Page 32 of Jade

His body went tense, his balls aching, and he lost all thought as he came inside her.

It was all he could do to pull himself out, discard the condom and clean them both off while she stayed perfectly still, bent over the side of the bed as if waiting for his permission to move.

Finally, he gathered the strength to roll her over and lift her into his arms. Her dark skin glistened with sweat, and her plump lips parted as she relaxed in his arms. “That was… surprisingly nice,” she muttered.

“It was hot,” he panted, sitting on the edge of the bed and pulling her into his lap, kissing her lips first, then her cheeks and forehead and neck. “You make me so happy, every day, and at night, you bring all my filthy fantasies to life. You’re amazing, sweet girl, and I want you by my side and in my bed for the rest of my life. I can’t wait.”

Her eyes popped open, wide and frantic. “That doesn’t count as a proposal,” she said with a freaked-out sounding laugh. “I meant what I said before. I want over-the-top and romantic, not sweaty and naked.”

His laugh matched hers. “It’s coming, little one, and I promise, when it does, it will make all your dreams come true, just like you make mine come true every minute.”

“I can’t wait,” she whispered. “But right now, tonight, can we take a shower and go to sleep? You wore me out.”

“Sorry. I was just beginning as I intend to continue,” he teased with a wink as he stood and carried her to the bathroom.

Chapter Twelve

Jade

She woke the next Sunday morning to the sound of the bedroom door creaking open and found Ryan tiptoeing out of it dressed in his Sunday suit, with his Bible and trusty notepad tucked under his arm.

She jumped out of bed so fast she got dizzy and almost fell. “It’s Sunday!” she cried. “I hafta go to church! Why didn’t you wake me?” She stopped and put a hand out to steady herself. “Are you trying to make me be in trouble? Cause that’s not very nice.”

His expression alarmed, Ryan dropped his Bible and notebook on the dresser and hurried to her. Before she could understand what was happening, he had her cradled in his arms like a toddler and was putting her back in bed.

She struggled to sit, but he held her in place with a hand on her sternum. “Stop. You are not going to be in trouble, and you are not going to church. You’re sick. I could tell you were burning up just lying in bed next to you.”

“What?” She fought against his hold, trying to get up. “No, I’m not! Oooh…”

He moved his hand and she sat, immediately falling back against the pillows. “I thought I stood up too fast earlier,” she croaked. Her voice was weak and scratchy. With a frown, she pressed her fingertips against her voice box. Her throat burned. She felt chilled to the bone and exhausted even after sleeping all night. “I’m sick!” she exclaimed, surprised. She’d felt fine the night before.

Ryan just nodded. “I was trying to get out without waking you. But since you’re up—” He stood and disappeared into the bathroom, returning several minutes later with a damp washcloth, a glass of water and two white tablets. “Sit up and take these before I go. After the service, I’ll run to a drug store and get some tea and lozenges and Gatorade.”

He placed the tablets in her hand and she sat up weakly peering at them suspiciously. “What is it?” she croaked.

“It’s Tylenol. To bring your fever down.”

“Okay.” She gagged as she swallowed them. She hated taking pills. Baze always bought them the chewable ones. Chewable Tylenol was for babies, she reminded herself. She was not a baby and she needed to stop acting like one. Hoping that Ryan hadn’t noticed the gagging, she took the water and tipped the glass back, guzzling the cold liquid. It felt amazing but the simple act of drinking it seemed to drain her energy.

Thankfully, Ryan took the glass from her and leaned her back down, folding the damp cloth and resting it on her forehead. “Just leave this here.”

“Yes, Daddy.” Her eyes were already closing.

“I have to go, but I’ll make the service a short one, and run to the pharmacy right after. Text me if you need anything.”

“Yes, Daddy.” She barely got the words out. The bed shifted as he stood and this time when the door creaked, she just let it.

Ryan

He snuck back into their suite three hours later, and he wasn’t alone. With only a handful of parishioners that regularly came to services, all of whom worked or lived at Utopia, it was easy to keep the service short, but Chef Graham had been there with Margo and when he’d heard Jade was sick, he insisted on “throwing together” a pot of homemade chicken noodle. Ryan couldn’t say no; he’d been planning to pick up a can of Campbell’s and call it good, but he knew Chef Graham’s would be so much better, so he’d kept him company in the kitchen while Chef Graham got a large pot of soup going, answering questions about Jade’s symptoms and possible allergies.

Then at the pharmacy he’d spent way too long looking at the different over-the-counter medications before coming to the conclusion that he had no idea what to get. So he got more Tylenol, some extra-strength throat lozenges, and some tea bags for making hot tea. Gatorade rounded out the haul. He got one in almost every flavor because he didn’t know what she liked. On his walk back, he’d called Baze to let him know what was happening since Jade had spent most of the day before at the penthouse with her friends.

“Baze Patrick,” Baze said when he answered, then with a chuckle in the next breath he corrected himself. “Sorry for the formality, Pastor Ryan. I saw on the caller ID that it was you, but my brain went into work mode anyway. What’s up?”

“It’s no problem.” Ryan cleared his throat. “I’m calling because Jade woke up this morning with a high fever. She’s obviously caught some sort of virus. She was up there with the girls yesterday so I just wanted to let you know so you can be alert. And maybe stock up on supplies now.”

“Sick huh? That’s interesting.”