NaNo Project: Chapter Thirteen
Yup, I wrote twice today. This chapter isn't long, only 1084 words, but still, it's something. I was listening to "It's Not Over" by Daughtry as I wrote this, it really helped a lot. :D Enjoy the "aftermath".
Chapter Thirteen
Seph awoke a few hours later. The clock on the table beside the bed said that it was nearly four-thirty a.m. She stretched her arms above her head languidly, and looked to her left. Jack’s side of the bed was empty.
She sat up abruptly and reached to turn on the lamp. “Leave it,” his low voice said in the darkness. From the sound, she deduced that he was sitting in the high-backed chair in the opposite corner of the room.
“How long have you been awake?” she finally asked, feeling marginally silly to be sitting in the pitch black and having a conversation with a man she had seen naked mere hours ago.
“Haven’t been to sleep yet,” he said nonchalantly.
“Oh,” Seph said, not really sure what to make of that. “Well, um, should we … maybe talk?” She heard him exhale heavily, and felt an icy knot form in the pit of her stomach. “I mean, just because, well, everything I said and …”
“It shouldn’t have happened.” His words were like a slap to her … she honestly would have preferred the slap. “You’ve been right, all along. This is a business partnership, and we shouldn’t have crossed that line.”
“You think this was a mistake,” she said, thankful that the darkness hid her reddening cheeks and moistening eyes. She took a deep breath so that her next words wouldn’t come out shaky. “You’re absolutely right, Jack,” she said. “I appreciate the … comfort. It was … But definitely, no, we shouldn’t have. And we won’t again.”
She finally turned on the lamp and quickly gathered up her dress and bra from the floor. Her panties were a lost cause, and she felt her gut clench as she remembered … well, everything that had transpired between them earlier. It had been the most amazing experience of her life, and he … he thought it was a mistake.
He watched her covertly as she dressed, noted the marks his fingers and teeth had left on her skin. Her hair was wildly disheveled and her lips were still a bit swollen. He felt himself hardening again at the sight of her, and it took every ounce of willpower not to get up and cross the room to her.
Once she was dressed, she turned to look at him. “I think we should just forget this ever happened,” he told her, even though he knew there was no way in hell he would ever forget this night.
“Of course. Absolutely. We’ll just … go on like normal, like nothing happened here tonight,” Seph replied, hoping she sounded indifferent and not as desperate as she thought she sounded. He was rejecting her. After his months of pursuing and teasing and all those hot kisses … he was telling her it was all a mistake. “I’m just gonna go now.” She hurried out the door and shut it behind her. Leaning up against it, she let out a long, shaky breath as the tears fell silently.
It wasn’t supposed to go like that.
On the other side of the door, Jack sat in the chair, his head in his hands as the full extent of what exactly was going on came crashing down on him. He was cracking, crumbling, falling apart. And it was all because of her. He’d finally gotten what he wanted … but now he wanted more. Not just sex, he wanted it all. He wanted her, as part of his life. But there was no way that could happen.
She didn’t belong with him, in his dark world of death and murder, secrets and lies. She truly was Persephone, bringing light to a barren land. He wanted, needed, ached for what she was, for what she represented.
And he couldn’t have her. She wasn’t meant for him, wasn’t actually meant for anyone. He couldn’t … couldn’t get close to her again.
He should tell Birdwell. He should call him right now, and get her far far away from him. But the thought of her being gone made his blood run cold.
No. He was keeping her with him for as long as he could. Selfish or not, he didn’t give a fuck. He wasn’t ready for his life to go back to the way it had been before she’d arrived. He just … wasn’t ready for her to be gone.
Back in her room, Seph took off her dress, and just held it for a long moment, looking at it. She considered seriously burning the damn thing. She would never be able to look at it again without remembering Jack’s hands and mouth on her, without remembering the way he’d whispered to her, the way he’d felt inside of her.
Tears burning in her eyes, her throat constricting with every breath, she went into the bathroom and took the hottest shower she could stand. She scrubbed her body until it was red and nearly raw. It was only then that she sank to the floor of the shower and broke down, with the scalding water beating down on her, threatening to drown her. And she didn’t care.
She’d fallen too hard, too fast, just too much, and he’d rejected her. She shouldn’t care. He was right, and she knew it. How long had she been telling him that nothing could happen? But she’d let her need take over last night, and now she would give anything to be able to take it back.
How was she supposed to face him later? After all her protests and arguments, she’d all but thrown herself at him. And he was a man, after all. A man who’d been lusting for her for quite some time. He hadn’t done anything wrong ... He’d done everything right, truth be told. Wonderfully, marvelously, magnificently right. He just … didn’t want her like she wanted him, apparently.
Standing back up slowly, she turned off the water in the shower, and grabbed one of the fluffy white towels to dry herself off with. She wrapped her hair in a smaller towel, and then pulled on the soft white robe that the hotel provided.
She went back into the bedroom and curled up on the bed. She let the tears fall again, soaking her pillow, making her feel empty inside. She would love to be able to go back about twelve hours, and take it all back.
