The Ember In The Storm

Part III

Elizabeth's legs hang over Jackson's shoulders for three seconds and yet she was screaming over the top of her lungs for him to let her down.

Her towel moved to just below her breech and it took all the willpower Jackson had in him to not pull the damned thing off.

Hell. It had been a month since he touched a woman, the last woman he did touch was Elizabeth... and Christ was he willing to touch her again.

He finally dropped her down the bed, hovering over her before she could get up. She lay in between him, his limbs caging her in— And that godforsaken towel still holding onto her.

"What happened to your face?"

Her hair had finally fallen past her face, not a strand hiding her from him. A bandage covered half of her left face from cheekbone to ear.

"I told you—"

"—You slipped in the bathroom, yes." But he wanted the truth.

Elizabeth was about to protest for him to get off before he brought his face closer, letting his lips brush hers for a second. "I don't even know why I missed you," he murmured with his eyes shut. "But I did and it's the most painful feeling I had ever felt."

Opening his eyelids, he caught sight of the bewilderment in her nut brown eyes, his favorite reaction to get out of her; surprise. Anything surprised her, really.

Jackson grinned before placing his lips back on hers, not getting much access into her mouth from the restraint until she relaxed, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer, both savoring into it.

It was like swimming in molasses. The kiss. It was like being dipped in gold. The kiss. It was like they were being pulled in a current of emotions to realize they were drowning and nothing even mattered anymore.

Not her body that seemed to hurt. Not his mind that seemed weary and to be fighting it's own demons. Not the war that they were supposed to be fighting between themselves and the world. Not the worries of what the world expected them to be or what they were or what they should become.

That was the only thing that mattered.

That kiss.

Their lips, their bodies pressed against each other, his firm hands softly finding a way to bring her closer to his body, and they knew they wanted so much more from each other than their bodies.

Elizabeth moaned into his mouth, that sound traveling past his throat and to his racing heart, raising more than the adrenaline within him.

Jackson moved a leg in between hers, moving it higher to her thighs until he felt the heat of her skin against his knee. He was surprised to find out that she was already moist.

He grinned, feeling her move her hips against his leg, whimpering and pulling him in closer to her body.

She wanted all of him and he wanted to feel the beauty of her with his fingers, the palms of his hands and every fiber and bone in his being.

They wanted all of each other.

But they could not even have half of it.

He released her, just as he so much died to release all the torment in him.

Still leaning in, both breathing but not breathing and hearts beating between each other and so close but so far and she couldn't feel her body anymore. She could not feel the pain or the emptiness of the room anymore. All she could feel was him. She wanted to feel much more of him.

Oh, she craved to feel much more of him.

"I... I was scared," she admitted, eyes moist. "I was so scared."