Vera gasped at his rough passion, her hands flew to his shoulders, but he caught them with his own and held them above her as his hips slapped hard against her.
She was still warm and wet from the night before, from his semen still inside her. She gasped as tight pleasure built inside her with each quick shove. His eyes were foggy with sleep, his breaths fast and loud.
She tried to move her arms, but he growled at her, his teeth nipping at her shoulder. Something hot pooled inside her. She had no choice but to take what he was giving her. It must be her sleep-addled mind because she closed her eyes, let him hold her down, and take her body.
He moved quicker inside her, balls slapping against her, and then his quick pace grew jerky, his breathing heavy. She was so close, just a little more and she would...
He licked her pulse and bit down over her throat. Vera cried out as her orgasm spun out of control. Pleasure consumed her, so hard and intense that it bordered on pain. He held her down by her arms, her hands, and whipped his hips through her milking pussy until finally landing deep. He jerked against her, his hips twitching as his cock filled her with a deluge of cum.
When he was done, he extracted himself and sidled next to her. His hands came up to cup her cheek, gently caressing. She blinked and looked at him. His expression was unreadable. A mask that she yearned to yank off and see what he was really feeling.
He started to roll away, but she stopped him by rolling on top of him. He didn’t hesitate but wrapped his arms around her. Something was happening between them, and it may be one sided, but Vera recognized it as clearly as when it happened the first time. She was falling in love.
“Tell me about your family.” She rested her cheek on his shoulder and watched the emotions flicker across his face. Grimace, frustration, anger. Finally he looked down at her and seemed to come to some kind of conclusion.
“I was born and raised in northern Texas.”
“Ooh a cowboy at heart.”
He smirked. “Not so much. Not everyone who lives in Texas wears Stetson’s, owns a ranch, and rides horses. Nah, my dad was a cop and my mom a homemaker.”
“Are you an only child then?” He nodded, his eyes glazing over into a faraway look.
“Are your parents still together?” That faraway look died and became lethal.
“My dad died.”
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry. I had no idea. I didn’t mean to-”
His hand slid into her hair and cupped her head; he shook his head no. “There’s nothing to be sorry for. The day he croaked was a blessing.”
Heavy silence filled the room.
Vera’s fingers curled into his chest. She’d never seen him look so uncaring about something that must be painful.
“Feel free to tell me to shut up and mind my own business, but may I ask what happened?” Vera held her breath. She was so stupid. Falling for a human who made her heart race every time he was near was utterly stupid. It was even stupider though to try to learn more about him. She was digging her own painful grave and she knew it.
His eyes found hers and softened. “No, it’s fine. I know about your parents anyways. It’s only fair. Dad was a cop. His father before him and his before him was all cops. He wanted me to be a cop too, but there was no way I was going to be like him.” He laughed the sound cold as ice and bitter. She saw raw pain and anger on his face and wanted to soothe it all away.
“Monday through Friday was always the same. He’d come home from the job and start into the beer. By time we ate dinner, he was stumbling around the house. When the dishes were put away, he was angry. Same shit every day. Some nights were fine, you learned to be around him, to tip toe around conversations and say only the right things. Some nights weren’t so easy.
“One wrong word later and Mom was trying to deflect blows. I’d call the cops when I was young, but they were his friends. Hell some of them probably had the same problem, fuck if I know. When I was twelve, I started goading him to get him off my Mom. God, she’s so small you know. Kind of like you, and my dad was a big man. Anyways, when I turned fifteen we started exchanging blows. Sometimes it turned out good for me, sometimes not. When I was eighteen though, I left.”
Vera’s heart was crying in her chest, and hot tears pooled at her eyes. God she was turning into a weepy bitch. “You joined the military.” He nodded absently.
“I hated myself more for going.”
“Why? I would have gone away too.”
He was shaking his head, his eyes stark. “I left her there. Just left her with him.” There was no hiding the pain on his face. Vera couldn’t stop herself but climbed completely over him and held him tight, pressing kisses to his cheeks, his chin, his lips. She wanted desperately to wipe the look from his face. The look of a hurt young man, blaming himself for trying to find a way out. He didn’t touch her, his hands lying dead on the bed.
“He died the year I turned twenty-three. I left her with him for four years.”
“Oh baby.” Vera held him tighter, could feel his heart pounding over her own.
“I need to get up.” Vera let go and watched him leave the bed, feeling as though a piece of her just left too.
“I’m so sorry I brought it up. I didn’t mean...I didn’t mean for any of this. I just wanted to know about you. I-I’m sorry, Jacks.” He turned to face her, the look on his face passive and cold.
“Now you know why I’ve never gotten close to a woman. Because I’ll be just like him, and no woman deserves that, especially you, Vera.”
Vera’s heart turned cold. She heard the words leaving her mouth and a part of her couldn’t recall saying them. “But last night you said that...you said—”
“I said what, Vera? That I was angry that a vampire tried to use some kind of date rape sounding drug on you?”
This was all turning around way too quickly. She rushed on, feeling desperate. “No, that’s not what I meant. It’s just that you asked me about myself. I told you something I’ve never told anyone. I thought that...meant something. You said there was something between us, lumara.” He started jerking clothes. He didn’t look at her but she caught a glimpse of his face. It was the same hard face she’d seen when she first met him. Hard, unfeeling, alert.
He laughed. “Yeah I said there was something between us, then I fucked you, and when I woke up I fucked you again. Do you need me to say it? There’s sex between us, Vera. That’s all. Good hard fucking. And here I thought you weren’t the sentimental type. I suppose I’ll have to be the one to tell you this, baby, but just because a guy asks you one thing about yourself does not mean he’s ready to marry you.” He turned and walked out of the bedroom.
Vera choked back a sob and ran for the bathroom. She turned on the shower and jumped in, only then did she let the tears spill. Everything happened so fast. If only she hadn’t brought it up. She replayed what happened a hundred times until the water ran colder and colder.
When the water was cold enough to break goosebumps across her skin, she realized something. It was so obvious now that she hadn’t seen it before because of the instantaneous pain that had bloomed.
She got out of the shower, feeling much stronger, her head clearer. She pulled on her clothes and applied a light touch of mascara.
When she was done, she smiled at herself because she knew several things. That Jackson Marsh was trying very hard to push her away. She’d made him realize something very ugly after all. She also knew that Jackson Marsh cared about her. She hadn’t imagined the panic she saw in his face, and she was no longer fooled about the way he dismissed their conversation last night or their time together this morning.
If the man thought he could throw some ugly words in her face and she’d run scurrying back under the covers, then he obviously was an idiot. She paused with her hand an inch from the doorknob. It was either that or she was the idiot for pursuing a human man who could easily drop her heart and shatter it into a million pieces. If there was anything she was it wasn’t a coward.