Page 65 of The Beauty and the Boxer
Meredith tried to sit up.
“Jack, wait,” she tried, but his strong handfound the center of her abdomen and pushed her down, gently butfirmly. “I don’t know if we should.”
He moved back slightly, pinning her with hisgaze. His one hand was balled into a fist at her side while theother was splayed across her bare stomach. The expression in hiseyes was both demanding and pleading at the same time and Meredithfelt lightheaded. Never had she felt so in control and yet,powerless. The combination was the strongest sensation she had everfelt.
“I just want to taste you, love.”
With deliberate slowness, Jack kept his eyeson her as he lowered himself down, his solid chest moving acrossher shins as he settled over her, his hands pushed the hem of hernight rail up.
Meredith’s mouth hung slightly open as shewatched him. She knew she should look away, but she felt frozen inplace as he moved with excruciating slowness. It was as if he weredeliberately trying to discomfit her. But it wasn’t embarrassmentshe felt. It was something else entirely.
This wasn’t at all like her experience hadbeen with Clyde. He had been gentle enough, for she had been newand unschooled, but he had never stared at her like Jack was now,desperate and hungry at the same time. Clyde had been discerning inhis movements and had been able to bring Meredith to ecstasy atleast twice during their two weeks together, but their lovemakinghad been the same every time. He had certainly never moved down herbody like this.
Jack’s gaze was itself an entire eroticexperience and when he pushed her skirts up past her hips, exposingher most private parts, she felt both completely terrified anddesperate.
His hand moved up her inner thigh until itfound the core of her body. Meredith’s bottom lip began to trembleslightly as he gently grazed the slick, intimate seam of her. Shelet out a shaky breath when, without waiting, he paused and pusheda finger deep into her. Meredith gasped and he did, too.
“God damn,” he breathed, eyes locked withhers.
He moved his hand, pulling and pushing as hebegan to work a rhythm that made Meredith’s eyes flutter. A moanescaped her mouth as her head dropped back. Before she could fullyappreciate the feel of him within her, she felt a new sensationjoin his diligent finger. The scorching, flat wetness of his tonguepressed against her most intimate part. Her eyes flashed out andshe tried to sit up, but his large hand came up to hold her stillas he feasted upon her.
The muscles in Meredith’s legs began totwitch and jerk as an exquisite feeling of ecstasy bubbled upinside of her. It was too fast, too large of a feeling and her mindwent suddenly blank as a wave of pure pleasure she had never knowncame crashing over her. Her entire body convulsed as her legs bentaround his shoulders. Her backside lifted off the sofa as thetremors racked her body and when she tried to twist away from him,his powerful arms wrapped around her thighs, as he held her to himin the obscenest way.
She shook against his mouth, almost painedby the amount of pleasure that moved through her. When she finallystopped shaking and the feeling subsided, she melted back into thesofa. Her limbs, her core, her entire body went limp and Jackgently dropped her hips as his hands rubbed her legs. Suddenly veryaware of how exposed she was, she tried to press her legs together,although Jack was between them. He moved over her as she stared upinto his beautiful face.
His tawny curls hung around his face as hewatched her, the scars both prominent and invisible as she glancedup at him. He was beautiful, and not just in spite of his scars.His dark brown eyes shined in the firelight and Meredith had tofight the urge to rise up and kiss him. He was breathing heavily ashe watched her from above, his hand coming up from her breast tostroke her cheek. Purposefully, her hands came up over his and sheheld it in place, against her face.
Eyes locked, Meredith felt some strangeenergy pass between them. It was wholly comforting, and she knewshe would always be safe in this place, exactly as she was, but shewas afraid..
“We shouldn’t have done that,” shewhispered.
Though she had been the one to say it,Meredith couldn’t find it in herself to regret their dalliance.Jack’s face suddenly became unreadable. Feeling unsure, she triedto roll away and while he held her for a fraction of a second, helet her go.
Why had she said that? She pulled her robetogether, sitting up on the sofa. She had liked it, loved itactually, but the fact that they were here, in Mountebank’s home,surrounded by guests who had probably all learned about her pastjust hours earlier made her feel queasy.
She shouldn’t have allowed it to happen.
“Are you sorry for it?” he asked after sometime.
She shook her head, and peered over hershoulder. His face was carefully blank, his disheveled curlsframing his scarred face. He was beautiful, like a fallen angel andfor some reason she felt her heart break.
“Jack,” she said softly. “What are wedoing?”
“I don’t know,” he said as he moved,adjusting his legs to come out from under him, his feet falling tothe floor. His hands came together as his elbows rested on hisknees, seemingly in an attempt to keep from touching her. “I don’tknow.”
It wasn’t exactly what she wanted to hear,but then she wasn’t sure either. She liked him, was attracted tohim beyond reason, but even if she had discovered that she wasmadly in love with him, what could she do about it? She was stillmarried.
The one, cold, dreadful truth. Like a stoneweight around her neck, she felt it. She was married and she didn’thave a plan because she wasn’t free to make one.
Meredith pulled away from him and he didn’tmove to stop her. Standing up, she gazed down at her ruinednightgown and wondered for a moment how she would hide it. Perhapsshe could burn it.
“I don’t think … I don’t think this shouldhappen again,” she said quietly as he moved to stand as well.
There was a long, almost pained silence thathung between them. She pulled her robe around her again, this timetightly and tied the waist band when he spoke.
“I disagree.”
“Jack,” she started as she faced him, but heheld up his hand to stop her.
