CHAPTER 11
“I’m nervous—excited. But also nervous.”
Jay raised a brow as he regarded me. “Decide, sweetheart. Are you nervous or excited?”
I squinted my eyes, blinded by the sun shining from the window behind him. “Why can’t I be both?” I replied, taking off my seat belt in a snap and settling myself on his lap, leaning against the window. “There, I could see you better now.” I planted a quick kiss on his nose, adorably red from the sun.
He groaned, digging his hands into my hips. “Fuck, you’re killing me.”
I smirked, wiggling my ass as I leaned forward and caught his lower lip between my teeth. “Hmm, I wonder why.”
“If you keep this up, you’ll end up on your knees.” His exploring hands escaped inside my hoodie, which was practically his, that I stole early this morning to hop on a plane to Seattle.
“I wasn’t complaining,” I retorted with a glance over my shoulders. “But what if someone sees?” Someone being the very pretty hostess who had been making eyes at my man ever since we entered the jet and interrupted us at any chance she got .
“So what?” His lips trailed along my jaw as a soft moan escaped my lips. My hands tightened around him, grounding my heated core against his tight zipper.
A throat cleared behind us, and I jumped back—it felt like a douse of cold water was being splashed on my face.
“Mr. Jameson, would you like the steak or chicken for lunch, sir?” Her overly sweet voice grated my nerves. This was the fourth time she interjected herself in the past hour.
I twisted my head, narrowing my eyes as I took in her blatant disregard for me. Her blue eyes were solely fixed on him, gawking as she adjusted her golden hair.
My blood boiled despite the coldness in the air. “My boyfriend and I would like some privacy,” I said before Jay could say anything. “For the rest of the flight.”
Her rounded eyes kept volleying between Jay and me, but she didn’t say a word. Almost as if she was waiting for him to confirm my request.
I gritted my teeth. “Do I need to repeat myself?”
A flush swept over her face. “No, ma’am. I understand.” And with that, she sashayed out of there with a little less sway than the last time.
“Oh, and please keep the curtains drawn,” I called out as I watched her trembling fingers and sneery lips secure the curtains closed.
“Can you believe her?” I bit under my breath as I turned my eyes to him.
He was looking right at me with a full-blown grin and eyes shining with something akin to pride.
Pink bloomed on my cheeks as my heartbeat picked up a notch. “What? ”
“That was hot.”
“It wasn’t supposed to be, but can you blame me?” I frowned when his grin only spread wider. “Did I overstep?” I asked suddenly, feeling as though I might have. I wasn’t the one to speak out like that—direct confrontational speech was a big no-no for me.
“Baby, you standing up for yourself and commanding respect is not overstepping.” He held my cheek and pressed his lips to mine in a fevered kiss.
I smiled, drawing back.
In a swoop, he lifted us both to his feet, and I clutched him tighter, confused.
“It’s time to break out the mile-high card,” he said, carrying us past a snoring Strawberry toward the back room.
“Now?” My eyes widened.
“Isn’t that why you sent the kind hostess away?”
“She was anything but kind.”
As soon as we entered the room, he dropped me like a heap on the soft bed that bounced under my weight as I scrambled to a seat.
“Now strip and kneel for me,” he commanded, and the air in the room instantly charged with tension.
Goose bumps broke out on my skin from the deep timbre in his voice. “What?” I muttered, my throat going dry when he peeled off his T-shirt and threw it aside. All my earlier bravery faded away.
In the bedroom, he took charge, and I never argued. The man knew what to do, and he did it well.
The room was lit in a golden glow, illuminating every inch of his flawless skin .
My eyes went straight to the massive fire-breathing wyvern on his chest.
“Why the dragon?” I asked to distract from his brazen demand. It had been on my mind for a while anyway, but I never questioned it.
He smirked, catching onto me. “Why don’t you take off your clothes, and I’ll tell you?”
Something about the lack of bedroom shadows and the room’s brightness made me self-conscious even though this man had seen everything.
But I nodded, my shaking fingers gripping the end of my hoodie, and pulled it over my head. A chill ran through my spine when I kicked off my sweatpants and knelt in the center of the bed in just my undies.
