Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
ELIZABETH
I t’s past midnight when we get back, and I am ecstatic to see the tree is still lit. I expected Mom and Dad to still be up waiting for me, but the windows are dark, and the curtains closed.
“Thank you for a wonderful dinner.”
Jayson leans over the console and kisses me. “Our night isn’t over yet.”
After helping me down from the truck, he opens the passenger door and grabs something from the back seat.
“What’s that for?” I ask when I see the swirled hand-blown glass jar.
“We’re going to capture some stars.”
“But there are no fireflies,” I reply, clearly misunderstanding.
He walks to our tree and plucks one of the origami stars from its string.
“For your jar collection. Every day, you can open one up and read it.”
“A daughter who has your eyes and your smile . ”
I run my hand across the flat of my stomach, a sudden burst of love for that future unknown child consuming me.
We take our time picking off the paper stars from the branches and placing them inside the jar. Since I’m wearing a dress, Jayson retrieves the ones that are higher up. Once we finish and the jar is full, he takes my hand and leads me into the backyard.
“Where are we going?”
“Patience.”
We enter the forest where we used to play. The sliver of moon casts faint light through the canopy of deciduous trees, but not enough for me to see more than a few inches ahead.
“This isn’t going to turn into some lame B-horror movie where clueless teenagers go out in the middle of the woods to make out and are attacked by a chainsaw-wielding mass murderer with a hook for his hand, is it?”
He grins. “Who says we’re making out?”
We stop at our old fort, the one Hailey and I built but belonged to me and my two princes. Memories of our days playing out here coalesce in my mind like a slideshow, one image after another.
Jayson uses the flashlight on his phone to light the rest of the way, and I immediately notice that something is different. New plyboard has been put up in place of the old fence boards that used to make up the walls of the fort.
“Stay right there.” He pulls aside a heavy tarp covering the entrance and disappears inside.
The inside of the fort starts to glow, and he says, “All right. Come in.”
Strands of fairy lights crisscross from wall to wall, like a sky full of stars, just like on our tree.
Amazed, I turn in a slow circle. “When did you do all of this?”
“Julien helped. I hope you like it.”
“I absolutely love it. But you may have put yourself at a disadvantage.”
He pulls me in for a slow dance. “How so?”
With our cheeks pressed together, we dance to the music of our heartbeats.
“How can you possibly top this?”
“I’ll show you.”
He slowly brings his hands to my face, tipping my chin up, thumbs rubbing gentle circles over my cheeks. The heated look in his eyes sends my pulse skyrocketing, but the way he kisses me has my core throbbing painfully with unfulfilled need.
I cling to his biceps and hold on for dear life, needing him to anchor me in the maelstrom assaulting my senses by his seduction.
Jayson touches his forehead to mine, his breath wispy puffs across my face.
“I love you so much.”
His mouth reclaims mine, his tongue sweeping inside.
This kiss is different than his others. Dangerous.
My body starts to float, lifted high on euphoric pulses of desire. I give myself over to the boy I have loved since I was six years old. I want to savor each second because I know what this is. A claiming. A promise of something more. Childhood best friends who are transitioning into lovers.
My hands latch on to the front of his shirt as my hunger grows like a wildfire out of control, and there is nothing to stop it. The feel of his hard body, muscles conditioned by years of swimming, has me eagerly pushing his suit jacket down his arms, fingers already at the buttons of his dress shirt.
One button, two, three, four, until I have released them all.
We break apart and clash back together. The smooth skin of his chest sends tingles through my fingertips as my hands roam his body with delight. Planting soft kisses as I go, my touch is demanding as I explore every inch of him. I lick my lips, tasting the saltiness of his skin. I take my time and relish my newfound exploration. Jayson remains motionless; the only movement is his chest heaving in and out with heavy, deep breaths.
“I love the way you look at me,” I say and nudge the straps of my bodice aside—first the right, then the left—letting him know without words that I want him. That every single part of me now belongs to him.
Jayson suddenly comes back to life, and without hesitation, spins me around and roughly pulls me flush to his bare chest. He slides the zipper of my dress down, trailing his fingertips along my spine. What takes just seconds seems like forever.
With a flick of his wrist, my dress falls to the ground and pools at my feet. Jayson presses his mouth to the juncture where my neck meets my shoulder and lightly bites down, like he’s hungry for me. Craves me.
His hands knead my skin as they move up my stomach to my breasts. My stomach muscles quiver, and I whimper when he treats my aching breasts with the same seductive massage.
Shadows move around the fort, creating a dreamlike ambience. He undoes my bra, then eases the straps, first one, then the other, down my arms. When it falls to the ground, I turn my head and seek his lips.
As our kiss consumes me, he trails feathery touches along the seam of my underwear, sliding a finger back and forth. Back and forth. Arousal trickles down my legs, followed by an explosion of goose bumps that scatters stardust everywhere he touches.
“Jayson,” I pant.
He turns me in his arms and drops to his knees, nuzzling my soft belly.
