Chapter 22: Twenty Two

Subtle buzzing pulled me from my peaceful slumber, and I stirred. But when I went to turn over and grab my phone, I was held down by a weight on my legs and chest. I lifted the covers tangled around me to find Joel's head snuggled against my breasts, his arms hugging my hips with his legs entwined with mine, and my God, if it wasn't the sweetest sight I'd ever seen. I smiled, uncovering his head so I could run my hand through his wild black locks.

"Mmm…" He lifted his brows, long before his eyes opened. "Good morning, Jennifer." He mumbled, sleepily, tickling my ribs.

"Good morning, Joel." The vibrations came to a halt, but only momentarily, a new call sounding within seconds of the last.

"No." He groaned, burying his face further into my breast. I giggled, his nose brushing my covered but erect nipple filling me with tempting warmth. If I didn't answer my phone now, I would be between these sheets with him all day. I reached for my phone once again, but this time he let me retrieve it before plopping back onto me. He was heavy, but in a good way, and the way he clung to me made me feel like the most important woman alive.

"Hello?" I croaked into the phone.

"How was your night with the naughty professor?" Good Lord, Danny. Joel was trembling with laughter, squeezing me tighter whilst trying to contain it.

"How did you know I was with Joel? I didn't call you like I meant to."

"Oh, that June guy told us. He said, and I quote, 'she was kidnapped by our damn art teacher', then asked if you guys were fucking." Oh no.

"What did you tell him?" Joel asked, so I just set the phone to speaker for convenience.

"Hello to you, too. I told him you guys are close friends. I didn't think you wanted me to tell him your fuckbuddy status." Joel flinched at her choice of words, clearly annoyed by them.

"Thanks for keeping our secret." I replied for us.

"No problem. But I think he's pretty shaken by it. Pretty sure he likes you. Like, a lot."

"No, I don't think-"

"Don't bother. She won't listen to me, either. Hence why she disobeyed me by going to the damn party in the first place." He huffed. No! Bring back happy Joel!

But he was already sitting up, shaking out his hair.

"Alright. Well on that note, I gotta go. Make sure to punish her real good, teach." Then she hung up. Damn woman! She's a fucking arsonist; sets the fire then flees. I tossed my phone back on the nightstand, reaching for Joel before he could exit the bed. I could see the tension in his shoulders, those broad, tantalizing shoulders.

"Hold on, I'm not done with you." I whined, pulling his shoulders to me so he was leaned back against my chest. He caught himself like that, freeing me to plant kisses all along his exposed neck.

"Jennifer…" He groaned, his eyes fluttering shut as my fingers made their way to his abs, tracing them sensually.

"Shh…" I was begging him to break our rules at this point, but I didn't care. I had never been more attracted to him than at that moment. He not only took care of me last night, regardless of how pissed he was, but he even held me til morning. And the way we woke up was better than I could've even imagined. I needed him now more than ever.

"Jen, baby, our rules." He reminded me, still allowing me to turn and lay him down once again. His words fought me, but his body assisted me. I straddled his torso, locking him down so I could kiss him without reserve. His peck up to his collarbone, then along his jaw. His hands found rest on my hips, pushing my gradually wetting core against the bare skin just below his bellybutton.

"I want you." I breathed against his ear, smiling when I felt him shiver.

"Not June?" My poor possessive Joel.

"No. You. Only you, baby." The word felt strange rolling from my tongue. I had never used a pet name in my life, and I hoped I sounded at least somewhat confident with it. I could see him smiling, though I didn't know if he found me funny or liked my term.

"Why?" Wait, what? I leaned up, to where I was sitting upright on him, cocking my head.

"Why, what?" His eyes were searching me.

"Why do you want to be with me so badly? You barely know me." This didn't seem to be a question founded in insecurity, but rather, curiosity.

"I like you."

"What is it that you like?" He countered.

"Fishing for compliments?" I quirked a brow, grinning. He chuckled, rubbing his hands down my thighs.

"Something like that." I splayed my hands over his belly, taking in the way my skin contrasted with his. He had so much color, while I was bland.

"I guess I could list a bunch of character traits or physical qualities I find attractive, but I don't think they would get the message across." I started. It was difficult to speak with him watching me like that. "I like you, I want you, because of how you make me feel. For once in my life, I feel like I'm moving forward. I'm growing. You challenge me. You frustrate and irritate me, but I like it, because it reminds me that I'm no longer stagnant. You make me that way. You make me want to move, and try new things, and take what I want."

I took a deep breath, finally meeting his eyes again. He watched me for a moment, before clearing his throat and taking my hands in his.

"Okay."

"Okay?" That wasn't the response I'd expected.

But even less expected was him dragging my hands to his lips and whispering, "Take what you want."

My heart beat erratically against my chest. What was he saying?