A sharp inhale hissed out of my lips as his eyes ran over every crevice of my body. I had to squeeze my thighs together to suppress the throb pulsing in my clit.
“Good girl. As for the tattoo, look here.” He pointed at the center of his chest.
Pressure formed between my brows as I studied it intently. Nothing looked peculiar. It was just a dragon that was heavily detailed, the scales and the flame almost lifelike as it rested on his skin.
“I don’t see anything.”
“Look closer,” he said, stepping forward.
His chest was barely an inch away from my eyes, but I still couldn’t see anything. “I don’t…” My words caught in my throat as I looked up at the hungry look in his eyes.
A shiver wrecked me when his single long finger caught the strap of my bra. “Strip it all, and I’ll tell you. ”
Swallowing, I did as he commanded. Only the sound of my ragged breath filled the quiet of the room.
He leaned over when his finger tugged my nipple, almost twisting it off my skin, and whispered in my ear. “There’s a smaller dragon in the center if you look closely.”
A loud, breathless moan left my lips as I took in his tattoos in a new light. “What about it?” I asked, staring at it with glazed eyes.
“It spells out your initial.”
Shocked, I traced my eyes over the intricate body shape, and it did very well spell out E, but you wouldn’t know unless you looked closely.
“Why?” I asked in disbelief at the thought that he had my name tattooed on his heart. We weren’t together at that time—he hated me then. Does that mean he really did love me all along?
“My heart belongs to only one, Evelyn.”
I exploded into a million little pieces at that statement. “Why the dragon?”
“Dragons can symbolize unconditional love. A balance between the masculine and feminine. In a way, I thought the big one would represent me and the smaller one you. An ode to our love in a sense.”
I felt so much love at that moment that I had no idea what to say.
He nuzzled his face into my neck, pushing me back against the bed as his weight settled over me. “Now that my girl has denied me lunch, I look forward to eating her out instead.”
Air dissipated from the lungs as desire seized my body.
He did exactly as he promised for the rest of the flight while my body zapped in pleasure .
“Sweetheart, time to go.”
I groaned, burying my cheek into the soft heat beneath my head.
“We’re going to land. So get your sweet ass up.”
My eyes shot open. “What!?” I sat, startled. Only to realize that we were still on the jet, and I wasn’t wearing a thing under the thin sheet laid over me.
“How long do we have left?”
“Like two minutes,” he replied, casually leaning against the bed, fully dressed.
I sprang to my feet, gaining momentum at the last minute as I dug around for my bra and panties, which were strewn across the floor. “Why didn’t you wake me up earlier?”
He lifted a shoulder, watching me with mirthful eyes while I struggled with my bra hook. Uh, giving up, I dragged my sweatpants over my legs while I gave him a side-eye.
With a grin, he sauntered toward me, slipping behind as he held me still with a warm grasp on my waist. “Here,” he whispered while he hooked my bra.
“Thanks,” I mumbled, ignoring the tingles running through my body.
Within minutes, we were descending and touching the ground.
Jay carried the bags while Strawberry and I headed out of the cabin. The pretty hostess whose name I’d already forgotten didn’t even make eye contact as I walked past her, exiting the aircraft. Not like I cared. Making eyes at another woman’s man was the pettiest thing a girl could do—I hoped she learned her lesson.
Sighing, I stepped out, and a cold breeze swept across my face. I smiled as I tilted my chin to the grayness smothering the sky. The clouds were ready to burst out anytime now.
“Come on.” Jay laced his fingers with mine and guided us to the big black car with tinted windows and a curious Strawberry following us.
“Hey, Tyler.” I nodded as he held the car door open for me. He only gave me a chin lift, which I was used to at this point. Strawberry jumped in, immediately settling herself in the back seat with her nose stuck to the window.
“Are you still nervous and excited?” Jay asked, his eyebrows knotted as he gazed at me.
“Hmm, kinda,” I mumbled against his chest as Tyler drove us to Bellevue. “I feel nervous because I’m not sure how I’ll feel once I get there. You know that house wasn’t just about you and me. It was about Auntie M too.”
“And excited because?”
“I get to relive my teenage dream with you all over again.”
His lips twitched as he planted a quick kiss on my lips. “If that involves you being naked all the time, then I’m down.”
