Hey there! This fic has been playing in my mind for awhile now, so I decided to take some time and explore it. I know I have plenty of other fics to update (I've been a bad, bad girl, lol), but I want you to know that I haven't given up on them at all. I hope this story is a good placeholder in the meantime. Enjoy!
(Special thanks to emerson123 for always being there for support and to bounce ideas off of, I hope you like it!)
Jack entered through the front door of their home around 9:15 at night. The events at the hospital still played in his head, but he was more than ready to forget them. Exhaustion set in, his mind set on a shower, sliding into bed and wrapping Kate in his arms. He walked over to the stairs, poised to ascend them when he heard the faint echo of a voice nearby. He stopped to listen.
'Yeah, I'll just have the nanny stay for an extra couple hours'. Curious, he moved to inspect. 'Jack's never home before 8:00 anyway.' He turned the corner that led to the kitchen, and fixed his eyes on her. Kate was on the phone, leaning into the counter, her back to the entrance, in the midst of a conversation.
"I could stay for at least an hour." Having heard enough, Jack intentionally jangled his keys to get her attention. She turned quickly, her wide eyes startled by his presence, but her lips curled into a smile as she leaned over the countertop, staring at him happily. He grinned slightly.
"I-I gotta go. Jack's home." She spoke into the cordless phone, her tone taking on a cheerful peep. "Yeah, okay. I'll call you later. Bye." She hung up the line.
"Hey." She said, dropping the phone into the charger nearby. He could hear the nervousness in her tone, just from that one syllable. He knew her well, too well. Something was going on.
Jack watched her intently; his voice was warm and trying as best it could to stay cool. "Hey."
"You scared me." She admitted with a wide smile.
"Sorry. I thought you'd be in bed." He watched as she grabbed a glass from the cabinet above the sink. She was dressed for bed, her hips and behind covered with short, white silk shorts, and a loose, pale pink see-through button-up revealed a matching bra underneath. Her curls were pinned back with a clip, as usual a few tendrils running free about her temple. He bit the inside of his lip at just how beautiful she was.
"Who was that?" Jack asked as she made a beeline for the refrigerator.
"That was Noreen." Kate said as she opened the refrigerator door. He noticed that she didn't look at him as she said it, a tell-tale sign that there was no Noreen. In spite of his certainty, he continued to play along, nodding with incredulity.
"Noreen." He wore her name on his lips for seconds longer than necessary, just to test if it sounded right to him. It didn't.
She reached for the Brita pitcher on the top shelf, keeping her eyes fixed on the water spilling into her glass. "Yeah. She's one of the moms from the park." She finally looked up to catch the contemplative, almost investigative look on his face. He made a conscious effort to relax his brow, but she was too quick for him.
She laughed lightly. "What?"
He grinned in spite of himself, his hands driving into the pockets of his slacks. "Nothing. I just... never heard you mention her before."
She sauntered over to him, glass in hand, closing the distance between them as she said, "Well, now you have."
She rose on her tip-toes to plant her lips softly over his. Her light, feathery kiss made his lips tingle, searing desire for her revving beneath the suspicion he couldn't ignore. He knew her, he knew how easy it was for her to lie; it was a way of survival for her, a useful tool in her everyday life, her past life. She'd done it plenty of times on the Island, and he'd been pretty talented at sorting through what was true and what was a deceiving pass for the truth where she was concerned.
She had just lied to his face and it took everything inside of him not to push back and ask her who she was really talking to, to make a big deal about it, but he relented and let her lips press more firmly into his. She tasted so good there, as always. In spite of his thoughts, he couldn't help but close his eyes at the feel of her so close, so near. Would the casting of her spell ever avoid him?
She came down from her tip-toes then, her round face glowing now that he was home. She always loved it when he came home from a long day. She looked serene, a kind of peaceful aura that this wild and unpredictable woman wore well. Motherhood suited her; the domesticity of their lives together suited them, more so than he ever imagined it would. Or was that a lie as well?
"I'll see you upstairs."