"You want to try?" My voice was weak and unsure. I was waiting for him to cringe or laugh and say I had completely misunderstood him, but he didn't. He smiled.

"Yea. I may not understand why you'd want me. I have nothing unique to offer you. No new experiences or firsts to share on my end. And anything we share will be hidden until December. But I want you, too. So if you're serious about this, I won't fight it anymore." He laughed. "Hell, I couldn't if I tried. And believe me, I tried. Isaac's heard more than his share of arguments from me on the topic. But I think he was right. You had me snared from the beginning." He nibbled my pointer finger, his smile widening.

He was offering me what I'd wanted from the get go. He was committing. Oh God, Joel was going to be my boyfriend. Officially mine. I fought my bubbling emotions so I could process his words. He was right. Everything we would experience would be a repeat for him. No grand firsts, no big shockers. He'd been married before. He'd promised forever to another woman, and that would always be there, a part of him that he hated. Could I handle that?

But just as my nerves began to spiderweb from my chest, I remembered his head resting on that very spot, and it all fluttered away. I didn't care what he'd done or where he'd been. Because our memories would still be ours, and I wouldn't abandon him. I wasn't Callie, and if it took ten more years to prove it, I would.

What the hell was I thinking? He was proposing dating, not marriage. So why was I thinking so far ahead? It was as if, deep down, I knew it was bigger than a simple, casual relationship. We needed each other in a way that pushed those boundaries, in a way that lasted.

So God dammit, I would take what I wanted.

"That's enough for me." At my words, he pushed off the bed, sitting upright as I slid down to his lap so that we were eye to eye. I moved my arms to rest on his shoulders, and as Fate's magnet commanded, my lips met his. On contact, his arms closed in around me, and he flipped us over in the bed, eliciting a yelp that he captured immediately between his teeth.

The red, the black, the stormy blue; they were mixing with something new. A color that didn't exist before. A color that I saw when his skin connected with mine, when he pressed against me in his bed.

His tongue sought mine, his taste blending with mine in a heady combination of heavy breaths and even heavier hearts. The unknown meets the second chance, the innocent with the broken, the artist and his muse.

I could feel his erection pressing between my thighs as he continued his assault on my mouth. It was unspoken, but we both knew what we needed, and when we broke for air, I worked quickly to arrange it. He assisted, tugging his shirt from over my head while I slid down my bottoms. He hovered over me, eyes scanning my breasts reverently, before taking one in his mouth. I clung to his hair, arching my back to feel more of him.

"Jennifer." He hummed, in between his tongue swirling around my hard nipple. "I still owe you a punishment for last night."

"What?" I squeaked. I thought he had forgotten. Damn it, of course he hadn't.

"Don't worry. That'll come later." He chuckled, his fingers trailing between my legs. Bastard. He wanted to see me squirm.

"One of these days I'll punish you." I felt his pointer brush against my clit, then down to my soaked core. He laughed against my neck this time, pulling the sensitive skin between his teeth and releasing it before responding.

"On what grounds?" His cockiness was unmatched for being the most annoying and arousing thing on this earth. His tongue traced over where he bit as he coated his fingers below.

"Being a possessive asshole." I responded confidently. Well, as much as I could with him stealing my breath.

"I believe I just earned the right to be possessive, girlfriend." He taunted, trailing his slippery fingers back to my throbbing button. I gasped, partly for the touch and partly for what he'd said.

"I wasn't your girlfriend twelve hours ago. Therefore, you throwing me over your shoulder like an ape in front of my friend is punishable."

"Your 'friend' shouldn't have his dirty hands on you." His breaths were even heavier now, and I loved it. It probably wasn't healthy for me to provoke him like this, but it sure was fun. "I'm not afraid of reminding him of that fact." Woah.

I pushed him back, meeting his darkened gaze.

"You wouldn't hurt a student."

"Of course not." He replied with a grin, before whispering in my ear, "I would hurt a legal adult making moves on my girlfriend, though." Sweet Jesus! He just threatened June like it was the most fucking casual thing to do. I pushed back on his shoulders, but he only flipped us back over, to where I was straddling his strained boxers, topless this time. He was smiling, amused.

"Joel." He chuckled, his fingers drawing circles on my thighs.

"If he keeps his hands to himself, you'll never have to see that side of me, baby. I won't start anything over words." For some crazy reason, the terms of his threat calmed me, excited me even. It was hot how matter-of-fact he was about it all. "You're squirming, Jen." I was? I stilled my hips immediately. "Does me being possessive turn you on?"

I bit my lip. If I were being honest, it absolutely did. There was something about the wild, untamed look in his jealous eyes that drove me crazy. It was just another sign that I had lost my mind.

"Shut up." I responded curtly, lifting myself onto my knees so I could tug his briefs down. "I want to fuck my jealous ape of a boyfriend."