Nothing was going to be the same now. Everything had changed.
Chapter Thirteen
Seph awoke a few hours later. The clock on the table beside the bed said that it was nearly four-thirty a.m. She stretched her arms above her head languidly, and looked to her left. Jack’s side of the bed was empty.
She sat up abruptly and reached to turn on the lamp. “Leave it,” his low voice said in the darkness. From the sound, she deduced that he was sitting in the high-backed chair in the opposite corner of the room.
“How long have you been awake?” she finally asked, feeling marginally silly to be sitting in the pitch black and having a conversation with a man she had seen naked mere hours ago.
“Haven’t been to sleep yet,” he said nonchalantly.
“Oh,” Seph said, not really sure what to make of that. “Well, um, should we … maybe talk?” She heard him exhale heavily, and felt an icy knot form in the pit of her stomach. “I mean, just because, well, everything I said and …”
“It shouldn’t have happened.” His words were like a slap to her … she honestly would have preferred the slap. “You’ve been right, all along. This is a business partnership, and we shouldn’t have crossed that line.”
“You think this was a mistake,” she said, thankful that the darkness hid her reddening cheeks and moistening eyes. She took a deep breath so that her next words wouldn’t come out shaky. “You’re absolutely right, Jack,” she said. “I appreciate the … comfort. It was … But definitely, no, we shouldn’t have. And we won’t again.”
She finally turned on the lamp and quickly gathered up her dress and bra from the floor. Her panties were a lost cause, and she felt her gut clench as she remembered … well, everything that had transpired between them earlier. It had been the most amazing experience of her life, and he … he thought it was a mistake.
He watched her covertly as she dressed, noted the marks his fingers and teeth had left on her skin. Her hair was wildly disheveled and her lips were still a bit swollen. He felt himself hardening again at the sight of her, and it took every ounce of willpower not to get up and cross the room to her.
Once she was dressed, she turned to look at him. “I think we should just forget this ever happened,” he told her, even though he knew there was no way in hell he would ever forget this night.
“Of course. Absolutely. We’ll just … go on like normal, like nothing happened here tonight,” Seph replied, hoping she sounded indifferent and not as desperate as she thought she sounded. He was rejecting her. After his months of pursuing and teasing and all those hot kisses … he was telling her it was all a mistake. “I’m just gonna go now.” She hurried out the door and shut it behind her. Leaning up against it, she let out a long, shaky breath as the tears fell silently.
It wasn’t supposed to go like that.
On the other side of the door, Jack sat in the chair, his head in his hands as the full extent of what exactly was going on came crashing down on him. He was cracking, crumbling, falling apart. And it was all because of her. He’d finally gotten what he wanted … but now he wanted more. Not just sex, he wanted it all. He wanted her, as part of his life. But there was no way that could happen.
She didn’t belong with him, in his dark world of death and murder, secrets and lies. She truly was Persephone, bringing light to a barren land. He wanted, needed, ached for what she was, for what she represented.
And he couldn’t have her. She wasn’t meant for him, wasn’t actually meant for anyone. He couldn’t … couldn’t get close to her again.
He should tell Birdwell. He should call him right now, and get her far far away from him. But the thought of her being gone made his blood run cold.
No. He was keeping her with him for as long as he could. Selfish or not, he didn’t give a fuck. He wasn’t ready for his life to go back to the way it had been before she’d arrived. He just … wasn’t ready for her to be gone.
Back in her room, Seph took off her dress, and just held it for a long moment, looking at it. She considered seriously burning the damn thing. She would never be able to look at it again without remembering Jack’s hands and mouth on her, without remembering the way he’d whispered to her, the way he’d felt inside of her.
Tears burning in her eyes, her throat constricting with every breath, she went into the bathroom and took the hottest shower she could stand. She scrubbed her body until it was red and nearly raw. It was only then that she sank to the floor of the shower and broke down, with the scalding water beating down on her, threatening to drown her. And she didn’t care.
She’d fallen too hard, too fast, just too much, and he’d rejected her. She shouldn’t care. He was right, and she knew it. How long had she been telling him that nothing could happen? But she’d let her need take over last night, and now she would give anything to be able to take it back.
How was she supposed to face him later? After all her protests and arguments, she’d all but thrown herself at him. And he was a man, after all. A man who’d been lusting for her for quite some time. He hadn’t done anything wrong ... He’d done everything right, truth be told. Wonderfully, marvelously, magnificently right. He just … didn’t want her like she wanted him, apparently.
Standing back up slowly, she turned off the water in the shower, and grabbed one of the fluffy white towels to dry herself off with. She wrapped her hair in a smaller towel, and then pulled on the soft white robe that the hotel provided.
She went back into the bedroom and curled up on the bed. She let the tears fall again, soaking her pillow, making her feel empty inside. She would love to be able to go back about twelve hours, and take it all back.
Nothing was going to be the same now. Everything had changed.