I’d done everything in my power to fight the attraction and it had been working, almost too well. There was a strain between us from day one.
I hated her youth and her innocence; I hated them because they were an impediment to me having something I wanted.
Whenever she was around I made my dislike known, especially when that Bryan kid or Justin or Ben or any of the other young bucks that were forever sniffing around her were present.
I’d left her alone because the reality was that any one of them would be better for her than I, they were more her speed.
That too pissed me off, though to be honest Jade was usually off to the side with a book while the others were being rowdy teens.
I knew she thought I hated her, but nothing could be farther from the truth, what I felt for her was at the complete opposite end of the spectrum.
I’d fallen in love with a girl almost half my age, when we met I was thirty one she was just eighteen, one year later thirty two and nineteen didn’t sound much better.
Now here we are, alone, I’d made sure that this had never happened before, that we’d never been alone together at anytime.
Looks like fate had bit me in the ass once again.
I lit the candle from my drawer and looked at her sheet white face, she was terrified, I was about to cross a line that I’d drawn in my head but there was nothing else I could do.
“Come here.”
Laying back I eased her into my arms, her small body ice cold with fear.
I rubbed her back to get her warm again and she sighed and drew closer making me hold my breath.
I pulled the covers over us and folded her body closer, she seemed to still be clutched in the arms of whatever fear had sent her running to me.
Without thought I started humming a lullaby, one that I’d learned as a child when my mother kept the boogeyman away.
Her body, soft and now warm, relaxed against me as she calmed down.
I became aware of two things at once, my dick was hard as a pike and her leg was rubbing against it.
“Jade…”
She drew her leg back quickly and tried turning away.
“Ssh, it’s okay.” I was back to running my hands up and down her back.
“Why do you hate me?”
Shit, she must be really scared to not be monitoring her thoughts; she’d never have asked me that question if her defenses weren’t down. There’d been many times in the past that I saw the fire in her eyes when I’d made some off handed remark, seen the need to blast me for my callous words but she never did, she’d always just walked away. That only made me want her even more.
“I don’t hate you Jade.”
“Yes you do, you’re always being mean to me, why?”
I took a long time to put my words together, if I told her the truth she will be under me in ten seconds flat, if I continued in the same vein as before, I might lose her forever.
I guess my tongue made the decision for me because it was moving before my defense mechanism kicked in.
“I’m attracted to you.”
“You are?” She pulled back and looked at me in surprise.
I nodded as I studied her chocolate brown eyes.
She squinted in confusion.
“But…I don’t understand, why do you say such mean things to me then?”
“Because you’re too young for me, we can never be together…”
“But why?”
“Jade, I’m almost twice your age.
“So, what does that have to do with anything?”
She seemed honestly perplexed, well hell.
“Your father for one would not condone a grown man having his daughter, others might see it as inappropriate…”
“But it’s not their decision to make, what if I said…what if I told you that I feel the same way?” Her voice had softened there at the end.
“Oh man.” I pulled her even closer, my heart racing like a teenager with his first crush.
“Don’t say things like that, not now…”
“Why not, it’s the truth, I’ve liked you for a long time but I thought you hated me.”
“I could never hate you, my sweet girl.” I played in her hair the way I’d always longed to.
“Such beautiful hair.”
“Hmmmmm.” She groaned as she went back to rubbing not just her leg this time, but her lower body against me.
“You know what’s going to happen don’t you?”
She nodded and hid her face in my chest.
“Are you a virgin Jade?”
If possible she turned even redder and I could actually feel the heat from her body.
“Technically yes, I kinda lost it when I fell off my bike at nine, but I’ve never…” She shrugged. “You know.”
I felt such euphoria at hearing that; no one else’s ever, only mine. I whispered those words to her as I put my hands on her for the first time.