NaNo Project: Chapter Twelve
Eleven Months of Night
Whoo! I got over my block, thank GOD. Apparently, watching "The Phantom of the Opera" (the newish one) is very inspirational. ;) So, thank you to Gerard Butler. ;)
Today's word count: 2049
Total word count: 35682
Uh, this chapter is not for the kids. NC-17 rating, mmkay?
Chapter Twelve
Several hours later, as the hand on the clock inched ever closer to midnight, Seph was alone in her hotel room, sitting on the edge of her bed, still wearing her dress. All that she could think about was that she was alone, all alone, and that she should be crying, but she couldn’t seem to find the strength to summon the tears.
They had all grieved for her, they all believed that she was dead. And they were all moving on with their lives now. There wasn’t anything left for her there, was there? Even if she could go home … well, she couldn’t. That was the thing. The only person left in the world for her was a man that she should never have met in the first place.
A man she should definitely never have fallen for. She didn’t know anything about him, but that didn’t stop her heart from speeding up and her breath from catching whenever he was around. She just didn’t know what she was supposed to do about it.
Yes she did. She realized with a sigh that she had nothing else left to lose.
She stood up, full of purpose, walked out of her room, and headed straight for Jack’s door. She didn’t give herself time to think before she knocked briskly and waited for him to answer.
His face was a mask of confusion at the late-hour interruption. He was just glad that he was still wearing his pants and shirt, though he had ditched the tie and jacket some time ago.
“Persephone?” he questioned her, taking in her appearance. She was still wearing her dress, but her hair was down, and all those glorious curls were spilling out around her shoulders. Jack felt his gut tighten at the sight. She shouldn’t be here right now, he told himself. But she was obviously not going anywhere anytime soon. Taking a deep breath, she pushed past him and into his room and looked at him, almost expectantly. “Are you all right?” he asked her, closing the door.
Tonight had been rough on her. He’d known, sooner or later, her tough demeanor would crack. Inside, Persephone was just a scared young woman who didn’t even have one iota of the information that he had. And it wasn’t fair to her. He had a feeling it was going to get a whole lot worse though, before all was said and done.
She shook her head. “No, no, I’m really not,” she said, pacing back and forth across the floor. “And most of my problems are huge and seemingly insurmountable at the moment. I will have to work through them by myself at some point. But right now, there is one thing that you can help me with.” She stopped in front of him.
“What’s that?” he asked, eyeing her warily. What the hell could she possibly …
His thoughts trailed off as she grabbed him by the collar and pulled him to her. Her lips meant his eagerly and hungrily. He was taken aback momentarily, but quickly recovered. He pulled back from her, his eyes searching her face for some kind of answers to her sudden zealousness. “What … are you doing?” he asked in a hoarse voice. “You said …”
“I know what I said,” she murmured against his neck as she began unbuttoning his shirt. “But I need yo -- this right now.” She stepped back and looked at him solemnly. “I’m not drunk, and my thinking has never been more clear, so don’t worry about any of that. I want this. But … forget it. I’ll just go. I‘m sorry. I presumed way too much.”
She reached for the doorknob and instead found herself pushed up against the door, her face framed by Jack’s rough, callused hands. “Don’t go,” he told her, pressing his lips to hers. “Don’t go,” he repeated, dragging his fingers through her hair, and pulling her head back to expose her neck to his lips.
She shivered as his mouth passed lightly over her throat and down along her collarbone. She ran her fingers through his dark hair and sighed as he kissed the area of skin right above the neckline of her dress. His hands moved to her shoulders, and he slid the straps of her dress down her arms slowly. He was afraid that at any moment, she would change her mind and be out of there as quickly as she had arrived.
He thought that he might actually die if that were to happen now. She drove him fucking crazy, and he’d wanted her since the moment he’d first laid eyes on her.
Once her arms were free of the straps, the dress slid down easily and pooled around her feet. She was now wearing only her lacy black lingerie, and Jack just stood back for a moment to look at her.
She was nervous now, for the first time since she’d decided to come here tonight. He was looking at her so intensely, and he wasn’t saying anything. “Jack?” she finally asked uneasily. “Is something wrong?"
He let out a long, shuddering breath and then laughed. “Jesus,” he said, shaking his head. “How could you even think that?”
“You … stopped.”
With a dangerous glow in his eyes, he went to her and crushed his mouth down on hers greedily. His hands played over her exposed skin and she couldn’t help but to lean in to him. He nipped at her earlobe, which caused her to shudder almost violently, and then he whispered, “I stopped to look at you.”
