Redemption

Chapter Forty-Four

They had somehow tumbled onto the couch, managing to not disturb Levi as they did so, which was an amazing feet, considering he was lying right in front of it. Sue lay on her back as Jack fell on top of her without the slightest fear or indication that he would crush her in the process.

Their bodies were on fire as their lips wrestled in a heated match that would claim both of them the victor. His hands roamed her body despite the restrictions he'd had only a few hours ago. Her curves were soft and delicate as he let his finger burn hot trails all over her sensual flesh.

He couldn't resist letting his mouth wander lower on her body, making her elicit a sound he'd never heard before; the most heart-wrenching moan he'd ever heard. They'd never gone this far before and if their brains would return to their usual state they could see that this might be too far. But, they'd each waited for this for too long. They'd loved each other in secret since the day they met and nothing inside of them would argue against it.

Sue lay back as Jack let his mouth wander lower and lower, his hands trying to remove the barriers of clothing between them. If her brain wasn't so addled, she would put a stop to this and if Jack loved her the way she hoped he did, he wouldn't argue. The problem was that this felt too good to turn away from. It felt too right to tell him to stop. A moan emitted from deep within her throat as she felt his tongue dip into her belly button.

Her hips slightly bucked as he made his way back up her body, his fingers tangling themselves in her long, golden locks. His lips rested over hers again, giving her reason to capture them with her teeth and letting her tongue dance over them in turn.

Air was definitely needed by Jack when his lower lip was taken captive and she gently suckled upon it as if she were an expert. He knew she wasn't as schooled in the ways of making love as his other girlfriends had been, but she was a quick study and he couldn't wait for the day when he could take her without care or reason, except true love, and make her his.

Unfortunately, today would not be that day. As they both let their lungs fill with much-needed oxygen, the fog that had been dancing around them finally cleared, letting them see the light of what was going on between them.

They could see it in the others eyes and they each wanted to express what they were feeling, yet the words wouldn't come. This relationship was too new and jumping to that step so soon could be disastrous for their friendship. Love had been planted in their hearts the day they met and it took four years to blossom into the emotions they were both feeling at this moment.

Sue's heart pounded in tune with his as they stared into each others' eyes. The fact that this man could make her heart feel as if it had just run a marathon was a new experience to her, but it made her swoon. She didn't want it to stop, because that would mean that she would have to be without Jack in her life. That was something she certainly couldn't live without and she wanted to tell him so. "Jack," she began as she reached up to lightly stroke his cheek and feel the five o'clock shadow he'd gained from such a stressful day.

"Yeah?" he asked as he laid the lightest kisses possibly along her jaw to taunt her into wanted to continue the assault on both their senses. But, he could sense that whatever she had to say was important.

"There's something I want to tell you… and I've wanted to tell you for a long time."

His ears perked up at that statement. This seemed to be really important and he wanted to make sure he was at full attention before she would continue. "What do you have to tell me?"

She struggled with the words at first, but then she took a deep breath and just let flow what it was that she held inside for so long. "I just want to tell you, that- Jack?" she questioned him as she felt him tense and saw him rise in a sitting position a little too abruptly for her liking.

He straightened his clothes and motioned for her to do the same, but she was too puzzled to understand what was going on. "Lucy's home," he said as he made sure she smoothed her hair back as she sat up and hurried to straighten her own clothing as the door of the apartment creaked open and Lucy entered with a dreamy smile on her face.

Jack couldn't help but let his brow crease in confusion as he saw her glossed-over eyes and the corners of her lips turned upwards in the way she only wore when she felt she met the man of her dreams. He'd seen it one too many times and he only hoped that she hadn't met another loser who would take her for granted. He hated seeing her broken-hearted about the scum-of-man she usually attracted. She was such a wonderful person, but no one could see it. They were always preoccupied with other things.

He gently nudged Sue as she tried to quickly button the lower buttons of her blouse. He looked at her with confusion for a second before he realized that he had done that, though he couldn't remember it. Of course, he wasn't concentration on the touch of her clothes at the time. His focus had been more on her smooth, silky skin as he ravaged her mouth with his tongue. He blushed deeply as his thoughts began to wander, but was relieved when Sue pulled him away from whatever fantasy had manifested itself in his brain.

