Hands held and fingers tightly interlaced, Jordan obediently trudged behind Emerald as she dragged him towards what she could recall was his room. He was in lack of a much needed shower, she had emphasised and in the comfortable silence of his abode, the couple walked towards his room.
After switching on the lights and making sure that Jordan was well in his bathroom, Emerald made a move to leave, giving him some privacy when she felt a grip on her wrist. She turned around to look at Jordan who was staring at her with mild fear lingering in his eyes.
“Stay with me, Gem. I don’t want to lose you again,” he pleaded in a soft voice.
Emerald’s heart broke when she realised that the fear in his eyes had been caused by her. Wanting to comfort him, Emerald moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his head closer to hers as he, in return, wrapped his arms around her waist.
Placing a light kiss on his lips, Emerald whispered, “I’m right here with you, Cal. I will never leave you ever again,” she promised.
Jordan gave her a little smile before kissing her eyes, her nose and then, her lips. “Undress me,” he muttered, watching in amusement as Emerald shyly bit on her bottom lip while her cheeks blushed the signature pink he always loved.
“A-are you sure?” she asked nervously, to which Jordan responded with a nod.
Waiting patiently, Jordan observed how it took her almost a decade to untangle her arms from around his neck before moving them to his shoulders slowly, taking her sweet time.
Seeing as she made no further move to go lower, Jordan decided to help out. He grabbed her arms and directed them to his torso, slipping them under his shirt so she could feel his naked skin.
Emerald’s eyes widened momentarily before she subtly cleared her throat and slightly moved her thumbs, feeling every rise and fall and every indentation of his rock hard abs. She felt the tightening and rippling of his stomach muscles as he groaned at her soft touch.
With unbelievably flaming cheeks, Emerald was able to garner enough courage to curl her fingers around the hem of Jordan’s shirt before slowly pulling it up and off his head. Jordan smiled when he saw her release a breath quietly, appearing to be relieved with her task being completed.
She made a move to leave again when his voice stopped her. “You’re not done yet, Gem.” His eyes glinted with amusement when her cheeks turned even redder.
“Jordan, a-are you-” He interrupted with a kiss, leaving her breathless and panting softly in front of him.
“Is that enough of an answer for you?” he asked, to which she gulped visibly before nodding.
Not wanting to rush her this time, Jordan only waited patiently for her to mentally prepare herself before her hands moved to undo the button of his pants. Her hands were shaky and quite clumsy with the zipper, so he decided to help her out and in minutes, his pants came off, leaving him standing in only his boxer shorts.
Heavily inhaling and exhaling, Emerald hesitantly moved her hands towards the rim of his boxers when Jordan stopped her, holding her shaky hands in his. He had noticed the rapid rising and falling of her chest and he knew she wasn’t quite ready for what he was asking her to do, so unwilling to make her feel uncomfortable and obligated, Jordan decided to stop her.
“Are you okay, Gem?” he asked, kissing her hot rubicund cheeks before looking her in the eyes. “I don’t want to make you comfortable. I just wanted you to see all of me, Emerald. I wanted to bare myself to you, but if you are not ready, I have no intention of forcing you.”
Emerald opened and closed her mouth severally, seeming like a gaping fish as she struggled for words. Jordan placed a kiss on her forehead before murmuring against her skin. “It’s okay, Gem. Really,” he smiled.
“You can wait for me in the bedroom. I’ll be out soon,” he traced her cheeks with a fleeting touch before pulling away and turning to walk into the bath stall, facing away from her.
Emerald continued to stare at Jordan’s back, her eyes following every movement his back muscles made with every slight movement of his. She remained rooted to her spot, staring unblinkingly at the bald eagle tattoo drawn on his back, taking the most of Jordan’s back and shoulders with its dominating wings.
Her thoughts scampered around her mind at Jordan’s words. All he wanted was for her to see all of him, his secrets, his scars, his pasts-all of him. She wanted the same as well. She wanted him to know her, to see her completely for who she truly was. She wanted him to know all her insecurities, all of her secrets, all of her scars-every single thing, then why was she still hesitating?
This beautifully sculpted man standing underneath the spraying water had done nothing but waited patiently for her. He hadn’t forced her into doing anything she wasn’t comfortable with. He had been so understanding and he had even loved her, despite her annoying flaws and despite knowing that she had been raped, that she was incomplete, that she wasn’t perfect.
All this man deserved was her respect, her love and everything that was her.
Having made up her mind, Emerald inhaled and exhaled, feeling any and every lingering fear and hesitation disappear into thin air. She moved to unzip her denim shorts, letting it fall to the ground before stepping out of it and placing it on the bathroom sink alongside Jordan’s clothes. She was left in only her panties and the oversized jersey.
Feeling a presence behind him, Jordan turned around, eyebrows furrowed in confusion before shooting up across his forehead in surprise. “Gem,” he muttered, eyes staring at her. Noticing that she was shivering lightly from the cold showers, he changed the temperature of the water and it warmed up.
“What are you doing in here?” he asked, using his hands to move away strands of her now wet hair from her face and tucking them behind her ears.
Emerald blinked through the trail of water that flowed down her eyelashes, softly breathing with her lips slightly parted. She placed her hands on Jordan’s broad chest. “I want to see you, Cal. All of you. And I want you to see me. All of me.”
Jordan ignored how his heart skipped a beat and began beating erratically at her words. “Gem, I don’t want to force you into anything or make you feel obligated to-”
Emerald shook her head. “I love you so much, Cal and I want to do this. I’m a hundred percent sure,” her eyes held the resolve that was so firmly evident in her voice.
But Jordan asked her again, just to be certain that this was all her decision and not because he had instigated anything. “Are you sure, Gem?” he cupped her cheeks and watched as she tilted her face to place a kiss inside each of his palms.
“I’m sure, Cal. Trust me.”
Jordan stared her in the eyes before nodding gently. “Ok,” he whispered.
She gave him a little smile before reaching for the hem of her oversized jersey and slowly pulling it over her head.