“No? Well, I’ll have to show you.”
His finger pumps in and out as his mouth sucks against my clit.
My toes curl, and an intense heat spirals through me.
With each pump of his fingers, my body tightens until the tension breaks and release washes over me. A loud cry escapes my lips. Quickly, I clamp a hand over my mouth—hopefully Emy and Gus are in a deep enough sleep that neither of them heard that.
Jack regards me with pride, swiping at his mouth. “Yup, vocal cords seem to work fine.” He chuckles.
I lay there, trying to catch my breath and debating if “please sir, can I have some more?” is an appropriate question given the situation.
I haven’t talked to Jack about what he wants from any of this, but if he wants any form of friendship that doesn’t include him doing that with his mouth for all of eternity, then I’m doomed.
What the heck am I doing?
I know about Jack’s no-date rule.
I know his suspension will end soon.
I know he’s used me as a distraction before.
And yet, here I am, diving headfirst into a dangerous territory without a parachute and hoping, however foolishly, that he’ll catch me.
“Aulie?” Jack’s grin falls. “Hey, you okay?”
“Fine,” I breathe out.
“I’ve got to go to skate, okay? But I’ll be back soon.”
I have to talk to Harold, the rink owner, about the ice he lays for me in December at the estate, and I’m not ready to face Gus or Emy yet. “Would you mind terribly if I came?”
Jack meets my eye, and I spy a twinkle I thought he’d lost years ago. He looks younger, somehow. “Didn’t you just?”
“Oh god, I regret you already!” I throw a pillow at his head, and he giggles. It’s like our friendship is still the root of everything, and we’ve just added cunnilingus and kisses to the dynamic.
“No, you don’t.” Jack pulls me up from the bed and brushes his lips to mine. He kisses me as though he’s been waiting years for this moment, savoring every inch of my mouth. My legs wobble, still unstable from what he just did, and he chuckles, holding me close. “I’ve got you, Dessy. Always have.”
Reality crashes down around me with those four simple words, he’s right—I’ve always been his.
* * *
The cool ofthe steel bleacher seeps in through my thin set of leggings I pulled on after attempting to wear jeans and being unable to button them without cutting off circulation to my legs. Whoever thought hard pants were a good idea was sorely mistaken.
After talking to Harold and confirming our plan to prepare the ice rink, I planned on using the empty bleachers to catch up on the work I’ve been neglecting over the past few days.
But here’s the thing. Jack has a hockey butt—my weakness—and I’ve… I’ve touched the butt. And how can I think about Fanny Price andMansfield ParkWeekend when that’s slicing along the rink?
Suddenly, ice sprays in my direction, and I blink, prepared for a freezing onslaught, forgetting about the protection the boards provide me. Jack stands on the other side with a smirk.
I used to think Jack’s playfulness was a reminder that he wasn’t interested in me romantically. But now, seeing him with other women, I think it might be a compliment. Like he’s comfortable with me and I shouldn’t take that for granted.
I always had a thing for Mr. Tilney’s teasing smiles inNorthanger Abbey,anyway.
Jack leans his arm on the plexiglass, and the images that have haunted me the past few weeks of him in the penalty box call forward, but I don’t push them down or blush. “Hey, Dessy. I’m all done if you want me to grab some skates from Harold and join me.”
I squirm on the bench. I’ve never admitted this to Jack, but I’m a miserable skater. Since I’m from New Hampshire, it’s assumed that I was born with the skill, but I never learned how. Gus and my Memere were always too worried about my safety. Couple that with a terrible pain that’s been spasming down my side and through my leg for the better part of the last hour, and skating doesn’t sound like something I want to do today. “Please don’t judge me, but I don’t know how, and I don’t feel like falling today.”
“Huh, I wonder if you know anyone particularly skilled and willing to have an excuse to put his hands all over you to keep you safe.”
