TEMPTATION 3: To Have & To Hold // JG

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Jack's POV

The clock read 7:15 when I returned home from getting a bite to eat. The lights in the house were dimmed and candles were lit. It was only Lauren that was home. Johnson's car wasn't even in the driveway. I walked further into the house and smiled.

"Babe?" I call out.

Lauren emerges at the top of the stairs, wearing a skin-tight dress and heels. She smirks at me as she descends, takes me by the hand and aggressively pushes me onto the couch. I was immediately getting excited once she got on her knees. She lifts my shirt a bit, kissing up my abs and back down.

"Someone's naughty tonight," I say.

She hums against my skin and palms me.

"Remember when I said this is mine?" She grinned up at me, beginning to rub me slowly.

"Mmhmm," I was able to utter.

"Is it still mine?"

"Always, babygirl." I bit my lip.

"One more question..."

"Anything," I whispered.

She kissed my stomach again. Suddenly, she pulled out a sharp knife from beneath the couch cushion and with force, stabbed the couch right between my legs. The blade was centimeters away from my dick. I shouted and double-checked to make sure I wasn't in so much shock that I couldn't even feel anything. I was unscathed.

"Ummm, babe? If this is what you describe as a kink, I don't think I like it very much," my voice shook.

"Well you know what I don't like?" Her tone of voice changed from seductive to angry. "The fact that you were with Yovanna in Orlando and didn't tell me. What. Happened. In Orlando?" Her grip tightened over the knife handle.

"W-what? N-nothing happened! Nothing happened! She's messing with you!" I panicked. I know I should've told the truth but she had a knife right next to my balls. Plus...I know she'd kill me. And while standing over my corpse, she'd break up with me.

She stands up and paces around the living room, leaving the knife in the cushion.

"I want to believe you," she cries. "It's just...look at her and look at me."

I rub my face. "Baby, how many times do I have to tell you?"

"I know, I know. I just..." She shrugs her shoulders and looks down at the knife. She pulls it out and throws it across the floor. I quickly stood up and held her.

"You're the only one for me. Don't listen to her, she can be very manipulative," I said into her ear. My heart stung because ultimately, I was being the manipulative one; dragging myself into a race I was scared to finish because it wouldn't be a trophy I'd be getting.

. . .

Lauren's POV

As I rested between his legs and against his chest, I decided to knock out a couple more chapters of a science-fiction novel I just bought. The breeze and the sound of the crashing waves in front of us was perfect. Jack was resting and I was enjoying the deep breaths he took while asleep. Total comfort. I felt his body shift a little as he woke up out of his light sleep, his arm slipping over my stomach and keeping me close. I leaned my head back and could see his closed eyes beneath his Ray Bans. One eye opened and he smiled down at me.

"What?" He asked.

"Mm, nothing." I grinned and got back to reading.

"I'm gonna miss you." His deep voice sounded like velvet as it also vibrated through his chest and against my back.