He trailed hot kisses down her neck and along the exposed swell of her breasts, as he slid his hands up her sides and to her back, where he unhooked the clasp of her bra. Her eyes widened briefly as he tossed the lacy garment aside. She nearly squeaked in surprise when he lifted her off the ground and carried her to the bed, where he lay her down amidst the pillows and then joined her.
Her heart was thundering in her chest. Am I really doing this? she asked herself, as she found her shaking hands working seemingly independent from the rest of her, unbuttoning his shirt. Is this REALLY what I want?
She let out an uneven breath as she pushed the shirt from his body and ran her hands along his well-sculpted torso. He was built like a Greek god, and she was sure she’d never wanted or needed anyone quite as much as she wanted and needed him at that moment. “I … I …” she breathed, seconds before his mouth descended upon hers and she could speak no more.
His hands cupped her breasts, gently first, but then with more intensity. His fingers flicked over her already taut nipples and she sighed against his mouth. He tore his lips from hers and trailed a line of hot kisses down her jaw and neck, nipping lightly at her skin with his teeth.
Her back arched up as his mouth found her breasts and she moaned at the sensations his tongue was creating on her skin and within her. She closed her eyes, letting the feelings wash over her, and ran her fingers through his dark hair as he continued his ministrations. She felt his hand sliding lower over her belly and her eyes flew open as he ripped the lacy black undergarment off and tossed it aside.
“Um, those were expen --” He cut her off by kissing her forcefully. When he slid his fingers along her opening, she forgot what she’d been saying -- hell, she almost forgot her own name.
He found her slick and ready, and couldn’t help but to release a low groan of his own. His mouth moved back to her ear, and he whispered to her hotly. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this,” he said as he slid his fingers in and out of her slowly and deftly.
The sound of his voice alone was intoxicating to her, and combined with what he was doing with his hands, the effect was tripled it seemed. “How long?” she asked him breathlessly, grabbing his face in her hands and forcing him to look her in the eyes. “Tell me.”
His thumb flicked over her most sensitive of spots and he smiled with pure male satisfaction at the shiver he felt course through her body. “How long?” he repeated in a low growl that she found incredibly enticing. “From the minute you walked into my bar, how’s that?” He kissed her insistently then, and slid his tongue over hers, mimicking what his fingers were doing elsewhere.
She made a primal sound in the back of her throat, and he could feel that she was getting closer. He broke their kiss, and his mouth trailed down her neck again. His fingers still working their magic on her, his tongue flicked across her nipple and she arched against him, her hips bucking against his hand insistently.
He moved his mouth from her breasts then, kissing and licking his way down her belly. Her eyes flew open and she inhaled sharply when she felt his mouth on her. “Oh, God, oh, God …” she murmured over and over. His tongue flicked over her most sensitive of spots as his fingers continued to penetrate her.
It didn’t take long at all for her to reach her peak, and it came thundering down on her, causing her to cry out with abandon.
He felt her inner walls squeeze around his fingers, and the urge to be inside of her became overwhelming to him. He moved away from her long enough to remove his pants and grab a condom, and then returned to the bed.
He loomed above her now, like some kind of dark overlord, but she wasn’t afraid. She met his eyes with her own, as if daring him to take whatever he wanted, however he wanted it. He forced her legs apart with his knees, and entered her in one fluid motion.
She couldn’t keep from crying out again at the sensation of him filling her, and he lowered his mouth to hers and captured the last of her keening.
She could feel another orgasm building as he thrust in and out of her, but he was going too slow. “Jack …” she breathed, moving her hips against him insistently. “I want … more.”
He willingly obliged, ramming himself in and out of her roughly, his fingers digging into the flesh of her hips, and soon, he felt her muscles contract and spasm again and she let out a long, shuddering wail.
“Christ, Persephone,” he muttered as he felt her clenching around him, bringing him to his own release. He collapsed on top of her, his head resting on her chest, and she gently threaded her fingers through his hair and let out a heavy sigh.
She had been unsure if this was the right thing to do, but there were no doubts now. Here was passion and fire and heat and a man who just might be the answer to all things for her. And she didn’t honestly know how to feel about that … did he feel the same?
He didn’t usually stick around afterward. The woman would want to talk about what it all meant, and though he was pretty sure he didn’t have much of a heart left, he had just never had it in him to tell the women that it hadn’t really meant anything. It was just sex. It was easier to just leave straight away.
Usually.
But Persephone … oh, Christ, what was she doing to him? Her hands were tracing slow, lazy circles on his back now, and from her slow and rhythmic breathing, he could tell that she was either asleep or very close to it.
And as much as he knew he should get up, and go somewhere else, he couldn’t make himself move. He couldn’t -- absolute could not -- force himself to disentangle from her. He was pretty sure if they stayed here, like this forever, he would have been content.
