Chapter 27 Cal
Come Monday, my brain was distracted with thoughts of seeing Jack, and he snuck right up on me as I stored books I wouldn’t need for first period.
“What’s the grin for?” he asked in an amused voice near my ear.
The grin in question spread. “Everything feelin’ okay”—I glanced to his crotch, hoping he understood I was asking about his ass, then smirked—“Princess?”
Jack left my house in the pre-dawn hours Saturday morning. I hadn’t seen him since, and the time between felt like weeks. The struggle to keep my hands off him now, to keep this G-rated at school, was real.
He turned, leaning his back against the closed lockers, but faced toward me, eyes glittering and mischievous.
“Yeah. I’m actually wondering if I dreamed it all.
Might need a repeat fairly soon to remind me.
” He glanced around us. “Remind me how it felt having that thick cock of yours rearranging my insides.”
I closed my locker and propped on my shoulder so I faced him. “Was that you askin’ for it again?”
“I was pretty obvious.” He tilted his head closer and lowered his voice. “Every time I clench, I miss you being there.”
I licked my lips. Jack seemed relaxed with hands in his pockets, but he scraped his teeth over one corner of his mouth, lips twitching, before he smoothed into his normal indifference.
“Later,” I said. “And you won’t forget this time.”
Jack sucked both lips between his teeth and lowered his eyes to the ground. God, he was sexy as fuck when he did that. It had never been a shy thing with him. No, him lowering his eyes had been more like a secret thing, a private thing. Now, I was part of his mystery.
“Get a room, ladies,” Ty said as he shoved between us.
Neither of us was bothered at the interruption, our grins and silent conversation continuing.
Ty adjusted the strap on his shoulder and slammed a hand against the metal as he leaned in my face. “Don’t get all stupid, Cal. Everyone in this hallway just saw you eye-fucking each other.”
Students glanced at us in passing, and a few girls stared our way, but that could’ve been for any number of reasons. He was right, though. Now wasn’t the time to be stupid. No matter how much I wanted to claim Jack publicly—or apparently how much he taunted me to do it—I respected what he needed.
“Text later,” I said as I turned away from Jack and his brother, then promptly froze in Sasha’s icy glare. Her narrowed eyes bounced between Jack and me.
Sasha had been nice and quiet for a week, but I’d been a fool to think she was done with me.
As I resumed walking, heading for class, Sasha darted away from her friends and stopped right in front of me.
“Since when are you and the Rutledge boys so friendly?”
I sighed and hitched my bag on my shoulder. “Why?” Shit. I should’ve just ignored her or said something that wouldn’t be anything she could go on about.
“Why?” Sasha huffed and tossed her long hair. “The entire school was at war with you two in the center, or have you forgotten, like you forgot about us?”
“Sasha …”
Maybe she heard the warning in my tone, but the annoyed furrow of her brow lifted with a curl of her red lips. “I could remind you,” she said and raked her nails over my abs. “We had fun, Cal. We could again.”
I sucked in my torso to ger her hand off me when I really wanted to grab her wrist and fling it. She dared touch me like she’d been sweet the last year? I didn’t have any scars to prove it, and the bruises always faded, but she’d been—mean.
Jack punched me.
I shook my head at the stray thought. It was different. Sasha had hurt me as if she wanted to put me in my place. Jack had … He’d riled me up to show me how strong I could be. Totally different.
“No, I don’t need remindin’ of anything.”
Her expression fell, only to be replaced a second later with rage. I should’ve stopped there. I should’ve walked away.
“It hadn’t been fun,” I hissed, lowering my head and voice, stupidly hoping no one would hear us in the middle of the hallway. “And besides, I’m with someone else.”
She widened her eyes, shaking now, but I wasn’t done. I lowered farther, getting next to her ear. Sasha clamped her small hands around my forearms.
“I can’t prove it, but I think you swooped in when you did so you could manipulate me.
I had shit going on, and you were there, showin’ me something better, easier, different to focus on, but only so I’d be caught.
You wanted a toy, a plaything, and it took me too long to see it.
” I leaned away so I could read her face.
“I’m not yours anymore, so get your fuckin’ hands off me. ”
Miraculously, she let go. If that was all it took, I should’ve told her I was with someone else to start with. Maybe then she would’ve moved on already.
I stepped around her, leaving Sasha silent and stunned, and didn’t look back. Neither the clip of her heels nor the whine of her voice followed me.
Fucking finally.
Of course, the day wasn’t over, and we had classes together, but fortunately, Jack texted, making all things better.
Princess
What did she say?
Don’t be jealous.
Princess
I’m not jealous because I know you’re mine.
WHAT DID SHE FUCKING SAY?
I snorted and grinned as I typed a brief rundown of the conversation, basically telling him she wanted me back, and I said no.
Princess
Fuck her.
Would rather not.
Princess
Fuck me then.
Planning on it.
Classes came and went, Sasha was forgotten, and no matter how hard I tried, nothing came into focus until three o’clock when Jack jumped in my truck.
I drove us around town as we talked about Thanksgiving break next week, cringing when we briefly mentioned meeting my parents.
I’d thought about asking him to come over for the holiday.
He’d run interference from family drama, and I could get the introductions out of the way.
Probably not a great idea, though. We as a we were still new, and even though I was buzzing inside about how things had changed between us, nothing had changed at home.
Jack didn’t need to be around any of that.
Once the sun drooped in the sky, I made my way to the small parking lot by the lake. As secluded from the main road as it was, with a thick row of trees and a worn-out overhead light that kept the shadows dark, it was perfect for hookups.
We kicked off our shoes and laughed as we squeezed between the seats to get to the backseat. There wasn’t much more space, but without the center console, it made things a little easier.
As I yanked my socks off with sexually frustrated huffs and growls, Jack stopped me in my tracks with both hands cupping my jaw and brows drawn together.
“All jokes aside, you’ll tell me if Sasha continues to be a menace, right?”
I blinked, unsure how to respond. Pride and shame lay heavily on my shoulders where she was concerned, and I’d shared more of it with him than anyone else. It hadn’t been so bad when he acted jealous and a little unhinged about it, but his obvious distress was uncomfortable.
“I think it’s over. I told her I was with someone, and she was speechless.”
“You really think that’ll stop her?”
I shrugged and shot my socks over the seat as if they were basketballs. “I dunno, but I’m hopin’ so.”
“Well, if she doesn’t …” he prompted with a roll of his hand.
“Fine, fine. Yes, I’ll tell you, but don’t do anything, okay?”
He cocked his head.
“She came after you once already. It’s better if she only bothers me.” I palmed the back of his neck and brought his forehead to mine. “She was my mistake. I’ll figure it out.”
“I want to help.”
“You do.” I breathed in his cologne and nosed his cheek, then his ear. “Ever since we met, even when I didn’t realize it then, you were helpin’ me get through it all along.”
“I’m still here, though. As much as you don’t want me involved, I don’t want you to do it alone.”
I nodded. “Yeah,” I said, choking on the word. “Yeah, I get it.”
When I moved to his neck, leaving soft pecks on his skin, Jack moaned, then grabbed my shirt.
We hastily undressed, trying to get as close as possible, skin on skin, without raising our lips from each other, without disconnecting completely.
“God, I need you,” Jack whispered.
I grabbed his jaw in one hand and pulled him closer with the other, kissing him hard and loading it with all my frustrations over the things we couldn’t control and over yearning for this moment since the last time I had him alone.
With our gasps filling the silence, foreheads together, I took a gulp of air and said, “Ass up, Princess. I’ve been cravin’ you all fuckin’ day.”