33. Kelley
33
KELLEY
J ackson rounds on me as soon as we’re outside. "Are you okay?"
I open my mouth but no words come out. The reality of what just happened threatens to crash over me. Sensing my fragility, Jackson cups my face in his hands.
"It's over now. You're safe." His voice is uncharacteristically gentle.
I nod weakly, afraid if I speak the floodgates will open. Jackson studies me a moment longer before dropping his hands with a sigh.
Even now, his rugged features make my heart skip. The warmth of his body so close makes my skin tingle. His strength and protectiveness wrap around me like a shield, at once comforting and exhilarating. No matter the turmoil between us, my body can't resist reacting to his commanding presence. He stirs a fire in my core I'm helpless to extinguish.
"Let’s get out of here,” he commands, gripping my hand with his.
"No, not yet" I whisper hoarsely.
Jackson looks torn, emotions warring on his face. His hand tightens on mine as he moves to guide me to his car. But I stop, my voice trembling but insistent, as I grab his hand and place it over my heart.
"Feel it. Listen. I didn't betray you."
My eyes implore him to believe me, tears streaking down my cheeks. "I love you, that's the truth. Why can't you see?"
Jackson's stoic mask cracks, anguish flooding his rugged features. His hand splays across my chest, feeling the frantic beat of my heart.
"Kelley..." he rasps, almost a plea.
"From that first moment in the alley, I felt it," I forge on desperately. "This connection between us. You have my whole heart, believe me."
Jackson searches my face, eyes roaming hungrily as if trying to etch every detail into memory. The hard lines of his face soften, raw emotion pouring out.
He’s swift, crushing me against his broad chest. I cling to him just as fiercely, overwhelmed with relief.
"I want to believe you."
I clutch his face between my hands, forcing his stormy eyes to meet mine. He wavers, years of barricaded emotions waging war behind his eyes. I held my breath, laid bare before him.
The moment stretches endlessly...until finally Jackson's defenses shatter. He captures my lips in a blistering kiss that steals the air from my lungs. I pour all my love into it, healing his battered spirit.
"We have to go," he says gruffly, the tenderness gone when he pulls away.
"Do you feel anything for me?" My voice breaks the silence, a whisper laden with hope and fear.
Jackson's shoulders tense. He pauses, a heavy sigh escaping him.
"I'm scared of love," he confesses, voice rough with suppressed anguish. "Everyone I've cared for has either betrayed me or been ripped away."
He steps closer, tentatively brushing a strand of hair from my face. I lean into his touch, my heart racing wildly.
"But with you...I want to try. I don't want to lose this." His admission hangs delicately between us.
Overwhelmed, I fling my arms around his neck. He stiffens in surprise before relaxing and circling me in his strong embrace. I feel his breath stir my hair as he whispers the words I've longed to hear.
"I love you."
The dam inside me bursts and I crush my lips to his, pouring all my pent-up longing and devotion into the kiss. He returns it fiercely, months of restrained passion igniting between us.
We break apart panting, foreheads pressed together. The significance of this moment sinks in, sealing our fates inexorably together.
"I love you too," I breathe, meaning it with my entire soul.
Jackson's answering smile lights up his rugged features. Gone is the simmering danger, leaving only tender reverence in its wake.
A relieved smile breaks across my face, mirrored by a tentative one on Jackson's, as the barriers between us start to crumble. The room seems brighter somehow, shadows receding to reveal new possibilities.
Jackson steps closer, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear with a feather-light touch that sends tingles across my skin. "I've been a fool," he murmurs, stormy eyes boring into mine.
"We both have," I reply, covering his hand with my own. "But not anymore."
Jackson searches my face as if seeing me clearly for the first time. I lay myself bare before him, no more walls or misgivings. His expression softens, doubt giving way to wonder.
With excruciating tenderness, he traces the line of my jaw, his rough fingertips leaving sparks in their wake. My knees go weak and I grasp his muscular arms to steady myself. We're so close I can see the flecks of green in his gray irises, beautiful and complex as the man himself.
"No more running," he vows, voice gravelly with emotion. "I want to make this work, Kelley. If you're willing..."
"Yes," I breathe without hesitation, joy welling up inside me. "Always yes."
Jackson's smile is like the sun emerging from behind clouds. He leans in slowly, giving me time to pull away. But I surge up to meet him, our lips meeting in a kiss that seals our newfound understanding.
My hands tangle in his dark hair and his strong arms encircle me like iron bands as we pour every suppressed emotion into the embrace. The outside world falls away until nothing exists but Jackson and I, together at last.
When we finally break for air, foreheads resting together, the atmosphere has shifted. A new partnership forged, unbreakable. The future, once uncertain, now looks bright with promise.
"No matter what comes, we face it together," Jackson murmurs, echoing my thoughts. I smile and pull him back to me, our lips reaffirming that solemn vow.