He shifted upward and continued his way up my belly, lifting my tank top off in one swift motion before lightly kissing the space between my br**sts. Lowering his body completely onto mine, he pressed his lips against my neck before heading back to my mouth, where I waited anxiously for him.
My hands dug into his back, his muscles hard and tense. I tugged at the waistband of his boxer briefs, trying in vain to lower them. He slipped them off and I felt his excitement grow as his body pressed against mine. “Do you have anything?” he asked before taking the final step.
“You don’t?” I asked incredulously.
“I meant to bring one,” he explained slowly, his breath hot against my ear. “Just in case, you know?”
I shifted my weight, turning to look at him, “Mm-hmm. Just in case, huh?”
“Well, you can’t blame a guy for hoping.” His eyebrows arched. “But I forgot it at home.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously,” he responded solemnly.
“Well,” I hesitated, “I got on the pill when we started dating.”
“You did?”
“Mm-hmm.” I smiled sheepishly, embarrassed at the revelation as he pressed his wet lips against mine.
He pulled away slowly. “I’ve never…” He started to say before stopping short.
“Never what?” My breaths quickened, his hesitance making my confidence waver.
His eyes met mine with longing and uncertainty. “I’ve never done it like this before,” he admitted.
“In a bed?” I teased, unsure of his meaning.
“No.” He paused. “I mean like this. Without anything else.”
I was almost awestruck when I realized that like this meant without a condom. Jack’s vulnerability shone through him in that exact moment like a lighthouse beacon in a raging storm. Somewhere along the way, we’d crossed an imaginary line where feelings and emotions blurred into the unknown. A place neither of us dared go before.
“Really? Not ever?” I slid my hand down the back of his neck, his muscles straining against my fingertips.
“Never. If I didn’t have one, I didn’t do it. There’s never been anyone like you, Cassie. There never will be.” His admission silenced us both as the weight of the moment sunk in.
“Do you still want to?” I trembled as the words left my lips.
He shifted and I felt my panties slide down my legs and leave my body in one fluid motion. That was all the answer I needed as my breathing increased with every kiss, every touch, every electric-filled moment. He stopped and cupped my face with both hands. “You know this changes things.” His eyes searched mine for acceptance and understanding.
“Prove it,” I said with a slight smile, remembering the words I spoke after our first kiss.
“I love you, Cassie.” His voice was so sincere that I blinked back the tears pooling in my eyes.
“I love you too,” I admitted, my protective walls crumbling to piles of dust around my jagged heart.
His lips were instantly back on mine, his tongue passionately exploring the inside of my mouth. With one easy thrust, I felt him inside me. I inhaled quickly, a pleasure-filled moan escaping my lips.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his movement slowing.
“I’m fine, keep going.” I closed my eyes, wanting more.
“Oh my God, you feel incredible.” He breathed heavily against my ear. “Holy shit, I may never recover from this.”
His hands pressed against my shoulders, his muscles flexing as he worked his body gently in and out of mine. I moved my h*ps in time with his, causing a throaty growl to escape from within him.
I opened my eyes and raked my fingers through his hair. I followed the lines of his body down his back where beads of sweat were pooling. The muscles in his back tensed as I reached my arms around him. My hands came to rest on his backside and I pulled him deeper into me with every thrust. Another throaty moan and he pressed his sweaty cheek against mine, his labored breathing whooshing in and out of my ear.
His breath was hot against my neck. “I’ve never loved anyone before, so go easy on me.”
I turned my head to face him and pressed my mouth against his. “Jack,” I whispered with a sigh. “Don’t stop.” I continued pulling him to me as our bodies slid against each other. His thrusts caused a tension to build inside me, growing quickly as I felt myself striving to meet them desperately, grasping for something I’d never experienced quite this strongly before.
My body tingled everywhere, from my scalp all the way down to my toes. A heated wave of sensation and emotion swept over me, engulfing me as my body seized in a contraction of pulses, all centered at my core.
His movements quickened with urgency in response to mine, and I lifted my h*ps to rise and fall in time with his. “Cassie…” He stared into my eyes and I smiled bravely, yet for a moment, I felt completely exposed.
“It’s okay,” I said softly, and tightened my intimate grip around him. He bit his bottom lip and his eyes narrowed as I felt him explode and pulsate inside me. He quivered before relaxing and allowing his body to fall on top of mine.
“I…can’t…breathe,” I complained playfully, pushing at his shoulders.
“Sorry.” He laughed and rolled onto his side. “That…was amazing,” he said between labored breaths.
He leaned into me, kissing my nose before propping up on one arm. “I love you. I’m sure I’ll f**k it up because I don’t know what the hell I’m doing. Just promise me that you’ll be patient with me. Grade me on a learning curve or something?”
