Chapter 11
"It’s gonna be strange not seeing you every day," Maria said. "I mean all of you," she quickly added. Jacob smiled.
"I know. I never thought I’d get used to having a reporter around, much less a photographer," he said. "It’s hard to believe it’s over." Maria looked into his eyes.
"It doesn’t have to be," she said softly. "Yet." She got on her knees and slid over so that she was beside him. Jacob slowly reached up and put his arm around her waist. Maria couldn’t wait anymore. "You win," she said right before she leaned over and kissed him passionately. Jacob’s other arm went around her as he pulled her closer to him.
The tension that had been between them all month was coming out in waves as they continued to kiss each other. Jacob managed to get into a kneeling position without letting go of Maria’s mouth, so now they were both kneeling on the bed, kissing like there was no tomorrow. Maria couldn’t get enough of Jacob. She wound her arms around his neck and held on tightly. Jacob’s busy hands pulled her hair down out of the ponytail and he tilted her head back so that he could have easy access to her neck. Maria moaned as his lips slid over her neck, biting and sucking her skin.
"Is it hot in here?" Jacob managed to say against her neck. Maria laughed.
"Very hot," she said as she pulled at his shirt. Jacob let her go so that she could pull it up and off of him. After throwing the shirt to the floor, Maria slid her hands over his bare chest, her passion-filled eyes looking into his. She pushed him down and lay on top of him. "If you don’t want me, tell me now," she said as she kissed his lips lightly. Jacob’s hands slid down her sides and found the hem of her tee shirt.
"If I told you that I didn’t want you, I’d be lying," Jacob said breathlessly. "But I sure as hell don’t want either of us to regret anything that we do tonight." Maria propped herself up on her arms so that she was looking down at him, her hair falling around her face. Jacob reached up and pushed her hair out of her eyes.
"I’ll regret not doing it, Jacob. I want you. No regrets," she said. Jacob smiled and pulled her to him again, his mouth devouring hers. Maria flattened herself on him, loving the feel of his body beneath hers. He slid his hands up her sides, bringing her tee shirt with it. Maria rolled off of him so that he could pull it off. Jacob threw the shirt aside and took her in his arms once again. He made quick work of her bra and the feeling of his mouth on her breasts almost sent Maria over the edge.
"I thought you said that you were religious," Maria said, breathlessly. She was surprised at how good he was since he had claimed to be somewhat inexperienced. Jacob lifted his head and looked at her strangely.
"Please don’t bring that up now," he said. Maria smiled as Jacob returned to what he had been doing. She closed her eyes and grabbed his head, careful not to pull his dreads. When he finally lifted his head, Maria opened her eyes and smiled, keeping her eyes on his as she reached down to undo the button on his jeans.
"It’s so damn hot, why are you wearing jeans?" she asked as he pushed them off along with his sneakers and socks, leaving him in only boxer briefs. He didn’t answer; instead, he chose to kiss her again…hoping it would shut her up. Maria wrapped herself around him. Jacob smiled against her lips. She was aggressive, so he felt like he was trying to keep up with her. His hands moved over her body, touching her and caressing her. Maria’s weren’t still either. She kept raking her nails gently down his back, which was driving Jacob crazy. It was too much.
Jacob pulled back slightly to try and slow them both down. They were panting like they’d run a marathon and nothing had really happened yet. Jacob slowly kissed his way down Maria’s neck to her chest, kissing and licking every inch of her. Maria sighed as his tongue explored her. When he reached the edge of her panties, Jacob slowly slid them down, kissing her as he uncovered her. She now lay totally bare before him, so Jacob pulled back to look at her…all of her. He smiled. She was more beautiful than he had thought. "Like what you see?" Maria asked softly. Jacob’s eyes met hers and he swiftly rid himself of his boxers and covered her body with his. He kissed her hungrily before he, once again, started to slowly move down her body. Maria frowned. She was more than ready for him. As he continued his exploration of her body, Maria closed her eyes and just let him explore. By the way Jacob was making her feel, she wasn’t about to complain. Jacob kissed her inner thighs and moved upward, not hesitating one bit. Maria moaned when his tongue entered her. She was so turned on that it wasn’t long before she was gripping the sheets tightly as wave after wave of intense pleasure flooded through her. Jacob stayed where he was until she had calmed down.
Maria lay panting and feeling very good. It had never been like this with Geoff. Their foreplay had lasted two seconds. Jacob seemed to be in no hurry whatsoever. He was determined to please her…and he was doing a damn good job. She could tell that he was extremely turned on, though, but he controlled himself amazingly well.
"Are you okay?" Jacob asked quietly. Maria opened her eyes to see Jacob hovering over her. She pulled him to her, kissing him deeply.
"God, Jacob. I want you now," she breathed when she had released his mouth and he had returned to her neck, sucking lightly on her skin. Maria fidgeted as he continued to suck on her neck for a few minutes. He then moved slightly upward.
"Are you sure that you want to go through with this?" Jacob whispered into her ear as he nibbled on it. Maria grabbed his head and forced him to look at her.
