Jake slowly pushed inside of me, and I felt as though I might break apart. It was pain and pleasure all rolled into the perfect package, and even though things would turn out badly in the end, I would never regret giving him my virginity.
I felt my body respond to the memory, and for a moment, it was like he was right there, his warmth close, his hands on me. He was still amazing, still so handsome it should have been a sin to give one man that much pretty.
It was hard not to see him again and not think about that night in the back of his truck, on top of that wool blanket that didn’t do a whole lot to make me comfortable. No, it had been Jake who had done that. His touch had made me block out everything else. It gave me pleasure so intense that I would have given him everything, even my last breath to make it last.
So what had happened? I had told him that I loved him, and I had meant it. He showed me how much he loved me back. It was perfect. I didn’t need his words. Talk was cheap compared to the attention he was giving me. I was okay with that.
I had given him my body, and as he gave me his in return, I worshipped it, allowing him every opportunity to do whatever he pleased with mine.
I remembered when he first entered me and how intense it had been. How I had been so nervous and afraid, but he had been gentle and caring, giving me reassurance that I was in good hands.
“You are so beautiful,” he had said while I was lying there under the stars wearing nothing but him and a smile. He brushed my hair back and then kissed my breast. “I don’t want this to end.”
“So don’t let it,” I said.
“I hoped you’d say that.”
He moved inside of me, thrusting deeper until I moaned his name.
He smiled, then did it again, and as I grinned back, he moved forward and made love to my mouth, never stopping the soft thrusts that felt like magic.
I was so glad I had waited for him and that I had chosen him. At the time, it felt like all was right in the world, but I had failed to think about the gravity of it all and just how bad things would be when it was time to go to college and start our lives.
I hadn’t thought things would be so complicated.
“Excuse me,” a voice from behind me interrupted. It startled me back into reality, and I blinked, seeing the poster when I opened my eyes.
I turned around and found Tess with an apologetic look on her face. “I’m sorry about earlier,” she said, plopping down in the chair beside me. “I was just trying to lighten the mood a bit, and while I know my questions seemed kind of silly, I really was hoping you’d be able to answer a few more.”
“Um, sure. Go ahead.”
“Oh, I’m Tess Sinclair,” she said. “I’m the lead actress of Operation Amazon in case you were wondering.”
“I remember from Ben’s introduction of the cast.”
“Oh, right, duh. Well, anyway, I was wondering if you could tell me what kind of place we’ll be in. You make it all sound so scary, but we won’t be eaten by lions, right?”
“You are thinking of Africa,” I said. “You’re more likely to be eaten by a jaguar. They are the largest cat in the Amazon.” I shrugged and gave her a smile, but she didn’t find my humor funny at all.
“So there aren’t any lions? What about tigers?” I shook my head in response, but she didn’t give me time for a verbal reply. “Oh, thank heavens. So what about bears?”
“Lions and tigers and bears?” I giggled. She was thinking of the Wizard of Oz. “There’s only one bear in South America, and it pretty much stays in the Andes.”
“Is that a zoo?”
“No, it’s a mountain range.”
Tess made a face. “I’m not good with geography.”
“It’s okay. I’m not good with acting.” We shared a laugh.
“In all honesty, I’m more afraid of my hair frizzing out in the jungle. I hear it’s humid.”
“It’s a tropical location, so yes, the humidity is going to be a problem. But maybe pack some extra product or let hair and makeup deal with it.”
“Ben will throw a fit if everything isn’t on point. He’s a genius to work with but can be a tyrannical brat when things don’t go his way. I’m really surprised he hired you, but I will say it was a clever move on his part. I think it’s put a lot of us at ease, including Jake.”
I wondered if Jake had told her anything about knowing me. “Well, I just hope I can help.”