Admittedly, his physical attack had rattled me as well. I’d written off the few times he’d put his hands on my throat in the past as just being related to him feeling under pressure or being overly dominant. But the day before had been different. His voice, his eyes, his fingers, they’d all been cruel and cold, like he wouldn’t have given a shit if I’d stopped breathing then and there. Words of love and devotion had followed along with what probably had looked like a sweet kiss but had felt just as ugly and cold as his hand around my neck.
Less than a dozen hours and a life-altering night spent with Jett later, I couldn’t even begin to understand what I’d once felt for Marcus.
It was nothing like this. Even in the earlier years with Marcus, when I’d been apart from him like if he’d been on a business trip, there’d been this strange sense of relief because I hadn’t had to be on point. And upon his return, the happiness to see him had been laced with a heavy dose of nerves because I’d always been terrified of saying or doing the wrong thing.
Not so with Jett.
I had no idea where he was at the moment, and I was okay with that because I knew he would be coming back. I knew it would be the man from the night before who would be coming back. The one who wanted to share his life with me. The one who accepted all the different parts of me that others had been trying to silence for my entire life.
Not Jett.
I eased my legs over the bed as I considered Jett’s response to all the things that Marcus had found lacking within me.
No more recrimination or judgement or disappointment. I was allowed to be exactly who I was.
Perfectly imperfect.
I rested my elbows on my knees and scrubbed my face. I couldn’t get rid of the goofy grin that seemed to be plastered to my lips.
He loved me.
Jett loved me.
I sighed and forced myself to get up. I went to the bathroom and quickly brushed my teeth using Jett’s toothbrush. As my eyes caught on my reflection, I took in all the light bruising on my hips and thighs. They were in stark contrast to the ugly black and blue marks on my neck.
I turned away from the mirror with the intent of going back into the bedroom and getting dressed but stopped suddenly when I saw a neatly folded towel sitting on the edge of the counter. On top of it was a small note along with a little container of shampoo.
Next time I’ll join you…
Next time.
I leaned back against the counter and let out a hefty sigh. Yeah, there would be a next time. I’d make sure of that. I wasn’t going to let Marcus or his Stepford wife version of me mess this up.
I snatched the towel and moved to the shower to get it going. I spent a good twenty minutes just standing under the hot spray as I remembered what it had felt like to have Jett’s fingers touching me everywhere. The erection I’d awoken with made its presence more and more known as images of Jett sliding into me played on a loop in my head. He’d fucked me bare which meant that even now, there was a part of him inside of me.
And just like that, I came hard, spilling into my hand which I’d wrapped around my cock without even realizing it. I was lucky that I managed to stay upright as wave after wave of pleasure swept through me. By the time it was over, I was exhausted. I quickly finished cleaning myself off for the second time and washed my hair before rinsing and grabbing the towel Jett had left for me. As I wrapped it around my waist and stepped outside of the shower, I noticed that the mirror had fogged up because I’d forgotten to put the overhead fan on. I was about to reach for the switch when something caught my eye.
I moved closer to the mirror only to realize what I was seeing were letters. I smiled when I realized Jett had left me a message on the mirror, probably written in the steam after he’d taken his own shower earlier that morning.
He’ll never love you like I do.
My stomach twisted a little as I read the words, then reread them. Jett’s phrasing of his declaration of love was strange but he’d probably been in a hurry as he’d used his finger to write the words into the condensation after finishing his own shower.
My eyes shifted to my reflection again, what little of it I could see, and I couldn’t help but run my fingers through the dark ends of my hair before letting them settle on the much lighter roots. I couldn’t say how long I stood there like that, but when my skin began to feel chilled, I ripped my eyes from the mirror and reached for the towel around my waist.