by Maretta, L
Jack didn’t know if he needed to prove something to himself or if he needed a distraction from his shitty day or if he just simply needed Adrianna, but he found himself undressing her in the kitchen, pulling off her black top and then working to slide her jeans down her legs. Once she was clad in only a red, lacy bra and matching boy shorts, he lifted her to sit at the edge of the small kitchen island behind her.
Adrianna was confused at Jack’s actions since she had gotten there. First, he seemed indifferent to her presence, barely looking at her when he greeted her. Then, he seemed angry when his sister appeared and now he was passionate and wanting sex. Figuring he was just looking for a way to relieve stress and grief, Adrianna didn’t deny him. While his kisses became more rough and urgent, she worked on unbuttoning his shirt and pushing it off his shoulders. It fell to the floor with a quiet swoosh and then Adrianna pulled his undershirt from the waist of his navy slacks. She broke apart their kiss to yank it over Jack’s head. Before joining their lips again, Jack unbuckled his own belt and pulled his pants and briefs down just enough to free his erection.
Adrianna stroked him lightly but Jack wasn’t interested in any type of foreplay that night. When he tugged at her panties she tried to lift her hips but Jack was too impatient. Gripping them tightly in his fist, he tore the flimsy lace from her body and without any preamble, he filled her. Not nearly ready for such an intrusion, Adrianna bit her lip to prevent herself from crying out. She wasn’t in pain, per se, but the friction created when Jack moved in and out of her was less than pleasurable without any aid from the slickness of her arousal.
Oblivious to the fact that Adrianna wasn’t exactly enjoying herself, Jack pounded away at her, gripping her tightly around her waist and burying his face in her neck. This was the most quiet they had ever been while having sex; the only noises echoing through the house were Jack’s labored breaths and the knocking of his belt buckle against the counter. Adrianna knew she was being used but she didn’t care. She loved Jack and she would allow him to take his aggression out on her sexually if that’s what he needed. She turned her head and kissed his temple while she held onto him for another five or six thrusts before he came.
Jack pulled away from Adrianna and quickly did his pants up before bracing himself against the counter, breathing heavily. He felt better until he looked at Adrianna and saw her still sitting there naked other than her bra, slightly quivering from the intensity in which he took her.
"Shit," he cursed and hooked one arm beneath her knees and the other around her back to gently set her on her feet. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart," he spoke against her temple. He kissed her several times and hugged her tightly in apology.
"It's okay," Adrianna reassured. She placed small kisses on his bare chest to show him she meant it.
"I can't believe I just did that to you," he continued to lament. He was disgusted with himself and how he behaved, practically attacking his own girlfriend to satisfy his selfish needs. "I'm so fucking sorry."
"Hey," Adrianna gently reproached, "it's okay." She took Jack's face in her hands and looked him square in the eyes. "I'm fine. I'm more worried about you. Did something happen with your sister before I got here?"
Jack wasn't about to tell her the real reason behind their argument so he lied and said, "She was just pushing me to make decisions about Dad's house and stuff."
"Oh," Adrianna frowned, thinking it was highly insensitive of Jack's sister to start worrying him with things like that before their father was even buried. "Doesn't she realize there's plenty of time for that?" she asked.
"That's what I said." Jack was relieved Adrianna hadn't tried to make excuses for his sister. He would not have handled that well.
Jack suddenly became aware again that Adrianna was still virtually naked and he grabbed his dress shirt from the floor to cover her with. Adrianna threaded her arms through the sleeves and let Jack lead her upstairs to the bedroom they would share. It was just as bare as the living room, with only a double bed and a tall chest of drawers but it would do just fine. Adrianna used the bathroom to clean up, taking a quick shower without washing her hair. When she returned to the bedroom in her night clothes, Jack was already asleep on the bed. Adrianna removed his black dress shoes and distinguished the lights, and then curled up on the bed at Jack's side.
The sun was just beginning to rise when Jack woke up the next morning. Exhausted from the little sleep he had, he rubbed at his eyes and then closed them again, trying unsuccessfully to get a few more hours of rest. He rolled over and his stomach tightened in guilt when he saw Adrianna lying there. When she returned to their bedroom the night before, he had actually pretended to be sleeping. He knew it was a shitty thing to do and he rightfully felt shitty about it, but he really didn’t want to do any talking last night. It was barely evening when they went to bed and so he listened while Adrianna tossed and turned and then finally pulled out her phone to play with. When she did fall asleep, he got up, showered, and then tossed and turned himself for most of the night. Turning towards Adrianna again, he fixed his bleary eyes on her and reached out to smooth his thumb across her cheek. She looked like a dark haired angel with cheeks pink with warmth and black lashes fanned across them. She was wearing a new piece of lingerie she had purchased for herself after they started spending the night together. The lavender camisole and shorts with black lace trim looked lovely against her pale skin. God, he really loved her.
