“No.” He smirked. “Quite the opposite, actually.”

The way he controlled every shake of my body with only his tongue…the way he pinned me down as my legs twisted and turned…the way I lost myself, and he tasted each drop—it was almost too much.

He moaned against me as if he was enjoying the act as much as I was. The more I wiggled, the more he explored, deeper and deeper, making me fall apart against his tongue.

As he pulled away, my legs trembled, and my chest rose and fell rapidly as I tried to gather myself.

“That was…that was…yeah.” I heavily breathed out. “That was…holy crap.”

He smirked as my body dripped in sweat. As he rose up from the floor, he began to unzip his jeans then slid out of them, removing his boxers next.

My eyes fell to his hardness as he licked his fingers clean, tasting me.

I knew it was foolish, but I couldn’t stop staring. I felt my cheeks heating from my desires, from my nerves, from my wants and needs, which, at the moment, seemed to be the same thing. I wanted and needed him so much.

I’d only been with one man in my lifetime, and it was no secret that Finley wasn’t working with the same type of equipment Jackson had.

He wrapped his hands around my ankles and locked his stare with mine. “That was only the appetizer.” He effortlessly flipped me over to my stomach, and I moaned gently as I felt him climb on top of me. His hardness brushed against my ass cheeks, and his lips trailed up my back before he moved in closer to my ear and whispered, “Are you ready for the main course?”

Even though I eagerly said yes, I wasn’t ready at all.

When Jackson Emery slid into me, thrusting against me, pounding deeper and deeper, I knew I was making the choices no one thought a good girl like me would’ve ever made.

I was being the opposite of what the world expected me to be, and being bad? Oh, being bad felt so good.

He slapped my ass, and I asked him for more. I wanted it harder, and he fulfilled all my requests.

He didn’t stop there…

He flipped me over again, he placed me against the wall, and he took me from every angle possible. I moaned, I cried, I begged for more and more.

He was untamed and uncensored as he fucked me hard and whispered dirty words into my ear. As he placed me on top of him, my nerves began to rise once more as my mind began to worry about his viewpoint of my body.

Yet with one small touch to my back, he lowered my face down on his and rolled his lips against mine. “You’re beautiful,” he told me once again. “Now fuck me harder than you’ve ever fucked.”

And I did.

I rode him like he was mine and mine to keep even though that was so far from the truth. Our false reality was worth it, though. Those few moments together helped my mind slow down to a speed my heartbeats could keep up with.

He wasn’t mine, and I wasn’t his, but that night, we were something. There wasn’t a name for it, only feelings.

It felt scary yet safe.

Fast yet slow.

Wrong yet still so unbelievably right.

He was able to get me off that night more times than I ever had at once in the past fifteen years of my marriage.

I now understood why bad boys were worth exploring. I understood why good girls found their way to Jackson’s front porch. Never had I known what true trembling legs felt like up until that night.

When the time came for me to leave, I got dressed, and he walked me to his front door.

“I’ll walk you home,” he offered.

“It’s okay,” I replied. I bit my bottom lip and looked up at him. “Tonight was…”

“Yeah.” He nodded and leaned against his doorframe as if he’d read my mind. “It was.”

“Is it okay if this stays between us? Our arrangement? Not because I’m ashamed or anything, but this feels like the first thing that’s just…mine.”

“Princess, come on…” He smirked, and I felt it. It was the first time I’d seen him do it, and when that small dimple appeared in his left cheek, my broken heart pieces began to skip a few beats. “Who would I even tell?”

20

Grace

Our secret was Jackson’s and mine alone. The only time we ever make contact was when we were in his cabin. Each time he touched me, he showed me a new world. He kissed me deep and hard sometimes and other times, so timid and slow.

I loved the way he made me feel, and how he almost cared for me in a way. He explored my body as if it was the only thing he’d ever craved, and then I’d leave his place with only the memories of his kisses until the next time I fell into his bed.