Her voice was soft and sweet, suggestive, her promising eyes sparkling as she moved toward the stairs, and the bed they shared. He watched her do so, the panic that was tucked away in his chest marked the contours of his face. He stood in bewilderment, his eyes glossing over with emotion. He bowed his head in defeat, shaking it a bit to stop his thoughts from spinning. What had he just walked in on? Who was Kate really talking to? His heart started to race and a headache began to form at his temple.
Impulsively, he dug into the breast pocket of his jacket, the folded pharmacy bag unraveling as he reached for its contents, letting his keys fall to the marble counter top as he did so. He poured two pills into his palm, closing the cap over the bottle before he moved to the refrigerator to grab a beer from the bottom shelf. He then realized that his hands were shaking, but he couldn't stop his fingers from twisting the top away, beckoning him to the cold elixir. He placed the pills into his mouth with a slight tilt of his head and downed the beer to wash them down his throat. Once his thirst was satisfied, he keeled over, setting the bottle down nearby while his hands gripped the counter's edge, his knuckles white with fury.
Is this what it feels like to have a heart attack? He asked himself, his pulse thumped out of tone. Kate's half of the conversation ran on a loop in his head. Jack's never home before 8:00 anyway. I could stay for at least an hour. He picked at each word, minutely, over and over until he was ready to admit what they truly meant.
Kate was seeing someone else, behind his back, and had been for awhile now. He had been here before, could read the signs, his marriage destroyed by his inattentiveness and arduous work schedule and her lies and infidelity. The worst part about it was that he had allowed Sarah to slip away. He never made the effort to cut back his hours at work. It had become obvious that she wanted to conceive, confiding in him about the pregnancy test she took, only to watch him clam up at the topic.
With Kate, everything was different. He wanted things he never thought he could have, to be the kind of man he was told he could never be. He lessened his work load by relying on his partners at the practice. He spent so much time with Aaron that he felt like his nephew was becoming his best friend. He even lay restless at night sometimes, after they made love, his hand stretched over Kate's stomach as she slept; the chubby face of a child with her freckles and his brown eyes filled his thoughts. She made him want everything out of life and put all of himself into the one they were building together.
They weren't even married yet and already he was losing her to another man. Who is he? The question slithered through his mind like a poisonous snake. How often did she think about him? Did she think about him when they were together?
He backed away from the counter with a strangled breath. His hands came up to cup his head. He needed to get rid of these thoughts, to drown them. His fingernails scraped over his scalp, his fingers still twitched with unease. He couldn't just stand there and watch, not like he did before. Kate was too important to him, the love of his life, the reason he kept going. He wouldn't lose her.
He let his arms fall to his sides slowly, having come to a fixed settlement. Clarity reached him swiftly; an idea darkened his eyes and turned his troubled thoughts into a focused, funneled objective.
He took the stairs two at a time, finally reaching the frame of their bedroom door when he saw her, standing in the dim lighting of their walk-in closet. She was inspecting a wet spot on her top and shorts, obviously having spilled some of the water on herself. She turned her back and began stripping. Eventually, she was completely naked, her smooth skin and silky curves on full display. She then released the clip from her hair, letting the heavy brown curls fall over her back and shoulders. The sigh he emitted was involuntary, but no less real. There was no denying that she was the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen. She turned so that he could make out the profile of her face, completely oblivious to his eyes feasting on her from the doorway.
He couldn't just watch anymore. He stalked over to the closet, and cupped her hips into his large hands from behind. She squealed in surprise, clasping the hand that belonged to the fingers that quickly nestled themselves between her legs, spreading and rubbing at her. He swept her hair away from her shoulder and opened his mouth over the silky skin there, determined to leave a mark. She let him continue his advances, her eyelids heavy and her knees buckling under his impassioned assault, but in the back of her mind, before it began to smudge behind the usual animalistic urges every time he touched her this way, she wondered where this was coming from.
She began to seep onto his long, circling fingers, her center hot and slippery. "Jack…" She breathed his name deeply, his lips still glued to her neck and shoulder. His other hand was everywhere, splayed over her stomach, cupped over her breasts, and smoothed down her thigh.
He turned her around, his lips opened and landed over hers while his hands cupped and squeezed her naked behind, pressing her into him. His hot, wet mouth triggered all of her erotic senses, her every nerve now stood at attention. She gripped the shoulders of his jacket, deepening the kiss as her hands moved beneath the fabric to move it off of him. He wouldn't let her go long enough to let the garment fall to the floor, so it hung there while his hands continued to busy themselves over her warm flesh, his mouth opening wider for her.
