16. Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Sixteen
Robert
“What is this place?” I asked, looking around after the hostess had seated us at our table.
Jackson smiled at me over his menu. “It’s an adult arcade. Brendan told me about it and I thought it would be fun. If you’d rather go somewhere else, we can. We can go to the steakhouse again, if you want.”
Taking in the casual atmosphere, the noise all around us; games pinging, pool balls clacking together, classic music from the brightly colored jukebox in the corner, all I could think was how amazing this place was. And how much Jane would have hated it.
Snorting, I looked at the menu options. “If they’d even let us back into that steakhouse. ”
“I’m sure you’re not the first omega to go into heat there,” Jackson assured me, lowering his voice so the table next to us couldn’t hear. There was pure fire in his eyes though, as if he was remembering those nights.
Putting my menu down because I knew what I wanted, I shook my head. “I like this place. I think Wyatt’s mentioned it before. He and his friends come here.”
Jackson looked around. “It looks fun. And no kids running around.” He winced, “I love my son, don’t get me wrong, but places like Chuck E. Cheese are my own version of hell.”
Smiling wistfully, I told him, “I don’t know. I always thought it would be nice to have had a birthday party for Wyatt in one of those places.” At the look of horror he shot me, I laughed. “Okay, maybe not.”
A petite server came over to take our drink orders, a beer for Jackson and a glass of house red for me.
“The bacon cheeseburger looks good,” Jackson told me, but I wrinkled up my nose.
“I’m going for the grilled chicken sandwich.” Picking the menu back up, I said, “Though one of these adult shakes looks really good. But I shouldn’t.”
“Why not?” he wanted to know, flagging down our server. “May we change our drink orders?”
“Absolutely,” she told us cheerfully, pen poised on her pad .
“Jackson, no,” placing my hand over his, I implored him with my eyes, “I shouldn’t. But you go ahead.”
“Baileys or something stronger?” He completely ignored my protests.
“Baileys. Chocolate and baileys.” I gave in, because it sounded good, and Jackson made me not worry about calories or the extra weight I carried in my soft belly.
“Two, please,” he smiled brightly at our server, who hurried off to change our orders. Picking my hand up, he turned it over and placed a kiss on my palm. That kiss shot straight to my dick, and I fidgeted in my chair. By the knowing gleam in his heated gaze, he knew exactly what he was doing to me. “No more worrying about your weight.”
“I wasn’t.” I denied, looking away from him for a second.
“You were, and I want you to stop it. You’re absolutely stunning just the way you are. Did I not make you feel beautiful during your heat?”
Cheeks heating, I did look away from him then, staring at the row of video games running along the length of the wall. “You did, yes.”
“Because you are. Beautiful.” He kissed my palm again. “Stunning.” Another kiss. “Sexy.” Another kiss.
My skin heated right along with my cheeks, and somehow I forgot all my protests. Because when an alpha as stunning as Jackson was telling me he found me all those things, I wanted to believe him, if only for a few hours .
Our server brought our shakes, and I took a sip while Jackson ordered for the both of us. The shake was cool, the ice cream good, and the baileys gave it a nice flavor that warmed me on the way down.
“Good?” Jackson asked, his eyes glued to my lips sucking the shake up through my straw.
Nodding, I sucked harder, then ran my tongue a little down the side of the straw.
I swore I heard Jackson moan, and I couldn’t help the impish little grin I gave him. “I’d better slow down before I give myself a brain freeze.”
“Uh-huh,” Jackson murmured, finally taking a sip of his own drink. “Oh, that’s good.”
We made small talk while waiting for our food to arrive. I told him a couple anecdotes about the kids at the daycare and assured him that Aiden seemed to be enjoying himself and making friends. He told me he was really enjoying his job, even if it was something completely different than he was used to.
He told me that Aiden’s birthday was next week, and I nodded. Aiden had been telling all of us about his upcoming special day, as he was very excited.
“The day after,” Jackson told me, “we’re flying home to Connecticut. My folks and Levi’s mom want to throw him a small, family party. My brother and sister, their mates, and my nieces and nephews. We’ll come home on Monday. ”
A pang of…something hit my gut, and I pushed it away. Why did it feel like I was going to miss Jackson while he was gone? That was silly. And he was just going for a long weekend, to see his family. I had no hold on him. Not really. There was no reason to feel anything at all over him leaving town.
“That will be fun for you both, I’m sure,” I said, deciding I wasn’t going to think too hard on whatever it was I was feeling right then. “Aiden is very excited for his birthday.”
Jackson grinned, “Turning five apparently is quite the big deal.”
