Chapter 47

Jesse

Jesse couldn’t control her ragged breathing as Hal dipped his head and covered her lips with his. She whimpered into his mouth and kissed him back ravenously, releasing her hold on his shirt to bury her hand in his hair. It was soft, and she could feel the heat coming off his skin.

Hal increased the fervor of his kiss and pressed her back a little into the couch as he devoured her. Jesse allowed her eyes to close, and she held tightly to him to keep from falling backward. Again, he roughly broke off the kiss, and she opened her eyes to see him looking over her face.

“Are you drunk?” he asked her roughly, his hand moving from the back of her head to cup her face. His eyes were restless as they searched her face.

“No …” Jesse answered him breathlessly, shaking her head hastily back and forth. She saw Hal’s eyes narrow and knew he barely believed her.

“Really,” Jesse insisted, horrified at the thought of him withdrawing from her now when she was already so worked up and desperate for his touch.

Hal searched her face, his expression still disbelieving, but after some examination, he seemed to relax a little. His grip on her side softened, and he gently ran his hand up her ribcage, inspiring a rush of tremors down her body.

“I’m sorry …” Hal whispered, leaning his head forward to rest it against hers. “I just don’t want to take advantage of you …”

Jesse blushed and felt a feeling of tenderness well up in her stomach.

“I know…” Jesse said softly, moving her hand to cup his cheek in her palm. She repeated his motions from earlier, feeling the stubble on his cheek as she traced her fingertips over his skin. She heard him release a soft sigh as he nuzzled his face into her hand.

For a while, they remained that way, and Jesse fought to maintain control of her body’s fiercely powerful desire. Hal’s eyes opened a little, and they looked at her with a mixture of wariness and want.

“I don’t want you to think that I just brought you here for …” Hal trailed off, seeming to be searching for just the right word. “For this …”

“I know,” Jesse said again. “And that’s not why I came over either … it’s just …”

Jesse trailed off, and she bit her lip as her body once again reminded her of just how much she ached for Hal’s touch. It was proving difficult just to sit there with him and hold a coherent conversation when all she could think about was the throbbing desire between her legs.

“I know …” Hal sighed, and she felt his grip on her side tighten again. Jesse gasped softly and gripped Hal’s shoulder, involuntarily arching into his hand. She saw a flash of hunger pass through Hal’s eyes, and it served to inspire a pang of desire in her stomach.

Jesse could only pant shakily and squirm under his touch. For the moment, words were beyond her, and she could only look up at Hal, hoping that her eyes could relay what she craved.

“Jess …” Hal sighed softly, his voice sounding almost pained. “I want you …”

Jesse nodded frantically and tried to clear her head enough to respond to him verbally.

“I want you too …” she managed to say. She moved her body closer to him and rested her hand on his hip, gathering up the hem of his shirt. Hal gasped as she ran her fingernails over the bone of his pelvis, and she felt goosebumps rise up along his skin.

Hal seized her wrist and pinned it to her side. He let out a growl as he suddenly leaned forward and pressed his mouth against her, once again ravishing her with a searing kiss. Jesse squirmed helplessly. Every inch of her seemed to be on fire, and she nearly wept as she felt his teeth softly bite on her lower lip.

Again, though, it seemed to be over all too quickly, and Jesse groaned a little as he pulled back. Hal took in a shaking breath and shook his head, seeming to be trying to collect himself.

“Okay, okay …” Hal finally spoke, his voice sounding calmer. Jesse’s stomach clenched, and she feared that he was about to call the whole thing off. All she could do was hold her breath and wait for him to say whatever was on his mind.

“I want to do this,” Hal said, “but not if you feel like this is happening too fast. I don’t want you to get caught up in the moment and do something you’ll regret just because your body wants it right now.”

Jesse listened, and she was torn between a feeling of relief and panic. All in all, he was right. She didn’t want to act hastily and end up feeling ashamed of her actions. At the moment, though, her body was urging her to throw caution to the wind. Still, the rational part of her mind knew that what Hal was saying was true, so she slowly nodded.

“I agree,” Jesse said softly, though the ache in her legs seemed to grow more insistent even as she spoke.

Hal nodded, and they were both silent for a moment. Jesse was still acutely aware of the grip that Hal had on her side and of his hand wrapped around her wrist. The sensation of his skin on hers, even on such a mundane spot, was enough to send her into a frenzy.

“So …” Hal finally spoke again, looking up at her hesitantly. “Why don’t we just step back and slow things down a little bit. I don’t want anything to seem rushed.”

Jesse looked up at Hal, and she felt a rush of emotion at the tenderness she saw in his face. A smile slowly lifted the corners of her lips, and she nodded.

“I like the sound of that,” Jesse said softly, and she saw Hal smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling a little.

“Me too,” he said softly.

With that, he gently released his hold on her wrist and moved both of his hands so that they were resting softly on her hips, his thumbs gently tracing circles over her skin. Jesse shifted her hands to rest on his shoulders and leaned up so that their lips were once more joined in a much less demanding kiss.

As they kissed, Jesse took up the task of calming herself down. She knew that Hal was right, and it was likely taking just as much effort from him to keep things from moving forward too fast. So, Jesse decided that she would let him take control and lead for the rest of this interaction, even if her body was insistently begging her for more.

She had a feeling that if she was going to be involved with Hal, sexual desires and frustrations were just something she was going to have to get used to.

Having calmed down quite a bit, Jesse began to more fully enjoy the kiss she was sharing with Hal. She appreciated the hint of wine on his breath and the softness of his lips contrasting with his rough stubble. Unthinkingly, she lifted her hand from his shoulder and allowed her fingertips to graze against his cheek, and she shivered at the rough feeling of his stubble.

She felt Hal become more insistent with his kiss for a moment before he calmed once again. She could feel his hands kneading at her hips, and she gently arched them into his touch, encouraging him. She felt her blood still throbbing in her veins, slow and thick.

Hal pulled back from her lips, only to gently pepper kisses along her jawline. She gasped softly and felt a surge of heat as he pressed a kiss below her ear. She moved her hands back to his shoulders and bit her lip as she gathered up the material of his shirt in her grip.

Jesse felt her vision grow foggy, and again she felt as though she was losing her grip on her self-control. She became aware of Hal’s hands slipping lower to caress the curve of her thighs, and she released a soft moan. Hal drew his head back and his eyes searched her face briefly before his head slowly dropped.

Jesse felt his teeth scrape along her collarbone, and she ground her teeth together to keep from begging him for more. He moved slowly and gently, and in her mind, Jesse wanted nothing more than for him to tear off her dress and consume her.

But they were taking it slow. And she knew that was the most appropriate thing to do. It seemed, though, that her body was not so easily convinced.

Jesse didn’t know how she was going to make it through the rest of the evening, but for now she would simply grit her teeth and bear it.