Serial Love: Saints Protection & Investigation (19 page)

He scooted his chair back to the monitor and watched, hoping for a glimpse of Bethany, knowing now she would be devastated. Sure enough, she came out to greet some guests. He zoomed in on her face. Smiling…but the smile did not reach her eyes.

Jack leaned back in the chair, his eyes tightly shut remembering her smile when it was turned on him.
Glorious. Fuckin’ glorious.
And, suddenly, he knew. If he could have that smile beamed on him every morning when he woke and waiting for him when he got home? It would be worth everything.
But would it be worth it to her?

Remembering the words of Blaise over a week ago, he realized he never gave her the chance she was willing to take on them.

Not knowing if it was too late, he headed up the stairs and out of the door.
Time to man up and convince her that I can be there for her.

*

Pulling into Mountville’s
lane, Jack noted the gathering clouds above. Uncharacteristically nervous, he focused on the task at hand—groveling. Parking in front of the lodge, he unfolded his tall frame from his SUV and jogged up the steps. Entering the room he did not see Bethany, but called up the stairs to see if she was in her apartment. Receiving no answer, he walked through the main room to the back door and out onto the patio. The tool shed was to the left of the lodge and he was pleased to see the padlock securely on the door.

Roscoe and Sally came from around the front, the cleaning supply buckets in their hands. Both stopped suddenly at the sight of him and Jack immediately noted the unhappy expression on Sally’s face.

Taking a deep breath, he called out, “I came by to see Bethany. Do you know where I would find her?”

Before Roscoe could answer, Sally bit out, “I don’t know where Ms. Bridwell is. Perhaps you should call at a later time to see if she’s available.”

Moving toward them, he replied, “I deserve you bein’ pissed at me. I made a mistake. Thought I knew what was best for both of us, but that’s between her and me. I’m asking you to please tell me where she is.”

Sally pursed her lips, staring at his face for a long time. Roscoe wisely kept still and his mouth shut. She must have seen something that she trusted because after a moment her stance relaxed. Slightly. “She’s out at cabin seven, getting a little work done.” Sally had stepped in front of Jack before he had a chance to move. “Young man, I’ve known Bethany since she was born. I know you must have had your reasons, but you gotta know you hurt her bad. And she might’ve been able to snap outta her sadness quicker if other things had not come toppling down on her.”

“Ann,” he said quietly.

“Ah, so you know. Then you also know that right now is not the time to play with that girl. She’s too vulnerable and if you hurt her again, I swear—”

“I won’t, I promise,” he swore, and meant it.

Sally stared another minute and then nodded down the lane. “Cabin seven is thataway.”

“Much obliged,” he said, jogging off.

She watched him then turned to Roscoe and said, “I sure hope that was the right thing to do.”

The two of them went into the shed to put the supplies away, Roscoe not saying anything.

Jack rounded the curve of the lane, cabin seven coming into sight. He ran to the front door about to call her name, when he heard sniffling. Approaching the door carefully he peeked inside. Bethany was sitting on an old rug, her face buried in her knees which were drawn up with her arms wrapped around them. And she was crying. A new rug, still rolled up with the store tags attached, sat beside her.

He walked inside, softly calling her name as he squatted in front of her. She jumped, her head jerking upright, tears still sliding down her cheeks. Her large, blue eyes, wide with fright, looked at him in surprise. He watched as her expression morphed into confusion.

“Jack?” She swiped her tears with the back of her hand. “What are you doing here?” Glancing down at her discarded tissue, she grabbed it off the floor and wiped her nose.

“I had to come,” he explained. Then seeing her knitted brow, he continued, “I’m so sorry about your grandmother.”

He watched as her face crumpled into tears again and he slid down on the floor in front of her, his legs on either side, and pulled her body into his. For a moment, he held her close as her tears continued to fall. Rocking her back and forth, he murmured words of comfort as her body relaxed into his. As the tears slowed, he knew the instance she processed what was happening.

Stiffening, she jerked back out of his arms, her face no longer holding confusion or pain, but anger. Pure anger. Standing, she said, “What are you doing here?”

He stood just as quickly, saying, “I want to talk. I want to explain.”

“Explain? Oh, Jack, I think you explained very well the last time we talked. Your life doesn’t include me. Period. Does that about sum it up?”

“No,” he growled. “I came to tell you that I was wrong. I made a totally fucked up decision at a time when I shouldn’t have been making any personal decisions. And I’ve regretted it ever since.”

She stared, scrutinizing him carefully. Suddenly, shoulders slumping, she lifted her hand in defense. “Jack, I’ve got no fight left in me. Just none. I think you were right. I deserve more than someone who ran at the first sign of trouble.” Giving a rude snort, she added, “You know what’s crazy? I didn’t even know there was trouble. I spent that week thinking about what you said on your deck. What we did. Planning for us going out. Deciding you were someone I was excited to be with. That was how I spent my week. You? You spent it planning on how to tell me to get lost!”

Skirting around him, she declared, “I have no time for this now so you can just leave.” She walked out and started down the lane, yelling over her shoulder, “Close the door when you go.”

He rushed out after her, slamming the cabin door before checking to make sure it locked. Jogging after her, his long legs caught up to hers almost instantly. The first drops of rain were starting to fall, so they both began walking faster.

Refusing to look at him, she wondered
Why is he doing this?
Having gone into the cabin to replace the old, worn rug with a new one that Gram had bought months ago, she suddenly felt the loss once more. Shocked when Jack walked in, she admitted it felt wonderful to have his arms wrap around her. To melt into his body and feel his strength seep into hers.