Our server approaching our table stopped my reply, and instead I moved our drinks to make room for our food.
“We’ve just opened a miniature golf course,” our server told us, sitting our food in front of us. “If you want to play after you eat. Just go out that door,” we looked to the corner she pointed at in the far corner, “and you can pay there. It’s pretty fun and we’re hoping people enjoy it.”
“Thank you,” I nodded, dipping one of my crispy fries in my ketchup. “We’ll check it out.”
Jackson took a bite of his burger, groaning as he chewed. “This is a good burger. Nice and greasy.”
We ate in silence for a few minutes, then Jackson said, “I can’t remember the last time I played mini-golf. Maybe when I was a teenager. ”
Waggling my brows, I told him confidently, “I bet I kick your ass.”
“Ohhh really, Mr. Cooper?” he popped a fry in his mouth. “That sounds like a dare.”
“A triple dog dare.”
“Good golfer, are you?”
I laughed. “Not really. I’m actually pretty terrible. I’m horrible at driving the ball, but I’m great at putting. I figure that will come in handy.”
Jackson pointed a fry at me. “Challenge accepted.”
Pursing my lips, I tapped them with my finger. “What do I get when I beat you?”
“Hmmm,” Jackson hummed, “let’s see. If I win, you agree to go out with me again.”
“And when I win?” I countered.
“You agree to go out with me again.”
Throwing my head back, I laughed loudly. “You’re a tough negotiator.”
“It’s been said,” he leaned back in his chair smugly. “What would you like if you win?”
Thinking for a minute, I tried to think of what I did want. “When you take me home tonight?”
Jackson leaned in, his voice low, “Yeah?”
“I want us to shift together,” I told him. “I want to meet your croc, properly. If you think you can control yourself, since apparently my scent makes your croc go wild.” Rolling my eyes, I still found the notion of my scent causing havoc absolutely ridiculous.
Jackson’s eyes were heated. “I can control myself. It’s a deal.”
“I still can’t believe you got a hole-in-one on that last hole,” Jackson shook his head, as we pulled into my driveway. My porch light cast shadows over the corner of his car, and the lamp I had left on in my living room glowed soft yellow through the curtained window.
Across the drive, Wyatt’s porch light painted a swatch of yard with light. Becks’ cruiser was missing and I figured the man was still on shift tonight. Upstairs, a light glowed in a bedroom, telling me Wyatt was still awake, but probably in bed, waiting for his husband.
Laughing, I reminded Jackson smugly, “I got three hole-in-ones. ”
He turned off the ignition, removing his hand from where it had been resting on my thigh as he drove. The feel of his hand casually caressing my thigh had my nerves tingling.
“Oh, I’m aware. But that last hole was crazy! I mean down the long green, through a waterfall and windmill, then the drop off, more green and into the clown mouth! And you did it with one shot! One!” He held up his index finger at me, then grabbed my hand and looped our fingers together.
Patting myself on my shoulder, I grinned right back, feeling more lighthearted than I had felt in years. “I told you I’m a great putter. That ten dollar coupon I won for next time was a nice surprise.”
He shook his head, and we walked through my yard towards the woods. “I’m sure they weren’t planning on having to hand too many of those out.”
The moon was bright tonight, nearly full, and it spread enough light on the well used path once we emerged from the thick woods that ran across the back of my yard, that we could see clearly where we were going. Thanks to our shifter night vision, both of us had been able to make our way without stumbling.
“I usually swim in the pond,” Jackson told me, veering to the right and towards the body of water where I had first encountered his croc. “Do you mind if I take a quick dip tonight? ”
“Not at all,” I told him as we approached the water’s edge. A wolf howled in the distance, muffled enough to indicate it wasn’t close to us. We hadn’t encountered anyone, shifter or human, on the path, but it was rather late for people to be out.
Turning to face me, Jackson tugged his shirt over his head, dropping it at his feet. He didn’t look away from me, as his hands dipped lower, working his belt. Wide eyed, I stared at his broad, smooth chest and the outline of his abs.
Without blinking, he shoved his pants and underwear down his legs, then stepped out of them. He had already toed his shoes off when I wasn’t looking, too busy admiring his bare skin. His thick cock sprang up towards his belly, already hard, but I swore I saw it grow bigger before my eyes.
Scraping my bottom lip with my teeth, desire did a slow, easy roll through my stomach, heat flaring out in me in all directions.
