Perfect Match (17 page)

“Oh, come on in. I’m sorry. You threw me off
with that hat. Come on in. Can I get you something?”

“No.” He smiled and took his coat off and
hung it up by the door. He kept the hat on. Noelle noticed right
away that he changed his clothes. He was so damn good looking that
she couldn’t think straight. He had on a crisp white button up
shirt which of course was not completely buttoned so she saw a
welcomed glimpse of his chest. He also wore light denim Levis and
that silly hat still on his head. “You forgot something.”

“Oh yes.” He looked at his watch, “It is
still officially your birthday. Happy Birthday, Noelle.” He handed
her the flowers and she had to admit it, he made her feel so
special. She smelled them and loved the scent of fresh flowers.
“Thank you,” she murmured into the flowers and looked up at him.
She giggled, “I wasn’t talking about that. This here.” She eyed the
hat still on his head.

“Oh yes. Here. It’s my turn to get a picture
of us with silly hats on. I have one for you.” He handed her one.
It was a black and white knitted hat that went over the ears with
strings and a ball hanging down. She sometimes didn’t get his sense
of humor but she went with it. He put it on her. “Perfect.” He said
looking in her eyes.

She swallowed, wondering if he was going to
kiss her again. By the look in his eyes, she wondered if he would.
She wondered if she would let him. “Now what?”

“It’s my turn to get a picture of us in funny
hats. I’ve seen your Facebook pictures of you and your friends.
It’s time I made it into that album,” he said and held out a camera
and took their picture. He pulled it back to review it. He looked
at it and nodded as he headed towards her sofa to sit. “It’s
perfect. We look perfect together, Noelle. Look at us.” He handed
her the camera. She set the flowers down on the coffee table and
looked at the picture. It was a great picture. Did she think that
they looked perfect together? She had to admit that they did look
good together.

“Jackson.”

“Let me say this. I already know that you are
going to push me away again. I’m prepared for it, but I wanted to
make sure that I had something that I could hold on to. And I also
know that as much as you may feel for me, that you won’t hurt your
father. He does like me, you know,” he added.

Noelle looked at him and laughed. She
couldn’t help it because he still had that hat on, and it was the
total opposite of all the serious things he was saying. “Jackson, I
can’t take you serious in that hat!” She couldn’t control herself.
She cracked up. He laughed right along with her and took the hat
off of his head. He stopped laughing and tugged on the hat she was
still wearing.

“That’s one of the great things about us,
Noelle. No one makes me laugh like you do.”

“I know it, even if I don’t get your oddball
sense of humor, but it doesn’t matter even if my dad does think the
world of you, Jackson. He won’t allow it. Even if he thought the
world of you, you are a wrestler. I think the world of you, but I
gave up dating wrestlers.”

“Must we always go back to this same
argument, Noelle? I have to tell you, it ran out of steam a long
time ago. I’m not making light of what you went through before me,
but I have never given you any reason not to trust me. You know
firsthand that Kayla is a liar. I haven’t hurt you and I won’t hurt
you.”

“You did long time ago.”

“What?”

“This sounds ridiculous, even to me. When we
were thirteen, I liked you and you liked Jennifer.”

Jackson was quiet for a moment and Noelle
hated that she said that. “You had a crush on me back then? It all
makes sense to me now. You screaming that you hated me after I
didn‘t catch you. Wow, Noelle. You have no clue. I believe that
sometimes couples don’t meet until later in life, and others meet
when they were young. Like us. Noelle, I believe that there is a
huge reason why we keep coming back into each other’s lives. Do you
realize that we both had a crush on each other back then? You were
the first girl I ever had a crush on?”

“No way. Jennifer was.”

“No, I never had a crush on her. She was
mean, but good looking. I didn’t know it at the time, but it was
you. I loved spending those weeks at Larry’s place.”

“You couldn’t wait to go to the wrestling
school.”

Jackson stopped and looked at her very
seriously, “Noelle, why do you keep selling yourself short. Yes, I
wanted to go to the wrestling school, but I loved spending all that
time with you. The same way as I do now. Only I’m not so young and
stupid now to not realize why that is. Noelle, I love you.”

