Jack

by Kali Hart

  I help her with her seat belt—also unnecessary, but I don’t care—and let my hand slide down along the side of her tit. They’re begging to be fondled. But I’m playing for keeps, and until Rena accepts that this is a rule worth breaking, I have to play the slow torture card some more. “You’re right. But it’s such a perfect ass, Teach.”

  I hurry around the front of the truck and get in.

  “Where are we going?” she asks when I’m inside and pulling out of her driveway.

  “It’s a surprise.”

  “Really?”

  I give her the wink that makes her practically melt. “Really.”

  Her eyebrows draw together when I pull into the parking lot of one of fancier hotels in town. They have their own restaurant, but we’ll not be dining downstairs. Seeing her in that black dress reassured me that I made the right decision earlier.

  “Where are we going?”

  I slip her hand into mine. “Do you trust me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then let it be a surprise.” I lead her to the elevator, and we climb to the top floor. I’ve been saving money for a long time, never having anything too special to spend much of it on. But this honeymoon suite was worth every penny, even though I’m due back at the station at eight in the morning.

  Her eyes widen as the doors open. The suite contains three rooms, but the open doors to the king-sized bed draw mine first. I can’t wait to roll around with her on it—naked.

  “This is amazing. Are we—are we staying here?”

  “Only if you want to.” I didn’t tell her to pack an overnight bag, but I don’t plan to leave her in clothes very long. Just through dinner.

  “But I thought you said dinner—”

  “Room service should be here any minute.”

  She throws herself at me, yanking my head down to kiss me hard. The passion between us is intense. She’s caught me off guard, and slow goes out the window. I’ve hardly been able to resist her, but now it’s impossible.

  We’re both panting like we ran a marathon when there’s a knock on the door, announcing room service. I want to tell them to take a hike, but I was so insistent about dinner that I answer the door. Two servers push in carts with covered trays and fill our personal dining table.

  “There’s so much food,” Rena says, her eyes wide.

  “I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I ordered it all.”

  “All?”

  “The whole menu.”

  Once the servers leave us, it’s all I can do to sit at the table and pretend that I’m hungry for anything but Rena. But I force myself to stay in my seat and treat this like the special date it is. I know I just met her, and there’s no doubt about wanting her in my life. But I hardly know anything about her. So, all through dinner, we talk. She tells me about her love of teaching, her hopes to someday write her own book, and how much she loves to binge watch reality TV. The more I learn about her, the more I know I’m in love with her.

  Yes, I am totally in love with this woman. And tonight, I’m going to claim her for my own.

  “Do you want to stay?” I ask once we’re through with dessert and all the dishes are back out in the hallway. I hold my breath, waiting for her answer. I’ll understand if it’s no. I’m not convinced she’s decided to bend her rule yet. But I really want her to say yes.

  “We can’t exactly leave without trying out the bed, now can we?”

  It’s all the invitation I need to lead her there. She’s in my arms, and our lips fuse together. Hot, hungry hands roam. Mine stop on her bountiful tits. They’re so fucking big just the feel of them in my hands makes my dick instantly hard.

  I peel one strap off her shoulder, then the other. Unclasping her bra, her tits spring free. Fuck, they are amazing. I pinch her nipples between my fingers as I nibble down her neck, and she moans my name. It’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever heard.

  Undoing the zipper, her dress drops to the floor. She’s naked before me aside from a red lace thong. I could stroke myself from the very sight of her like this. “You’re so fucking sexy, Rena.” I caress her curves with leisure, relishing the sensation of her soft skin against my rough hands.

  In a slow dance, we reach the bed. She sits back, invitation in her desired-drenched eyes. She props up on her elbows, and all I want to do is massage her tits. I shed my shirt, and she licks her lips as if I’m her dessert.

  “Rena,” I growl her name, loving how it sounds. “Once I’m inside you, there’s no turning back. The rules will be broken.”

  “I know.”

  Her permission is all I’ve been waiting for, and now that she’s spoken those words, I can’t get the rest of my clothes off fast enough. When my dick lunges free, I catch her eyes widening. “Don’t worry, Teach. It’ll fit just right.”

  I crawl on top of her, my lips capturing her own. I want to tell her the truth. I love her. But I don’t want to scare her away either. Not when I finally broke through her barrier. I deepen the kiss. She’ll figure it out soon enough., My hands find her tits. Fuck, I could touch them forever and never get tired of giving them attention.

  Rena lays back, and our lips break apart.

  “Do you want me to use protection?” I ask.

  “If I’m breaking the rules, I’m breaking all of them.”

  My hands glide down her silky skin until they reach her thighs. I push them wider, remembering how sweet her pussy tastes. Remembering that wanton look on her face when she came in the supply closet. But my dick is demanding to be inside her. It’s all I’ve thought about since the moment I met her.

  Lining my dick up at her entrance, I push inside. Her hot, tight pussy wraps my dick in wetness, and I groan. “Fuck, Rena. You feel so good.” I slowly move in and out, going deeper with each motion. There’s no place more perfect than inside her.

