Part 10 - Beautiful mistakes

"Sorry..." he admitted. "I didn't plan it this way. Maybe you should better... get dressed..."

"Yeah... maybe I should..." she murmured, her hands stroking his chest. Jack turned over onto his back to allow Irina to leave, but instead of leaving, she pressed herself closer to him. Her lips grazed over his in a slight, playful touch, while her hands wandered down his chest, caressing his already sensitive skin and eliciting a moan from his throat.

"What are you doing?" he asked at her lips and shivered when her tongue started to play at the corner of his mouth.

"I don't know... I seriously don't know." She whispered, before she melted their lips together in a deeper kiss. She felt him shudder against her, then his hands were at her waist and on her back, pulling her roughly against his body so they were skin on skin. Desperate, Irina tried to get a hold with her hand, but the tub was too slippery and she couldn't prevent herself from lying fully on Jack's body.

He nibbled at her lower lip, seducing her with his caresses and touches. She moved her legs so she was straddling his body. Her hands ran over the skin of his well-muscled chest. There was something about him that attracted her - like a moth to a flame, she thought bitterly, and knew her ending could only be like the one of a moth.

Her teeth bit his lower lip in a soft, but also challenging gesture. When his hands ran up her legs and over her butt and back, she moaned against his skin. Suddenly, he sat up and she gasped for air in shock, her surprised outcry swallowed by his mouth.

Irina clasped his shoulders when he moved her against the edge of the tub for support. Their tongues fought a wild battle and both were beyond tenderness. This was not tender lovemaking. She didn't want to be seduced by foreplay.

"I need you... now. No teasing..." Her voice was trembling with desire, so was her body, as he fondled her breasts, teasing her hard nipples with his fingers and lips.

Moments later, Jack stared at her, stroked a strand of wet hair out of her face, and wondered what it was between them that caused situations like this - that caused them to share the most intimate and passionate moments when they actually hated each other. He lifted her body, never losing her eyes. She clasped the cool metal edge of the tub with her hands when he entered her in a swift move.

His lips fell back to her skin when he felt her warmth around him, licking and tasting the mixture of water and sweat from her cheek. She whimpered in pleasure when he thrust into her almost roughly and took possession of her body. Her head fell back onto the edge of the tub. His hands fondled her breasts, then ran along the length of her arms. Gently, he loosened her fingers from around the tub and intertwined them with his. It took all of his control to hold back and not lose himself in her warmth. He didn't want to just take his pleasure.

Her tongue played over his neck and then at his earlobe. Concentrating on his movements, he started thrusting into her more thoroughly, causing her to tighten her clasp on his hands. Her breath grew shallow, her tongue tickling his oversensitive skin in sweet seductions.

"Tell me how you want it..." he panted, licking and nibbling her earlobe passionately.

"Oh god..." When he marked the skin of on her neck with his teeth, her eyes closed, and she bit her lip to keep from crying out loud. "Faster..." she whispered and he silenced her with his lips, swallowing moans and whimpers, as he complied with her wish.

Only when she came hard on him did he allow himself to let go and follow her into the heights of ecstasy. They held onto each other, and for a moment both felt, nothing separated them. They were one, one body, one soul, their hearts beating in the same rhythm. Jack's face was still buried in the crook of her neck when their breathing slowly evened out minutes later.

Their hands still clasped, Jack lifted his head to look into Irina's face. Her eyes met his for a split second, before she turned her head away. Quicksand - and she had almost drowned in it...

"I'm sorry..." she murmured, and he saw that she blushed slightly. He kissed her cheek tenderly, then nibbled at her earlobe in a sweet gesture.

"Don't be..." he murmured and noticed her catching her breath slightly in surprise. "Please. Don't ever be sorry for making love with me..." His voice was merely a whisper, and she sobbed against her will.

