TWENTY-FOUR JAY
TWENTY-FOUR
JAY
"Your stuff is sitting in the driveway, don't even try to come in the house," I warned Parker in a voice low enough that Lailah wouldn't hear me.
Even though I didn't have the connection yet to feel her emotions, it was written all over her face as I got into the car. This situation had been even more traumatic to her than we had first suspected. Without a doubt, we knew this had broken her heart and set her back from the progress that she’d made getting herself back to some sense of normal, but what I'd just witnessed told me it was more than that.
Part of me actually worried for the first time that she might do something she could never come back from if we weren't careful.
The car was silent as she sat next to me, her hands clasped tightly together in her lap, as if she was trying to hold herself together with everything she had.
I'd see that same look on my mother’s face when my father came to take me from her when I was old enough to start training with him.
Having me with her was the only connection she had to my father, who for some reason I still don't understand, she loved.
Reaching over, I covered her hands with mine and squeezed, trying to tell her that I was there for her.
When I went to pull my hand away, she clutched it as if it was a lifeline to her, so I let her have it, willing to do whatever it took to help her through this.
If picking a fight with me like she did earlier was going to help, then I would go toe to toe, or if it simply was the need to not feel alone, then that's what I would do.
Lailah had no clue what she truly meant to me and that was partially my fault, I wasn't good at sharing emotions after being punished for so long when I did express them.
My father saw them as a weakness and used any chance he could to cut them out of me, after he took me from Mother.
Since Lailah came into the picture, I've spent less time with my father doing missions for him now that my true team was complete…
or had been. I knew the others had seen a difference in me as Lailah worked her spell on me, pulling me out of my emotionless shell.
After seeing how fragile this connection I had to her right now is, I needed to find a way to finish this between us because I was never going to take the chance of losing her.
She was my life, my soul, my perfect partner to spend the rest of my life watching over and protecting her from everything I could.
"I thought we were going back to the house," Lailah questioned as she seemed to realize where she was.
I didn't answer her right away as I parked on the side of the road that had a gravel pull off.
I'd discovered this trail when I'd been running the other day and when I saw where it led to, I knew I needed to bring Lailah here.
"I thought you might want a little time to process talking with Parker before you spoke to your parents. "
She nodded as her eyes started to shimmer with unshed tears. Gently, I pulled my hand out of hers, turned the car off and got out to open her door. "Can I show you something?"
Blinking, she looked up at me surprised by my question. "Ah…sure."
Holding out a hand to her, I pulled her out of the low car, giving her a tender smile that seemed to catch her off guard. "Follow me."
Without releasing her hand, I intertwined our fingers and led her down the narrow path deeper into the woods.
It took us about ten minutes to get there, but the path was easy and our silence was comfortable, as we took in the nature around us.
Back at Ryevick, we'd spent much of our alone time on trails like this running or hiking, just enjoying each other's company and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
We'd all adjusted to sharing Lailah amongst ourselves for the most part, but we all craved our time alone with her, getting her full attention even for an hour or two.
None of us ever felt neglected, but when you loved someone the way I did Lailah, you craved being their entire focus even for a moment.
Lailah paused when she heard the tell-tale sound of running water, which made me smile as a flicker of interest appeared in her eyes. "Where are we going, Jay?"
Turning to face her, I took both hands in mine. "Do you trust me?"
"With my life," she said without hesitation.
"What about your heart?"
That one took her a moment to answer as she searched my face, almost trying to see into my soul.
I dropped my guard and let her in completely, no longer wanting to hide anything from her.
Lailah's eyes widened in surprise, taking an unconscious step closer, pulling a hand from me to rest it on my cheek.
Then the brightest smile I'd ever seen on her face, bloomed into existence as a tear slipped down her cheek.
"There you are, I knew you were lurking under there somewhere," she whispered as she stroked her thumb along my skin.
"Jay, I trust you with my everything, without question or reservation.
Time and time again you have proven to me your love and loyalty, but just now you showed me you trusted me with your heart. Who could ask for more?"
Using my free hand, I pulled her to me by the back of her neck and kissed her, infusing it with everything I'd been too afraid to show her before.
We were both taking the risk to bare our souls to each other and it was the closest thing I could think of souls intertwining.
Pulling back, I lifted her hand and kissed the back of it before I took a few more steps backward, not willing to take my eyes off her as she saw what was behind me through the break in the trees.
Her soft gasp as she took in everything was just what I'd hoped it would be.
Stepping to the side, I pulled her in front of me and held her against my chest as we took in the sight of the river with it's swiftly moving current over the small six foot waterfall and rapids below curling around the boulders and fallen tree below.
The trail took you to the base of the waterfall, but you could easily climb up to the top portion as well.
"Jay, how did you find this?" Lailah asked in awe.
"Dumb luck," I answered grinning with how pleased I was.
"This reminds me of that first trail run you and I did together."
I hummed my agreement, having thought the same thing.
Even though this was smaller, it had the same magical feeling to it, being secluded deep in the woods with just the sounds of nature around us.
I tugged her over to a soft patch of moss that I'd used the last time I was here to enjoy the atmosphere, setting her in between my legs so she leaned against me as I was propped up against a boulder.
"Can we stay here a while?" Lailah murmured.
"We can stay as long as you like, Beautiful, the others know you're with me," I assured her.
When her parents arrived and told us that they brought Parker with them, Micah lost his shit, but Brayden was able to hold him back.
Not understanding the reaction, Hudson tried to calm things down with them.
I was glad he was someone we could count on to be the rational out of us in that moment while I left to go find Lailah.
I knew if Parker found her on her run that she wouldn't be able to make it back to the house on her own after.
I made sure to send them all a text letting them know I would be back with her when she was ready and not before.
The last thing she needed was high emotions, blunt logic, or pandering, even if it was meant to be supportive.
Having her here in my arms, completely relaxed as she watched the water, was exactly what I'd hoped would happen.
Using my power, I picked up the breeze near the waterfall causing the water spray to float through the air into the sunshine where it turned into a shimmering rainbow of colors.
Lailah took a sharp intake of breath as she gripped my leg, which brought my dick to full attention as she wiggled between my legs.
Trying to keep my mind off her perfect ass rubbing against my dick, I performed a few more tricks, making her giggle with excitement.
"I had no idea you could do things like that."
Leaning down, I kissed the back of her neck before I whispered in her ear. "It's not often I get the chance to show off."
A shiver ran through her body at my words, which led me to kiss her behind her ear.
In an act of complete trust, she tilted her head to the side exposing her neck to me more with a sigh of pleasure.
Bringing my hands up, I let them skim down her arms as I started to kiss along her neck, nipping every so often, getting a moan of pleasure each time I did.
This wasn't what I had in mind at all bringing her out here, but if she asked me to continue, I wasn't a strong enough man to say no when I craved her so completely.
"Jay," she sighed, leaning her head back against my shoulder bringing her hand up to pull me down to her lips.
My hands slipped under her shirt and didn't stop until I had them on her breasts, kneading them over her sports bra.
Devouring her moans as she arched into my hands was the sweetest nectar you've ever had, driving me to pull more from her.
Breaking our kiss, I pulled her t-shirt up and off, setting it beside me before returning to shove her bra up, freeing her so I could attend to them better.
Pinching at her erect nipples, I pulled them slightly making her cry out.
"Oh god, yes Jay."
With a growl, I grabbed her by the hips, lifting and spinning her around so she was facing me as I latched on to one of her breasts.
She clutched my head to her as I feasted on her soft flesh, rolling the tight bud with my tongue as I massaged the other.
Her hips ground against my pelvis, trying to gain any kind of friction.