Will
Chapter eight
Fuck, I’m exhausted . But in the best kind of way, and with Jewel in my arms, I couldn’t be happier.
“That was spectacular,” she says, gazing into my eyes. I hope she can see some of what I’m feeling, because it’s her who’s spectacular.
I reach out to tuck the curtain of silky brown hair behind her ears. She literally takes my breath away.
“But are you okay? I wasn’t too rough?” I ask, worried that I might have lost control there at the end. That’s never happened to me before. I’m a soldier and trained to remain coolheaded. Or so I thought.
She places a hand on each side of my face. “Perfect. Once my heart rate goes back to normal.” Her eyes sparkle like blue crystals. “I’m not as fragile as I look,” she adds before smacking my lips with another consuming kiss. My cock is already firming.
How did I get so lucky to have Jewel in my bed? And now that she’s here, the more important question is, how do I keep her here? Although we probably do need to eat.
I give myself over to her kisses until she’s ready to relinquish the capture of my mouth, and her cheek is back on my chest around the region of my heart. “How do you feel about taking a shower, then finding something to eat?”
But before she can speak, her tummy grumbles with a response. “Sorry. I guess I have worked up an appetite.”
Her cheeks glow a pretty pink, and it’s so damn cute that this is what embarrasses her, when she couldn’t wait to ride my face.
“Maybe it’s eat, then a shower?” I suggest.
“Actually … I’d like a bath because I’m all hot and sweaty.” Her nose wrinkles cutely. “And that huge freestanding bath in the en suite looks so tempting.”
The way she’s looking up at me makes it impossible to deny her anything. The tousled, just-had-sex look lights up her face with a sensuous smile, and sapphires twinkle in her eyes, adding a stunning highlight.
“A great idea. Now you wait right here, and I’ll get the bath ready.” I gently shift her to my side and crawl out of bed. Jewel stretches long before curling back into a ball with her hands folded under her cheek.
“Yes, sir,” she says as her gaze takes a lazy wander over my naked body. My sweatpants tent by the time I’ve pulled them on. I choke out a laugh, amused by her blatant appraisal. It’s a naughty side I’m keen to explore further.
But first the bath. It doesn’t take me long to fill the giant tub with warm water and a thick layer of bubbles. I’ve even managed to pull together a platter of fruit, cheese, and crackers, and that sits on a stool to the side, along with a couple of bottles of water.
Then I’m back in the bedroom, scooping Jewel into my arms and carrying her into the en suite. She slips beneath the steamy bubbles with a soft, contented sigh. My chest swells with pleasure at knowing this small gesture is appreciated.
She stares up at me through lowered lashes. “I hope you’re joining me. This huge bath deserves to be shared.”
I don’t need to be asked twice before I’m stripping off again and sliding in behind her. With a leg at full stretch on either side of her body, I ease her back to lie against my chest.
“Mmm, that’s better,” she murmurs as her head rests against my shoulder.
I hand her a bottle of water before wrapping my arms around under her glorious breasts. When she’s finished drinking, I replace the bottle with a bunch of grapes.
“That wasn’t how I remembered billiards being played,” she says with her face tipping up to mine and her free hand reaching up with a grape to my lips. I take it into my mouth, then place a kiss on the tip of her fingers.
“Certainly wasn’t like any game I’ve played before,” I admit.
“Good,” she says cryptically before settling back against me, her arm sinking back into the water. I wish I knew what ran through that beautiful head of hers.
Another moment of silence ticks by, and I wonder if she’s fallen asleep until she wiggles in my arms again. “Where did you grow up?”
The question surprises me, as I can’t remember the last time I was asked about my personal life.
“All over,” I say. “My dad was military, too, so we lived on bases in North Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, and even spent a few years in Germany. That’s why I joined the Army. It’s in my blood.” Except now, for the first time, I’ll be a civilian, so I add, “Or it was until now.”
“Are you worried about that?”
It’s a simple question that cuts right to the heart of my fears.
How do I live now, outside the structure of military service?
