Love and Truth (22 page)

“You okay, baby?” He kissed the top of my head.

I nodded silently.

“Let’s get out of here and dry you off before you turn into prune.”

I suddenly felt terrible for him. He just gave me the most earthquaking climax of my life and he got nothing but a pair of wet boxer briefs. I looked up at him.

“What about you?” I asked timidly. I had no clue how to make him feel like he just made me feel, but I could at least try.

“What about me, sweetheart?” I ran my hand over the front of his drenched boxers, feeling his need for me.

“It doesn’t seem fair for me to be the only one to feel good. What you just did to me was amazing and I want to make you feel that way too.”

He reached down and pulled my hand back, kissing the inside of my wrist.

“You’ve given me more pleasure to day than anyone has ever given me. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. Just go ahead and get out, grab a towel, and I’ll finish my shower under ice cold water.” He licked his lips and kissed me on the forehead. “There are towels on the rack and I have some T-shirts and sweats in one of the dresser drawers.”

He kissed me softly and I sucked his bottom lip, tugging at it. I could taste myself on his lips and it made me want him even more. He kissed me back hungrily but pulled away.

“You’re killing me here woman. Please have mercy on a man.”

I grinned and conceded. I opened the shower door as steam poured out into the room. I grabbed a white, fluffy towel and wrapped it around my head before grabbing a second one for my body. I padded out into the bedroom and opened a dresser drawer, pulling out soft, cotton white T-shirt and a grey pair of sweat pants. I pulled them on and they swallowed me. I rolled up the waistband to help it fit my waist. I took the towel off of my head and wrung out my hair before pulling the T-shirt on. I walked to the kitchen to get a glass of water and I couldn’t stop smiling. I felt like my whole world had just come undone. I hoped to God that this was the start of something truly good; that this was as real as it could feel. I knew that one day you could be on top of the world and the next day plummet down to the depths of hell but, I didn’t want to let fear get in the way when something was working. I couldn’t hide from it anymore, and even though I was wearing my heart on my sleeve, I was ready for the unknown.

“Hey, beautiful!” I jumped and turned around. He stood in the middle of the room with his hair wet and a pair of low-hanging dark jeans, barefoot with no shirt on. No matter how many times I looked at him, he was always stunning.

“Back at you. God, Jonathan, you are one beautiful man.”

He chuckled and walked into the kitchen.

“Well, I’m all yours; mind, body, and soul,” he said. “You own me, baby, and you’re never getting rid of me.”

I grinned and looked out the window as the darkness descended. We couldn’t hide much longer from the truth that awaited us tomorrow. What were we going to do about the academy? I was too scared to ask, because I didn’t want to ruin this moment. Suddenly, my phone rang and we turned toward it together.

“Oh, gosh. I bet that’s Emiko. I can’t believe I didn’t think to call her. They’re probably freaking out right now. Shit, it’s almost 10 pm.”

I answered quickly.

“Hi, Emiko.”

“Nicole, where are you? My parents are worried sick.”

I instantly felt horrible and selfish.

“I’m so sorry, Emiko. Please tell them how sorry I am. It’s a really long story but today at the academy I saw Jonathan.” Emiko listened as I explained most of what had happened. She was just as shocked as I was.

“So are you okay?”

I smiled as her voice filled with hope.

“Yes, Emiko. We’re okay. Actually, we are more than okay. We’re together now.”

Jonathan looked at me proudly.

“Okay, Nicole. Have fun and be careful. I’ll let my parents know that you’re with Jonathan. Are you staying with him all night?”

“No, I’ll be home soon. I’ll see you later and I’ll fill you in tomorrow.” I hung up and turned to Jonathan, certain that I had to leave.

“Jonathan, what are we going to do about the academy?” I was full of dread. I hated that things were so right all of the sudden but we had this huge issue to deal with.

“I was wondering when you were going to bring that up.” He leaned on the kitchen counter on both elbows, holding his face in his hands. “It’s a big problem, don’t you agree?”

He stood up and placed his hands on his hips.

“I’ll quit. Problem solved.”

My jaw dropped in dismay. “I can’t let you do that. It’s a good job. You love playing and I can’t let you give that up for me.”

He stepped closer and reached for a lock of my hair. He gently wrapped it around his finger let it fall. “You’re the sweetest kindest-hearted person I’ve ever met. Any other girl wouldn’t think twice about it, but you automatically thought of my feelings first.” He leaned in and kissed me. “Look at me,” he said.

I looked up at him and saw adoration in his eyes. “I’m not giving up playing or something that I love just by quitting this job. It’s a temporary job that I don’t really need. I did it last year to keep busy during my summer break from my real job. They asked me back and I said okay. It’s not a big deal. I’ll give them my notice first thing in the morning.”