She longed to her those words one day from a
man that actually meant them, but now that they were said she
became uncomfortable with the fact that he spoke the truth.
Awkwardly, she cleared her throat, “Jackson…”

“I know the risks of this, but it doesn’t
matter to me. I love you and I want to be with you. And I believe
in my heart that you feel that way too.”

Noelle was crushed because he went ahead and
said those words that changed everything between them forever.
“Jackson, why did you have to do this? Why? Now things will never
be the same. We won’t be the same.”

“They can be better. Do you know how often I
want to kiss you? You liked me that night at Monroe’s before you
knew me. That says a lot in my opinion. I’m not stupid, Noelle. I
know this is going to change things, but I also believe you are
feeling this way too. Larry’s rule is a well-known rule, to you and
Jennifer and all the guys in the locker room. I have mad respect
for him. He’s like a second father to me, and if what I am feeling
right now wasn’t the real deal, do you think that I would really
take such a leap? I know you are scared about this. So am I.”
Jackson finally stood up in front of Noelle, who was now pacing. He
made her stop in front of him. She looked into his eyes and she saw
his love in them. She couldn’t cross that line. She heard these
words before. Derek said them to her too, right before he
“suggested” that they tell Pop about them. “Jackson, I was told
this before and it was only because he hoped that it would further
his career. I can’t do this again.”

Jackson shook his head in utter disbelief. He
looked hurt by what she said and let her know it. “I cannot even
believe that you think I could be using you to further my career.
Damn it, Noelle. My father was a big fucking deal in this business
and I don’t use him to further my career, so why the hell would I
use you. You cannot compare me to the asshole that hurt you. I am
not him and if you would wake up to see me…to really see me, you
would know that as well.”

She could no longer hide the tears, “I’m
sorry. I’m still so unsure.”

“I can’t deny what I am feeling. This is the
real thing. Here, I’ll prove it.” He took her hand placing it over
his heart. His chest was rock hard but more importantly she could
feel his heart pounding. “This is new to me. I have never felt so
out of control and happy at the same time. Remember when I did my
first promo and you asked if I was scared? I made you feel my
heart? It wasn’t pounding like it is now. I’m not pretending. I’m
forever changed because of you. I cannot sit back and hear about
anymore Mr. Evils in your life. I want to be the guy in your life,
and I’ve never been more afraid or sure of anything in my life.
YOU. ARE. IT. FOR. ME. I don’t know how else to get you to believe
me.” She still had her hand on his heart and closed her eyes when
Jackson put his hand over hers. At that moment she knew this was
bigger than the both of them. She looked up at him and saw the
tears in his eyes too. She trusted him and knew that he was taking
a huge risk. The way his heart pounded told her as much as well. “I
love you.”

He said again.

She reached up and touched his cheek. “I
don’t want to lose you,” she admitted.

“I’m not going anywhere. I don’t want to
pressure you with anything. Just don’t push me away.”

She stood on her toes and kissed him. He
wrapped his arms around her to return the kiss, and the moment she
was in his arms she felt safe. This is where she wanted to be.
Right there, with him. She was going to trust him. She felt her
body tremble, and her lips quiver at the sweet intensity of his
lips.

His hips nudged hers and were able to feel
his need for her. That stirred things inside her that she could no
longer ignore. She reached down between them and put her hand on
his erection that was pressing against her belly. He groaned and
tilted his head back. She gave him a squeeze. This was such a big
moment for them, and God, did she want to be with him, but she
wasn’t ready to declare her true feelings yet. All she knew for
sure was that she wanted him and couldn’t wait any longer.

“Noelle,” he said barely above a whisper,
“Are you ready for your third birthday present?”

She tilted her chin up so she could look at
him. She saw the heat in his blue eyes. “Is it you?”

He gave her a sexy smile that made all sorts
of places tingle. “You have to unwrap me first.”