  Her arms wrap around my neck, and her ankles shackle my legs to the bed as we gyrate together. Our speed increases with the urgency. I fill her over and over. She cries out my name, and that’s it. I can’t hold back my release anymore. I bury my cock deep inside her and let myself go.

  “I love you, Rena.”

  “You do?”

  “Yes.” I kiss her tenderly; my dick still pulses inside her. “You’re mine now, Teach. All mine.”

  “I sure hope you’re worth breaking all these rules for.” She gives me that flirty, teasing smile that makes me want to do very bad things to her.

  “Oh, I am. Just you wait.”

  She lets out a cute little yawn.

  “Rest up,” I tell her. “We’re going again before the night’s over.”

  6

  RENA

  I’m still smiling from ear to ear, even though Jack had to take me home early this morning. Though I have the day off, he has to work a twenty-four shift today. But it was still the best night I’ve ever had. I decided to treat myself to a pedicure. Alyssa is supposed to join me, but she’s running a little late.

  As I assess my nail polish color options, I realize I’ve broken my number one rule. Really broken it. But I’m not worried like I used to be. In fact, I’m happy. I don’t see us splitting up, so there won’t be a problem. The man told my class he was going to marry me, and now I believe him. He loves me.

  And I think I might even love him.

  Braxton’s name flashes on my call screen. My brother doesn’t call me often, and when he does, it’s usually with bad news. Unless he’s backing out of a commitment and knows it’ll piss me off. Then he resorts to text-only. But maybe this time, he has an apology for me.

  “Are you finally going to tell me why you canceled on me?”

  “Rena, I have something to tell you.” His voice is far too serious. It makes my stomach twist in instant knots. Whatever he’s about to say, I know I’m going to hate it.

  “What happened?”

  “Jack—”

  “What happened to Jack?” A thousand scenarios flash through my mind, but none of them are good. Not a single one. My sto
mach plummets clear into my toes.

  “He got arrested this morning.”

  I can’t even form a reply, because it’s the last thing I expected to hear. “For what exactly?”

  “Assault.”

  “Are you sure?” This doesn’t sound like the man I’ve come to know. Sure, Jack is protective, but he’s not violent. Remembering everything we did last night, how tender and erotic is all was, there wasn’t any hint of violence. Who could he have possibly—

  “He found someone peeping in your window this morning when he left.” The way he stresses the last word tells me he’s not happy about that at all. The brother I thought didn’t care who I dated is now really, really upset.

  “Who?”

  “I don’t know. Some older guy—”

  “Mr. Carlton.” I’m sick to my stomach. Might even throw up. That pervert was spying on me? The events of the morning whirl in my head in strobe-light flashes. I can’t quite piece together how this is possible, or when Jack might’ve gone after him. I didn’t hear any fighting outside my house. I didn’t hear anything that might’ve led me to believe something wasn’t right.

  “Sure, that sounds right. Look, you put me in a hard spot here.”

  “What?”

  “I’m down Jack today because they won’t let him out of jail until tomorrow. If we get a call, we might not have enough people for something serious. No one can come in from the other shifts. It’s a fucking nightmare.”

  I feel like I might throw up. My involvement with Jack has not only caused problems for my brother, but his entire crew. If I had refused Jack’s dinner invitation, he wouldn’t be locked up right now. I want to be touched that he handled Mr. Carlton’s creepy ass, but I’m furious that he took it too far.

  “I’m sorry, Braxton. I never meant—”

  The phone cuts out, and I don’t have to wonder if the call dropped. No, my brother hung up on me.

  “Hey, Rena!” Alyssa wraps me in a hug from behind, unaware a waterfall is about to rush down my cheeks. I let her hold me as long as she will before I have to tell her what happened.

  “Maybe we should go,” I say quietly.

  She spins my shoulders around until I’m facing her. “What happened?”

  The hostess of the nail saloon ushers us over to two chairs, hot water already bubbling and pink from whatever magic they’ve slipped into the water. I want to run away, but I really want to soak my feet and forget about all my problems. So, I let Alyssa talk me into staying.

  As we wait for our nail techs, we sip on mimosas and I relay what Braxton told me about Jack. Of course, that leaves Alyssa eager for all of the other details. “For context,” she says with a wink.

  “I broke my rule, Alyssa.” She of all people should understand why it was so very stupid of me to have let this happen. “I promised myself I would never put myself in this position, but I did anyway. I’m so stupid.”

  She reaches for my hand and squeezes. “You care about him.”

  Though the tears are making words hard now, I manage to nod. Because dammit, I do. Everything about him is special to me. The way he makes me feel so alive and desired, the easy way he had with my kids, and his annoying but endearing persistence. “But I have to end it.”

  “Do you?”

  I wipe away the moisture on my cheeks with the back of my sleeves. “How is there another option?”

  “There’s always another option.”

  “But you—”

  “Let’s get one thing straight,” Alyssa sets down her empty mimosa glass and waves at the hostess to bring another. “I never loved Deke. He was fun, but he was trouble. And when things got sticky, he left me high and dry to deal with the aftermath. That’s why my brother was so mad. Because it was never serious between us. I was reckless.”

  “But you—”

  “Your rule, while thoughtful for the sake of your brother, was misguided.”