The rain was beginning to pound down on them and she broke into a jog. She could hear his footsteps right along hers but refused to look at him. Seeing the lodge ahead, she thought she would get rid of him.
But no more tears. Not over him!

Jack was not about to be dismissed before they had a chance to talk so he jogged with her every step of the way. Running in the pouring rain was nothing to a former Special Forces soldier, but he noticed her slipping in the mud several times with her little tennis shoes.

As the lodge loomed ahead, she rounded toward the back but slipped on the wet grass. Screaming as she threw her hands out in front of her to protect her face from hitting the ground, she was scooped up in his massive arms. Giving a squeak, she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on as he jogged up the back steps and into the lodge.

Placing her on the floor of the great room, the two stood staring at each other. Soaked to the skin, they said nothing as the water puddled at their feet.

All of the words he wanted to say flew from his mind as his gaze followed the trail of water as it dripped from her long hair onto her breasts, showcased perfectly in her t-shirt. Chilled now that they were in an air-conditioned room, her nipples had hardened to points that were straining against her bra.

She watched the drops fall from his dark hair down to his shirt that was almost translucent as it outlined each muscle in his chest and abdomen. His jeans molded to his thick thighs and she found herself unable to tear her eyes away. The loneliness of her existence bore down on her as the electricity sparked around their bodies.

Neither moved. His grey eyes did not move from her blue ones. Unspoken questions flying between them. Suddenly, they both shifted straight into each other’s arms, his mouth slamming down on hers.

She jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist. One of his hands held her ass while the other enveloped her middle, his hand on the back of her head. Angling her for better access, he plunged his tongue into her warmth, swallowing her moans. Kicking the back door shut with his boot, he stalked toward the stairs, his mouth never leaving hers.

She kissed him back with as much energy as he was taking her mouth. At the top of stairs, he pulled away just enough to grunt, “Where?” and then followed where she pointed. Moving into the only bedroom that had furniture, he placed her feet on the floor, his lips still locked onto hers.

Her fingers fumbled with his buttons, but she managed to push his sopping shirt off of his shoulders while sucking on his tongue. He growled and she felt it deep inside of her, zinging straight to her core.

His hands grasped the bottom of her t-shirt and jerked it upward, their lips parting only long enough for the material to pass between them, before it landed with a wet slap on the floor next to hers. She found the button on his jeans at the same time he reached around to unsnap her bra. He pulled her hands away from his pants so that he could slide the lacy material to join their other clothes.

His arms pulled her forward, her bare breasts pressed against his chest before he slid one hand upwards cupping her cheek, his mouth leading a trail from her lips down her neck. She leaned back, his lips firing a path along her skin.

He hefted her easily, turning to lay her onto the bed, before leaning back, perusing her perfect face with her kiss-swollen lips, hooded eyes, and full breasts with rosy-tipped nipples. Unzipping her jeans, he slid them slowly down her legs, capturing her panties along the way. Finally tossing the last of her soaked clothing onto the floor, he towered over her. Her naked beauty stunned him. “Fuckin’ gorgeous,” he growled, his voice raspy with need.

He quickly unzipped his jeans, and jerked them down, towing his boots off at the same time. He stood by the side of the bed, palming his erect cock.

A silver medallion hung around his neck, glistening against his tanned skin. She stared at his magnificent body, his perfect masculinity had her yearning to feel him. Touch him. Kiss him. Every inch.

“Whatever you’re thinkin’ baby, I assure you, I’m thinkin’ the same thing.”

Offering him a smile, she lifted her arms to him, beckoning his body to hers.
For only tonight, I won’t care. I just want to feel him for this one time. Anything to not be so lonely and then he can leave once more.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew this was a dangerous game to play. Her emotions warned her—if she felt hurt the first time he left, she would surely feel it tenfold after this.

He stood perfectly still for a moment, watching her carefully. “You understand what this means, beautiful? I want to make sure you understand exactly what we’re doing.”

“Jack,” she begged. “Please. Just take me.”

He snagged a condom out of his wallet and tossed it on the bed beside her. Crawling over her body, he kissed her from her belly up toward her breasts. Halting just on the underside, he licked and then sucked his way to her nipples, latching onto one and pulling it deeply into his mouth.

Her body writhed, hips moving upward searching for the delicious friction that only he could provide. Lying partially on her, he slid his left hand downward through her neatly trimmed curls to the prize he was seeking. Her moist folds opened easily and his finger glided deep inside, eliciting another groan from her lips as her hips bucked up.

His mouth continued its attention on her breasts while he slid another finger into her wet pussy, scissoring them in a way that had her body once more undulating.

She threw her head back against the mattress, unsure of anything in her life except this man, his body, this minute in time, and her need. Her nipples were on fire as he licked, nipped, and sucked his way from one to the other. Her arms grasped around his neck, holding him in place as though he might vanish at any moment.

Jack had no plans on vanishing…ever. He thought her lips were nectar, but her breasts were divine. Sucking on her hardened buds, he could feel her pussy clench tighter on his fingers. Twisting his hand once more, he knew he found the spot that would take her over the edge.

She cried out as her body bucked once more under his ministrations, the sparks flying from her core outward in every direction. Her body exploded and she could not breathe as she rode the wave of ecstasy. Drifting on her mattress cloud, her eyes closed, she did not care if she ever moved.

“Breathe, beautiful,” Jack whispered.

Her eyes flew open as she sucked in a deep breath. Finding him gazing down at her as he slid his fingers into his mouth, repeating the action from his deck that morning, was mesmerizing. She watched his grey eyes focus on her and his smile pierced her sadness.
If only I could have this every morning.
But she pushed those thoughts away, focusing on the here and now.