Page 94 of The Fallen Man
He growled and ripped open the condom. Caitlin laughed as he fumbled to get it on quickly but stopped laughing as he thrust inside her. His hands traveled her body as he fucked her, roaming her breasts, stroking her clit, neck, and hair. She was half in his lap, half-supporting herself on the back of the couch, and she watched the pom-poms on each thigh bounce with his thrusts. His skin was warm against hers, and she arched, leaning back into his hands, letting him take her weight.
“Right there, Katie, right there.”
She made a noise that she hoped he understood as agreement. His fingers were on her clit, and he swept her hair back with the other so he could kiss her neck. His kisses made her moan. She wanted this. She loved it. She wanted him. She wanted him to do this to her always. She loved him.
Her eyes flew open, and she stared at the wall. Seconds later, she gasped as he pushed her into a peak of pleasure. She bit her lip and moaned. She was trembling as she drew closer. She thought about shoving his hand away and kicking him out. Shecouldn’t do this. She couldn’t have him here.
She reached for his hand but couldn’t make herself do it.
“Oh God, Jackson, Jackson, please don’t stop.”
He began to thrust more urgently, and she gasped. He was going to make her come. And she wanted him to. She jerked forward, clutching the couch. She wanted him here with her more than anything because she belonged to him. She came then, breathlessly groaning his name.
When he was done, she burrowed against his chest and tried not to let him see her face. She wanted to cry. She was ruining everything. She loved him, and there was no going back. But if she told him, he would leave. He had been clear that he wasn’t looking for a girlfriend and didn’t want a commitment. And even if she could persuade him to want her, there was still the fact that if he found out who she was and didn’t hate everything her father had done and what mobster could afford to have a girlfriend who was being investigated by the IRS?
Jackson
Next Moves
Jackson held Katie in his arms and tried to figure out his next move. They were snuggled under her down comforter that enveloped them like a marshmallow cloud. Like most of her furniture, it was expensive but several years old. This was where they spent all their nights together. In some ways, it was more comfortable to him than Deveraux House. The occasional gunshots and two o’clock bar rotation down the street, the creak of the building, the freezing mornings when the heat had quit, and the drip of the broken faucet all reminded him of his childhood. Deveraux House, in its staid neighborhood with a fully functional heating system, was too quiet and too comfortable. He suddenly realized what his first mistake had been—spending the night. If he had truly wanted just sex, he should never have spent the night. But it was too late. He wanted more.
He’d taken Evan’s suggestion. It might not have been a direct, declarative sentence, but it felt pretty clear that casual phone calls were now on the approved list. And she hadn’t objected to his dropping by. He could stop. He had what he’d said he’d wanted. He had hismore. But then she’d kissed him and looked up at him with those amber eyes, and he’d realized how far beyond phone calls he was.
He tried to go back in time and visualize not spending the night. No cuddles. No morning sex. No arguments with Jamal out the window. He could do without Jamal’s commentary on their sex life, but otherwise, he loved mornings with Katie. He loved nights with Katie. He loved Katie.
Aiden was going to laugh at him. Probably a lot.
He adjusted his position and kissed her neck. He loved the soft, concave spot just below her jaw. She squished tighter against him, pushing her face into his chest, and inhaled deeply—her nighttime ritual—done when she was only half-awake. It was the tiniest gesture, and it absolutely wrecked him. He realized that he had no idea what to do next. How was he supposed to tell a girl he’d been sleeping with for months that he loved her? Particularly when she wasn’t going to want to hear it. He hugged her tighter and said nothing, letting himself relax into her warmth. He could deal with it tomorrow.
He woke up in the dark to the sound of Katie crying. It hit his nervous system like a jolt from a crash cart, and he grabbed for his gun on the bed stand.
“Katie?”
He put the gun down and reached for her, but she didn’t respond, only flailed an arm at him. He found himself entangled and half on top of her as he tried to grab her hand. He realized then that she wasn’t awake. “Katie!” He put his hands up to her face.“Sérdenko!”He wasn’t sure why he picked that endearment, but heart seemed to work. She opened her eyes, blinking at him, a strangled sob catching in her throat.
“Katie, you’re dreaming,” he said, stroking her face.
“He’s not… They’re not here.”
“No one’s here.” He wiped her tears away.
“My father,” she said, her voice thick with sleep and confusion. “He was yelling at me. He said I was useless.” Her body was tense underneath him, and her hand struck out, flailing against the comforter. “Like always.”
“Nosérdenko,”he said, pushing his anger at her absent family away. “No, I wouldn’t let that happen. It was just a dream.” He kissed her damp cheeks and then her mouth, and, as if his kiss had been the key, her body relaxed, her arms curving around him.
“Just a dream?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said, kissing her again. “Nothing bad can happen to you. I’m here.”
She laughed a sleepy chuckle. “Don’t ever leave me then.”
“Ya ne mozhu zalyshyty vas. Ya tebe lyublyu.”He kissed along her neck, telling her his secrets.
“Ya tebe lyublyu,”she repeated the words slowly as if testing them out in her mouth. He kissed her again, reveling in the sound ofI love you, even if she didn’t know it or mean it.
She kissed him back this time, her body lifting to his. He grew hard as their kisses grew more passionate. Her legs parted, accepting him. He pushed inside her feeling her rise to meet his thrust. The room was quiet except for the sound of their breathing. She pulled his head down to kiss him. He complied, tasting her lips, feeling her tongue against his. She broke away with a sigh of pleasure.
“Katie,” he said. “We didn’t get a condom. I should…”