She could taste the beer on his tongue, the bitter trace of it oddly fueling her desire. She clawed at his upper back, as close as she could possibly be, but still needing to be closer, encouraging the bulge of his groin to grow harder against her stomach. Wild with frustration, he let her go long enough to let the jacket fall to the floor, bending his knees a bit so she could wrap her legs around his waist. She read his intent perfectly, wrapping herself around him, each limb twisted around his waist and neck, holding to him for dear life.
Their heavy breathing filled the room as they let each other up for air. Kate grew light-headed, the kissing and the groping turning her into mounds of putty in his sure, rough hands. She grinned, his ability to pull her in still as strong as ever. She loved it when he was like this, rabid with passion for her, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was bothering him. She knew him, loved him more than life itself, and with that much love came an incessant amount of concern for him. Had something happened at work? With his mother? Was he still harboring guilt about Claire?
"Jack, what—" She started to ask in the one steady breath she could find, but was cut off by his mouth again, even hungrier for her than before. He didn't want to talk; he just wanted to show her, to prove to her how good they were together and that whoever she was seeing behind his back was a poor man's version. He needed her to know that no one else could make her feel like this.
She quickly surrendered, sighing happily against his mouth, her attempt at a conversation melting under the heat between their pressed torsos and eager tongues. She was so gone that ripping his clothes off and riding him into the night right there on the floor of their closet was all she could think about, all she wanted. When he was this hot, this worked up, it always meant good things for her, very good things, and she was ready to receive everything he had to give.
Their mouths continued to work together, greedy and uncompromising. Sweat collected under his dress shirt and tie, his temperature rising because of the woman wrapped around him, the soft, twin mounds of her breasts pressed into his chest reminding him that he had yet to bury his face into them. He propped her against one of the bare walls while her hands clawed down his back and then up, pulling his shirt from his slacks. Still, he wouldn't stop touching her long enough to give into her attempts at undressing him, focusing his lips on the valley between her breasts, and then their hardened tips, devouring one and then the other, his scratchy stubble chaffing against her sensitive skin.
Kate whimpered and moaned, his name coming out in broken, panted spurts from swollen lips. He was moving too fast for her, the size and strength differential playing in his favor, leaving her without much control. It was so frustrating but wildly exhilarating. He knew just how to drive her into a blinding cloud of madness, her impatience with him in this moment made her wetter, hotter, the insatiable tigress that only he could lure out of her was very much alive, starving to be filled and stretched to her limits.
Nothing in the world made her feel like this. What she shared with Jack was on a level of intimacy and obsession that she'd never known existed and never wanted to lose. They had come so far together, waited for so long. She was proud to wear his ring on her finger, and couldn't wait to share her life with him as his wife.
In that moment, he rose to look at her, taking a second from his feast to admire his handiwork. Pale purple, circular marks were peppered over the skin of her neck, upper chest and shoulders. Her breasts were now flushed the same indecent hue as the rest of her, her nipples hard like pebbles. Her curls spilled about her face, complimenting the feral look in her eyes. Satisfaction bubbled inside of him. He thought to move them, but he didn't want her on the bed, not yet at least. He wanted her right there where he stood. He wanted to drive them both to a place only they knew existed.
Jack loosened the knot of his tie, and brought it over his head. He then began to unbutton his shirt, and eagerly, she took over the rest of the job, unfastening the buttons below, and pulling the shirt from underneath her thighs and what was still tucked into his slacks. He let her enjoy pushing it away from his chest and shoulders, her eyes marveling at what she had seen a million times before. She buried her hands in his chest hair, rubbed them over his shoulders and then cupped his face, staring into the depths of his eyes.
"I love you so much, Jack."
Her voice broke with emotion as she said it, so much love in her eyes he felt a huge lump form in his throat. She was so convincing, his momentum slowed as he took in her sincerity. Things were getting more intimate than he initially wanted them to, but this was who they were together. Their emotions were easily brought out in even their most lustful moments. He was poised to say it back, to mean it as much as she apparently had, but could he trust it?
