Jordan’s gaze remained on Emerald’s face even as she took off her jersey, revealing her naked torso. Jordan stared into her emerald eyes, not allowing his gaze to wander even as she was left in nothing but her panties; he awaited her permission first.
Panting softly against the warm water that cascaded down her almost completely naked body, Emerald mentally prepared herself, inhaling and exhaling as she stared Jordan in the eyes. This action of hers could elicit two reactions from him. He could either accept her lovingly or reject her with clear disgust in his eyes. Emerald’s eyes turned glassy at the thought of his reaction being the latter.
She would be left shattered beyond remedy, but she had to do this. She had to. For herself, for him, for the both of them. She let out a breath before nodding her head, giving Jordan the permission to look.
Taking in her state, Jordan moved to wrap his arms around her, letting their wet, naked torsos touch. He felt her ample and perky breasts brush against his chest but stifled his groan as he placed a lingering kiss on her forehead before slowly pulling back to look down at her body.
Emerald stared at him, patiently waiting for his reaction, but not finding the courage to do so, she immediately squeezed her eyes shut when Jordan’s eyes froze at the sight of her scarred bosom. Emerald’s lips trembled as the image of the scar played behind her closed lids.
She could vividly visualize what the ugly sight looked like. A disfigured heart shaped scar branded on the top of her left breast. She had stared so much at the mangled, incarnadine flesh that even in slumber, the memory of it and how it had come to be was so deeply ingrained in her head.
A feathery touch caressing the gored bosom was successful in pulling Emerald out of the ocean of memories threatening to drown her and pull her into their bottomless abyss. She shivered, now focused on the fingers that traced the misshapen heart.
In a bout of courage, Emerald peeled her eyes open just in time to see Jordan lowering his head to place a soft kiss on the mark. A sigh escaped her lips as she felt the overwhelming sensation his little kisses left behind, spreading from the source – her scarred breast – to the rest of her body.
As he pulled away to look at her, allowing Emerald to finally gauge his reaction to what he had just seen, she suddenly couldn’t hold back the choked sob that escaped her throat.
There was no change in the way he stared at her. Emerald had expected some sort of pity or slight disgust in his expression, but now that she was staring into the pool of his chocolate orbs, the only emotions she could behold swirling in their depths were the same love and adoration he had always had for her. A sob racked through her as her body sagged with relief.
Jordan tightly hugged the sobbing woman to his chest, comforting her yet unwilling to let go. The love and adoration Jordan felt for her had now tripled a hundred fold after seeing what she had had to endure all those years ago.
A certain memory sprung to mind from the time he had walked in on her rubbing on the same spot in her office, causing his heart to constrict in his chest. The sight had made him hard, turning him on back then when all he thought he felt for her was lust. Now that he knew the truth behind her actions, Jordan couldn’t help be disgusted with himself.
Rubbing small circles on her naked back, Jordan consoled her, whispering sweet nothings into her ears. “Scar or not, Gem, my feelings for you will never change,” he pulled back to look into her glassy eyes. Although she was crying, he could still make out the relief and happiness coruscating in her smaragd orbs.
“I love you, Emerald and no past of yours is going to change that. You have scars, I have scars, we all have scars one way or the other, but it all depends on whether we allow our past to influence our present or future, Gem,” he leaned down to her, rubbing his nose against hers as he gently brought her fingers up to trace the scar that ran from his lip to his jaw.
“If you say you’re broken, Gem, then I am fragmented. If you say that you’re shattered beyond redemption, then I am unsalvageable. We’re both two missing pieces separated from a puzzle, but together, we could still make our own beautiful and unique picture. We don’t need the rest of the set to be complete. All we need is the two of us. Just us, no one else.”
Jordan let his eyes drift to a close as Emerald’s delicate fingers moved along the line of his scar. “But only if you want to, Gem. I won’t forc-”
“I want to, Cal,” she interrupted him, causing Jordan to open his eyes to look at her. “I want you, only you. I love you and I want us-you and I-to start our own puzzle, to make our own beautiful and unique picture. I want to do that with you, Cal.”
