Never Again

Part Fifteen

Jack booked the room confidently, whereas Erin stood beside him feeling like some sort of cheap date. She couldn’t meet the eyes of anyone at the reception desk and barely lifted her eyes until they were ensconced in the lift.

                “Hey, you don’t have to do this?” he offered sensing her embarrassment; he tilted her head up to look her in the eye.

                “I want to!” She insisted. It was just that she felt like a whore, being dragged off to a room as EVERYONE knew what they were doing. It was so long since Max had been part of her life, but the humiliation, the way the demise of her relationship had been so public, in her working world everyone knew and had an opinion on all that had happened. She couldn’t bare that sort of intrusive scrutiny again.  “I just don’t...” She couldn’t vocalise her words.

Jack smiled, “no one here knows anything about us, who we are, why we’re here. And this hotel of all around the town is known for its discretion. There’ll be no judging, I swear.”

                “You’ve done this before!” She hated the accusation in her voice, but it hurt to think that she may be the latest in a long list of women he’d booked a room with.

Jack laughed softly, his fingers still tilting her chin upwards, “you have such a shitty opinion of me!” Pecking a kiss on her nose, he added, “I’m not in the habit of doing this. I’d suggest my place...but it’s a sensitive subject, and knowing you the way I do, I’m thinking you’ll be pigheaded and refuse to come to mine...I’m always abusing your hospitality, neutral territory was the only real option. Don’t you think?”

When she wanted to shout, be angry with him, he said something so perfect, something that showed he completely understood all she was thinking. That wasn’t what she wanted, sympathy, understanding, it was so much easier to deal with an alpha male, demanding, uncaring...

The lift stopping brought her mind back to the here and now, and she followed him out into the corridor, the move an acceptance of the situation in itself. Jack’s hand moved from linking with hers, to rest around her shoulders, pull her close to him. Then found the room at the end of the corridor.

The card unlocked the door, and with each step her heart pounded quicker, the nausea of anticipation and anxiety rose, and her legs shook. Jack on the other hand was calm, relaxed and completely at ease. Flicking on a side light, he walked to the mini bar and pulled out a bottle of water. Pouring it into two glasses he watched Erin walk to the window, to stand and look out onto the dark City night.

                “Drink this,” he stood behind her, watching her reflection in the glass, “you look stressed. Have this it’ll make you feel better.”

She took the glass, her free hand lifting to touch the glass, her fingers trailing down to fall to her side.  It was such a forlorn gesture that Jack immediately felt like a cad. He’d given her the chance to leave, but she wanted to be here, he was sure of that, she was just so anxious.

Lowering his head he placed his lips on the base of her neck, an inch below her hairline. “I’m not forcing this Erin, if you want to go...”

His hands had come to her hips at some point, and she placed her hand over one of them. “I’m just nervous Jack; it’s been a long time.”

It was the first time she’d called him Jack, and for as much as he liked her calling him Reilly, loving that it was almost a pet name, the sound of her saying his given name was the most sensual feeling he’d ever known. Touching her skin again with his mouth, he smiled, “you’ve nothing to be nervous of Erin, and if truth be known, I’m more nervous than I ever have been before.”