The muscles in my chest twinge with sudden tightness.
I’ve tossed so many possible answers around, along with questioning my decision to leave, that I don’t know whether I can land on a straightforward answer to her question.
Although I’m hoping that joining my friend’s company will be the mix of physicality, discipline, and service that I crave without as much danger or unpredictability.
“Yeah, I guess,” I reply vaguely, my voice lacking conviction.
“The other day, you said that maybe you’d stayed in longer than you should have. What did you mean?”
This feels easier, and my fingers still from drawing circles on her shoulder.
“Like all those who served on those bloody killing fields in Afghanistan, we would have given our lives for each other, and some of my friends did. Every time a friend of mine came home in a body bag, I lost something of myself until it felt like there was nothing left. I needed to find peace from the memories.”
“The kind of peace you find at dawn, running on the beach?” she asks, and I know she gets me.
“Exactly.” I draw a deep breath that is easier today than it was yesterday and the day before that. “But tell me about you. Why physiotherapy?”
She sinks farther below the bubbles as her shoulders relax. “It was an easy choice that I made when I was a young gymnast. It always seemed like a really cool job working with athletes, and it is. Like you, I like helping people.”
“And the clinic that you work at?”
“The clinic was run by my best friend Cara’s father, but he’s semiretired now. Cara and I met at college, and we started working there straight after we graduated. There’s one other permanent physiotherapist, Tom, who worked for her father before we joined.”
“Sounds like the perfect setup.”
“It is. I love it.” A satisfied sigh slips from her lips, and I’m sure it comes from her knowing exactly where she belongs in the world, not just the warm bath. I’m a little envious.
She’s finished the grapes, and again I swap the bare stem for the bottle of water.
“I’m feeling very pampered right now,” she says, while offering me a sip.
“It’s well deserved after the way you spoiled me.”
Bubbles and water slosh over the edge of the bath as she does a full-body roll that ends with her kneeling.
She sits on my thighs, her hands on my shoulders, and those gorgeous tits are temptingly close to my mouth.
I cup a hand around each globe and rub my thumbs over her taut nipples.
I could spend days worshiping just this one area of her beautiful body, and I lean forward to suck a dusky peak into my mouth.
Her back instantly arches, pushing her chest forward and offering me so much more.
More waves spill onto the tiles. We could have a minor flooding event on our hands, and I couldn’t care less when my hands are full of Jewel.
A Few Days Later
Dawn light seeps through the large windows, turning the midnight-blue ocean into a lighter shade. The color reminds me of Jewel’s eyes. I glance down at where she’s curled against my side, even more beautiful relaxed in sleep.
My night hours are more restful too. For too long, I’ve lived knowing that losing yourself in a deep sleep can mean you might never wake up, so I’d barely been able to catch more than a couple of hours’ rest at a time.
That’s changed over the last few nights with Jewel by my side.
I’m going to miss her and precious moments like this.
The old familiar ball of tension settles back in my stomach with that thought.
Was it wrong of me to be with her like this?
Probably, when we come from very different worlds.
She’s too young and innocent to understand the ugly things I’ve seen, traveling from one hellhole to the next, running covert operations behind enemy lines.
And while I hope that’s all behind me now, the memories linger.
This short break before starting my new job was planned as a reset, a time of transition from my old life to my new one.
But it’s been so much more. I can now see the possibilities for the future.
Maybe a committed relationship or even a family one day.
Closing my eyes, I picture that future, and Jewel is the woman in the frame beside me.
It’s a foolish thought. Now isn’t the right time for us.
I knew that from the beginning, and I think she did too.
She’s kept her emotions in check, and I understand why.
The devastation of losing her father rocked her world, and healing from that grief must be her priority.
Instead, I’ll settle for being the friend helping to clear her family home or the sexy distraction from the sad loneliness that she wore like a heavy cloak when I first met her. That will have to be enough for now, and my next breath gets stuck in my lungs.
