Rookie Playing For Keeps #Wattys2015 #NewAdult

Chapter 3 Part 2

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March 2013

            Jackson drops the last armload of his stuff on the coffee table and uses his shirt to wipe the sweat from his face. I stand in the living room of my small apartment and look around at the boxes and bags scattered everywhere. It's a complete mess and I should be exhausted from the work it took to get it all here, but I feel alive with energy and excitement as I watch Jackson's stomach muscles ripple as he moves. He's gorgeous, and now he's my new roommate.

            When he drops his shirt back down, he opens his arms and motions for me to come over to him. He doesn't have to ask me twice. "I can't believe it's really happening!" I squeal as I jump into his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist and planting kiss after kiss on his face. He laughs and tries to return as many of them as he can as his large hands slide up my thighs and cup my butt to hold me close to him.

            He's wearing his hat backwards the way he was the night we met, and although I love the way he looks, it is one more item that is in the way of my skin touching his. I grip the bill and lift it from his head, tossing it like a Frisbee onto the couch behind him. I run my fingers through his hair as his lips find my neck. "Oh, it's happening," he jokes, moving us toward the bedroom. I tip my head back to laugh as his tongue licks softly down my neck.             

            I manage to kick off the light switch as we pass it and move my hands from his hair to his cheeks, bringing his lips to mine. "We're all sweaty," I muse as I look at the light sheen of moisture on his face and neck.

            "I can fix that." His grip on me tightens as he steps into the room. I realize what he's thinking and begin to wiggle in a pathetic attempt to escape, but he just holds me tighter in his strong arms. He makes a tsk-tsk sound and I begin to beg.

            "Please, Jackson, don't! It will be cold! The water's always freezing when you first turn it on." I kick my feet and try hard to reach for anything I can to stop his insistent journey to the bathroom.

            "I'll warm us up," he answers, nibbling on my ear and managing to thwart my attempts to flee. When he moves to turn on the bathroom light I see my chance and give my best effort to put my leg down onto solid ground so I can gain some leverage. "Hmm, it's going to be like that?" he accuses, his voice low and deep. "We can keep it dark, then." I know I've lost the battle and finally give up, wrapping my arms around his neck to brace for the chill I know is coming.

            He steps inside the shower stall and slides the door closed as I brace for the impact of the water. Ever the gentleman, he turns his back to the faucet and sets me down, moving quickly to turn on the water. I watch his face as the icy spray hits his back, but don't move to escape any longer because I know that a little cold water will be worth it to have him warm me up. It's not long before the hot water begins to flow and steam warms the chilly air between us.

            I've read about the predatory look in romance books, the one that lets the woman know that the man wants her so badly it's impossible to hide. Tonight in the shower, Jackson wears that look very well. As the steam grows thicker, his eyes grow darker, looking into mine with an intensity that makes my knees weak and my core ache. His hands slide under the hem of my shirt and rise up along my sides, pulling the wet fabric with them. He quickly tosses my shirt to the side.

            The playfulness from minutes ago is replaced with an urgency that has us tangling limbs to get each other's clothes off. I feel my hands shake slightly as I run them up his hard stomach and across his pecs. With his shirt off and his skin turning red under the pounding of the water, he is the most perfect sight I've ever seen.

            My hands slide up to touch his neck, then my fingers splay into his drenched hair as my thumbs brush softly against his cheeks, rough with several days' stubble. In a few weeks he is going to be my husband and that thought alone pushes me close to release as his fingers dip beneath my waistband. His lips and tongue trail along the skin of my breasts and stomach. The path our life seems to be taking is almost too perfect. How can I be so in love with him and still fall more in love each day?

            When his face returns to mine, I feel lost in his eyes, both of us awed by the powerful force between us. My trembling hands move to his pants and I pull open the button and slide down his zipper. He takes over and pushes his pants down, kicking them off and leaving nothing but steam between us. His lips curl and he leans a little closer, whispering into my ear, "I get to do this for the rest of my life, Rookie. I get to be this close to you, feel your hands on my body," he gently runs his fingers down my neck and chest. "You're going to be mine."

            His words make me ache. I need him closer. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull his lips to mine as his hands continue to roam my flesh. "I'm already yours," I manage and he sucks gently on my bottom lip, releasing it with a small pop. His hands cup my ass and lift me until I wrap my legs around him.

            Turning us, he rains kisses on the soft curve of my neck, moving upward until his tongue finds the sensitive skin beneath my ear. His voice is thick with emotion and desire as he murmurs, "I'll never get enough of hearing you say that. I love you, Maddy." He gently kisses my lips, slower than before, spilling all of his devotion into me as his lips meld with mine. I pull him closer, pressing my skin against his, hoping my actions show how connected I feel with him in this moment.

            His face pulls back so he can look at me and I feel like he can see straight through me. He pushes my back up against the shower wall and I shift my position slightly, allowing me to feel him at my entrance. I begin to close my eyes in anticipation, but he freezes his movement and waits for my eyes to flutter back open. "There are those beautiful eyes," he rasps, and then he pushes inside me, filling me up and owning me completely. 

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