[i started writing this in 2011, failed to finish it, and am making it my goal to go back and finish it now. The problem is now that I'm 6 years older, there are things that I wanted to change to get a feel for these characters again, and I realized I was going to have to start from square one and use this as a rough outline. If you jump ahead through the chapters, you can find chapter 1 (revised), and start from there. I apologize!]
Chapter 10 continued
She was in his shower. The thought was driving him crazy. He wanted to go to her and make love to her until she was so caught up in him that she could think of nothing else. But he knew that that would be a mistake; he needed to give her time. He wouldn't risk upsetting her, and he needed to know her and what she wanted better.
So he softly opened the bathroom door, laid her suitcase down, and quickly returned back to his bedroom. He sat down on the side of the bed and waited for her to join him.
Ten minutes ticked by. He glanced at his watch; 10:30. Jem would need to go to bed soon. She had school; how he wished she was already graduated. He hated not seeing her for eight hour time periods.
He pulled his shirt and jeans off and pulled on a pair of sweat pants before he climbed into bed. He watched as Jem emerged from the bathroom looking so sexy it took all of his willpower to be good.
Jem looked at him and blushed, glancing away from him as she climbed in the bed beside him, making him want her even more.
He pulled her to his chest; he loved holding her like that, loved the feeling of possessiveness and protectiveness that welled up in his chest. He would have to be content with just holding her. For now.
Jem's thoughts were in a riot. She didn't understand how this had happened. It had always annoyed her how people dated for a few days or a week and claimed they were in love; how could you possibly know that fast? Then a week later there would be a new partner that person was "in love with." She had scoffed at the numerous love affairs and sexual encounters of some of her classmates, wondering how they could be so stupid.
Yet now she was falling in love with Case, hard and fast. She wanted to be with him, and she knew that the feelings were not going away.
She just felt right with him.
But she would not have sex with him.
She wouldn't be able to get her father's words out of her head. "Slut." "Whore." "Don't be like your mother." She flinched at the thought, burying her head against Case.
She wondered how much longer she could hide her emotional scars, and if Case would want to be with her once he knew.
She couldn't lose Case. She just couldn't.
His hands caressed her back lovingly and she drifted off to sleep despite her spinning mind.
