A/N: So sorry for the delay everyone. Editing (and re-editing) can be both a blessing and a curse. Remember, this story was rated T, but has moved up to an M for this chapter. Enjoy!
Allison met him halfway, not stopping until their bodies were nearly touching. He could feel the heat emanating from her, twining around him like vines, wrapping him in her warmth, beckoning him closer.
Tilting her head back to look up at him, she laid her palm flat on his chest, right above his racing heart. The galloping muscle kicked it up another notch when a tender smile turned up the corners of her lips. "Are you alright?"
Knowing that she could feel his heart pounding away like a jackhammer, Jack managed his own slightly self-conscious grin. "I'd better be or I'm gonna be really pissed."
Beautiful smile growing wider, she moved impossibly closer, the rounded tips of her boots lightly bumping against the toes of his shoes. Slipping her free hand into his, she lifted it and placed it above the gentle swell of her left breast. Her flesh was smooth and warm, like satin that had been left out in the afternoon sun.
"Do you feel that?" she asked softly.
Beneath his palm, her heart was fluttering wildly in her chest like a trapped bird. Distracted by the silky feel of her skin, he could only nod mutely.
"Do you know what it means?"
It means that I'm the luckiest bastard in the whole damn universe.
"Yes," Jack replied quietly with a slow nod. He wanted to say more, but for once found himself at a loss for words.
"Good."
They stared into each other's eyes, the air around them growing thick with tension. It crackled around them like an electrical storm, making the fine hairs on his forearms rise as goose bumps dotted his flesh.
Unable to hold himself in check any longer, Jack cradled her face with one hand and pulled her mouth to his. He kissed her slowly, curling his tongue languidly around hers, savoring her taste—so sweet—enjoying the soft sounds that he was pulling from her.
Snaking an arm around the tiny indent of her waist, he splayed a hand across the small of her back and pulled her flush against him. Pressing the hard length of his erection against her stomach, he closed his eyes and groaned when she mewled in response and wantonly ground herself against him. With another deep groan, he relinquished her lips and pressed hot kisses across the high, sharp slash of her cheekbone, along the gentle arch of her jaw and down the elegant line of her neck.
Allison was breathing hard, her body leaning heavily into his, her head angled to one side to give him better access to her skin. She made a small sound of delight when he ran the tip of his tongue over a particularly sensitive spot behind her earlobe, so he did it again—and again.
In retaliation, she grasped the large bulge tenting the front of his pants and squeezed firmly. His breath left him in an explosive gasp, his hips thrusting against her hand as she began to rake her nails up and down the straining cloth.
"Ally…" His fingers dug into the rounded globes of her buttocks as she stroked him, inflaming him with whispered, heated words of encouragement. With a spike of urgent hunger, he retraced his path back upward and greedily recaptured her mouth. Tongues battled for dominance as impatient, clumsy hands tore through buckles, buttons and zippers in a race to rid themselves of their clothes.
Matching sighs of relief floated softly on the air as their grateful, naked bodies finally came together for the first time. The sensuous feel of Allison's warm bare skin sliding against his was so heady that Jack's head swam from the force of it. With a low growl of possessive ardor, he dipped his tongue into the hollow of her throat, bathing every millimeter of her fragrant skin with care. When she began to squirm restlessly against him, he abandoned her throat and moved lower to pay homage to her lovely breasts.
Small, but pleasantly full, they were pointing proudly at him as if begging to be touched—delicious perfect handfuls tipped by tight, hard nipples the color of the dark, wet earth.
Bending her back over his forearm, he took a stiff, mahogany peak into his mouth, licking and nibbling and sucking at her supple flesh until she trembled in his arms and cried out hoarsely. Grunting softly at the stinging, welcome bite of her nails digging roughly into his scalp, he felt a sudden irresistible need to taste her.
Without giving her a chance to recover, he sank to his knees in front of her like a subject genuflecting before his queen. Taking a few precious seconds to run his eyes over her petite frame, he committed every bend and line to memory, comparing and contrasting four years of fantasies to the flesh and blood reality.
It wasn't until this very moment, however, that he realized how truly inadequate and paltry his imagination had actually been.