Taking a step closer, Jackson leaned down and captured my lips with his. The kiss was slow, sensual, a slow glide of his tongue across mine. His hands worked the buttons of my shirt, while his tongue explored every dark recess in my mouth. The night air caressed my bare skin, as his hands spread over my naked chest. His fingers slid over my nipples, and I moaned at the sensation. They hardened into pointed nubs beneath his skilled fingers, until he removed them to slide my shirt off my shoulders.
Breaking the kiss, I took a step back, my eyes locked with his, my hands on the snap of my jeans. Boldly, because Jackson made me feel bold, I flipped the snap then carefully moved the zipper down, freeing my throbbing cock. Jackson’s hand caressed over my cotton covered dick, thumbing at the wet spot from my leaking precum. There was a similar situation on my backside, my slick flowing freely.
Sliding to his knees, he pushed the denim down my thighs, looking up at me with blown pupils. He mouthed at my still clothed cock, and I sucked in a breath at the feel of his wet mouth on me. Tapping my ankle, he indicated for me to step out of my jeans, then his fingers hooked in the waistband of my briefs.
When I nodded, he slowly, so fucking slowly, pushed them over my hips. His hands roamed over my ass cheeks, clenching them and pulling them apart, one finger dipping into my slick crease. Gasping when his finger ghosted over my hole, I dug my fingers into his shoulders to steady myself.
Standing straight, I peered down at Jackson as he finished undressing me, kneeling at my feet. It was a heady sensation, looking down at this sexy, powerful alpha, literally at my feet, as he slowly and deliberately undressed me. His eyes shone in the moonlight, the green muddiness of them reduced to pinpricks as his pupils dilated and filled out.
He nuzzled the brown and gray curls that nestled my cock, breathing in my scent deeply.
“You smell so fucking good,” he whispered across my bare skin, and in that moment I felt powerful. I felt worshiped. I felt deserving.
All thoughts of any extra weight I was carrying, or faded stretch marks from a long ago pregnancy, or my soft, jiggly belly fled. Instead I felt sexy, beautiful, and most of all horny.
Jackson had seen every inch of me there was to see. Had touched every inch of me with his fingers and tongue during my heat. He had tasted me, stretched me, been inside me, and he still looked at me like I was the most amazing thing he had ever seen.
I didn’t understand it. No one had ever looked at me like he did, not even when I’d been in the bloom of youth. It was amazing and wonderful, and…
“Stop thinking so hard,” he whispered, gracefully standing back to his full height without even using a hand to push himself up. I didn’t think I had ever had core strength like that.
“I’m not,” I lied, and he gave me a knowing, close-lipped smile.
“Mmmhmmm,” he hummed, moving to the water's edge, before tossing me a look over his shoulder. “Remember, it’s just me. I’m not going to hurt you or your gazelle. I promise.”
And with that, I watched in awe as his bones and muscles shifted and rearranged themselves, and a large crocodile flicked his powerful tail, and then he slid into the water. He had to be at least fifteen feet long from snout to tail, and I didn’t know how wide. But he was big. Terrifyingly so.
It’s just Jackson, it’s just Jackson , my gazelle mumbled, quivering beneath my skin. He won’t hurt us.
It might be Jackson, but he was still an apex predator, and I shivered as I watched the croc sink beneath the dark surface of the water and disappear, barely making a ripple on the water. A minute later, the top of his long, pointed vee shaped snout and head half emerged from the water, his beady eyes fixed on me.
But he didn’t move, just stayed as still as a statue, most of him still under the water. Honestly, if I hadn’t been watching for him, I might have missed him altogether.
Closing my eyes, I quickly shifted, my gazelle standing on sturdy hooves. My horns made me appear larger than I actually was, curving proudly from my head.
Glancing at the water, my gazelle took a skittish step back as Jackson’s croc surged forward, moving quicker than should be possible for someone his size. He seemed to sense my hesitation and stopped his advancement, instead turning his large body smoothly and swimming a lap around the length of the water. He would disappear beneath the surface, only to reappear a good distance away.
I had an unnerving feeling that even though my gazelle was super-fast, had he wanted to catch me that first day, he very well could have.
Jackson swam a few more minutes, and I watched him, appreciating the sheer power of him. Yet, he was surprisingly graceful and agile too. He truly was a thing of wonder. Though when he clambered out of the water, the claws of his legs digging into the grass, my gazelle hopped to the side, away from him.
He opened his mouth wide, showing off rows of gleaming sharp teeth, then clamped his jaws shut with an audible snap. Then he was back, just Jackson, standing there in all his naked glory under the moonlight, looking like some pagan God come to life. All long, hard, lean, chiseled muscles. Broad chest and back, flat stomach, and thick thighs.
