Jackson (Mercy Ring Book 1)

River swiped her lips across Jackson’s. She needed to kiss him. Touch him. Confirm that he was really here and okay.

For a moment, Jackson was still. It wasn’t until her hand grazed down his cheek that he released a growl from deep in his chest. Then he was kissing her back, his hands going to her hips, tugging her closer.

Yearning spidered up her chest, drowning out every other emotion. The fear. The panic. The gut-wrenching dread. It all disappeared, and she was left with him. Only him. She let herself get lost in the man, forgetting everything that came before.

When his tongue slipped between her lips, tangling with hers, she couldn’t hold back the moan. It was low and heated and whipped through the silence.

Her hands grazed over every ridge and muscle of his chest, while his fingers dug gently into the flesh of her hips, slipping beneath the material of her shirt. They were a flurry of movement and emotion and need.

Suddenly, it wasn’t enough. There was too much space between them.

She climbed onto his lap, immediately feeling his hardness press between her thighs. A dull throb began to pulse in her core.

“River.” The word sounded guttural and torn from his chest. His hands slid up the bare skin of her back, burning her. “If we’re going to stop, we need to stop now.”

The only thing River wanted to stop was the night from ticking away. She wanted to hold on to this moment—to him—for as long as she could.

Her hands went to the base of his shirt, sneaking beneath the material, then slid up his heated stomach. His chest. “No stopping.”

Two words. That was all she could manage.

Another deep growl from his chest, then in one fluid move, he stood, lifting her with him so her entire front pressed to his chest. She wrapped her legs around him, needing to be closer, but never feeling close enough.

She continued to kiss him as he moved, her fingers threading through his hair, the soft wisps brushing against her skin.

Then the world tilted, their lips separated, and she was on her mattress, Jackson above her. For a moment, she closed her eyes, inhaling his musky scent, a scent to which she’d become addicted.

When warm hands touched the side of her face, her eyes flickered open, and the look on his face had her pausing. He’d always been intense, but right now, he was…more. Bigger. Fiercer. Primal.

“You’re sure you want to do this?” he asked, his warm breath whispering across her cheeks.

“I feel like I’ve waited a lifetime for you.”

Half her life, she’d been waiting for this man, telling her heart to forget him but never really letting go.

The specks of honey in his eyes darkened, almost turning charcoal. His head lowered slowly, this time kissing her chin. Her neck. Each touch soft and delicate. Like he thought if he kissed her too firmly, she’d shatter.

She leaned up as he tugged the material of her shirt over her head, then his hands went to her jeans, first undoing the button and zipper, then tugging them down her legs.

She hummed as he pressed a trail of kisses down her stomach, thighs, and calves, until finally reaching her feet. Her shoes dropped to the floor with a thud.

When he lifted off the bed, she watched, unable to drag her gaze away as he stripped off his shirt, then his jeans.

The beginnings of bruises reddened and darkened his skin.

The marks of a warrior.

She swallowed as his head lowered back to her ankle, pressing a light kiss against her skin. He continued to pebble the kisses back up to her hip bone and stomach, stopping above her bra.

The air caught in her throat. One of the bra cups was tugged down. When he captured a hard nipple between his lips, her breath whooshed from her chest, her back arching.

The heat that pooled in her belly turned to lava, and she writhed and moaned as his tongue worked her.

He sucked and played. Her back arched as he reached behind her, unlatching her bra. Cool air touched her breasts, then his mouth lowered to her other nipple. The stormy need in her lower stomach grew as she grabbed on to his shoulder, digging her fingers into his flesh.

When his hand slid down her body, gliding beneath the material of her panties, she could have sworn her heart stopped in her chest. Then he swiped his finger across her slit. She jolted, a tornado of heat and desire swirling through her abdomen.

He swiped again and again, rotating between long brushes and circular swirls. He pushed her higher, demanding more while that mouth never left her nipple.