Though naturally slim, Allison had always been a shapely woman, but her recent pregnancy had filled her out even more. Her hips were a bit more voluptuous, her thighs a touch fuller and with her extremely small waist, the overall effect was completely mind-blowing.
God, she's beautiful.
Jack found that he loved her like this, at her most vulnerable, exposed and wanting, unable to hide her rapidly escalating desire from him.
She's beautiful, and she's brilliant, and she's all mine.
Unable to resist the call of her taut brown skin any longer, he leaned forward and ran his tongue across the quivering surface of her belly in a hot, wet trail. A satisfied smile lifted his lips as her stomach muscles tightened, and a choked gasp fell from her full lips.
Mouth watering at the thought of finally tasting her, Jack curved his hands around the backs of her thighs and pulled her closer. He lifted his eyes to her face again, holding her gaze hostage as he lifted a slender leg and hooked it over his shoulder. Bracing his hands against her backside, he leaned in and buried his nose into the moist, sable curls at her center. He eagerly burrowed deeper, teasing out her rapidly swelling clitoris, placing a light, teasing kiss on the smooth sensitive peak before flicking his tongue across it rapidly.
Allison's body jerked hard and her eyes slammed shut, her strangled, guttural groan rending the air around them. Jack's fingers curled into toned muscle, holding her body in place as he closed his eyes and began to feast on her in earnest. His mouth devoured her slowly, learning her, adjusting the pressure and suction of his lips and tongue with each harsh exhalation and quivering moan.
He lapped at her clit with long, deliberate swipes, her passionate, untamed response making him groan low in this throat. Layering on sensation, he sank two fingers into her tight, warm sheath and slowly stroked her, setting a teasing, languorous rhythm that belied the frenzied rocking of her hips.
"Please…Jack!" Allison's hands moved to the top of his head, her fingers yanking almost painfully at his hair as she pushed her hips frantically against his mouth in a desperate attempt to seek more friction.
Ignoring her desperate plea, Jack continued his leisurely exploration. Only when her legs began to tremble uncontrollably and her moans had trailed off into mindless whimpering did he finally give her what she'd been yearning for.
Wrapping his lips around her clit, he suckled the erect bit of flesh with an enthusiastic vigor that caused her to stiffen, then arch her back and scream. He held her steady as she thrashed above him, happily providing her with the anchor that she needed to weather the turbulent storm of her climax.
When the tension in her muscles eased, he released her and surged quickly to his feet. Body throbbing with every unsteady beat of his heart, he captured her mouth in another fierce kiss. Hands tightly gripping her hips, Jack effortlessly lifted her; Allison wrapped her legs firmly around his waist, an impatient roll of her hips sliding her slick folds over his rigid flesh, tempting him, teasing him. He barely checked a growl as the basest of instincts, primitive and ancient rose up, urging him to take her, to claim her, to not wait a single moment longer to possess her.
He'd wanted their first time to be slow and measured, but the hot burn of lust flowing through his veins made the notion laughable. He'd waited far too long to have her, and he wanted her much too badly. Their initial joining was going to be explosive and ravenous and frenzied, and there was nothing he could do but give in to the madness.
Without releasing her lips, he blindly crossed the room to his bed, pressing her onto the dark comforter the second his knees touched fabric. Stretching the full length of his body over hers, he positioned himself at her entrance and drove into her wet heat with one quick, hard thrust.
"God…Ally…" he gasped, driving into her with long, deep strokes that left them both breathless.
As shockwaves of pleasure coiled low in his groin then spiraled outward like an exploding star, he marveled at the sharp pleasure that was racing through his veins like molten lava. Being inside her was unlike anything he'd ever experienced. It felt as if he was being burned from the inside out, the blazing fire in his blood only serving to enhance his ecstasy.
Peeling open eyelids heavy with lust, he watched Allison undulate beneath him with a hungry, voracious gaze. Her eyes were closed; her long lashes framed her cheeks like dark, delicate fans as she caught her bottom lip between her teeth and bit down harshly. The vast range of emotions dancing across her face made his heart swell inside his chest. He saw lust, pleasure, relief, elation—everything that he was currently feeling right there on display without shame or reservation.