“Ass,” I muttered, settling back in his arms.
It was pouring wildly by the time we made it to Bellevue, and it was only when I stepped out and peered at the worn-down blue house that I remembered why I was here. It struck me that I hadn’t thought about the paparazzi incident, and that would’ve been a different case if it had happened a few months ago. I guess I was sinking into this new version of myself much better than I thought .
“You ready?” Jay questioned with a smile as he stood by the door.
I pulled my jacket closer and replied, “Yes,” as I climbed up to the porch.
Jay’s soft blues locked on mine. “Here.” He handed me the key dangling on a pink strawberry keychain.
Sucking in a deep breath, I traced my fingers over the cold metal. “Back to square one, huh?”
“Or”—Jay cocked his head—“beginning of an end.”
“End?” I muttered, turning the key in the lock and drawing the door open.
“End to the pain and suffering.”
“That sounds good,” I absentmindedly replied as I stepped in.
My eyes immediately took in the modern decor on the inside. It looked exactly like it did all those years ago, with pale pink walls, wooden flooring, dark furniture, and low-lit yellow lights. The only difference was that everything was brand new and polished.
“I had this place restored,” Jay commented just as Tyler set our bags by the door and vacated with yet another chin lift.
“Incredible,” I mumbled, turning straight to the bedroom downstairs. Swallowing the thick lump down my throat, I twisted the knob with clammy hand.
Everything was exactly how she left it, only now vacant and lifeless. My feet dragged on their own accord to the little spot facing the window, and just like I predicted, the floor creaked under my foot.
A watery smile curved my lips as the memory of Auntie M and I crouched on this floor, trying to fix the floorboard and failing terribly popped into my head. Instead, we got takeout and pigged out on the couch watching Grey’s Anatomy . Shaking out the wave of nostalgia, I realized I was no longer sad at that memory and was finally accepting the truth that she was gone.
I traced a lone finger on the edge of the windowpane, taking in the sense of peace and calm outside, unlike the constant buzz of the city.
I’m back home, Auntie M.
Taking a moment of silence, I bid her goodbye and softly closed the door behind me.
“You good?” Jay wrapped his arms around me, holding my head to his chest.
“Better than I’ll ever be.”
“Why don’t you take a shower, and I’ll grab us something to eat?”
A cheeky grin tugged my lips. “Why don’t we shower together?”
“You act like I didn’t just fuck you all the way here,” he whispered as he trailed his lips down my neck.
The thud in my heart intensified as I jumped on him. “Take me anyway.”
“Gladly.” His lips captured mine in a breathless kiss as we bounded up the stairs, crashing into my teenage bedroom.
Within seconds, we took off our clothes and jumped under the steady stream of the shower, naked with his lips still sealed with mine.
My lungs were gasping for air by the time our lips parted.
“Turn around and hold on to the wall.” His hands dug into my waist while his thumb roamed over my diamond-hard nipples, feathering light touches on the tip .
“No, I want to see your face.” My fingers threaded through his long raven locks, almost pulling it out from its roots.
“Listen to what I said.” His teeth caught the shell of my ear. “Or you’re not getting any of this.” His throbbing hard, thick cock glistening with pre-cum stood proudly under my attention.
With heavy eyes, I twisted around and splayed my palms flat on the tile. His hands dropped from my hips, and only the sound of the hitting water followed.
Confused, I spun around, but he hooked a finger under my chin. “Eyes on the wall if you want me, sweetheart.”
A thick knot lodged up my throat, but I nodded. The thought of him standing there and doing nothing made my knees shake and my core pulse with need. I rubbed my thighs together to ease some of the ache.
“Keep your legs spread wide,” he demanded, squeezing my inner thighs apart.
“But Jay.” My voice cracked.
“Shh. You can do it.”
With each second turning to minutes, my breaths came out in rasps, and my cunt was dripping.
What the hell was he doing?
My mind was blank from the rising tension, but the intimacy of the moment was killing me.
Here I was, hands on the wall with my legs spread wide but he still wasn’t doing a thing.
The connection between us without even his touch on my skin was burning and smoldering .
Moments of agony later, he dragged a slow finger along the beads of sweat collected on the small of my back, and a shivering chill ran along my spine from the faint brush.