  I don’t know what to say to that, so I empty my mimosa glass instead.

  “Jack loves you. And guess what? You love him too, dummy.”

  “I do.”

  “Then let’s finish these pedis, then bail your man out of jail.”

  “But Braxton said—”

  “I know a guy.” Alyssa gives me a wink.

  JACK

  I’ve lost her. It’s the reoccurring thought that haunts me as I sit behind bars. The crew is pissed, especially Braxton. I get it. They need me today, and I’m stuck here. No one will bail me out. They want to punish me as much as they can. Make sure I learn my lesson.

  But none of that matters as much as losing Rena.

  After a morning round of the best fucking sex I’ve ever had, I dropped her off at her house. I wanted to spend the day with her, lounging in bed and exploring every inch of each other’s bodies. But duty called.

  I left her with a breath-robbing kiss, and drove away. But I was a few blocks down the road when I noticed she left her shoes in my truck. Since I still had a few minutes, I sacrificed the coffee I was going to get to see her one more time.

  Only, when I pulled up, I saw the bastard.

  Dick.

  He was peering into her bathroom window. The sick fuck was probably watching her shower. I was out of the truck before it was even fully in park. I yelled at him, which was my first mistake. Because it gave him a chance to run. But the old man was no match for me. We’re mandated to stay in top shape as firefighters. And it took less than half a block to catch him.

  I should’ve called the cops on him. My second mistake. But I was so overcome with anger at his violation of Rena’s privacy that I snapped. I only swung once, but it was enough to break his nose.

  That’s when he called the cops on me.

  Now we’re both locked up.

  “Jack, let’s go,” one of the officers says to me.

  I wonder if it’s Felix who showed up with the bail money. Braxton swore up and down no one would come get me. That I had crossed a line, and I could sit in a cell as long as they wanted to keep me. It didn’t matter that they were down a guy without me. Or that I was protecting his sister. He wouldn’t hear any of it.

  My eyes light up at the sight of Rena. “Hi.”

  “Hi.” It’s the only word I can choke out. I can’t read her expression, but she’s not smiling. Did she come all the way to the police station to tell me it’s over? Or is there a chance she forgives me?

  “I heard what happened.”

  “Rena, I can—”

  “I was so mad at you, Jack. So mad that you convinced me to break my number one rule then betrayed me the second I gave in.” She swallows, her eyes water, but she keeps tears from falling. “But I know why you did it.”

  “I love you, Rena. With all my heart.”

  “I know you do. I know you were protecting me. You’ve seen it all along, what that sick man is capable of.” She shudders, and it’s all I can do not to go to her and wrap her in my arms. Because right now, I still don’t know where we stand.

  “Do you forgive me?”

  She nods, and now tears do fall down her cheeks. I take two strides forward and pick her up. I hold her close against me. “I know I made a mistake in how I handled everything, but I promise it will never happen again. Braxton—”

  “I already talked to him,” Rena says. “He’s still pissed, but after I told him all about Mr. Carlton and how he’s been following me, he couldn’t stay mad. In fact, he’s expecting you back at work.”

  My hand cups her jaw, and I kiss the daylights out of her right there in the lobby. A couple people whistle and hoot, but I don’t stop until I’m good and ready. “When I get off, you’re all mine, Rena.” I kiss her cheek, and lean my lips against her ear. “I have very bad things I want to do to you later.”

  “I have to tell you something before you go,” Rena says to me. “I love you, Jack Reeding. I love you very much.”

  Epilogue

  RENA

  Five years later, and Jack is still a hit with
the students at my school. And not just my classroom, but all of the classes that came before. When he shows up with the lights and sirens flashing, there’s not a student who can stay in their seat.

  “Show off,” I lovingly mutter under my breath.

  It’s nearly impossible to get the kids to line up single file, but they’re desperate to go outside and see the fire truck, so they do find their way into a straight line eventually. I lead them outside, but once we’re through the doors any control is gone. They rush the fire truck, all begging for their turn inside.

  “He really loves this, doesn’t he?” Alyssa asks me. Once Mr. Carlton was arrested, he was terminated immediately. Alyssa started subbing for his class until they could find a full-time replacement. But the students took to her so well that she eventually applied for the position herself. I couldn’t ask for a better hallmate.

  “He lives for this.”

  From the driver’s seat, Jack spots me and sends me a wink that still makes me shiver all these years later. It reminds me of the fun we had this morning. Me on my knees, Jack behind me, thrusting himself into me as his fingers pleasured my clit. I get shivers now, remembering how fucking sexy the whole scene was.

  I will never get enough of this man.

  Ever.

  “Still mad at Braxton for bailing that first time?”

  “I made him pay for it. Remember?” I wink at Alyssa, because she would know that better than anyone.

  “Any regrets over breaking that rule of yours?”

  “Never.”

  My hot as sin firefighter struts from the truck, letting his buddy Felix entertain the kids for a while. His gaze locks with mine, and I’m unable to do anything but wait for his approach. He wraps me in his arms and kisses me without mercy. Without concern of who might be watching.

  “I hope you’ve saved an extra credit assignment for me later,” he growls against my ear. “I plan to get an A plus.”

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