Jack In The Box

Chapter 19

I woke up in the morning to find myself nestled between Jack’s arms. I brought my hand to his face and

brushed the locks of dark silky hair and sighed. His caramel colored skin glistened in the sunlight that

streamed from the open drapes.

When Jack opened his eyes, I was still staring at him. Amusement was clear on his features. In a

sleepy, husky voice, he said. “I want to be inside you again.”

My heart thudded against my chest rapidly. “Shower first.”

He chuckled. “You didn’t even pretend to decline this time.”

I gathered the bedsheet around my naked body and started walking towards the bathroom when one

end of the cloth got stuck somewhere, I glanced back to see Jack holding it.

“Let go.” I said.

He grinned. “What’s the point of hiding something that I’ve already seen?”

My cheeks caught fire. I was blushing a lot this morning for someone who was encouraging and

moaning his name. Last night was different, the room was dark. Now it was daytime and Jack seeing

me fully naked this time made me a little nervous.

“Let me have the shower first.”

He grasped my body and pulled me possessively against him, smiling. “Not unless you let me come in

with you. I’m a bath specialist. I can scrub your body with precision.”

I couldn’t help but giggle. “I’m sure you can.”

And he did follow me in the bathroom. His mouth came crashing down on mine as his hands moved to

my breasts and then to my hips. He picked me up with an easy grace and I was stranding him in the

shower with the warm spray of the water sprinkling over us. We didn’t finish in the shower, instead we

bathed together and crashed back in bed.

He took a while to watch my body, tracing his fingers over every curve and then his mouth was

everywhere. A few minutes later Jack was thrusting into me relentlessly.

“Oh, Riley.” Jack growled my name in such anguish that I thought he was in pain at first.

He pulled a bit out and slid inside again and I groaned. “Jack...”

It felt too good. I had tears at the corner of my eyes, I was pretty sure I’d drove my nails into his back. It

was so wrong and it still felt so right. I was in bed with a criminal and I didn’t have any guilt left inside

me anymore.

I’d betrayed everyone I knew by sleeping with the devil.

I could hear Jack moaning and grunting and then the warm spill of his seed inside me. Just when he

came down from the frenzy he realized what had happened.

“I’m sorry, Riley. I didn’t realize when I....”

I put my finger on his lips. “It’s okay.” He was still inside me when I brought his mouth to mine.

And he kissed me with a delicious slowness, taking his time to lick every corner of my mouth. He

kissed my forehead and rolled away.

Something in his expressions changed. His usual goofiness was masked with a dark cloud.

I scooted closer to him. He smelled of soap mixed with sweat and all male. I could get used being like

this with him.

“Jack, lets run away together.” I couldn’t even believe I was saying this.

A night with this man and I was already talking gibberish.

“You like my cock that much?”

I was going to give a sarcastic come back for that but I noticed that even though he’d cracked a joke,

there was no humor in his expression.

“I’m serious.”

He turned to face me, this time his expressions were vehement. “Do you realize what you’re asking,

Riley?”

“Wherever that you’re going, I want to go with you. I don’t want to go home.” I said.

The corner of his mouth twitched upward. “Why do women have to get so fucking emotional every time

they take a man to bed?”

“What the hell does that mean?” I asked.

His black eyes almost looked chocolate brown in the sunlight. “You told me your desire to satisfy bodily

needs and that’s exactly what I did.”

I was shocked by his words. I shook my head. “You asked me to marry you the other day!”

“Goddamn Riley! That was a joke.”

“No! Don’t do this, Jack! Don’t shut me out.” I said with frustration.

My body was still sore from all the love-making and Jack was acting like he didn’t care. His eyes had

been filled with so much compassion before and now they were just vacant, the kind that he usually

had when he was confined in the asylum.

“You said it yourself the other day, Riley. If we were to marry, what would you tell our kids? Why am I

always on a run from the authorities?”

“You’re acting like this because you’re afraid to accept these feelings.”

He stared at me, his gaze darkened. “What feelings?”

“These new feelings. You lov...”