“Jackson…”

Suddenly, a thick finger pressed to her entrance. Her thighs widened, nails digging into his shoulders.

He slid into her slowly, and the throbbing inside her rippled and expanded. His lips trailed back up her neck as he began to push in and out, thumb caressing her clit. When a second finger slid inside, she almost broke as she writhed more violently beneath him. His mouth sucked at the soft skin of her neck. His fingers moved rhythmically for endless minutes.

It was torture of the best kind. The kind you pull close and hold on to for as long as possible.

Suddenly, it was too much. She pushed at his chest, but he didn’t move. Instead, his brows tugged together and he paused. She gave another push, and this time he rolled onto his back.

In much the same way Jackson had, River stood, shimmying out of her panties, loving the way Jackson’s eyes flared. Then she crawled over him slowly, finding his mouth with her own. Her right hand skittered down his chest, slipping into his briefs.

When her fingers wrapped around his length, his hand went to her hip, fingers digging into her flesh. He was hard and tense beneath her.

She began to explore, gliding down his length, familiarizing herself with him. She listened for every sharp intake of breath, learning what he liked. Her mouth slid down to his neck, suckling his skin in much the same way he had to her.

He was practically vibrating, his breaths deep and his length thickening in her hand with each stroke. Whenever she reached the tip, a shudder rocked his powerful frame.

Suddenly, she was flung onto her back, her hand ripped away from him, and pressed into the mattress.

“You’re killing me, Rae.”

He kissed her again, this time harder. When he rose from the bed, a short whimper released from her chest. His gaze didn’t leave hers as he took off his briefs.

Her breath caught at his size.

He reached for his jeans, tugged a foil wrapper from his wallet, and donned the condom quickly. Then he was above her again. His length, heavy between her thighs, teasing her entrance.

She widened her legs, loving the way he nestled between them so perfectly.

His eyes were dark and intense as he watched her. “You’re so goddamn beautiful, River.” He pressed a final kiss to her lips, then slowly, torturously, he slid inside, stretching her.

Her eyes closed, breaths hot as they shuddered from her chest. When she was completely filled, he paused, taking her mouth once again, giving her time to adjust.

When he took a moment too long, she rocked her own hips. A deep, primal growl vibrated from his chest. Then he lifted out of her, before thrusting back in.

A long, deep whimper tried to escape her throat but it was silenced by his mouth against hers. He thrust again, and it was just as powerful. Just as earth-shattering.

His hips began to move in a rhythmic motion, every thrust claiming her. Annihilating.

She scraped her fingers down his biceps, lifting her hips to meet his. His fingers went to her nipple, grazing and plucking until it throbbed.

She tore her mouth away and tilted her head back, trying to breathe but barely able to get air. She was close. So damn close that her limbs trembled and her toes curled.

Jackson’s lips found a spot behind her ear, and the second he nipped her, her world splintered into a million pieces. River cried out as the orgasm exploded through her core.

Jackson kept thrusting, his hand never leaving her nipple, mouth still latched to that spot. She was still throbbing around him when finally, his body tensed above her. The rumble that tore from his throat shuddered through his chest as he shattered.

The only man she’d ever loved. The only man she’d ever craved. Hers. For tonight at least.

Finally, there was stillness, their deep breaths the only sounds to disturb the quiet.

River remained where she was, almost scared to move. To lose him. To lose this moment.

Then he kissed her again, one final kiss that snaked into her chest, penetrating her heart. And she knew that what had just happened tonight would change everything. It had to.

Jackson held River close, listening as her breathing evened out.

He needed to get up, wash himself, and check that everything in the house was turned off and locked up. But that could wait. Right now, he couldn’t move.

This was what he’d been afraid of. This was why he’d stayed away. Because he knew the second he allowed himself to get close to her, the second he gave himself permission to have her, it would be too damn hard to let go.

He wasn’t the kid he used to be. That kid had felt like he had nothing to offer.

But his father was still here. Danger still surrounded them. And that scared the hell out of him.