Jayson licks me from my pubis to my navel.
“Princess,” he murmurs against my skin.
My legs buckle when he slides down my underwear, puts his mouth on me, and consumes me.
I was already teetering on the edge of release, and it doesn’t take long for his tongue to bring me to orgasm. He drinks my release, my moans, drawing out every shudder. As if I weigh nothing, he lifts me in his arms and gently lowers me onto a blanket he must have laid out earlier. Too enthralled with the fairy lights, I hadn’t noticed it when I came in.
Raising to his full height, Jayson towers over me, his eyes worshipping my naked body sprawled out on the blanket, my long blonde hair fanning out like a halo around me.
“You are so goddamn gorgeous,” he proclaims, a fine tremor making his hands shake.
He removes his shoes and socks, then his trousers and underwear. I watch every piece of clothing come off, impatient to see his body.
Tanned skin kissed by hours spent in the sun every day, moonlight eyes, sexily tousled dark mahogany hair, and a chiseled physique that makes my damn mouth water.
I suck in a sharp breath when he fists his hard cock. Not letting the opportunity pass me by, I go to my knees and remove his hand so I can take over. My fingers curl around the thick girth of his cock. Jayson makes a guttural moan when I slowly drag my tongue up his length to the tip where a bead of liquid appears at the slit. I lick it off, tasting him, and go back for more.
“Jesus, fuck, wait,” he hisses, stepping out of reach.
Picking up his trousers, he fishes out a condom from his wallet.
“Not going to come in your mouth, baby. Tonight, I’m coming inside you.”
Joining me on the blanket, he pushes me onto my back and takes my face between his hands, staring into my eyes one last time before he brings our lips back together in a needy kiss. My legs open to accommodate him, and once I feel his hardness pressing against my pelvis, I wrap my legs around his hips.
When he tongues my breast, my back arches up for him, desperate for more. His hands are everywhere, pulling and pushing, guiding my body where he wants it, giving me pleasure wherever he touches. Every part of me is so overstimulated at this point, I’m a writhing, needy mess.
“Now. Please. Jayson,”I beg, digging my fingernails into his back.
Jayson lifts off me to grab the condom, and I whimper out a protest at the loss of him. He rips open the foil wrapper with his teeth and quickly rolls it on before dropping back down, arms on either side of my head, biceps flexing. I can see the vein in his neck throbbing, feel his heart pound against his chest in tune with my own. He reaches down between us and slides one finger inside me, testing my readiness for him.
“I love you, Liz.”
I brace for him, ready to invite him inside me and fill me completely.
He whispers to me, words fused with love that I don’t understand because my sole focus is on him. I throw my arms around his neck as he thrusts inside me, taking my innocence. There’s a pinch of pain, then a massive pressure at being invaded and stretched for the first time.
Jayson slowly rocks back and forth, his cock thrusting deeper, inch by excruciating inch.
“You feel so fucking good,” he groans between clenched teeth, sweat beading along his forehead.
“I need you to move,” I urge him as a sudden bolt of pleasure ignites my core when he slowly pulls out, then pushes back in.
“I don’t know how long I’m going to last, Liz. This feels too good.”
“We’ll have many more next times,” I tell him, using the words he said to me that Fourth of July after he gave me my first orgasm under the fireworks. “Don’t hold back.”
I open my legs wider and hook my ankles together, holding on tight for what I hope will be a rough ride.Screw slow and soft. I want hard.
Jayson takes my cue and pounds into me, punishing me with thrust after thrust. My eyes roll back, and I moan so loudly, I’m afraid the neighbors might hear us.
I always thought our first time would be gentle and sweet with quiet kisses and lazy touches. This is nothing like that. It’s rough and dirty and perfect.
His hard thrusts propel me higher and higher, catapulting me closer to that precipice I need to fall over so badly. Our mouths ravage each other, our kisses sloppy and wet. The sounds of our grunts and moans punctuate the night air as our bodies claim total possession over each other.
And then I detonate.
I watch in fascination as Jayson orgasms, groaning loudly. When he collapses on top of me, I bury my nose against his neck and brush kisses against his damp skin.
“Give me about ten minutes to recover,” he murmurs, his voice muffled against my hair.
I giggle, and he tugs the lobe of my ear with his teeth.
When he tries to roll off me, I pull him back.
“Don’t you dare move, Jayson Jameson. I want to feel you against me a little while longer.”
I don’t tell him my legs won’t work, and I wouldn’t be able to move right now if my life depended on it. I already feel sore in so many places, and it brings a smile to my face.
He smooths my hair back and kisses me tenderly—once, twice, three times, like he so often does.
I reach up to trace his eyebrows. “I’ll never look at this fort the same way again.”
He laughs, and the vibrations alert me that we’re still intimately connected.
“I need to get rid of this.”
He reluctantly pulls out and disposes of the condom.
We spend a few more hours in our forest fort, my promise of many more next times coming true before we make our way home just as the sun rises.