He placed a hand on my mouth and stopped me from completing the sentence. He shook his head.

“It’s best you don’t say it. We’d rather pretend there’s no such thing.”

I flung the comforter away. “That is not fair! You can’t just break down my walls, make me feel this and

now turn your back! You’re just acting like a coward now.”

“I’m a coward then, Cotton-Candy.” He admitted.

I cradled his face in my hands. “Talk to me, Jack.”

He stared at me like I was his life-line, as if he could chase the sun and bring it down to me if I asked

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He pushed a dark hair behind my ear. “There was just myself to protect until this day, now I have you.”

His long graceful finger traced my jaw. “And that makes me very weak, Riley. And I hate having a

weakness.”

I laced my fingers through his. “So you’re just going to let me go back to my life?”

He gave a nod. “That’s what we are going to do. I was stupid to think I could protect you, and now the

killer has tracked us down. You need to stay away from me.”

I couldn’t argue with him when he was using that authoritative tone with me, like I was his wife and he

needed to make sure his property was safe.

There was a loud knock at the door. Jack picked the covers and tossed it towards me. “Cover yourself.”

His moments were quick as he reached for the drawer and pulled out a handgun. Pulling on his shorts,

he made his way to the door. “Who is there?”

“Sir, it’s me.” Came the response from the other side.

Jack pushed the gun into his waistband and opened the door only partly. I couldn’t see the person at

the door, but it seemed like someone who knew Jack. His words weren’t clear, but Jack was

commanding the man on the other side of the door. He swiftly took a pair of keys and handed him his

own.

He shut the door behind him and ordered. “Get dressed. We are leaving in an hour.”

I didn't know if I could get used to his possessive, pushy behavior. I found it adorable yet infuriating.

We checked out in the afternoon and I noticed when we went to the parking lot, there was a different

car. The Mercedes SUV was replaced by a silver Nissan.

“Where’s your car?” I asked him.

“Exchanged. If anyone is following me or keeping tabs, it’s going be hard to keep track of me if I keep

changing my cars.”

I settled inside the new car which seemed nice but not as comfortable as the previous one.

He took off his blond wig and contact lenses and stashed them inside the glove compartment. Jack

drove the car in suffocating silence and it was getting unbearable to sit and witness him brooding over

something.

He stared ahead with a grim expression, lost in thought. I was even afraid to ask him what he was

thinking, it was like the old Jackson was back. Cold and calculating.

"Where do we go from here?" I asked.

"You'll go home and I'll go back to my life." He answered.

"Which is always staying on the run. How long will you live like that?"

"I don't have a choice. Do you think I chose this life, Riley? To be a convicted murderer and spend the

rest of my life dodging the authorities?"

He passed me a torn piece of paper. "This is my number. Call me only if there's an emergency."

"So it's a goodbye then?"

He stared straight ahead. "It is better this way. I thought I was protecting you by kidnapping you but I

was wrong. I'm a dangerous man leading a very dangerous life. The only way you will be safe is by

staying away from me."

“If you’re worried about me, you don’t have to. I’m quite capable of taking care of—”

Bang!

I felt the car sway with a slight impact. I looked at Jack. “What’s happening?”

I watched Jack press on the gas and the car jumped ahead. His eyes flicked to the rear view mirror.

“Someone’s trying to get us off the road.”

I was looking back when there was another hit and this time it was with such a force that my head went

whipping forward.

“Fucking sonofabitch!” Jack cursed as he jammed on the gas. I saw the speedometer strike one sixty.

I held onto the door handle, my heart beating out of my chest. From the rear view mirror I could see a

strong black pick up with beaming headlights trying to come closer.

Jack drove manically, trying to get away from the truck. “What is happening?” I whispered.

Before Jack could answer, there was another violent jab, and the car lost its balance. I felt like my world

was upside down, but I realized the car had spun. His dark eyes met mine for a second before his arms

went around me in a safe circle. There was a last forceful impact with which we collided against

something very hard and the windshield shattered and the last thing I remember was Jack's arm was

covering me, protecting me.