"Really?" I asked, surprised. "She's been nothing but nice to me since I moved in, but sometimes I get an odd vibe from her."
"Don't get me wrong, I like Claire," Mia said. "We've been friends for a while, but I've never been able to get really close to her. It's like she builds a barrier and doesn't let anyone see her true emotions. I've never seen her really happy and I've never seen her really sad. It's like she's always even-keeled. We're women-that's not possible!"
I laughed at Mia's comment, but I understood what she meant. I often felt like Claire was watching everyone, silently assessing everything and tucking away her observations.
Jackson reached over, pulling me next to him by my waist, and I forgot about Claire.
"How are you doing?" he asked with a sweet smile.
"Great! I'm having a good time."
Jackson leaned down and kissed me softly. We had been like this all night and I was too happy to wonder if we were making a spectacle of ourselves. Our feelings were so new that it was hard to keep our hands off each other. We were constantly touching each other, stealing quick kisses, and forgetting about everyone else, the crowd fading away as we focused on each other.
Unfortunately, I knew I had to get home at a decent hour so that I wasn't exhausted for work tomorrow.
"I hate to end the night, but I should go home. Otherwise, I'm going to be dragging tomorrow."
Jackson looked disappointed, but he didn't argue. I was happy he seemed to understand that I had to make work a priority. We said our goodbyes to Nathan and Mia and promised that we would get together soon. Jackson went to coat check to get his umbrella while I looked for Claire to tell her we were leaving. I found her at the bar and I made my way towards her.
"Claire," I said, touching her arm to get her attention. "We're leaving now. Do you want to come with us?"
Claire smiled, none of her earlier moodiness apparent. "You guys go ahead. I'm going to stay for a while."
"Okay, but make sure to take a cab home. It's getting pretty late."
"Yes, Mom," Claire said, grinning. "See you later."
Jackson hailed a cab when we got outside and we climbed inside, thankful that it had finally stopped raining. When we got to my apartment, Jackson paid the cab driver and got out as well.
"Why aren't you taking the cab to your place?" I asked. I gave him a stern look. "Remember, I have to get up early tomorrow. As much as I'd like to, I have to make it an early night."
Jackson wrapped his arms around me and I knew with a little convincing, I would relent and invite him upstairs. He gave me a long lingering kiss and I had to stop myself from asking him to come up with me so that I could strip him naked and explore his body with my tongue. My illicit thoughts when it came to Jackson never ceased to amaze me.
"I'm so close, I'm just going to walk home. Besides, I didn't want the cab driver leering while I gave you a proper kiss goodnight."
"I think I need another goodnight kiss. The first one barely registered," I lied with an impish smile.
Jackson lifted his eyebrows but his eyes gleamed with the challenge. "I'll have to try harder then, I guess."
He slowly brushed my lips with his, nipping at my bottom lip and sucking it gently into his mouth. He cradled my head between his hands and soon the kiss went from gentle to demanding. He thrust his tongue into my mouth, mimicking another act, letting me know what he was craving. I whimpered and wrapped my arms around his neck, pushing my breasts against his chest, my nipples aching to be touched.
I barely registered the raindrops falling on us. All I could focus on was the heat of Jackson's mouth, his hands pushing my hips against his, letting me feel how much he wanted me. Our kiss was wild and out of control as we both strained to get as close to each other as possible, never feeling that we were close enough.
Jackson broke the kiss first, breathing harshly and resting his forehead against mine.
"It's raining," he rasped, stating the obvious. We were both getting soaked, but I couldn't seem to care at that moment. I looked up at Jackson's face, raindrops streaming down his face, his hair completely soaked, and I felt as happy as if it were a brilliantly sunny day.
"I noticed," I replied wryly. I looked down at Jackson's empty hands. "Where's the umbrella?"
"I must have left it in the cab," Jackson replied with a rueful grin. "It's okay. I'm already soaked and it's a short walk home."
I shook my head. "Come upstairs. You can't go home like this. You'll catch a cold."
"Emma, really, I’m okay. This wasn't some ploy to get you to invite me upstairs, as much as I'd like to strip you naked right now. I know you need to get up early for work tomorrow. I'll have to wait for Wednesday."
I knew he was right. I knew that inviting Jackson up wasn't a good idea. I didn't want to risk being late for work tomorrow and I didn't know what time Claire would be home. But at that moment, I didn't care. All I knew was that I wanted Jackson. And that want overpowered everything else.
"I know," I whispered. "But there's no way I can just go to bed now. All I can think about is you being inside of me. If you don't go up with me, I'm just going to have to make myself come. And my fingers don't feel nearly as good as your cock."
Jackson's arms tightened around me, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Sweetheart, you only have to ask once. Although one of these days, you're going to have to let me watch you touch yourself."
We rushed up the stairs to my apartment, barely making it to my bedroom before we started stripping off our wet clothes. We didn't even make it to the bed. Jackson turned me around so my hands were braced against the wall and he swiftly entered me from behind, each thrust taking me closer and closer to the edge. His hands cupped my breasts, holding on to them as he pumped furiously, his fingers twisting my nipples until I cried out. He reached down with one hand and stroked my clit as he continued pounding into me. I was unable to swallow my cries when my orgasm made me shudder as wave after wave of pleasure wracked my body.
As the last tremor left me, I moved back against Jackson, wanting him to find his release as well.
"Please, Jackson," I whispered. "Come inside me."
Jackson groaned as he started thrusting again, his hands now on my hips as he slammed in and out of me.
"You feel so fucking good, Emma. So tight. So wet. This is mine, Emma. This is mine."
Jackson thrust in me one last time, crying out gutturally and making unintelligible sounds as he pumped his release into me. I tightened my muscles, milking him, wanting every last drop of his come inside of me. I felt an acute need to be as close to him as possible, to have everything from him. Because he had everything from me.