“You should really go into sales, you know that?” I teased, rolling my eyes.
“Promise me, Kitten. Patience.”
“Only if you promise not to do anything that embarrasses me or makes me look stupid.”
“Deal.” He grinned and I leaned in to kiss his dimples, my limbs tangled up with his.
I’ll admit I was scared. We’d crossed the line and my heart would never be the same, no matter what happened from here on out. But if I wanted him to believe in us, I had to believe in him.
*****
I drove Jack to the baseball stadium at five the next morning. When we arrived, I looked over at the rumbling bus and Jack’s arriving teammates. I laughed when I noticed Jamie, a girlfriend of one of Jack’s teammates, driving a monster-sized truck. She looked terrified behind the wheel and her expression brought me relief since I assumed my face probably looked the same. Glancing over at me, she shrugged her shoulders, and I waved in response.
Jack hopped out of his death machine, grabbed his bags, and sauntered over to the driver’s side where I reluctantly sat.
“Take care of my pride and joy.” He grinned, his dimples making an appearance.
“You know it’s just going to sit in the parking lot at my apartment, right?” I shrugged.
He laughed before grabbing the back of my neck and pulling me toward him. “I’ll text you when I get there.” His mouth covered mine as hoots and hollers filtered into the air. He pulled away, turned around, and flipped off his teammates.
“Amateurs.” He laughed.
“It’s the first time they’ve ever been able to give you shit. They’re excited.” I pressed my lips together and smiled.
He leaned in, giving me one last kiss before walking away, his body disappearing behind his two large bags.
EIGHT
I sat in my Comm Law class as my professor droned on about the legal regulations of mass communication as it applied to freedom of speech and the press. Instead of taking notes, my mind drifted to thoughts of Jack and our night together. I absentmindedly placed my pen near my mouth and started chewing on the cap, my eyes blurring over.
Maryse, the gorgeous brunette next to me, nudged me with her elbow, breaking my trance. I turned to look at her and she lifted her chin toward the front of the class where our teacher was writing down topics for our next test.
“Thanks,” I whispered with a sideways glance.
“No problem.” She smiled. “You’re dating Jack Carter, right?” I nodded. “Screw this class, I’d be thinking about him too.” She giggled quietly.
I stifled a laugh and let out a long, drawn-out breath, knowing I’d been caught. Our professor ended his lecture and Maryse stood up when I did, following behind me as the class dispersed. Once outside, she appeared next to me, her full hair bouncing with each step. “So how did you get the elusive Jack Carter to fall for you?”
“I really don’t know. I guess you’d have to ask him that.” I smiled and dropped my sunglasses over my eyes.
“Every girl at this school has been chasing him for years,” she said, acting as though this was new information to me.
“Maybe that’s just it. I didn’t chase him.”
Her eyes widened. “Ahhh, so he chased you? That probably would be a first for him.” She applied a shiny gloss to her lips and puckered before pushing the tube back into her pocket. “Guys love the chase. It’s once you’re caught that you have to be careful.”
I glimpsed at her. “What do you mean?”
“I’m just saying a guy like Jack Carter isn’t fit to be tied down. I can see him enjoying a challenge, which is what you were. But you’re not anymore ’cause he has you. Where’s the fun in that?”
I didn’t respond, unsure of what to say in my defense. What if she was right? What if it was all a game to him? At first he couldn’t have me, then he got me. Then I wouldn’t give it up, but I just did. There were no more challenges.
The pathway split and Maryse peeled away to head in the other direction. “I have another class right now. Media Ethics. Snore.” She rolled her eyes. “I’ll see you Monday. Don’t forget to study!”
“See you Monday,” I answered with half a smile as my mind raced.
I wandered toward the student union, noticing the lack of activity that normally bustled around it. It was weird to admit that a sports team had that much of a presence on campus, but they really did. The lack of energy when they were gone was noticeable.
When I opened the door, the usual obnoxious sound of girlish chatter was absent. I glanced around the almost empty space and laughed to myself as I headed toward Melissa and Dean. If the team wasn’t here, then the fan-girls weren’t either. That revelation was almost as weird as it was disturbing.
I hadn’t taken two steps before an overly friendly blonde reached out a tanned arm to stop me.
“Hi. It’s Cassie, right? I’m Mollie, and I was just wondering if you and Jack were still dating?” She made sure her voice was loud enough for her three eavesdropping friends to hear.
I pinched my eyebrows together, my body tensing. “Why?”
“Well, it’s just that my friend from Texas sent me this photo last night from her cell. That is Jack, right?” she asked, holding her phone out where I could see it and giggling while her friends anxiously waited for my reaction.
I leaned toward the phone and squinted at the grainy photo on its screen. It was definitely Jack holding open a hotel room door as a skinny, dark-haired girl walked through it.