"If you change your mind now, I will definitely kill you," she said. Jacob laughed and kissed her passionately, his tongue teasing her, tasting her as it slid against hers. Jacob knew when he was ready, so he left her to locate his jeans and he pulled something from one of the pockets. "I see you came prepared, although I always have a supply, just in case," Maria remarked with a wink. Jacob was a little surprised. "Not that I think I’m gonna get lucky or anything," she added.
"I didn’t know what would happen tonight, but I was hoping…" he admitted as he prepared himself. Maria watched with interest and pulled him to her when he was ready. Jacob kissed her tenderly as he slowly and gently entered her. Maria moaned loudly as she wrapped her legs around him. It had been a long time since she’d been with Geoff, so she was ‘out of practice.’ Jacob moved slowly at first, and then sped up the pace as the intensity of being joined to Maria overtook him. It had been a really long time for him and he was finding it harder to control himself now. Maria was incredible. She was much more passionate than Janie, so much so, that Jacob had to stop for a minute while he got control of himself.
Maria opened her eyes and looked at Jacob after he had stopped. His eyes were tightly shut. He also had tiny beads of sweat on his brow and upper lip. Maria ran a finger over his lips. He opened his eyes and swallowed hard. "Come on, Jacob. Please, don’t stop," she said softly. Jacob began to move again and Maria moaned, arching her back off of the bed as she held on tightly to Jacob’s arms. It didn’t take long before Maria’s release took over her body and she cried out in ecstasy. The pleasure that she felt was unlike anything she’d ever felt before. When Jacob felt Maria give in and go over the edge, he quickly joined her. Breathing hard, Jacob leaned down and touched his lips lightly to Maria’s. She was lying with a satisfied look on her face, her eyes closed, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
After a few minutes, Jacob left her and went into the bathroom. He came back a minute later. Maria opened her eyes as Jacob slid under the covers, pushing everything but the sheet off of the bed. Maria also slid underneath the thin sheet and Jacob began to kiss her tenderly, caressing her at the same time. The longer they kissed, the deeper and more urgent their kisses became until Maria turned over and straddled Jacob.
"Aren’t you tired?" he asked. Maria smiled down at him.
"Not really. Now that I have you, I’m not letting you go," she said as she ran her hands over his chest. Reaching up and burying his hands in her hair, Jacob pulled her down and kissed her. Maria had to admit---she’d never really enjoyed kissing until she had kissed Jacob that first time. This, however, was beyond anything she’d ever imagined. Maria lay on Jacob as they continued to kiss and when she felt that he was ready, she quickly rolled off of him and went to her ‘supply.’ She helped to prepare him and lowered herself onto him slowly. Jacob’s eyes closed and he gripped her hips as she moved on him. "Jacob…" she moaned as he made her move faster. They reached their peaks together, Jacob letting out a satisfied moan. Maria collapsed onto his chest, totally spent.
Jacob held her to him. Right now, he couldn’t imagine not being with her again. This was more than a one-night stand, but it was also the last night they’d be spending together. Why the hell had he waited so long? They’d wasted a whole month. Maria got off of him and he tiredly made his way to the bathroom once again.
A few minutes later, Jacob lay back on the bed, his breathing still a little ragged. Maria lay on her back, looking at the ceiling. Jacob glanced over at her. Her hair was a messy, sweaty tangle and her cheeks were flushed. Her eyes were bright, though, and at the same time, still slightly glazed over with passion.
"Are you going now?" she asked softly. Jacob frowned.
"I’d rather stay here…that is, unless you want me to go," he said. Maria looked at him and ran a hand down the side of his face. She shook her head.
"No, I want you to stay," she said. Jacob moved over. Maria wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes. Jacob gently ran his hand through Maria’s hair. He couldn’t quite believe that he’d slept with her. Or that she had allowed him to sleep with her. Of course, Maria had surprised him and had made the first move, but Jacob had wanted it to be that way. Now he knew that he hadn’t taken advantage of her. She had wanted to do it as badly as he had. What now, though? Now that they’d been together intimately, what did it mean exactly? Jacob looked down at Maria’s peaceful face. She had a slight smile on her lips. She was probably already asleep; her hand was lying on his chest, her body pressed tightly against his. Jacob kissed the top of her head lightly before he reached over and turned off the lamp beside the bed. He sighed as he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
"I bet fifty cents," Erik said, throwing two quarters onto a small pile of money on the floor.
"You cheap ass. You have to bet at least a dollar," Ashley told him. Dan laughed.
"Man, we aren’t doing that badly. Don’t you have any cash?" he asked Erik.
"Fine. I bet three dollars that they do it," Erik said, taking back his quarters and throwing three dollars onto the pile. "What about Trev?"
"Leave him alone," Dan said.
"He’s probably got his ear glued to the door to Maria’s room," Erik said with a smile. Dan hit him.
"Stop it! Trevor’s bummed. We can’t throw Jacob and Maria’s…whatever relationship in his face. We have to stop talking about them in front of him," he said. Ashley nodded and leaned back against his bed.
"You’re right. You’re always right, Dan. What would we do without you?" he asked, smiling.