She went to work on the buttons of his smooth
shirt. She slid the shirt down his arms and he tossed it to the
floor. She reached up and to put her lips on the sweetest spot in
the world. The kisses were intense and needy and full of promises
that they weren’t going to end anytime soon. She tugged down on his
zipper and reached in for him. He slid his jeans the rest of the
way down and stepped out of them. He stood before her in his
boxers, so she reached in to pull him out. He was huge and
glorious. Had she ever wanted anyone so much?

He started kissing her neck and started to
tug on her sweater, breaking the kiss just enough to remove it. She
was wearing a purple lace bra that he just stared at for a moment.
“You don’t like purple?” she teased him.

“You are gorgeous.” He placed his hands over
her breasts and squeezed them. He leaned down to kiss the space
between her breasts and trailed his tongue over the lace. He
reached her nipple and pulled the bra down below her breast and
took it into his mouth. Noelle leaned her head back and she
abandoned herself to the incredible sensations his sinful mouth was
giving. She highly anticipated what he could do with other parts of
his body. He skillfully removed her bra and lifted her up and
carried her to the bedroom, kissing the whole way there. He gently
laid her down and removed her jeans and panties. He moved in
between her legs and caressed her thighs. “Oh, Jackson.” He was
stirring feelings in her that she didn’t know she was capable of
having. His fingers continued to caress the skin on her thigh,
until he moved his head down and gave her a little bite. “Oh!” She
gasped in sweet agony. He kissed every part of her that he could
reach, until he reached her core. First, he kissed there sweetly.
She desperately needed more than a small kiss. “More.” She cried
softly and a moan of ecstasy slipped through her lips as he pressed
his tongue into her taking her close to an orgasm. He slipped a
finger into her and increased the joyful pleasure. His tongue and
fingers were taking her to a peak of ecstasy as she never felt
before.

“Come on, baby. Come for me. This is only the
beginning.” He murmured into her warm flesh.

She arched to his touch and moaned aloud with
an erotic pleasure as she came. She felt her body shudder as he
moved up her body, kissing every inch of her. She smiled as all the
fear and doubt began to leave her. All the mattered was this moment
with him. She felt his love for her and that was all the security
she needed.

He rolled on a condom that he must have
gotten out of his pants and was ready to enter her. He paused and
said, “Are you sure? There is no going back for me. We make love
tonight, and if you push me away tomorrow, it will kill me.”

She answered him by pulling him in for a
wicked kiss. Her tongue ravishing his mouth as she thrust her hips
into him letting him know where she wanted him That was all he
needed to know and he plunged deep inside her making both of them
scream out in ecstasy. Her breath came in long, surrendering moans.
She gave in to the blazing need which had been building between
them for months. Oh god, was it possible for her to be able to come
again? Sliding in and out of her, his hardness electrified her,
sending her off to another mind blowing orgasm. This was how it was
supposed to be, Noelle thought. Together they found their tempo
that bound them together. This big ,strong yet gentle man was
loving her the way she always thought it was supposed to be like.
Passion ran through every heartbeat, breath, and kiss. She gasped
as the pleasure hit, pure and explosive. Jackson’s movements
quickened and his climax hit soon after. His breathing was heavy as
he rolled off her. He wrapped his arms around her and she snuggled
as close to him as she could. She teased him a bit by pressing her
bare ass against him. She felt such a sense of peace that it
overwhelmed her. He wrapped the comforter tighter around him and
gently ran his fingers over her breasts. He kissed her neck. “Mmm,
happy birthday to me,” she sang.

He let out a soft laugh, kissed her cheek. “I
love you,” and they drifted off to sleep.

He stayed with her that night, but had to get
up early the next morning. He had a road trip to Philadelphia for a
show. She didn’t want him to leave, but needed time to wrap her
head around what happened. She had no regrets and was grateful that
he was true to his word when he said he wouldn’t pressure her. She
had to admit that her day was pretty boring without him. She found
herself thinking of him that whole day. He left his camera so she
took it and uploaded the picture he took of the two of them in
their silly hats from last night. She quickly uploaded it onto her
Facebook page. She smiled looking at it. They were a couple and
there was no use telling herself otherwise. She couldn’t wait for
him to see it, but needed to let him know to look for it. She
grabbed her phone and sent a text.