Page 19 of Jared's Redemption

His words make my body hum as I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him to me for a long kiss.

Guilt is eating at me because I had lied. Even though he caught me, I had to follow my original plan. But I would give us this night, because soon he would hate me for betraying him.

We walk in silence. Every few steps Jared would lean down and press a kiss to my forehead, cheek, nose and whatever he could reach. I felt more than treasured and frozen to the core by the time we made it back to his house. Markus sat on the porch swing, the light above him flickering like a flame as he sat back and watched us.

“Little cold out for extracurriculars.” He says, grinning with a cigarette between his lips. Jared turns his back to Markus, setting me on my feet and shrugging his jacket off to wrap it around my thighs.

“I don’t share.” He whispers, picking me back up. I laugh, wrapping my arms around him again as he brushes past Markus.

“You can just put me down. I can walk.” However, a sharp look from him cuts me off mid-sentence. I bite my lip to stop the smile while Jared walks through the house without stopping to say a word to my brother or Alec. They are both talking over an array of papers, some maps from what I can see.

“Plans have changed. Tell Vincent to fuck off.” He shouts, kicking his door shut behind us with a slam.

“Jared.” I say softly and he shakes his head while walking us straight to the shower. He doesn’t even bother taking our clothes off, he just kicks the water on hot and steps inside.

“Jared, what the hell!” I cry, squirming in his hold.

I throw his jacket onto the floor, the wet fabric smacking the ground is loud in the tense space. Jared presses my back to the icy wall, one hand slamming the space next to my face as he commands my focus.

“I need you to say it.” He demands and I stop, looking at him incredulously.

“Say what?” I ask, but in my gut I know.

“Say you belong to me.” His voice tells me everything. He knows. How in such a short amount of time could he already know me so well?

“I want to.” The words slip from my lips, and his eyes reflect how I feel. Pain flashes for a moment on his face before he nods, letting me stand. Wordlessly he bends down and unties both boots, taking my socks off and dropping each garment outside the shower.

“We’re going to flood your bathroom.” I say, trying to laugh, but it sounds empty. He just nods, pulling the rest of my clothes off until I’m standing naked under the steaming water. I sigh, leaning my head back and closing my sides as I warm up. Doing the same to him, I pull Jared’s clothes off torturously slow, grimacing from the chafe of my panties still crammed inside of me.

When he steps under the water and closes his eyes, I try to slip a hand between my thighs but his hand shoots out, stopping me.

“I didn’t say you could take it out.” He snaps.

“I didn’t ask.” My retort sounds whiny, but I’m annoyed and want to wash everywhere. Jared sighs, pushing his hand between my thigh and pressing his fingers into me. I fall against him, gripping his forearms while he lifts one of my legs to rest my foot on a low shelf.

His thumb strums my clit while he fingers me just enough to tease before pulling the panties from my body. Jared’s touch becomes more sensual and softer while skimming up my body. I nearly melt when he lathers my shampoo into my hair, his fingers massaging my scalp.

Could I give up my dreams for this?

I sure as fuck wanted to.

Chapter 13- Jared

After spending our shower in silence, taking care of and washing each other with a tenderness I’ve never felt, the quiet was crushing me. Luna sat beside me on the couch in her new silk pajama bottoms, but still wore one of my shirts, which brought a smile to my lips.

I wasn’t an idiot. I knew she still wasn’t sure what she wanted to do, and that she didn’t truly belong to me. Not yet. But even in the short time we’ve been here, my heart knows that she is what I’ve waited my entire life for. Pushing her would only cause problems, so I had to force myself to be patient, or solve the Steffen issue myself.

Luna stood up, grabbing my pillow and blanket from beside the couch and marched towards the bedroom.

“I want one night where we act as if everything is perfect. Like we live in a world where this could work.” Her voice is full of sorrow, and I get up to follow without a word.

I’ll give her this night. What she doesn’t know is I’ll make sure she gets this one and a million more. Watching her climb into my bed and curl up in the center of it filled me with finality.

She was the end of my story. It would finish with her by my side or with me laying down my life to give her one worth living. I smiled, shoving off my pants and throwing my shirt aside before crawling up the bed to lie next to her. Luna’s eyes devoured me, saying more than words could. Her hands roamed down my body, committing every inch to memory as I did the same.

“Take these off.” I demand, fisting the fabric of her pants, barely stopping myself from tearing them from her body.

“Okay, cave dweller.” She mocked me before pulling off her clothes.

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