The second kiss didn't come from hesitation. It came from need. Selena didn't know how they got there. One moment they were at the bar, mouths on fire, and the next, Jack was taking her hand and leading her down into the crowd like he couldn't wait another second.
The music pounded, deep and primal. The floor was alive with people, bodies swaying, lights slicing through the dark like colored lightning.
Selena hated clubs, but with Jack pressed against her as the bass pulsed through their skin, it was different.
He stood behind her on the dance floor, his chest close to her back, hands gently skimming down her arms. Her breath caught when his fingers brushed her hips, like he wasn't just touching her skin, but pulling her back from the dead.
She let herself move to the music. Her red dress clung to every curve, glittering under the lights, and when she looked over her shoulder, Jack was already watching her like she was the only woman in the world.
"Aren't we going too far, Sel?" he murmured, lips brushing her ear.
She turned to face him, their mouths so close it hurt not to close the space. "No. Unless you want to back off? Too cowardly to be involved in my open marriage thing?"
Jack grinned. "No, of course!"
Then they continued to dance. His hands slid lower down her waist, tightening as her back arched slightly into him. Her hands rested on his chest, fingers trailing the line of buttons down his black shirt, and she felt his heartbeat, hard and quick, just like hers.
"You smell like trouble," he whispered, and it made her laugh, light and breathy. A sound she hadn't made in months.
"You are THE trouble," she replied.
His hand moved to the small of her back, his lips dangerously close again. "I've wanted to kiss you since I was twenty-two, you know."
Selena blinked up at him.
"That was like, uhm, ten years ago, I guess," she whispered.
"I remember." He tilted his head, eyes dark with memory. "You were in that stupid white sundress, laughing at my bad cooking. I burned spaghetti, and you said I was charming anyway."
Selena laughed, her eyes starting to blur, "I was lying."
"I know. I didn't care." Then Jack kissed her again.
And this time, it wasn't just heat, it was a flood. A storm that broke every rule, every line. His tongue swept into her mouth, tasting her, claiming her, while the beat of the music faded into background noise. She melted into his hands. Into his chest. Into something dangerous and unspoken that had been building for years.
When they finally pulled apart, breathless and shaken, his voice was hoarse, "Let's get out of here."
--
The ride to the hotel was a blur. They barely spoke. Every touch was a question, but it seemed like every glance was an answer.
Jack's fingers brushed her thigh in the backseat of the cab. Her hand rested on his chest, feeling his breath rise and fall under her palm. It felt surreal. Like they were actors in someone else's story. Like this wasn't really happening. But it was. She wanted to feel something. Anything. And right now, Jack was the only thing anchoring her to the present.
They reached the hotel, an upscale boutique place just five blocks from the club. The kind with clean sheets and warm lighting.
He didn't wait for the elevator. He kissed her in the lobby hallway, against the textured wall, like he couldn't wait a second longer.
When the elevator opened, they stumbled inside. A little bit of privacy for them, even though still in a public area. But one second seems too long for them now. They couldn't wait any longer. His hands roamed down her back, cupping her thighs, lifting her just enough for her legs to wrap around his waist. She gasped into his mouth. She barely registered the ding of the doors closing before his mouth was on her neck, kissing and nipping. Her head tilted back as she clung to him, heart racing like a trapped bird.
"Jack…" she breathed.
He looked at her, his expression half-wild, half-pleading. "Say the word and I'll stop."
She didn't say it. She didn't want him to stop.
They just walking impatiently to Room No.1209. They barely made it inside before the door slammed shut behind them. Jack pinned her against it, his hands braced on either side of her head. His eyes were burning.
"Last chance, Sel," he said again, voice rough. "I'm not playing. If we start this—"
"Then don't stop," Selena said. Her voice was soft but certain. "I want this."
He kissed her like he'd waited his whole life to. Deep and slow, like he was memorizing her lips; the soft shape, the way she breathed into him, the trembling of her body beneath his. His hand cupped her cheek, gentle even as his other hand roamed down, tracing the line of her neck, the swell of her breast through her bra, then slipping under.