Shifting back to my human skin, he held his hand out to me. “See, not so scary.”
“Oh, you’re plenty scary!” I told him, with a shaky, high pitched laugh. “But you're also splendid.” I ran my fingers up his arm to his powerful shoulder. “Powerful. Dangerous.”
The last word I breathed, my chest hitching, my fingers trembling as they trailed across his cool skin. They weren’t trembling with fear though. No, they trembled with need and desire.
I wanted this man. Right here and now.
Gazing down at his cock pointed up at me, my mouth watered. I wanted to taste him. Wanted to wrap my lips around his wide head and suck until his tip hit the back of my throat. I wanted to gag on him, wanted him to make tears run from my eyes, and saliva to drip down my chin. I wanted to taste his cum splashing my throat, and to lick up every last drop of his salty essence.
“Jackson,” I whimpered, dropping to my knees in front of him. It wasn’t nearly as graceful as when he had done it, my knees creaking and reminding me of just how old I was, but I didn’t care. Being with Jackson made me forget my age. Made me forget the age difference between us. Made me forget that I was a father, a grandfather, a divorced middle-aged omega, too long in the tooth.
Jackson made me feel young, vital, and beautiful. He made me feel desired.
Breathing in his musky scent, I wrapped one hand around the base of his cock and stroked his thick length. Jackson moaned into the night, the sound loud, and it amped my own desire up a notch.
I did that. Me. I made this stunning alpha sound like that, with just one touch.
Taking a breath, I swirled my tongue over his tip, over his slit, tasting the salty bitterness of him. Jackson tangled a hand in my hair, tightly, tugging me closer with gentle pressure. He spread his legs, digging his toes in, and I sucked his spongy head into my mouth.
It had been a very, very long time since I’d had the pleasure of having a man’s cock in my mouth, but oh how I had missed it. Humming around the head, I swallowed, sliding more of his length down. Sucking, lapping, stroking became all I was focused on, the sounds Jackson made edging me on. My hole fluttered with each groan he made, slick flowing with each tug on my hair.
He let me have my way, setting my own pace, as I worked on taking him all the way into the dark, wet recesses of my mouth. Gagging when his tip hit the back of my throat, I backed off, tears streaming from my eyes.
“Robert,” Jackson moaned my name, stretching it out until it sounded like it had about four syllables in it. Grasping his ass with both my hands, I urged him forward, harder, faster. Until he was bucking into my mouth hard, fucking my face, battering my throat. And I loved every second of it.
The taste of him, the smell of him, the feel of him, the sounds he made, all of it had me wild with desire. I was fucking the air in front of me, not caring the my dick was sliding against his hair roughened thigh, leaving a stringy trail of precum in its wake.
Jackson yelled my name in warning, his hands gripping my hair tightly as his muscles tightened beneath my hands. He fucked once more into my mouth, his body rigid, as he yelled my name. Burning, bitter wetness flooded my mouth, making me choke, but I swallowed and swallowed, determined to not lose one drop of him.
Finally, I sat back on my knees, gazing up at him with dazed eyes, my tongue licking the last droplet off my chin where it tried to escape. Jackson fell to his knees, pulling me to his chest as I tried to gather air into my starving lungs. His hand wrapped around my cock, gripping me hard and fast, tugging and rubbing and sending me over the edge, his quick, heavy breaths in my ear.
I shattered against him, painting his abs with my cum, my vision going nearly white with the force of my release.
Caressing my face with both his hands, Jackson kissed me long and hard. Our tongues tangled, mixing the taste of us together.
Finally, we broke apart and began gathering our clothes. “You should rinse off,” I nodded towards my cum drying on his stomach.
Jackson pulled his shirt over his head. “I want to drive home with you on me.”
Wrinkling my nose at him, I zipped my jeans. “It’s going to itch.”
He shrugged. “Worth it.”
Grabbing my hand in his, we made our way back to the edge of my yard, breaking through the trees, kissing and giggling like two lovestruck teenagers .
“Evening Robert,” Becks’ deep voice called to us, making us jump. “Jackson.”
Walking deeper into the yard, I tried to tell myself I didn’t need to feel guilty about anything we had done.
“Sheriff,” Jackson nodded his head in greeting.
“Night Becks!” I called as my son-in-law climbed his porch steps.
“Jackson,” Becks turned to look at us, as we were almost to Jackson’s car. “Your shirt is on inside out. Might want to fix that before you head to pick up Aiden.” The big wolf winked, then slipped inside his house, shutting the door with a loud click.