Staring unblinkingly into each other’s eyes, the couple gently leaned towards one another, eyes fluttering close as their lips connected and moved against one another’s, communicating ever so sensually and passionately.
Tongues met, twirled and danced, igniting unquenchable sparks in the depths of their owners. Warm water rained down on the couple, cuddling and caressing every naked part of their body, alongside their wandering hands.
A deep groan rumbled through Jordan’s chest as Emerald’s soft and dainty hands brushed his naked chest before resting right below his left breast, where his mother’s name was engraved on his skin-as well as in his heart.
He bit lightly on her bottom lip, eliciting a moan from her, before he licked the pain away. Emerald retaliated by letting her tongue dart out to brush past the scar running from his lip. With another groan, Jordan pulled her flush against him, causing their bodies to merge, to almost become one.
Slowly and reluctantly, they pulled away, seeking the much needed air they had deprived themselves of, but Jordan wasn’t done yet as he let his lips trail down her neck, leaving open-mouthed kisses on every skin of hers he could reach.
Quivering and a panting mess against his body, Emerald could only let out soft moans, tilting her head to give the man more room to explore as she held tightly onto him, while he nibbled on her collarbone before running his wet tongue along the smooth, scorching skin.
Raising his head slightly to look at his handiwork, Jordan was filled with so much content at the numerous hickeys that beautified her skin. He looked up at Emerald-at his woman-who had her eyes closed and lips slightly parted as she let out soft pants and slowly but surely, Jordan could feel his control slipping as the intense urge to make her his completely, overwhelmed him greatly.
He wanted to make love to her and not just to have sex, he wanted to worship her beautiful body, he wanted to wash away every scarring memory that had been left behind by her rapist and everyone else who had hurt her and caused such insecurities to gain so much ground within her.
He wanted to let her see how beautiful she truly was. Through his eyes, he wanted her to see that he had never thought and will never think of her as a damaged or broken being, but rather, a woman who had gone through so much-the physical pain, the emotional agony, everything, yet still managed to come out victorious and strong.
He wanted her to see for herself how much he truly loved her, but he didn’t know if she was ready for that yet. He didn’t want her to feel obligated to doing anything with him just because they had confessed their feelings to each other.
Clouded by his raging thoughts again, Jordan didn’t notice that Emerald had opened her eyes and was now staring at him with so much love swirling in the depths of her emerald orbs. He still wasn’t aware as her lips pulled up in a smile and her feet went up in a tiptoe, until he felt her lips against his again.
Still overpowered by desire, Jordan was quick to kiss her back, giving in to her actions, until his thoughts plagued him again, causing him to pull back.
“Gem,” he whispered, panting from her earlier onslaught.
“Hm?” she hummed as she continued teasing him, running kisses down his jawline while seductively letting her tongue dart out of her mouth to trace his scar occasionally.
Jordan was slowly losing his mind. The words he had stationed on his tongue, ready to be spoken, had immediately scampered at the feel of her scorching tongue on his skin, leaving his brain void of any reasonability. He knew what she was trying to do and damn him, was it working so well.
Somehow managing to get the almighty fog of his Gem out of his head, Jordan held her hips and pulled away from her, restraining her movements with his firm hold on her. He could see the imminent protest in her eyes and he was feeling the same way she was, but he still wanted to be sure that she truly wanted this.
“I know I’m being quite frustrating and so much of a cockblocker right now,” he started, amused at the shy blush that creeped upon Emerald’s cheeks, “but are you sure you really want this, Gem? I don’t want you to do something you’ll end up regretting.”
“I am sure, Cal. I have never been so sure of anything in my entire life as I am right now, Jordan and I promise you, I won’t regret it.”
He could see through her eyes how sincere her words were and finally, Jordan could relax now. She truly wanted him.
“Are you happy now?” Emerald asked in mock annoyance, watching as Jordan nodded with a smile. “Ok, now can you stop being such a cockblocker?” she asked, biting her lips timidly as she snuck a look at Jordan, who smirked at her flushed face.
He suddenly pulled her closer again, making her let out a small squeal. “As you wish, mi lady,” were his last husky words before he merged his lips with hers again.