He showed me where the living room would be, and then the rest of the first floor that consisted of a bathroom, a guestroom with it’s own bath, and an office. Afterwards, he pulled me to the stairs and nodded with his head for me to precede him. I shook my head at him and complied, smiling when I heard his sharp intake of breath as he watched my ass sway in front of him. When I got to the top, there was a sitting/loft area that I hadn’t realized looked over the living room and foyer.

Jackson turned to the left and led me through a doorway into a huge room that I had to assume was to be the master bedroom. In the middle of the floor, he had spread out a large, thick comforter and had laid out a picnic complete with wine, fruit, cheeses, crackers, and bite sized meats. The sun was still shining through the windows, giving a warm glow to the room.

To the left of the doorway was another door that, upon inspection, turned out to be a large, double walk-in closet. There was another door a little further to the right of the closet that opened up beside a glass fronted gas fireplace. When I walked through that door into a large bathroom, I didn’t want to ever leave. The fireplace was double-sided; the fire was visible through the glass front on either side, in the bathroom

or the bedroom. There was a marble-topped, double sink vanity to the left, a separate toilet area to the rear that had it’s own door, a walk-in shower with a tiled bench seat and multiple shower heads beside that, and then to the right, in a little alcove that was perfectly placed to enjoy the fireplace at the same time, was a large garden tub with whirlpool jets.

That did it. I wasn’t leaving. I’m a bathroom whore and this one made me want to take up residence ten minutes ago.

I heard Jackson chuckling at me and glanced at the doorway where he stood. I smiled and shrugged my shoulders at him. “What can I say? This bathroom is the shit!”

“I’m pretty fond of it myself. But, I can’t take all the credit for the design. I had a little help,” he said.

“Okay?” I said. “Who helped?” I asked, curious to see who it was and why he would have even asked for their help. He’s the architect, so…

“Emma helped me,” he said, taking me by surprise.

“Em? Why would you ask for her help?” I asked him, definitely wanting to know the answer to this one.

“Because I wanted to know what you would like, what would make you happy here.”

Uh…huh? ‘Scuse me? I shook my head, sure I didn’t hear him right. “What?”

He reached out for my hand, pulling me into the bedroom area saying, “Let me show you the rest of the house up here first, then we’ll come in here and sit down. Okay?”

I let him lead me back through the loft, into a short hallway that had a bathroom to the right, a bedroom beside it, and another bedroom to the left. I looked at each room, taking them in but not fully aware of what I was doing, still stuck on the words that Jacks had uttered.

We walked back into the master bedroom and both sat on the blanket covered floor. He opened the wine and poured me a glass. I didn’t hesitate, throwing it back in two gulps and holding my glass out for another. He refilled it with a raised eyebrow, but didn’t say anything.

I took my time with this one, sipping a couple times before addressing the elephant in the room. “Jackson…why would you even try to make your house suit me, to make me happy? It’s your house, so you should do it to suit you. “

“I did, Allie. It suits me to please you. I sat back for all these months, not really sure of the welcome I would get from you. I thought you and Brandon had a thing going and I didn’t have a chance, but Emma told me not to give up just yet. And then I started noticing the way you looked at me…I realized that I didn’t want to give up on it. I wanted you, Allie…hell, there’s no past tense to it, I want you. Even when I have you, I want you,” he said, matter-of-factly.

“But, Jacks-” I began, stopping when he interrupted me.

“No, Allie, let me finish. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to have you, and I’m telling you now, regardless of what happens, you’re mine. Mine and Brandon’s, but he’s not here to give you his own words. But these are mine; yeah, we may not have known each other for years, but there’s something there. I know you feel it when you look at me. And then the last few days since you’ve finally given in…I’m falling for you, Allie. Fuck, if I’m being honest, I’ve already fallen for you,” he said raggedly.

I could see the effort it took for him to open up and let me see his vulnerability and it felled me. I was completely floored by his words, my first instinct to tell him that it’s too soon, too early; he can’t feel that way about me already. But looking at him, really seeing him, I could tell that he was absolutely telling me the truth. It made my heart swell, and, if I was honest with myself, fall a little deeper for him than I already had.

I sat my glass down beside me and moved towards him, leaning over him and tossing my right leg over his legs until I was straddling his lap. Looking directly into his eyes, I kissed him, trying to tell him with my lips just a sliver of what I wasn’t ready to say with words.

We stayed like that, kissing for a while, before he moved me back and started feeding me. I reciprocated, laughing when his teeth nipped the tip of my fingers as I fed him a grape. I felt a lightness that I hadn’t realized was missing spread through me, and I relaxed into the moment, enjoying Jackson’s company. There was a part of me that felt slightly guilty for doing this without Brandon, but surely that’s how this whole thing works. I’d have alone time with him as well, right?

When both of us were replete and my head was swimming mildly with the wine, Jackson cleared everything off the blanket and pushed me down, covering my body with his as he kissed me deeply. Moaning, I parted my lips for him, relishing the taste of wine on his tongue.

His hands roamed my body, sliding up under my shirt to unsnap my bra and then pulling me up to remove both. I laid back down, staring up at him as he sat there unmoving, taking in the sight of me displayed before him. Slowly I raised my hands, cupping my own breasts before sliding them down my stomach to the fly of my jeans. A quick jerk and unzip and they were open, showing a pale triangle of flesh framed in the v created there.

Jackson’s breath left him in a rush and he came alive, curling his fingers into the waistband of my jeans and jerking them down my legs. I had barely kicked free of them, toeing them off at the same time as my shoes, before his mouth was hot on me, his tongue parting my slick folds, tasting every inch of me. I arched my back and fisted my hands as best I could in his hair, pulling his face tighter against me, grinding my wetness into his mouth.

He pushed his face into me even harder, flattening his tongue and rubbing it roughly against the hard bud of my clit, sending me flying without warning. I screamed out into the empty room, flooding his mouth with my release and shuddering as he licked every drop from me. When he raised his head, he stole my breath with the wildness blazing in his eyes.

I’d never felt more wanted than right then and it made me even wetter than I’d been when I’d come. Using my fingers still entwined in his hair, I pulled him up and over me, meeting his lips with mine in a frenzied kiss, groaning at the taste of myself on his lips, his tongue, everywhere in his mouth. I pushed against his chest, rolling with him until I was straddled across his hips, tearing at his clothes in the process. I wanted him as naked as me so I could feel every inch of him against me.