“What, no run this morning?” Jewel murmurs sleepily beside me as she snuggles further under my outstretched arm. Her small hand rests on my chest, above my heart.
I smile. “I think I’ve found a better way to welcome in the dawn with you in my arms.”
“Hmm, I tend to agree. It’s certainly warmer.” Her fingers trace the ridges of my abs. It tickles.
“What would you like to do on our last day?” I ask, although if she keeps touching me the way she is, I may not want to leave this bed.
We’ve finished clearing what we can from her father’s house, had picnic meals on the deck, tucked under the blanket to stay warm rather than on it, and shared more than one steamy bubble bath, each ending with a soaked floor due to our enthusiastic activities.
“Hmm, we could finally finish a game of billiards without us both ending up naked on the nearest flat surface.” She waggles her eyebrows suggestively.
“Maybe. But only if you can stop distracting me from my shot.”
Jewel on her knees giving me the best fucking blow job of my life is an effective tactic to put me off my game. Especially when it ends with me cursing and growling out a release as she swallows every drop.
“Honestly, I think we both won that game,” she muses, and it’s difficult to disagree.
She laughs, twisting her head to look out the window. “It looks like it will be a nice day, so how about I show you the sights of Southampton?”
“I think I have the best of Southampton right here.” I drop a kiss to her forehead. “What else is there to see?”
Her hand snakes down my chest. “We could go to Main Street so I could show you my favorite haunts. The best ever small-town bookshop, followed by lunch at my favorite pizzeria.”
“But I thought you didn’t want to risk running into your father’s friends again.”
Her shoulders lift in a half shrug that’s constrained by my arm. “It’s different now, you’ll be with me, so they won’t think I’m lonely.”
“Well then, I think it’s a great idea. I’ve not done much exploring in the local area. I probably should do that before I leave.”
Her smile slips, and she lays her cheek on my chest, hiding her face. But not before I see a wave of sadness wash through her gaze.
Did I get this all wrong?
“I’m going to miss you,” she murmurs, and while I hate seeing the sadness return, I’m damn happy to hear those words.
“I’ll miss you too,” I blurt out without a second thought.
“And you know that DC is only a couple hundred miles from Brooklyn.” With one finger under her chin, I tip her face up to mine.
“I like you a lot, and we could continue to see each other on weekends in Brooklyn, DC, or somewhere in between.”
It’s not what I’d planned to say; I was never going to promise more. But then again, I didn’t know my leaving would hurt her.
She stares into my eyes like she’s searching for answers. “I like that idea. But when we’re not together, would you see other women?”
Where the hell has that come from? My gaze narrows. “Why? Do you want to see other men?” The words come out of my tight jaw like a low growl. Her question is a punch to the gut, and the thought of another man touching her makes me see red. So if that’s what she wants, then I’m out.
“No. I just wanted to be sure you didn’t.” Her smile widens.
My anger dissipates like thunderclouds after a storm.
My racing heart settles back into a normal rhythm.
And my jealous streak fades from vibrant green to a paler shade. I’m not used to experiencing this roller coaster of emotions.
“I’m glad we cleared that up.” My voice is a little gruff, as I’m still rattled by my reaction.
But not wanting her to notice, I rush on, “Now, how about we get moving so you can take me to your favorite places. I’m happy to put my trust in the local expert who already knows how to show me a good time. ”
“You’re incorrigible,” she says, slapping me lightly on the arm as we walk naked into the adjoining bathroom.
“And you are darn cute.” I give her a light slap on her butt. “Even if you do say some scary shit sometimes.”
She stops me with a hand to my chest. “As if I’d want anyone else when I can have all this.”
I wrap my arms around her, basking in the glow of her compliment, then lift her off her feet. Two toned legs instantly hook around my waist. My cock is hard and bumping temptingly between her thighs.
“Too damn right, beautiful.”
Jewel has been the best medicine, better than any of the drugs the doctors offered me.
I’m beginning to feel again. Bit by bit, I’m becoming whole as I walk on more solid ground toward a brighter future. The emptiness of before can be left in the past.