"You’d be late all the time, you wouldn’t know when or where anything was or at what time anything was, you would just be without a responsible, well-adjusted person that is myself," Dan told him. Ashley and Erik looked at each other and burst out laughing.
"Oh, well, you’re absolutely right. We couldn’t handle not having a well-adjusted person that is yourself around," Erik said, still laughing, but he had a confused look on his face. Dan just took his teasing and looked at the pile of money on the floor.
"So, who’s betting what? Erik says yes. Ash, what about you? What’s your bet?" he asked.
"Dude, I don’t know. I’m gonna say no. Jake was pretty sure that nothing was gonna happen when he left. So, I don’t know. I don’t think they’ll do it," he said.
"I’m saying no, too. I think that it will be Jake who doesn’t do it, though. Maria might want to," Dan said. Erik looked at him.
"Maria’s not a slut, man. Don’t make her sound like one," he told him.
"I’m not. Chill out. I just mean that I think Maria wants Jacob more than he wants her," Dan said. There was a knock at the door. Erik ran to get it and Alex and Dianna came in.
"What the hell are you guys doing?" Alex asked, frowning when she saw the pile of money. Dan quickly scooped it up.
"Nothing," he said, unconvincingly. Alex looked annoyed, but then she smiled.
"Wait, I want to put in five dollars that they’ll do it," Alex said as she came up with a five-dollar bill and handed it to Dan.
"Five bucks? Did Maria, like, say anything to you?" Ashley asked.
"Oh, she denied that anything was going to happen," Alex replied.
"Then why would you bet five dollars?" Erik asked her. Alex smiled.
"Because I know my friend and I know that she protests too much," she said. The guys looked at each other and shrugged. Ashley laid his head back against the bed.
"Can I change my bet?" he moaned.
"Nope. You said ‘no,’ so that’s your bet," Erik told him.
"Fine. I just hope that Jake and Maria can restrain themselves," Ashley said.
"Not likely," Alex remarked with a smile.
Trevor wandered aimlessly through the hotel. He had found himself outside of Maria’s hotel room more than once and had even almost knocked once, but then he’d changed his mind. Maria liked Jacob and Jacob liked Maria. Unfortunately, Trevor liked Maria, too. That’s where the problem lies. Trevor had been shot down by his former ‘girlfriend,’ Kelly, and was still smarting from that. He had really liked her, but she couldn’t handle his ‘new’ life---she hadn’t even wanted to try, which Trevor could now understand, but it had still hurt. He wanted someone, though…someone whom he could talk to about the band, about music, about life in general. But it was too hard to have ‘someone’ when you were never at home or in one place for more than a few days at a time. Even if Maria and Jacob did hook up, how would they be able to sustain a relationship with O-Town’s crazy schedule? Trevor sighed and headed back to his room.
"Go, Alex. Come on. We have to know who won," Erik begged her. Alex shook her head vehemently.
"No. We’re going to wait until morning. I’m not going to go spy on them. That’s just wrong," she said. "Even I have my limits."
"And she doesn’t want Maria to kill her," Ashley added with a smile.
"Well, Jake hasn’t come back yet, so that’s a good sign," Erik said.
"How will they be able to spend the night together without doing anything?" Dan then asked. "The way that they look at each other and all. Man, I’m with you, Ash. I think I should’ve bet the other way."
"I know man! We lost, okay. I know that we lost," Ashley said, burying his head under a pillow. There was another knock at the door and Dianna went to answer it.
"Hi, Trevor," she said. Trevor nodded at her and entered the room. Everyone stopped talking and said ‘hi.’
"Let me guess what you’re talking about," Trevor said as he shoved his hands in his pockets and stood looking at them all.
"Trev, we’re sorry if we upset you by talking about them, but we’re happy for Jake. It’s not his fault that Maria likes him," Erik said.
"I know and I know that I don’t have a chance with her. It’s just frustrating, that’s all," Trevor said, as he sat down on Jacob’s bed.
"You’ll find someone, Trevor," Alex said, putting her arm around him. He smiled sadly at her.
"Yeah, but where do I look?" he asked.
"You’ll find her when you’re not looking," Erik said. "If you’re looking, it will just frustrate you because she won’t show up. Stop trying so hard and it will work out."
"’Dr. Love’ has spoken," Trevor said, a real smile now appearing on his face. Everyone laughed.
"It’s late so I think I’ll head to bed," Dianna said. Dan frowned. She had, of course, been quiet. He couldn’t quite figure her out and he had run out of time to try.
"Goodnight," he said. Dianna smiled as she left the room.
"I gotta go, too. None of you better go to that room. Leave them alone," Alex said sternly. They nodded. Alex leaned down and kissed Erik lightly before leaving.
"We go home tomorrow, guys. Home sweet home," Erik said as he stood up and stretched. Dan, Erik and Trevor left the room and walked to their own room.
"Lucky Jake," Erik mumbled as he entered the room. Trevor looked down the hallway to Maria’s hotel room. He sighed heavily. ‘Lucky Jake’ was right. Trevor entered the room with a heavy heart. He really wanted to go home.