And that idea scared the shit out of him.
Whoo! I got over my block, thank GOD. Apparently, watching "The Phantom of the Opera" (the newish one) is very inspirational. ;) So, thank you to Gerard Butler. ;)
Today's word count: 2049
Total word count: 35682
Uh, this chapter is not for the kids. NC-17 rating, mmkay?
Chapter Twelve
Several hours later, as the hand on the clock inched ever closer to midnight, Seph was alone in her hotel room, sitting on the edge of her bed, still wearing her dress. All that she could think about was that she was alone, all alone, and that she should be crying, but she couldn’t seem to find the strength to summon the tears.
They had all grieved for her, they all believed that she was dead. And they were all moving on with their lives now. There wasn’t anything left for her there, was there? Even if she could go home … well, she couldn’t. That was the thing. The only person left in the world for her was a man that she should never have met in the first place.
A man she should definitely never have fallen for. She didn’t know anything about him, but that didn’t stop her heart from speeding up and her breath from catching whenever he was around. She just didn’t know what she was supposed to do about it.
Yes she did. She realized with a sigh that she had nothing else left to lose.
She stood up, full of purpose, walked out of her room, and headed straight for Jack’s door. She didn’t give herself time to think before she knocked briskly and waited for him to answer.
His face was a mask of confusion at the late-hour interruption. He was just glad that he was still wearing his pants and shirt, though he had ditched the tie and jacket some time ago.
“Persephone?” he questioned her, taking in her appearance. She was still wearing her dress, but her hair was down, and all those glorious curls were spilling out around her shoulders. Jack felt his gut tighten at the sight. She shouldn’t be here right now, he told himself. But she was obviously not going anywhere anytime soon. Taking a deep breath, she pushed past him and into his room and looked at him, almost expectantly. “Are you all right?” he asked her, closing the door.
Tonight had been rough on her. He’d known, sooner or later, her tough demeanor would crack. Inside, Persephone was just a scared young woman who didn’t even have one iota of the information that he had. And it wasn’t fair to her. He had a feeling it was going to get a whole lot worse though, before all was said and done.
She shook her head. “No, no, I’m really not,” she said, pacing back and forth across the floor. “And most of my problems are huge and seemingly insurmountable at the moment. I will have to work through them by myself at some point. But right now, there is one thing that you can help me with.” She stopped in front of him.
“What’s that?” he asked, eyeing her warily. What the hell could she possibly …
His thoughts trailed off as she grabbed him by the collar and pulled him to her. Her lips meant his eagerly and hungrily. He was taken aback momentarily, but quickly recovered. He pulled back from her, his eyes searching her face for some kind of answers to her sudden zealousness. “What … are you doing?” he asked in a hoarse voice. “You said …”
“I know what I said,” she murmured against his neck as she began unbuttoning his shirt. “But I need yo -- this right now.” She stepped back and looked at him solemnly. “I’m not drunk, and my thinking has never been more clear, so don’t worry about any of that. I want this. But … forget it. I’ll just go. I‘m sorry. I presumed way too much.”
She reached for the doorknob and instead found herself pushed up against the door, her face framed by Jack’s rough, callused hands. “Don’t go,” he told her, pressing his lips to hers. “Don’t go,” he repeated, dragging his fingers through her hair, and pulling her head back to expose her neck to his lips.
She shivered as his mouth passed lightly over her throat and down along her collarbone. She ran her fingers through his dark hair and sighed as he kissed the area of skin right above the neckline of her dress. His hands moved to her shoulders, and he slid the straps of her dress down her arms slowly. He was afraid that at any moment, she would change her mind and be out of there as quickly as she had arrived.
He thought that he might actually die if that were to happen now. She drove him fucking crazy, and he’d wanted her since the moment he’d first laid eyes on her.
Once her arms were free of the straps, the dress slid down easily and pooled around her feet. She was now wearing only her lacy black lingerie, and Jack just stood back for a moment to look at her.
She was nervous now, for the first time since she’d decided to come here tonight. He was looking at her so intensely, and he wasn’t saying anything. “Jack?” she finally asked uneasily. “Is something wrong?"
He let out a long, shuddering breath and then laughed. “Jesus,” he said, shaking his head. “How could you even think that?”
“You … stopped.”
With a dangerous glow in his eyes, he went to her and crushed his mouth down on hers greedily. His hands played over her exposed skin and she couldn’t help but to lean in to him. He nipped at her earlobe, which caused her to shudder almost violently, and then he whispered, “I stopped to look at you.”
