Page 62 of Second Chance Saloon

She felt his erection through the fabric of his boxers. Maybe he didn’t mind the way she looked that much, then.

“You’re so gorgeous,” he whispered into her mouth.

Jackie swallowed the compliment, a ball of fuzzy warmth taking root in her heart and spreading through her chest. “You’re sure you’re ready for this?”

“I think I’ve been ready for a while. There was just never the right—”

“Time? Circumstances?” The corners of her lips quirked up. “I know.”

“Are you good with this?” he whispered against the column of her neck, planting a kiss right in the middle of it.

A raspy breath dried her mouth. “Ecstatic.”

He chuckled, his nose pressing against the base of her throat. “I hope not yet. That comes later, no?”

Jackie pushed her fingers into his hair, tugging at the blond waves. “I thought you were a virgin.”

“A virgin, yes. A monk? Definitely not.”

They moved across the loft, their feet unsure of their movements, pausing briefly at every other creak, like they were afraid the floorboard would give way, and they’d find themselves falling through it.

The back of her knees hit the frame of the makeshift sofa bed.

Mitch lost his balance as his trousers tangled around his knees. He tightened his embrace on her and they both fell onto the mattress, bubbling laughter erupting from their chests.

“I’m sorry, that was not where I was going with it,” Mitch managed once he stopped laughing.

Jackie pressed her open palm to his cheek, looking into his eyes. “It’s all right.” Then, she glanced down at their entwined legs. “But maybe it’s time for the trousers to come off?”

Without protest, he kicked them off, also taking off his socks in one swift motion. He put his hand on her waist, dragging his fingers down her hip and over her thigh. “Why do you have a bed here?”

She bit her bottom lip. “I used to ditch my chores and sneak up here to read.” This wasn’t what she needed to tell him. “Mitch, you should know that I … I’m not …”

He watched her, patiently waiting for her to elaborate.

But her voice cut off, seemingly refusing to supply words to her thoughts.

“I know you’re more experienced than me. I don’t have a problem with it,” he said gently.

Jackie frowned. “You don’t?”

“No. I figured one of us should know what they’re doing.”

She was quiet for a moment, gathering her courage to tell him more. “It was never … like this. My first time was at someone’s party, in a locked bathroom. I thought I was so daring, so cool back then … I don’t think so anymore.” She swallowed. “A lot of what you see, that confident facade, is just that. A facade.”

Mitch pushed her hair off her forehead and hooked his thumb underneath her chin, smoothing the skin under her lip with his forefinger. “I don’t think it’s a facade. I think it’s the real you, getting older. Growing into yourself. Becoming comfortable in your own skin. I think that’s what’s happening to both of us.”

She drew a lungful of air. “I guess that’s the privilege of being young.”

“And so is this.” He sank his tongue into her mouth, and her gasp washed over his teeth.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

November, fourteen years ago

Mitch

The moment Jackie’s dress hit the floor, the monster that had been growing in strength over the past weeks from within him escaped to the surface, growling and prowling, urging him to stop thinking and start acting.