Page 45 of Putting Down Roots

He pushes in and out, and I’m carried away by his thrusting. He grabs my hips and holds me down. I’m almost there, and then he rubs his thumb over the slit in my end and I’m done for. His release comes a few beats later. His eyes swirl molten chocolate with gold flecks as he leans down and kisses me.

“That was fucking magic.”

CHAPTER 39

Jackson

I becomeaware of fingers slowly playing over my back. It drags me from the trappings of deep sleep. I shiver slightly and hear a low laugh.

“Mmmm, that’s nice.” I realise he’s tracing my tattoo.

“Why do it?” He asks. I try to focus, but his touch is doing wonderful things to me.

“When I got my divorce, I felt I needed to do something for myself. Something symbolic. I knew it had to be nature related—a flower or a tree—and I’ve always admired acers. They represent endurance and strength, but I also wanted to include change.”

“It’s beautiful.” His fingers move lower, trailing across my arse. It’s too much. I turn over until I face him.

“Did you change?” He gives me that impish grin I can’t resist.

“Not the change I expected. But I got something much better.”

I hold his gaze as I play my hand slowly over his hip. He smirks at me and I can’t help but smile. I move my hand over his arse, giving his delicious butt a squeeze. I move my hand down the back of his thigh and lift his leg over mine. He bites his bottom lip—I know he’s trying to resist me. His eyes flutter closed.

I trail my fingers up the inside of this thigh and across his stomach. He sucks in a breath and I feel his arousal.

“That’s so good, J-bear.” His eyes fly open wide, realising what he just said. I stop my hand and raise an eyebrow at him.

“J-bear?”

“I’m sorry Jackson. I know you don’t like nicknames. But it’s just that your hugs, well, I feel like I’m being enveloped by a bear.”

It’s adorable to see him flustered, and it’s really sweet he thought of a name that means something to him. I actually like it, and the thought of him saying it when he comes makes my insides flip.

“I like it. Say it again.”

“J-bear.”

I kiss him, pressing his lips open with my tongue. As he puts an arm around me, I flip him onto his back and play kisses down his chest.

“Say it again.”

I bury my face in the hair at the base of his cock, smelling his unique musk, before delivering a lick up his shaft.

“J-bear,” he groans, tangling his hands in my hair and drawing my mouth down to him.

PART II

SUMMER

CHAPTER 40

Luca

“Luca. Luca!”Jackson comes barrelling into the kitchen whilst I’m making our midmorning coffee. It startles me, as I was thinking about marketing. We hosted a photography crew for a day last week as a magazine wanted to run an article. There’s been a lot of interest in the reopening of the Larchdown gardens.

“What is it?” I whirl round, thinking of a dozen awful things that could have happened, to see him standing in the doorway grinning.

“I want to show you.” He grabs my hand and drags me off to the gardens.

---