Free Moment of Weakness - The Esquire Girls Series - Hailey (Book 1) by Cassie-Ann L. Miller

fingernails sink into his flesh as I hang onto him with all I’ve got. His body tenses too. He drops his face into the crux of my neck and I hear him groan. His cock pulsates inside of me as his orgasm overwhelms him. It takes forever for the shivers to stop.
     
    He rolls off of me and collapses onto the mattress. We both struggle to catch our breath.
     
    I turn over and lean my face into his humid skin. “Awesome,” is the only word that escape my lips.
     
    Jackson uses his fingers to brush my damp hair out of my face. “Awesome.”
     
    I listen to his heart beating strong and rhythmic in his chest. It begins to lull me to sleep.
     
    And just as I’m about to let go of the last wisps of consciousness, I hear him whisper softly in his deep Texan accent, “Be my girlfriend, Hailey. I need you…”

Chapter 24
     
    “I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever,” I say as I lean against the railing overlooking the skating rink in Central Park. I hand Ruthie a paper cup of hot chocolate.
     
    She smiles at me but still, she looks sad. She and Michael have been fighting a lot lately but she’s trying to put on a brave face. “Our schedules are so out of sync these days – between school and work and that secret lover of yours, we never get to hang out anymore,” she says.
     
    I feel heat creeping up to my cheeks. “I do not have a secret lover.” I’ve only slept with Jackson once and although it was amazing, I can’t call him my lover. Not yet. I don’t want to get my hopes up.
     
    I turn my attention to the skaters circling the rink and take a sip of my tea to hide my discomfort. “Oh please,” my roommate says with a smirk. “You’re never home, you float around on cloud nine all day and don’t think I haven’t noticed your new collection of lacy g-strings. You’re not fooling anyone, Hails. You’ve got a lover.”
     
    “I don’t have a lover,” I insist just as the ding of my cellphone alerts me that I have a new text message. It’s from Jackson. I can’t stop thinking about you , it says. I fight back the smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.
     
    “You do! You’re totally seeing someone!” Ruthie says with a mischievous laugh.
     
    I keep my gaze focused on the skaters so that Ruthie doesn’t see how much this thing with Jackson is affecting me. I want him. He’s not even my type and I have no idea what we’re doing. But I want him. “He’s not a lover . He’s a…friend.”
     
    Ruthie just shrugs as she turns to look out at the skating rink.
     
    Silence sweeps over us as we distractedly watch parents teach their young children how to glide across the ice and couples drifting by hand in hand and teenagers laughing at each other as they slip and slide on this cold late December afternoon. I wonder about Jackson. What’s he doing right now? I wish I were in his arms.
     
    Ruthie sighs deeply before tossing an arm around my shoulders. “Y’know what, Hails? Love is a dangerous thing. You might just have the right idea keeping this guy in the friend zone.”
     
    A chill runs through my body as she says the words because although I know she’s right, I’m starting to wonder if I’d like Jackson to be something more than a friend. “I really can’t afford to get hurt, Ruthie,” I murmur feeling raw and vulnerable.
     
    “Do what’s right for you, Hails. But just be careful. Love has a way of sneaking up on you and wrestling you to the ground. So be careful.”
     
     

Chapter 25
     
    I’d always imagined that my first New Year’s Eve in New York would be spent at Times Square counting down to midnight and kissing my perfect man as the ball dropped.
     
    But instead, here I am in the lobby of CMS sitting behind the security desk with Jackson’s jacket draped around my shoulders. We’re snuggling and smooching and watching a live stream of the countdown to the New Year. When it’s finally midnight, Jackson wraps his arms around me and pulls me in for a slow,