In slumber, Adrianna’s eyes scrunched up with a fearful expression and her breathing became erratic. Trying to ease her from the nightmare she must have been having, Jack scooted closer and put his arm around her, lightly rubbing her back. His action had the opposite effect though, and upon being touched Adrianna’s body jerked and she curled inwardly on herself with an incoherent cry. Jack rubbed her back with more pressure and tried to wake her by calling her name quietly, but Adrianna was too deeply involved in her dream. Her body trembled more violently and she clawed at the sheets, crying out once again in distress. It finally took Jack grabbing her wrists and shouting out, “Adrianna!” for her eyes to shoot open and then search wildly around the room.
Adrianna pulled herself up into a sitting position and struggled to breathe while hot tears burned her cheeks. She wiped at her face hastily and then brought her knees up to rest her forehead against them while she gasped for breath.
“You’re okay,” Jack repeated over and over while he sat up next to her and continued to stroke her back. Adrianna nodded against her knees and then let Jack pull her so she was enveloped in his arms.
“It was just a nightmare,” she said out loud though she was really reassuring herself. Her tears had stopped but she wiped at her eyes again anyway to wake herself up more.
“What was it about?” Jack tickled the exposed skin between her shoulder blades with his fingers.
“It was nothing,” Adrianna whispered, not wanting to disturb Jack with what her subconscious had drawn up.
“Tell me,” Jack insisted. “You might feel better.”
With a sigh Adrianna shared, “We were walking, outside on the street or something. Then all of a sudden the ground opened up, like a sinkhole, only it was gushing this thick, black liquid; like tar. You were safe at the edge but I started drowning in it and you tried to pull me free but you couldn’t.” She shuddered with the memory of being engulfed by the suffocating goo.
Hearing about Adrianna’s dream reminded Jack of his sister’s accusations the night before and he felt his mood plummet. Damn, Gillian. His fingers continued to caress Adrianna’s back but he said nothing, too lost in his own thoughts. When he was quiet for too long, Adrianna shifted and brought her head up to look at Jack. She saw the look on his far away face and she didn’t like it. This was why she didn’t want to share her dream with him. He didn’t need something else to worry about.
“It doesn’t mean anything,” she dismissed lightly. Jack looked down on her with a half smile. “Anyway, I have some news about the interview.”
>
Jack brought his free hand up to his forehead and squeezed, thinking himself a fucking idiot. “I can’t believe I forgot to ask you about that. I’m so sorry, Ade, how did it go?”
Smiling, Adrianna informed, “I got the job.”
Elated at her news, Jack pulled her up to kiss her firmly on the mouth. “That’s fantastic! Now will you tell me what it is?”
“I am the new school nurse at Oakwood Elementary school. It’s near Glenview, not too far from the city.”
Grinning widely, Jack kissed her again. Her news really did lift his spirits. He was so proud of her and relieved that she had found something that would make her happy. She wasn’t a pediatrician but she’d be working with and taking care of children. He listened while she told him about meeting the principal of the school who was a young man with small children of his own. Adrianna shared the information that she had taken the last four years to recover from her accident and Mr. Wendrick had listened with a sympathetic ear. He liked Adrianna’s enthusiasm about caring for children and he told her so. Then he said that as long as her personal references checked out, the job was hers. Adrianna had listed Heather and Jack on her resume so there wouldn’t be any problems.
“The pay sucks but the hours are great and I’ll have summers off,” Adrianna revealed happily. “And I’ll get to work with kids.”
“That’s wonderful, Rizzo,” Jack beamed. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks, Kenickie,” she grinned back, feeling a little like she was a child and Jack was an adult. But Adrianna guessed in ways she was immature. She did just land her first job ever. And Jack was six years older than her. Now she worried if Jack felt like he was often taking care of a child. Not wanting to damper the mood, however, she dismissed the idea quickly.
“What was Rizzo’s real first name?” she challenged with a wink.
Jack thought on it for a minute and then shrugged in defeat. “I have no idea.”
“Oh, bonus point goes to me,” Adrianna crowed. “It was Betty.” When Jack smirked down at her she noticed he still looked a little sad. “Are you okay?” she asked, reaching up to caress his jaw. Jack just nodded.
“What time is the funeral?”
“Eleven,” Jack told her. Stretching for his cell phone next to the bed he looked at the time. “Which means we have enough time to get ready and then go out for breakfast to celebrate your new job. Come on, let’s get up.”
Chapter 13
Adrianna shifted in the passenger seat of Jack’s Challenger, her back stiff from being seated for almost three hours. It was late Wednesday night and Adrianna had dropped her car off at the rental company close to Jack’s father’s house so that she could ride back to the city with him. They had attended the funeral on Tuesday and then Jack spent the day searching through his father’s papers for things that needed to be handled right away. He had the utilities switched into his own name, got fax numbers to send copies of the death certificate to, and spoke with his dad’s power of attorney to go over death benefits. Jonathan Senior didn’t have much of an insurance policy but it would be enough to cover the expenses of the funeral.