Jack clenched his jaw, groaned and squeezed his eyes shut so tightly that tiny white starbursts floated in a hazy red-tinged field beneath his lids. She felt so good surrounding him—so fucking good—her inner muscles squeezing him, her eager hips meeting him thrust for thrust, the siren's song of her breathy sighs and low moans making him grow impossibly larger and harder inside of her.
Completely undone, he began to pound into her with abandon, withdrawing until he nearly slipped free before plunging back in to the hilt with an almost savage twist of his hips. He felt drunk with passion, out-of-control with desire, the imperative need to spill his seed deep inside her overriding all other thought.
But he wasn't going to go alone.
They had started this journey together; they would end it together.
"Ally…I need you with me."
After a brief struggle, Allison opened her fluttering eyelids. The soft brown orbs locked onto his and held fast. "Jack…"
"Together," he insisted. His fingers made a beeline for the small bundle of nerves at her center that would bring their sweet torture to a glorious end.
"Jack, wait!" Her hand covered his just as he'd reached his goal.
Something in her voice caused him to still. He pulled his hand back and stared at her, waiting. It took everything in him to remain motionless; his entire body trembled with the effort not to move. His reward was a shy smile and three tiny words that he'd been waiting a lifetime to hear from her:
"I love you."
Her admission caused the last threads of Jack's control to snap. Hips jerking into action as if he'd been electrocuted, he pressed his mouth against hers and growled, "Again."
"Jack, I…" she began, but her words trailed off into a long, low moan, and her eyes rolled heavenward as his thumb began to vigorously massage her clit. "Oh, God!"
"Say it," he demanded, needing to hear the words one more time before he gave himself over to oblivion.
Nails sliding uselessly across his sweat-soaked back, she managed to choke out, "I love you." Her voice was rich with sentiment, the declaration dripping with such heartfelt emotion that Jack could no longer contain himself.
Slapping one hand on the padded headboard for leverage, he pushed into her as far as he could go with each frantic, erratic thrust. Desperate for completion, but stubbornly determined to bring her along with him when he achieved it, he took her clit between his fingers and squeezed. Almost immediately, her entire body began to shake, and her channel clamped down hard on his shaft, signaling her impending orgasm.
His name exploded from Allison's mouth as she came, her back bowing, her legs tightening around him, urging him even deeper.
Already balanced on a razor-thin line, Jack's climax hit him hard, ruthlessly tearing through him with the sharp, remorseless claws of a predator. He roared as a rush of pressure and warmth released in a surge of pleasure so intense, the edges of his vision turned gray. As his body bucked helplessly against her, he buried his face into the damp curve of her neck, chanting her name over and over like a mantra.
When the avalanche of pleasure had finally spent itself, his weakened arms gave way and he collapsed against Allison's quivering form. Purring like a contented kitten, she tightened her arms around him and held him close. Gently, he peppered kisses along the dewy skin of her collarbone, allowing himself a moment to relish in her embrace before shifting his weight to one side.
Despite his own shaking limbs, he noted with a fair amount of pride the deep shudder that ran over her as their bodies separated for the first time in what felt like an eternity. His body protested vociferously at the loss of her warmth, but his disquiet fled when she rolled toward him and pressed herself against his side. Propping herself on one elbow, she gazed down at him and once again, he was struck by how stunning she was. Her flushed skin glowed an alluring dark bronze; a small tender smile lit up her face, making her soft, brown eyes sparkle like chocolate diamonds in the low light.
There was no mistaking the abundance of love and joy he saw reflected in their dark depths.
A feeling of completeness engulfed him, taking him completely by surprise. Like the missing piece to a puzzle, it felt as if the other half of his soul had just snapped into place, leaving him whole for the first time in his life. The feeling was awe-inspiring and even a little frightening, but deep down where he knew it counted most, it just felt…right.
Overcome with an emotion that was too vast to give voice to, he simply stared at her, using his expressive blue eyes to convey everything that was in his heart.
Allison covered his hand with hers and nodded her understanding. "I know, Jack," she said, lightly stroking his cheek with her free hand. Pressing closer, she laid her head on his chest, and sighed, the small noise sounding both exhausted and jubilant. Her fingers brushed back and forth across his skin, the movements slow and lazy as she sighed again and murmured sleepily, "Finally."
Yes, Jack silently agreed and hugged her closer, perfectly content to lay here with her like this for the rest of his life. Finally.