My eyes filled with tears and I looked away from him.

“Hey, don’t cry,” he said. “Why are you about to cry, sweetheart? I promise you. It’s really okay.”

He rubbed his thumbs under my eyes to wipe away the tears. “
Shhh
, it’s okay, don’t be so upset.”

I sniffled and reached over to grab a napkin from the counter to blot my eyes and wipe my nose.

“I just don’t want you giving up things for me. We’re just starting this relationship and you already have to make sacrifices for me. It doesn’t seem right.”

His gaze met mine and he smiled.

“Listen, we’re together now and that means you’re my girl. I care about you and when you care about someone, you make sacrifices for them. You may not realize it, but there’s not much I’m not willing to do for you. My girl deserves a man who’ll give his all for her happiness and I’m going to bust my ass trying to do that.”

Almost reflexively, my arms wrapped around him tightly. I buried my face in his bare chest and my fingers caressed his skin.

“Thank you,” I said.

With those two words, I started falling in love with Jonathan Hayes, standing here in his kitchen barefooted and warm from his body heat. For once, I was unafraid of being out of control.

Chapter Sixteen

We were cleaning the kitchen, washing dishes and putting them away. I still couldn’t believe everything that happened. He reached across me to put plates in the cabinet and winked. I was in awe of the fact that he seemed so at peace with quitting his job.

“How’s this going to work at school tomorrow?” I asked. “After you give your notice, how long will you continue to work there before they find someone else to replace you?”

“I’m not sure, really. I’ve been thinking about that and I don’t know. I would guess two weeks. Hopefully, not more than that.”

I dried my hands and leaned against the counter.

“Everyone will know,” I said. “I’ll be the subject of gossip all summer. They’re all going to think I’m a tramp or something.”

He placed the last of the dishes in the cabinet and turned to me, shaking his head.

“No, they’re not. I‘m not going to tell them why I’m putting my notice in. It’s none of their business. Even if they demanded a reason, I would never tell them who the student is.

“You know all the girls there want you, right?”

He laughed and shook his head. “That’s not even true. Chandler has put too many ideas into your head about me.”

“First of all, I was in the girls’ locker room when I heard some of the girls talking about you. One girl told me how hot you are and how badly she would like to have some of that. Anyway, Chandler’s harmless and adorable. He’s just being nice.” I instantly regretted calling him adorable, and saw Jonathan’s eyes light up.

“He needs to stay away from you. He’s a little preppy, rich boy prick, and I wanted to rip his hand off when I saw him touch you. You think he’s nice and adorable? Maybe you like him touching you.” He threw down the dish towel and walked towards the bedroom.

“Jonathan, what the hell?” I couldn’t believe he was getting so angry. I followed after him and he rustled through his drawers. “Hey, why are you so mad? I just told you it’s nothing. There’s nothing going on with Chandler.”

He grabbed a shirt from the dresser drawer and pulled it on. He turned around I lost my train of thought.

“Theory of a Deadman?” I asked. “I’ve always wanted to go to one of their concerts, but I never had the nerve to actually go to a rock concert. I have all of their stuff on my iPod though.” I watched as he pulled on a pair of socks and walked to the bathroom to comb his hair. He looked at himself in the mirror and I stood behind him, my reflection over his shoulder.

“Wait, are you giving me the silent treatment? Because if that’s what you’re doing, you’re just being childish.”

He dropped the comb in the sink and turned around. “Yes, I’m probably acting childish. But you just said you like that pussy Chandler, and it pisses me off. Now that I’m quitting I won’t be there with you all day, but Chandler will be. You can’t possibly be mad at me for being jealous. You’ve already been jealous with me several times. This is a double-standard.” He wore an angry expression and raised his voice. I didn’t like this Jonathan at all.

“I’m sorry. You’re right. But I swear I don’t like him like that. I don’t want Chandler or anyone but you. I know I’ll be around him every day, but we’re just friends.”

He sat down on the bed and shook his head. “That guy has dirty thoughts in his head about
my girl
and I don’t like it.”

“Jonathan, this is ridiculous. Can we please just drop this? All that matters is that we only want each other.” I closed my eyes, feeling the weight of such a long day pulling at my eyelids. This relationship was getting stressful already.

“You’re right. I guess what I’m saying is that I’m navigating some new feelings too, just like you are. I’m still trying to figure it out. I really thought I loved Leah, so much so that I asked her to marry me. We were together for two years, and now I have more intense feelings for you in a span of a week than I ever had for her. It’s hard to process all of it. I shouldn’t be falling in love with you already, but my feelings and my heart tell me I am.”