Before he could make up his mind, she wrapped her arms back around his neck and planted a wide, sloppy, passionate kiss on his mouth, rubbing her breasts and stomach over his skin, shivering against him, comforted by the contact. He pushed her higher onto him, reaching for his belt buckle and zipper, his fingers nimble, rushed. The slacks soon fell in a pile around his ankles, as did his boxers. He breathed a sigh of relief into their fused mouths, his erection free and steadily growing, the feel of her dripping pussy rubbing up and down his lower stomach spurring its extension. He kicked off his shoes and socks, pushing them to the side, finally just as naked as she was.
With her focus still on their kiss, Kate slithered her hand between them, wrapping it around his cock tightly, pumping him from base to tip. He felt amazing, thick, hot and silky, literally pulsating. She could feel the muscles in his back and arms tighten at her touch, a barely audible release of air filled her ears. It was the first time she felt like she held the advantage, savoring the moment, because she knew it wouldn't last. She led the tip towards her hole and impaled onto him slowly, gasping as she did so.
"Mmm." She purred, trapping her bottom lip between her teeth as she stilled, letting herself adjust, which took seconds. She began to move, her tiny hips gyrating, swiveling, and swirling over him, taking him in and out at her gluttonous leisure. He closed his eyes, his mouth fell open, his face contorted with the pleasurable pain of what she was doing, how she moved. His hands gripped the undersides of her thighs, encouraging the motion, letting her ride him unrelentingly. He blew out a few long, unfocused breaths, completely lost in the warm, velvety feel of her sucking him in only to release him; the precise, cyclical whipping of her groin against his was maddening.
He was almost there, his cock wet, worked and ready to explode, but he couldn't, not yet. He had fallen under her spell, right into her trap, struggling to hold on to what little restraint he had left. He was determined to make this last, but he needed to temper his urge to let go. He needed to regain control, so he cupped her hips to slow them down and catch his bearings. She wasn't happy with that move; a frustrated snarl could be heard from where her mouth had glued itself to his shoulder.
Jack dictated the rhythm once he got things started again, speeding up, driving himself in and out of her at a frenzied pace, the muscles of his legs and buttocks tightening with each powerful thrust, the sound of their groins colliding filled the closet and their adjoined bedroom. Her whimpers turned to lustful whines, and then guttural moans, her voice cutting through here and there, a breathy 'Yes Jack, right there…' quickly followed by, 'You're amazing. Don't stop…never stop.' She opened her mouth over his, her hands finding their way from his upper back and shoulders into his hair, her fingers combing through the short strands.
He stopped suddenly, holding her against the wall while he pulled out and away from her. She growled her disapproval as she looked down between them. The sight of his dick, glistening with her juices, bobbing to and fro, on the verge of popping, caused her to lick her lips, longing to have him in her mouth, inside of her especially, tucked away for her to feel over and over again.
He put her down and encouraged her to turn around. She did so willingly, leaning against the wall, her breathing shallow, her palms flat against the off-white surface, and her nails scratching in anticipation. She stuck her bottom out, wagging it against him, begging him to fill her again. He took a second to take in just how much she wanted him. She was literally vibrating, fidgety with a desire so real that it burned from within. Her final plea of 'Please Jack' propelled him into action.
He flattened his left palm against the wall, right next to hers; the size disparity didn't go unnoticed. She was so small next to him, now sandwiched between the wall and his long, strong frame, feeling not in the least bit trapped, but protected, like nothing in the world could hurt her there. She moved her left palm over the back of his flattened hand and settled it there, her fingers crawled between his and curled over to hold tight. He was eternally charmed by how she always found a way to latch onto him.
He looked at their hands, her engagement ring on her finger blazoned in the lighting. There was something about the image that turned him inside out, and made him hungrier, which he didn't think was possible at this point. In his mind, she wore his ring all the time, everywhere, to show the world that she belonged with him, even in the presence of whomever she was really going off to see when he wasn't home. He reestablished their connection then, a sexy smile turned on her lips as her hips began to pump back and forth, gasping and whimpering for more. He cupped her waist with his right hand, stilling her advances.
"Don't move." He instructed into her ear, with a tone so deep and sexy, she could feel herself seeping all over him.
