackson move so that she can hug me.
“Don’t ever stay late by yourself again,” she says.
Giving her a reassuring smile, I say, “I promise I won’t. I just wish I knew who would do this to me and not take anything?”
The thought of it is scary and makes me wonder if it was Kennedy. She’s the only one that has issues with me right now. Would she do this over an award?
Jackson has a look on his face that I can’t read. I’ll ask him about it later because the doctor chooses that moment to come in. I have a slight concussion, a few bruises, and cuts. Other than that, I’m in perfect health. I sign my discharge forms and the girls help me get dressed to go home. Jackson offers to get my prescriptions and tells the doctor that he’ll make sure that I rest for a few days. I don’t argue, I need to be ready for Friday and I know that Steph and Charlene can handle everything at the office for a couple of days. So, I relent and let them all take care of me. I feel safe and I don’t worry knowing that Jackson will figure out who did this. Still, I have to wonder why someone would do this. I let sleep envelope me as we drive home and once there, Jackson insists on staying with me. He’s being so attentive and caring.
“Would you like a shower before bed, he asks?”
“That would be wonderful,” I say.
The water feels so good, washing away the tightness of my muscles as Jackson gently washes my hair and body. His hands bring comfort and the reassurance that he is right here with me and that he’s going to take care of me. The shower is over too soon and before I know it, he’s wrapping me in a towel and carrying me to bed.
“Crystal, I need to tell you something.”
He looks so serious and I don’t know what to think.
“I had no idea what to think when I got the call that you had been taken to the hospital. All I could think about was Mike and I felt like my heart was going to explode.”
I reach out and cup his face, encouraging him to continue. I could feel the emotions radiating from him and I can tell he’s struggling to form words.
“When I saw you in that bed, alive and ok, I knew that what I feel for you is real and I need to tell you that, I love you. I love you so fucking much that it’s scary. I know this seems too soon, but the thoughts that ran through my head as I was driving to the hospital scared me even more. You have brought so much into my life. You’ve awakened feelings that I swore to never feel for someone. It’s okay if you don’t feel the same way, but I just had to tell you.”
I place my fingers over his lips to stop him from talking. He’s relaying the words so fast, but I hold on to the three little words that I know will change the dynamic of our relationship. Three words that will shift my world and make me open myself up to everything that love brings. Ups, downs, hurt, vulnerability, so many things, but I’m so ready to feel all of that.
“Shh, baby, it’s okay because I love you too. I love you so much Jackson.”
“Yeah?”
Laughing, I say, “oh yeah.”
No other words are spoken as he captures my mouth in a gentle kiss that seals everything that we’ve promised with three words. Closing my eyes makes me dizzy, so I watch his facial expressions as he slowly kisses me. His eyes are relaxed yet filled with so much emotion.
“I need to be inside you,” he says.
I reach down and open my towel and lay back on the bed. Taking me by my hips he gently brings our bodies flush and I revel in the feel of his warmth. His eyes bore deep into my soul telling me that he wants me, he needs me, he is hungry for me. He licks across the crease of my mouth and I open to him. Biting my lip gently, he tugs it as I melt from the heat of the pain that he scores me with. He kisses down my body raining wet kisses over my burning flesh and spreads me wide. My core is clenching, hungry to grasp his thickness as thoughts of him being inside me take over and all I want is to feel him touching every inch of me. The cool air helps ease the burn, but it’s not enough. I want him inside me, and I try to be patient as his tongue takes one long stroke up my center. His eyes never leave my face and I feel a sense of abandonment as he takes me to that height of ecstasy that I never want to come down from. I’m falling fast as my breaths come in quick succession. The desire that this man pulls from me is unmatched and he refuses to let me come down, allowing this orgasm to ride on an endless wave of pure pleasure. He moves up my body and enters me swiftly, easily, and recklessly.
He commands my body again and we fall together into that blissful oblivion that he and I created. That special place that only he and I can dwell. Caressing my face, he whispers.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Chapter 18
Jackson
The sound of my phone invades my sleep and I feel Crystal stir next to me. Reaching over her, I grab the phone and see that it’s Javi calling.
“Hello?”
“Hey Jackson, how soon can you make it to the station?”
“I can be there in 30 minutes, let me just get Crystal settled and I’ll be on my way.”
“Okay, see you in a few.”
I hang up and jump in the shower, happy that I have a change of clothes here. When I come back into the room, Crystal is sitting up and besides looking a little pale, she seems to be ok. “Hey baby, how are you feeling?”
“My head is hurting so bad, but I’m sure it will feel better after I take my meds.”
I go over and gather her in my arms, kissing her gently on the cheek. She fits me so perfectly and the thought of ever losing her brings on a sense of sadness. She must have sensed this because she goes stiff. I’m caught off guard when she asks,
“Jackson, what was that look on your face yesterday at the hospital when the officer asked if I knew who could’ve done this to me?”