A loud moan escaped my lips.
His fingers dropped as fast as they came.
“Please,” I complained in a wild whine.
“Hmm,” he whispered, his lips traveling down the length of my neck. His two hands trailed up from the curve of my waist to my heavy, aching breasts.
He palmed the weight of them, squeezing and playing, carefully avoiding my nipples and the hungry ache between my thighs.
“Jay. Please, I want you,” I spurted through my labored breaths.
“All in good time, baby.”
And with that, he flung me around, and my back jolted against the tile. I screamed when his lips captured my nipple, sucking, biting, and laving, pulling harder with his teeth. Electric agony flooded my blood with the feel of his rough stubble and teeth grazing the hard edges.
Desperate for a release, my fingers trailed downward, but he caught them. “No touching,” he commanded, crossing both my arms above my head while he continued to torture my nipples, curling and twisting his tongue and teeth all over them again and again.
And the dam inside me broke. It was unlike anything I’d ever felt, almost like my skin was being wired alive with pleasure and my nerve endings being snapped.
“I didn’t know you could come like that,” I rasped, coming down from the high .
Jay gave me a devilish grin, lifting me off my feet. “Delayed gratification and sensual pleasure.” My eyes fogged when he sank into me, my pussy stretching to accommodate his length. “Now I want mine,” he stated when his pubes met my clit, and I groaned from the pressure.
I locked my arms tighter around him; my ankles crossed on his back.
His hands fanned over my ass, raising me till only the tip of his cock remained before he slammed me down.
A bloodcurdling scream echoed off my chest while he repeated it over and over again . His grunts were like music to my ears, the sound so hauntingly sexy. He kept his unrelenting pace while I rocked to his thrusts, our eyes on each other just like I asked.
“I love you, Jay.” My voice was laced with honesty and truth.
“I love you more, sweetheart.” His nose touched mine.
My toes curled when the curve of his cock hit the spot inside me, and everything in my body snapped along with his. A loud grumble vibrated off his chest while he spilled his seed. The rush of his warm heat made my pussy spasm harder against his length.
The moment felt otherworldly and transcendent.
Every single cell in my body felt sated by the time our heartbeats lowered. I slumped against him, holding him tight.
“I don’t think I can walk.”
“Then I’ll carry you.”
“What if I can’t walk for the rest of my life?”
“Then I’ll carry you for the rest of my life.”
Even though we were joking, I knew he would.
Carry me for the rest of my life without me even asking .
That was who he was—the man I loved.
After the boiling shower, pruned and sated, and after we fed Strawberry, Jay and I drifted to a late afternoon slumber, too exhausted for anything else.
It was only when my stomach rumbled that we got dressed and ventured downstairs.
Strawberry immediately jumped up from the couch upon my presence. Barking loudly, she settled her weight over me. No longer the cute puppy that I could carry, my heart ached at how fast she was growing. But she was the happiest dog on the planet, and I wasn’t complaining as long as she was healthy.
“Hey, girl. Miss me?” I curled my fingers along the soft fur behind her ears, a spot that always made her go all gooey, and she sighed happily, nuzzling her head in my lap.
“I know, I know, you’re my good girl, aren’t you?” I scrubbed her fur harder, and she gave me a cute little bark like she agreed. “But a spoiled girl, too!”
“Tyler got us some Mexican food,” Jay called out, heading to the kitchen with two huge brown paper bags.
“Yum,” I replied before turning my attention back to the girl in my lap, peering at me with her soft brown eyes. “Did you hear Daddy? Are you ready for dinner?”
Woof.
“Do you like this place? Mommy met Daddy here. We used to be stupid kids back then. But we’re all grown now, right?”
Woof.
“Daddy used to be a naughty boy. But I think he’s naughtier now.”
Woof .
“Why does it feel like you girls are talking about me?” Jay pressed a soft kiss on my lips as he handed me a plate of enchiladas that almost scalded my hand before I placed it on the mountain of fluffy blanket by the side.
I laughed. “We are not talking about him, are we, girl?”
Woof. Woof.
Jay rolled his eyes and swooped her up from my lap, which made her go into an excited barking frenzy that got louder when he set her down.