He motioned to Lucy to show her that she wasn't even paying attention to the couple upon the couch. Their friend haphazardly removed her coat, managing to hang it up with much luck, because she certainly didn't look what she was doing. She rested her purse upon the table by the door, along with her keys. A contented smile exited her as she passed the couch to head for her bedroom. "Hi, Jack. Hi, Sue," she said with a tone that matched her dreamy expression.

Jack couldn't hold back his laughter when he heard the door close. It wasn't because of the situation, but more of what his mind had concocted as Lucy basically floated around the apartment. She was traveling around like she was on a cloud, though why she was acting like this he wasn't sure.

He giggled more as more thoughts passed through his one-track mind. He was almost positive that he and Sue could be detained in the heated throes of passion upon the couch and she still wouldn't have noticed.

"What was that about?" Sue asked as she playfully slapped him on the arm. She didn't think it was very funny, though a chortle or two managed to escape her lips.

"I would think you would recognize that look," Jack stated, his mind back on the right track and not thinking about what he and Sue could have been doing when Lucy came home. He leaned his back against the armrest of the sofa, his fingers locked together to cradle his head so he was in the perfect position for her to read his lips and for him to see her disheveled appearance. Sue was obviously puzzled as to what was going on and so he decided to put her out of her misery, though he was enjoying the sight of her hair askew and her lips still plumped from his oral assault upon them. "She's in love," he said, simply.

Her hazel gaze moved from Jack to Lucy's closed bedroom door. Confusion swept over her. Had she really been that clueless of her friend's feelings while she was drowning in the essence that was Jack? Had Lucy tried to tell her about the amazing man she'd met? Thinking back gave her a headache, but she was certain that nothing had been said to her. If that was true, who was this mystery man and why hadn't she heard about him before? "Do you really think so?" He nodded, which made her look even more confused. "But, with who?"

He shrugged again, his posture straightening as his hands left the back of his head, making him sit up straight. "That's your department, not mine." He placed a light kiss upon her lips as indication that he was going to leave. "I think I'll let you two alone for some girl talk." He stood up from the couch before she could protest. She was ready to tell him so much and he was willing to leave right in the middle of it. If she knew any better, she would think he was avoiding the subject altogether. But, that wasn't Jack. "Maybe we could continue out chat tomorrow?" he asked as she followed him to the door.

She nodded with a meek smile, her eyes showing the disappointment she was feeling. "Okay," she agreed, placing a light kiss upon his cheek.

"Don't forget," he warned in a teasing tone as he opened the door and gave her one last fleeting look. His body was telling him to kiss her once more; kiss her and make her toes curl. But, he feared that if he were to do that, he would never leave and they would end up in a very compromising situation.

"I won't," she replied with a smile. Her eyes danced over his in wonder if one last kiss was in order. She was given her answer as he swept her into a strong embrace that surprised her little more than the kiss itself did.

His lips joyfully caught hers, his teeth nibbling ever so lightly upon her tongue as she fought to gain control of herself. Of course, when his lips connected with hers, all control was lost until he saw it fit to pull away. She moaned softly as he suckled her lower lip, teasing it with a brush of his teeth, causing her to giggle. "Jack, if you keep this up, we'll be right back where we started."

"For some reason, I don't think that's a bad thing," he kidded with their lips only a breath away.

Sue swallowed the lump in her throat as she saw what he'd just said. That sentence said so much to her and she could only imagine the possibilities of what would happen if she asked him to stay; if his lips covered hers once more. But, she couldn't let that happen. Their emotions and hormones were getting the better of them. They couldn't fall into a groove that neither of them were prepared for, she was adamant about that. "Goodnight, Jack."

"Goodnight, Sue," he breathed, letting his lips capture hers once more, his tongue delving deeper into the recesses of her mouth, making her moan against his lips. Her head was spinning as a fog surrounded them both. Any more and they would get lost in the vapor and not be able to turn back. He pulled his lips from hers and rested his forehead against hers to stare at her eyelids. Her eyes had closed from the pleasure he gave her and she wanted to savor this moment. "I love you," he whispered.

She opened her eyes as she felt the air lightly dance upon her face to question what he'd just said, but when they decided to focus, all she could see was the door closing behind him.