Adrianna didn’t leave Jack’s side once on Tuesday, holding his hand during the service and at the gravesite at the cemetery. It was the first funeral she had attended; she had still been in the hospital when Rachel was buried, and Adrianna was extremely uncomfortable but she showed no signs of it, determined to be strong for Jack’s sake. Though he didn’t cry, she could tell he was full of grief by his posture, his expression, and his silence. Only when he was greeting a relative or introducing them to Adrianna did he speak more than one word at a time.
Adrianna had met Jack’s mother, who was a lovely woman. She hugged Adrianna warmly and when they said goodbye she made Jack promise to bring her back for a proper visit soon. In his mother, Adrianna saw where Jack had gotten his kindness and good heart from. His looks, too. Roseann Lokinski had the same blue eyes and dark hair as her son.
Leaning forward in her seat to stretch, Adrianna reached around to try to massage the ache in her lower back. In addition to being immobile for the last three hours, she hadn’t gotten much exercise in the last two days and she was feeling the effects. She couldn’t wait to get home and utilize the fitness ball Jack had gotten her.
“Do you need me to stop?” Jack asked, moving Adrianna’s hand out of the way and replacing it with his own. He dug his fingers into her muscles deeply, just like Adrianna needed. She moaned at the relief.
“No, it’s okay, we’re almost home,” she replied.
Jack continued to massage her back while he stared at the road ahead of them. He didn’t speak again and Adrianna wished she knew what to say to distract him from his thoughts. She had tried several times to strike up conversations with him at the beginning of the car ride, but he shot down every attempt with a one word answer. Though she felt glum at being so useless, she told herself that after a few days Jack would be okay.
When they arrived at Adrianna’s apartment Jack parked and carried her bag to her door. He didn’t go in though and left the bag on the floor at her entryway.
“You’re not coming in?” she asked with disappointment.
“I’ve gotta get back to my place,” Jack explained. “Check on the bar.”
Adrianna nodded. “Do you want to come back later?”
Jack’s eyes wrinkled and his head tilted to the side as he gently told her, “I think I’m gonna stay in tonight. Is that okay?”
Adrianna hid the hurt she felt when he didn’t invite her to his place. She put a smile on her face and told him it was fine.
“I’ll call you tomorrow,” he said and then kissed her goodnight.
“Men don’t know how to deal with grief,” Heather offered, sitting at her kitchen table with Adrianna as they spoke over coffee. “Men are comfortable with three emotions: horny, hungry, and tired. Anything else throws them completely out of whack.”
Adrianna laughed, thinking Heather was spot on in her analysis. Jack had called her that morning but to tell her he was going to be busy dealing with more of his father’s affairs. He was also working at the bar open to close and he didn’t say if he would see Adrianna after. She didn’t ask, either. Instead she spent the day shopping for scrubs, which she would be wearing at her new job, and though she had until September before she actually started, she was still excited about working soon. After having dinner in front of her television alone, she went across the hall to pay a visit to Heather.
She had explained the whole ordeal with Jack’s father passing away and how his behavior had changed drastically. Though she was still was hopeful that after just a little time they would be okay, she still was unhappy about him being so distant.
“I don’t know,” she sighed. “I feel like he’s slipping away and I hate that I can’t help him like he helped me.”
Heather studied Adrianna for a minute and smiled. Gone was the haunted look she always had in her eyes and though she had been sitting for almost twenty minutes, she wasn’t fidgeting every few seconds.
“He has helped you, hasn’t he?” Heather mused.
“In more ways than you could possible imagine,” Adrianna admitted.
Heather’s six-year-old, Trevor entered the kitchen and Adrianna smiled. He had blonde hair but his mother’s freckles and she thought about how she would be working with children his age soon. The idea made her anxious for September.
“Mommy, can I have some juice?” he asked and Heather rose from her seat to go to the refrigerator. Adrianna watched wistfully as her friend handed her son a cup, which he took with a small thank you. When he finished he handed it back to his mom, who kissed his head and swatted his behind before he scurried back to his room to play.
“I want kids,” Adrianna blurted when Heather returned to the table.
“Really? Does Jack?”
“I don’t know,” Adrianna answered.
“You should ask him,” Heather countered. “Conversatio
ns like that are important in serious relationships.”
Adrianna chewed on that. Last week she wouldn’t have hesitated to ask him that question. Now, she was afraid it would push Jack farther away from her. Shaking her head and taking a sip of her coffee, she thought it was not the right time to have that conversation.
Jack felt relief when he saw Kenny walk through the door at Loki’s Monday just before nine. Though it was slow, Jack was beyond exhausted from the past five days and was grateful that Kenny was coming in for the last few hours until closing. All he had done was work and take care of more of his father’s affairs. He had even driven back down to his house twice only to drive back to the city the same day and go to work. He had been running on four hours of sleep a night, max, and though he hated to admit it, he was too old for that shit anymore.