She whined but, upon seeing her bowl full, ignored him and ran to scarf down her meal.
The smile never left my face when he dropped next to me, leaning his head on my shoulder as he enclosed his heavy arms around my waist under the blankets.
“Aren’t you eating?” I asked, taking in a bite and immediately moaning at the hit of fresh tomatoes, cheese, and chicken.
“I’ll eat later,” he mumbled.
I frowned. “You haven’t had anything since morning. You need to eat.”
“No. This is nice.” His eyelashes touched the tops of his cheeks as his eyes lulled closed.
“You’re being a child,” I muttered. Forking in a big bite, I fed it to him. “Eat this.”
Without even opening his eyes, he ate it, and we spent the next few minutes just like that, one bite for him and me until we polished off our plates.
“Jay, this movie is so boring,” I complained halfway through the film we put on after dinner. It was almost an hour in, and the two main characters hadn’t even met. “Like, do you see this? What was the director thinking? How are they going to fall in love if they haven’t even seen each other? Who cares about their backstories?”
A frustrated sigh left my lips when the female main character started arguing about something. When no reply came, I tilted my chin to peer at Jay. He was staring holes into the ceiling with his brows furrowed, his index finger tapping wildly on his thigh.
I shook his shoulder that I was lying on, trying to pull him out of his deep thoughts. “Jay, are you even listening to what I’m saying?”
“Hmm.”
“That’s not an answer.”
He gave me a side-eye with a smile dancing on his face. “What’s the problem now?”
“What were you thinking about?” I asked, ignoring his question. My heart started to pick up a beat as worry swum through my gut, thinking the worst. In our story, anything was possible.
“Just a melody that’s been stuck in my head.” He traced a soft thumb on my cheek.
A whoosh of relief swept away the tension from my body.
His smile deepened. “What is it that you were complaining about?”
“The movie.” I shrugged. “It doesn’t matter now. I don’t want to watch it anymore.”
“Okay,” he replied, his eyes still latched on mine. The glowing glint in them made my heart all mushy.
A blush sneaked its way up my cheeks, and I quickly darted my eyes to the lone thread unraveling from the edge of the blanket. “Is the outside world still saying crappy things about me?” I asked in a desolate whisper.
It was tempting to read the countless comments and articles written about me.
All degrading lies and baseless rumors.
Since Jay had put out a statement that none of it was true and that I had been his girlfriend for years, his fans had been coming to my defense, which I never expected.
It was overwhelming that a bunch of strangers were defending my honor. But it still didn’t stop the media from tearing me down.
I felt him still from my question. “Have you been reading them? I told you not to.”
“I haven’t. I’m just asking.”
“I told you not to worry your pretty little head about it. They’ll keep saying things until the next fascinating news jumps on their radar.”
I nodded. “You sure they won’t bother us here?” I instinctively looked out the window. Even though the curtains were drawn closed, monsters still could be lurking.
“They won’t. Tyler has doubled security, and I won’t let anything happen to you. Understand?” His voice was laced with assurance and an undercurrent of unyielding promise. “Plus, everyone knows us here, and they are not going to say a thing.”
“Okay,” I agreed. It was home, and the peace that came with it silenced my mind.
“I’m sorry it played out the way it did.”
I gave him a soft smile. “I told you it wasn’t your fault. ”
“Downside of the job.” He let out a sharp inhale before the seriousness in his eyes vanished. “Do you want to watch another movie or go to bed?”
“Bed sounds amazing, but I was thinking of something else.”
“Wonder what that was?” His lips tugged in a sly grin, reading my mind like a pro.
Like he knew all the dirty thoughts running through my head, I had become a horny fool lately.
Partly, I wonder if it was because I was rediscovering my sexuality as an adult, and I was comfortable exploring that with a man I trusted with all my heart. It was empowering in a way.
Feigning braveness, I asked, “How about we christen every inch of this house, again? ” I licked my lips as the air coursed with tension with each ticking second.
His grin widened. “Considered it job done.”
I shrieked when he suddenly pulled my leg, and my back crashed on the couch. Spreading my knees, he settled his weight over me.
“Let’s start with the couch.”
I burst out laughing, but that laughter died in its wake when his lips met mine.