"Jack..." She loosened one hand from his and wrapped her arm around his body. Her fingers wandered over his skin in a most tender gesture. Why did her life suddenly have to be so complicated? One week ago, she had only done what she believed in - now she had to make a decision. She didn't even understand what her choices were anymore. She didn't love Jack - or did she? She couldn't love him. They were on different sides. He could never understand her point of view, and she would never understand his. So what kind of decision was there to be made? She could just stay with Jack and not leave early the next morning - but that would mean sacrificing everything she had worked for her whole life. It would mean betraying her sisters - and her parents... even more, all those poor people for whom she had fought.

They kept their hands entwined while Jack continued kissing her, each of his caresses a tender promise of heaven. Irina closed her eyes and relaxed into his touches, her free hand buried in his hair.

"Let's move this to the bed..." he finally whispered into her ear, his tone promising, as he loosened from her body and got out of the tub, only to lift her up into his arms. She gave a mixture of a laugh and a shriek when the shock of the sudden coldness hit her. They didn't even bother to dry their bodies. Jack carried her to the bed and laid her down. He kissed her deeply, then went to dry the ruined, wet floor at least a little. Irina turned onto her belly and closed her eyes, covering her wet body with the bed sheets.

She rested her head on her arms, a single tear making it's way down her wet cheek, mixing with the remains of the water. She hated herself for that warmth she felt inside - affection for a counselor of the queen, an enemy. It didn't take much to understand that she had seriously fallen in love. She should have retired from the missions when she first felt attracted to Jack in the clearing where they had met. Already knowing deep inside that he was dangerous to her heart, she had continued in the wrong assumption that she could stop herself from loving him. She had literally played with fire...

Irina momentarily tensed, as she felt Jack crawling under the sheets and snuggling close to her warm body. He stroked her hair away from her neck and placed a deep kiss on her skin that made her shiver.

"Jack..." she wanted to tell him that she couldn't bear this…that she couldn't make love to him tonight when she planned to betray him by leaving only a few hours later.

But when he bent to her ear, whispering "Shh...tender this time" and other sweet promises, she couldn't. He rekindled the fire inside her anew - a fire nobody could satiate but him.

His lips resumed their caresses, making their way down her spine, then up again. Irina giggled slightly when his lips tickled her sensitive sides. She turned a little to catch his lips with hers in a soft kiss.

Unhurriedly, their hands and lips explored and caressed each other.

"You look so handsome..." Fascinated, Irina let her hands play over Jack's muscled arms in appreciation. Her mouth followed the path over his shoulders and his chest. He grabbed her around her waist softly and pulled her closer, his eyes locked deeply with hers.

"How many other men have shared your bed?" he asked suddenly, and Irina stared at him for a moment, taking her time to understand his question.

"What... why is this important now?" she asked seductively, and he responded to her kiss shortly before he pulled back a little, not willing to let go of the subject.

"Were there many?"

"Are you jealous?" she suddenly countered amused and touched his cheek with her hands. "No, not that many. Some maybe... Have you had many women?"

"That's different." He replied, and she cocked her head slightly.

"No, it's not... you can be jealous about my ex-lovers, but I can't be jealous about yours?"

"So you are jealous?" he teased, and she blushed when she realized that she had given away more information than she had wanted to.

"I'm not." She denied. "I'm just interested in how it is that you can have a lot of women, but I can't have a lot of men."

"What makes you think I had a lot of women?"

"Why do I have the feeling that I don't want to have this conversation?" she replied, shaking her head.

"That, my beautiful, is not the answer to my question." he replied and kissed her thoroughly on the neck. Irina laughed when his tongue tickled her sensitive spot and closed her eyes when the familiar warmth started to build up again in her belly.

"Well, to start with you're handsome, and although you tend to act like a bastard from time to time, you have that kind of charm women can hardly resist." She answered his question playfully and for a split second wondered what she was doing here. Sleeping with Jack was one thing, flirting with him, as if they were in love, a totally different thing and one she should probably not pursue.

"Are you trying to manipulate me in order to distract me from the question about the number of your lovers?" His lips moved down her body and closed over one of her nipples. Irina laid her head back with a soft sigh, relaxing beneath his caress.