He trailed hot kisses down her neck and along the exposed swell of her breasts, as he slid his hands up her sides and to her back, where he unhooked the clasp of her bra. Her eyes widened briefly as he tossed the lacy garment aside. She nearly squeaked in surprise when he lifted her off the ground and carried her to the bed, where he lay her down amidst the pillows and then joined her.
Her heart was thundering in her chest. Am I really doing this? she asked herself, as she found her shaking hands working seemingly independent from the rest of her, unbuttoning his shirt. Is this REALLY what I want?
She let out an uneven breath as she pushed the shirt from his body and ran her hands along his well-sculpted torso. He was built like a Greek god, and she was sure she’d never wanted or needed anyone quite as much as she wanted and needed him at that moment. “I … I …” she breathed, seconds before his mouth descended upon hers and she could speak no more.
His hands cupped her breasts, gently first, but then with more intensity. His fingers flicked over her already taut nipples and she sighed against his mouth. He tore his lips from hers and trailed a line of hot kisses down her jaw and neck, nipping lightly at her skin with his teeth.
Her back arched up as his mouth found her breasts and she moaned at the sensations his tongue was creating on her skin and within her. She closed her eyes, letting the feelings wash over her, and ran her fingers through his dark hair as he continued his ministrations. She felt his hand sliding lower over her belly and her eyes flew open as he ripped the lacy black undergarment off and tossed it aside.
“Um, those were expen --” He cut her off by kissing her forcefully. When he slid his fingers along her opening, she forgot what she’d been saying -- hell, she almost forgot her own name.
He found her slick and ready, and couldn’t help but to release a low groan of his own. His mouth moved back to her ear, and he whispered to her hotly. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this,” he said as he slid his fingers in and out of her slowly and deftly.
The sound of his voice alone was intoxicating to her, and combined with what he was doing with his hands, the effect was tripled it seemed. “How long?” she asked him breathlessly, grabbing his face in her hands and forcing him to look her in the eyes. “Tell me.”
His thumb flicked over her most sensitive of spots and he smiled with pure male satisfaction at the shiver he felt course through her body. “How long?” he repeated in a low growl that she found incredibly enticing. “From the minute you walked into my bar, how’s that?” He kissed her insistently then, and slid his tongue over hers, mimicking what his fingers were doing elsewhere.
She made a primal sound in the back of her throat, and he could feel that she was getting closer. He broke their kiss, and his mouth trailed down her neck again. His fingers still working their magic on her, his tongue flicked across her nipple and she arched against him, her hips bucking against his hand insistently.
He moved his mouth from her breasts then, kissing and licking his way down her belly. Her eyes flew open and she inhaled sharply when she felt his mouth on her. “Oh, God, oh, God …” she murmured over and over. His tongue flicked over her most sensitive of spots as his fingers continued to penetrate her.
It didn’t take long at all for her to reach her peak, and it came thundering down on her, causing her to cry out with abandon.
He felt her inner walls squeeze around his fingers, and the urge to be inside of her became overwhelming to him. He moved away from her long enough to remove his pants and grab a condom, and then returned to the bed.
He loomed above her now, like some kind of dark overlord, but she wasn’t afraid. She met his eyes with her own, as if daring him to take whatever he wanted, however he wanted it. He forced her legs apart with his knees, and entered her in one fluid motion.
She couldn’t keep from crying out again at the sensation of him filling her, and he lowered his mouth to hers and captured the last of her keening.
She could feel another orgasm building as he thrust in and out of her, but he was going too slow. “Jack …” she breathed, moving her hips against him insistently. “I want … more.”
He willingly obliged, ramming himself in and out of her roughly, his fingers digging into the flesh of her hips, and soon, he felt her muscles contract and spasm again and she let out a long, shuddering wail.
“Christ, Persephone,” he muttered as he felt her clenching around him, bringing him to his own release. He collapsed on top of her, his head resting on her chest, and she gently threaded her fingers through his hair and let out a heavy sigh.
She had been unsure if this was the right thing to do, but there were no doubts now. Here was passion and fire and heat and a man who just might be the answer to all things for her. And she didn’t honestly know how to feel about that … did he feel the same?
He didn’t usually stick around afterward. The woman would want to talk about what it all meant, and though he was pretty sure he didn’t have much of a heart left, he had just never had it in him to tell the women that it hadn’t really meant anything. It was just sex. It was easier to just leave straight away.
Usually.
But Persephone … oh, Christ, what was she doing to him? Her hands were tracing slow, lazy circles on his back now, and from her slow and rhythmic breathing, he could tell that she was either asleep or very close to it.
And as much as he knew he should get up, and go somewhere else, he couldn’t make himself move. He couldn’t -- absolute could not -- force himself to disentangle from her. He was pretty sure if they stayed here, like this forever, he would have been content.
And that idea scared the shit out of him.