Selena arched into him with a sharp breath as his thumb brushed over her nerve knot, teasing it to a stiff peak. He swallowed her moan, his mouth never leaving hers, and she felt the heat rush through her so fast she was already clenching her thighs together.
Jack pulled back just far enough to look down at her, eyes heavy and full of something raw.
"You're so beautiful, you know," he murmured, his voice rough and deep.
Selena bit her lip and watched as he moved lower, trailing kisses down her collarbone. Her dress was halfway off, the straps dangling uselessly around her arms. Jack pushed it down the rest of the way, letting it slide off her hips and pool on the floor.
He took his time, unhooking her bra slowly, his lips ghosting down her chest as he did. When the lace finally dropped, he paused, just staring at her, his breath uneven.
Then he leaned in, his tongue flicking over one teat, then the other, before sucking gently. Selena gasped, her back lifting off the bed, her hands tangling in his hair.
"Jack…" she whispered, her voice shaking.
He kissed a path down her stomach, stopping to nip lightly at her hipbone. His hands slid under the band of her panties and pulled them down in one smooth motion, tossing them aside. His fingers brushed along her inner thighs, then stopped, just before where she wanted him most.
She opened her eyes, her chest rising and falling fast. "Don't tease me!"
Jack looked up at her, smirking. "I'm not teasing. I'm taking my time, beautiful."
He then spread her legs gently, settling between them. His mouth was warm, wet, and devastating. The first stroke of his tongue made her cry out, her hips jerking upward, but his hands gripped her thighs and held her steady.
Selena had never felt anything like it, not with Peter.
Jack ate her like he was starving, like every sound she made was feeding him. His tongue circled her sweet spot, slow and steady, before plunging lower. Then back again. Her head dropped against the pillow, eyes rolling back, her hands gripping the sheets like she was drowning in sensation.
He slipped a finger inside her, then another, curling them just right, and her entire body went tight.
"Jack, I'm going to—"
"Let go," he said against her, the vibration of his voice tipping her over the edge.
She came hard, shuddering, her body clenching around his fingers as he worked her through it, never letting up until she was trembling and breathless beneath him.
When he crawled back up, his mouth shiny, he kissed her again, and she tasted herself on his tongue.
Selena pulled him closer, her fingers fumbling at his belt, needing more. Needing all of him.
"Please," she whispered, "I need you."
Jack didn't hesitate.
He stripped quickly, his clothes hitting the floor in a trail. When he finally pressed against her again, skin to skin, she could feel him; hot and hard between her thighs. He lined himself up, pausing, his forehead resting against hers.
"Tell me to stop," he whispered. "And I will."
She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulled him closer. "Don't you dare!"
Then he pushed in, slow and deep.
Selena gasped, her nails digging into his back. He filled her completely, stretching her until it hurt just enough to feel good. Jack groaned low in his throat, like he was holding back every wild part of himself. He started to move. Each thrust was slow at first, deliberate, like he was savoring every inch. Her body met his rhythm, hips rising to meet each deep roll of his. Their breaths tangled, foreheads pressed together, eyes locked.
"Selena," he whispered like a prayer, "you feel—argh—you feel like heaven."
She didn't speak. She couldn't. All she could do was feel.
The pain, the betrayal, the emptiness, all melted away with every thrust, every kiss, every whispered moan. Jack wasn't just inside her; he was with her. Filling every broken piece.
He sped up, his rhythm growing frantic. Their bodies slapped together, slick with sweat, and Selena wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on as if she'd fall apart without him.
She came again, harder this time, her entire body wracked with tremors.
Jack followed soon after, groaning her name against her neck as he buried himself deep one last time and spilled inside her.
They stayed like that for a long time.
Breathing.
Shaking.
Silent.
Jack's weight was warm over her, comforting. His lips brushed her temple, her cheek, her shoulder. Not rushed. Not lustful. Just… gentle.
Selena closed her eyes. She hadn't expected this, but she wasn't ready to regret it.