"Five..." she finally murmured under her breath. "Only five... including you."

"Okay, here's another question..." Jack moved up again to look into her face. Irina moaned and stroked his lips with her thumb, trying to make him stop thinking by running her lips over his chin and throat. It didn't work as she had planned.

"How did you get into this life for the first time? I mean, how did you become a terrorist? Was it a friend of yours who talked you into spying or maybe your parents or..." His question was asked innocently and without the hint of an accusation, yet, it immediately awoke Irina's suspicion. Her eyes grew cold at once, and she pushed him away from her, bringing distance between their bodies.

"What do you know about my parents?" she asked sharply. Jack shook his head in confusion.

"Nothing! It was just a guess since many women enter this life, because their parents are already terrorists," he tried to calm her down, but made a mental note to do some research on Irina's parents. It was obvious that she was hiding a secret from him that had to do with her family.

She sat up and pulled the blanket around her body to shield herself from his gaze.

"I'm not one of the women who will tell you her secrets in bed. I know the women at court that you're used to act that way. I am not one of them. So either you finish what we started in the tub or you leave me alone. I myself would prefer the last option, since somehow I'm no longer in the mood." She snapped. Jack softly pulled her back to the mattress, turning her onto her belly.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered into her ear. "I was not trying to spy on you. I was just... trying to get to know you better." He licked at her earlobe. "I won't talk anymore. I promise."

She didn't need to say more, since her reaction had given away enough for him to know that she was hiding something, and that it had to do with her family. When he was back at court, he would ask some of his confidants about information on Irina's parents and the roots of her family.

Now he concentrated on seducing her and calming her rage down with light kisses. He took his time in exploring her skin and discovering all the spots that made her writhe and moan in desire.

Soon, she relaxed to him and his soft caresses, the dark thoughts and suspicion being erased from her mind by his warm lips and hands. It was a puzzle to her why he, of all people, caused those emotions in her - why it was him who seemed to heal the deep wounds and the void in her heart that the years of hate and rage had left. How could he, of all people, cause love and happiness inside her - he, whom she should hate the most?
She had always been a fighter and had learned early that nobody was going to help her, so she had to be able to help herself. But Jack seemed to be different. He had risked his life to save her and - despite their discussions - protected her. Irina couldn't deny that she wished nothing more than to just lean back. Deep in her heart she had always wanted to meet somebody in whose arms she could be safe - where she didn't need to fight anymore.

Yet, the fact remained that Jack was the enemy. She could never fully trust him - she shouldn't even have trusted Gerard.

"Jack..." Her voice was barely a whisper, and she wanted to turn around to be able to take him deep into her, but Jack held her in place.

"Don't move," he whispered, while he nibbled at her earlobe. He moved his body closer to hers and entered her from behind in a smooth stroke. When he felt her catch her breath, he kissed her cheek in short touches.

Their position allowed him to stroke a spot inside her that brought her even more pleasure. She laid her head back against his shoulder, needing to feel his lips on hers.

"Irina..." Jack whispered into her ear and wanted to tell her that he liked her... more, that he didn't want to let her go again. That he wished it could be always liked this. He wrapped his arms around her body and pressed her lower body closer to his, entering her even deeper. A deep moan escaped her throat, and her hand reached back to bury itself in his hair.

They let themselves get carried away by the tender waves of passion that washed over their bodies, moving them closer and closer towards sweet oblivion.
Unable to express their feelings with words, the language of their tender coupling seemed to be the only way for them to betray how they felt deep inside their hearts.

They made love over and over again that night, unable to keep their hands off each other. Jack was surprised by the total devotion with which Irina met his passion, not knowing that her only reason was the assumption that she would never see him again after tonight, therefore allowing her body to take pleasure in forbidden desires. Sleeping with Jack was probably wrong, but the fact remained that they would never meet again, so their beautiful mistakes would have no consequences - except for maybe a broken heart...