He slowly moved out, then quickly forged ahead, causing a irritated groan to emit from her gaped lips. He repeated the cycle, slow out, quick in, easing into a rapacious rhythm that drove her wild. He took her so hard that her feet were no longer touching the floor; she was suspended against the wall, lifted into it, her bottom seated over his groin, taking his thrusts eagerly. Her groans were now yelps as their lovemaking intensified. He didn't relent, impaling her savagely, the noises she made only adding that much more energy to his efforts.
His right hand wrapped around her thigh, his fingers finding and rubbing her clit, pinching with it between his fingertips, only to lather it with her own wetness, repeating the cycle until she squealed. He knew she was close, could feel her contracting around him and he knew just how to get her there. 'Oh fuck Jack, yes, yes, yes!' was the last thing he heard her scream before she let go, the hand that lay over his squeezing ever more tightly.
She cried out loudly, her center flooding with more hot moisture. Every muscle in her body tensed as she panted through it, tiny ringlets of her hair caught in the drops of sweat on her forehead. He let her recover before moving out of her, holding her up while he turned her around and lifted her into his arms to carry her out of the closet and onto the next surface of his choosing.
Moments later, he was stretched out on his back, in their bed; his chest glistened with sweat, his breathing finally settled into a normal rhythm. He held off his release for as long as he could, until he made her come twice more, each time in a new, adventurous position and with as much intensity and passion as the last. He could see bright lights behind his eyelids as he came harder than he ever had before, spilling his warm seed inside of her, the ability to speak and think rendered useless for what felt like a lifetime.
Once he opened his eyes, he noticed that she was collapsed over him, completely wiped out, just as sweaty and flushed as he was, her center tingly and satisfied, so sore she didn't think she would be able to walk for a week. That thought brought a lazy smile to her face, never having felt so loved, relaxed and happy in all her life. She let out a large tuft of air, signaling her fatigue.
He lightly encouraged her to lie down next to him, her body so sated, it didn't take much effort on his part to move her. Her head was settled over its favorite spot, the groove between his upper chest and shoulder, with her arm and leg wrapped around him. Eventually, as her fingers played with the hairs on his chest out of habit, she was fast asleep.
As exhausted as he was, his thoughts once again ran rampant. He watched as his hand cupped and caressed the skin of her hip, trailing its curve towards her thigh, his mind lost in contemplating his suspicions about that phone call. In that moment before, when Kate told him she loved him, he believed her, trusted her and that made this so much harder for him to comprehend. Despite that, she still lied to his face. She was still keeping something from him, spending her time with God knows who, and he wouldn't rest until he found out who it was.
The sex made him feel powerful, in control but the secret she was keeping made him feel less so. Maybe it was harmless, having nothing to do with their lives together, but he wasn't naïve or stupid when it came to stuff like this. Sadly, he was experienced with the women in his life keeping things from him, and the truth was always worse than the lie.
Kate was guarded by nature, always holding her cards close to her chest, but if they were to be married, there were no more secrets or at least there weren't supposed to be. He knew he loved a complicated woman with a troubled past, he had accepted that fact long ago, or was that the point? Was it the past bleeding through? Was this person someone from her past that wouldn't stay there? That she wouldn't leave there?
He still held to his gut instinct, the sinking suspicion that there was another man in her life was like a weight in his stomach. But after the passion he still heard in her voice, saw in her eyes and felt in her touch, he wasn't so sure anymore. He was so certain earlier, the very thought of another man touching her, even talking to her in a manner that went beyond friendship made his blood boil, drove him to brand her for himself, but now, he just didn't know what to think, to believe.
As if cosmically sensing his internal conflict and restless mind, Kate mumbled something incoherently as she snuggled closer. She lifted her head just enough to press a small kiss to his stubbled chin, and then she was still again, fast asleep once more. He took it as a sign that he should let it go for now, just for the moment and rest with her. He reached over and grabbed the comforter from its strewn end at the floor, and covered them with it. The pills he'd taken earlier, he could feel them kicking in, chipping away at his anxiety.
His eyelids suddenly felt heavy, and with these thoughts lingering on, he closed them, letting sleep come.
