Because I Love You

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Christopher

Even though I insisted on picking Jessi up for our dinner date, she wouldn’t let me. I was persistent, telling her I wouldn’t force her into anything she didn’t want. But no matter how much I tried to sway her, she wouldn’t f*****g back down. It wasn’t unlike her, but I could always get her to cave to me after a while. That was why I’d enjoyed her so damn much before. She was fire and ice, but I was her water. I could erode her down and stifle her flames if I ebbed enough times against her luxurious shoreline. But no matter how many damn good arguments I threw out for picking her up, she stood her ground.

Some things did change after all.

I wasn’t a suit guy, but I did slip on a suit coat jacket with my outfit. I wanted to impress Jessi, but I also wanted to appear laid back so she’d give me the f*****g chance to talk. I knew she was upset with me and she had every right to be, but there was nothing I could do about the circumstances that had forced me to leave.

It would have ruined my f*****g career had I stayed.

The rest of the rehearsal went fine. Hair and makeup was boring as hell and I got to run around between a bunch of skinny-ass primadonnas, as they complained at ridiculous things like the royal blue eyeshadow washed out their fairly-pigmented skin. But there wasn’t a peep out of Jessi. She sat there like the canvas she was and allowed the makeup artist to go to town. Her damn hairstylist wouldn’t stop going on and on about how beautiful her hair was. How full, luscious and long her locks were.

Before long I was tired of hearing about it. I knew all too well just how wonderful her hair was.

I’d fisted it in the palm of my hand the night I took her virginity.

Finally, I pulled up to the restaurant I booked for us. Perch was some uptight French bistro with rooftop seating that overlooked the skyline of the city. I figured it would make Jessi more comfortable and not so cooped up while being forced to talk. Meanwhile it provided a very romantic backdrop for us to get to know one another again. After watching her do the choreography with ease and seeing her smile and talk with all those people today, I couldn’t deny how much I wanted her. How easy it would be for me to slip my c**k between her pouty lips. Keeping my eyes off of her had been enough of a challenge for one day, and I planned on drinking her in tonight.

Even if we didn’t sleep together.

I walked into the restaurant and greeted the hostess, then requested that my party of two be seated on the roof. Then I made my way up there, ordered a drink, and watched the staircase for Jessi to appear. Surprisingly—and right at seven o’clock—I heard a pair of heels clicking up the staircase. That big head of curls emerged before her face did, and I felt my c**k stiffen at the sight of her. She was even more beautiful than she had been two years ago, with her soft hips swaying and her luscious t**s bouncing lightly against her body. Her round, green eyes locked onto mine as her ruby red lips curled into a grin, and I had to take a breath before I stood to greet her.

“Did you order me a drink?” Jessi asked, coyly.

“Wasn’t sure if you would be drinking given the gig you’re working,” I said.

“There’s nothing about my diet that changes simply because I’m working,” she said. “It takes calories to keep up the body of a plus-sized model.”

It was hard not to stare at her as she sat down in her chair.

“You look stunning, as always,” I said.

“You look nice yourself,” she said.

“I have to admit, I didn’t think you were gonna show,” I said.

“That happens when you break hearts.”

“That’s what I wanna start with actually,” I said, as I sat down. “I’m sorry about the way I left.”

“Are you going to tell me why you left? Or am I supposed to simply take your apology at face value?” she asked.

“Some things came up. Personal matters I don’t like talking about. But I couldn't stay. It had nothing to do with you, Jessi. It never did.”

“I never thought it did,” she said. “If anything, I thought maybe my brother chased you out of town.”

“Your brother’s protective, but I could take him in a fight any day.”

“Then you haven’t seen him lately,” she said, with a snicker.

“He’s my best damn friend. I see his ass all the time.”

“And there’s that mouth of yours.”

“You never complained about it before,” I said.

“Because usually I could shut it up.”

“Then why aren’t you doing that now?”

“Because you haven’t groveled enough.”

The smile that spread across her cheeks was something I didn’t think I’d ever see again. Jessi had always been a spitfire of a woman, but I expected more anger from her than playfulness. The sparkling of her eyes drew me in like they had two years ago, and I felt that same comfort spread over me that I’d always felt with her.

She was getting to me again, and that wasn’t good.

“The good thing is, I’m back now,” I said.

“Why is that good?” Jessi asked.

“Because I can spend time with you.”

“Have you run that by me yet?”

“I’ve missed you, Jessi. What more do you want?”

“A reason as to why you left.”

“I can’t—I can’t tell you that,” I said.

“That personal? Or that embarrassing?” she asked.

“Why does it have to be one or the other?” I asked.

I watched her digest my answer before she leaned back in her chair.

“Would the lady care for a drink?” our waiter asked.

“A glass of red wine that pairs with the duck confit would be lovely,” she said.

“Ah, then I see we are ready to order. Do you know what you wish to eat, sir?”

“Whatever she’s having is fine,” I said.

