Page 21 of Beacon

“You dumped me. You don’t get to be jealous now.”

I’m so outraged by his terseness and his words that I sputter briefly. “You know exactly why I ended things with you, and it had nothing to do with how I feel about you. My feelings have never changed. How exactly am I supposed to stop myself from being jealous?”

He’s angry in a clipped, grumpy way, but it also looks like he’s confused. “You were never jealous before. When I was seeing other women.”

For an entire year after we broke up, he dated one woman after another in close succession. They were all smart, sweet, beautiful girls from the communities around us, and any one of them would have had all her dreams come true to have Mack become her man for good.

I hated it. Every one of them. But I made myself accept the situation since I knew so absolutely that it was best for Mack to find someone who could make him happy.

“What?” I choke out. “You think I wasn’t jealous every time you were with all those women?”

He’s breathing even faster now, sucking in thick inhalations as he stares at me. “You never acted jealous.”

“Of course I didn’t act jealous! I was trying to be good! Trying to do the right thing. Giving you what was… what was best for you. I knew it could never be me, but Iwantedit to be me. I wanted to claw the face off every single woman you ever put your hands on!”

I can’t believe I just said that. I’ve worked so hard for so long to make sure he’s completely free.

We stare at each other, both of us breathless and tense, for way too long. Until finally I can’t stand it anymore. “Can we just drop this? I’m sorry I was acting petty. It doesn’t mean you’ve ever done anything wrong. You can see anyone you want. You can fuck anyone you want. You can fall in love and get married and have dozens of babies with anyone you want. And I’ll… I’ll always try to be happy for you because you deserve everything you want. So can we just drop it?”

His expression deepens into a frown again, and I don’t like how he’s still trying to dig into my brain.

So I shake myself off and walk toward the front door of the cabin, relieved when Mack follows and doesn’t restart the conversation again.

The provisions Mack traded for at the makeshift market were eggs, goat cheese, ham, and a loaf of bread. It all looks really good to me, but it’s way too early for lunch.

Mack is back to his gruff, brooding silence, and I’m awkward and restless. So I tell him I’m going to take a shower since I didn’t have time for one earlier this morning.

I don’t need to wash my hair today, so I twist it into a bun to keep it out of the way before I get in. Then I scrub down my body and stand under the spray, enjoying the hot water until it runs out.

I found a little bathrobe in the closet that was obviously Chloe’s, so I brought it with me to put on after I dry off. When I return to my bedroom, I jerk in surprise to discover that Mack is there, sitting silently on the side of the bed.

“Is everything okay?” I ask, stepping farther into the room once I’ve processed his presence.

He doesn’t say anything. Just looks at me.

“What’s going on?”

Again he doesn’t answer, but I can see his expression better now. There’s a familiar tension on his face. His eyes are crawling over my body with a heat I well recognize.

I’ll never not recognize it.

Slowly I untie the sash on my robe, letting it drop open. I wait to see what he’ll do.

He stares at the gap in my robe, his breathing accelerating.

Since he’s made no objection, I push the fabric off one shoulder and then another until the robe slips all the way to the floor, the soft fabric puddling at my feet.

I’m completely naked beneath it.

“Get over here,” he says in a hoarse murmur.

My heart hammers wildly, and my skin has started to flush. It feels like my blood has roared to life in my veins as I walk over to where he’s sitting on the edge of the bed. When I’m in arms’ reach, he grabs my hips with both hands and pulls me closer, fitting me between his parted legs.

He leans over, stretching his neck until he can take one of my breasts between his lips. He sucks the nipple. Releases it and teases it with his tongue. Then takes more of it in his mouth and works it hard.

I gasp and clutch at his shoulders, swaying toward him as the sensations flood my body. As he plays with one breast and then the other, I whimper as my pussy pulses with growing arousal. I stroke his smooth head, barely able to keep on my feet.

When he withdraws, we stare at each other for several long seconds. Then I know exactly what to do.

---