The waiter tossed Jessi a weird look and it caused a giggle to bubble up from her throat. f**k me, she was beautiful when she laughed. The way her cheeks crinkled her eyes and the way her lips parted to showcase her straight, white teeth. And every time she moved her shoulders, her bosom swayed, teasing my tongue and begging for my grasp. She was sin in a velveteen casing and I could feel my c**k pressing wildly against my jeans.

It was gonna be a long-ass night sitting here with her.

“As much as it pains me to admit it, I’ve missed you a bit, too,” Jessi said.

“It’s my charm,” I said with a grin. “Irresistible to most women.”

“It’s got nothing to do with your charm,” she said.

“When I said ‘charm,’ I wasn’t referring to my personality,” I said.

“It’s got nothing to do with your perceived intelligence either,” she said with a grin.

“You’re as feisty as you ever were.”

“Did you ever expect that to change?”

“I was hoping it never would. But I’m curious—how did you fall into the world of modeling?”

“Are you kidding me?” she asked.

“I’m serious.”

“I’ve always wanted to model. You knew this.”

“I knew you had an interest in it. I didn’t realize you were so serious about it.”

“So all those times I talked about how I was going to go to New York and make something of myself just—went right over that thick head of yours?”

“Well, you weren’t taking any strides in that direction. No headshots, you weren’t out there making connections. I didn’t know what to think, so I didn’t think much of it.”

“You took me to some of your choreography sessions. Did you not give a damn about all the questions I was asking you?”

“I thought you were merely taking an interest in what I did for a living since we were—you know—together.”

“That hard for you to say, huh?” she asked. “You’re a real piece of work, Christopher Miles.”

“And you are a work of art, Jessi Park.”

The chemistry between us was still there, and as the night grew darker it didn’t let up once. The banter was there, the shock factor was there, and the s****l tension between us was there. I could see her n*****s poking effortlessly through her dress, taunting me with their size as I licked my lips. My c**k was straining against my pants with every smile she flashed me, my body wanting to silence her words with my girth. But I knew it wasn’t wise for me to take her back to my place. We both had an early practice in the morning and the last thing I wanted to do was ruin something she had obviously worked very hard to obtain.

“I should be getting back home. We’ve both got an early morning ahead of us,” Jessi said.

“I was sitting here thinking the same thing,” I said.

“No you weren’t,” she said with a grin. “You’ve been sitting here staring at my tits.”

“And thinking how inappropriate it would be to ask you back to my place and keep you up all night, since we both have such an early morning.”

“Ever the gentleman,” she said.

“That is the last word to describe me and you know it.”

I stood up from the table after paying and offered my hand to her. I watched as she slipped her delicate touch into mine as fire shot up my arm. There it was. That euphoric feeling I always got whenever I touched her. She gripped my hand tightly as we went down the stairs, careful not to fall in her heels. The way she clung to me was reminiscent of two years ago when she would dig her hands into my back and hang on for dear life. No woman had driven me as crazy as she had, and no woman could handle my dominant streak in bed.

But she could.

She did.

And not once did she ever tell me to stop.

I walked us out into the parking lot before she led us over to her car. She was leaning up against it, her curves on display as she struck a pose. Her leg was bent and her heel was off the ground, and she c****d herself off to the side as her hands planted onto the hood of her car. The wind kicked up around us, blowing her beautiful brown curls back from her shoulders.

She was an angel wrapped in a casing of sultry goodness, and I wanted to take her right then on top of her f*****g car.

“See? Even the earth agrees with my modeling career,” Jessi said.

“You’ve always been a stunning woman,” I said.

Her eyes connected with mine and I watched that innocence creep back up into her stare. How she could dance between fiery confidence and unrelenting innocence was beyond me. Her green eyes widened as I approached her, my hand falling to her hip and molding into her excess. I could feel her breath on my lips as I teased her, hovering above her as her t**s pressed into my chest.

“Thank you for a lovely evening,” I said.

I felt her sigh into my lips as I closed the distance between the two of us.

My free hand rushed to the back of her neck, cradling her head as my fingertips twirled into her curls. Her hands rushed up my chest, fisting my coat and pulling me closer to her. I pressed her up against her car, bending her over the hood until her back was pressed into the cool, shining metal. Her toe slid up the side of my leg, our tongues battling for dominance as I felt her lips swelling against my assault.

I stopped myself before I had the uncontrollable urge to whip my c**k out and take her in the middle of the damn parking lot.

“Goodnight, Jes.”

I pulled back and helped her stand up as her chest panted with want.

“Goodnight, Chris,” she said.

“I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Yeah. See you then,” she said.

“Try not to dream about me too much when you get home.”

“Trust me, I’ve got better things to do with my time.”

But the breathiness in her voice and the way her hands trembled told me exactly what she would be doing when she got home. I grinned at the idea of her hand buried between those delicious thighs.

We would have our moment again and I would soon know what it felt like to have those blossoming thighs wrapped around my head once more.

I could feel it in my gut.