I let out a long breath as I waited in Jackson's truck outside of the Inn at Gothic Eve's. I asked him to take me out of the city and he did without question. You looked up some places online for us to crash and found the inn about four hours away a little outside of Ithaca.

I was a little nervous when he said he was going to make a call to Ryan to let him know what we were doing. I was sure it wasn't going to raise suspicion, but he told me that, since I broke my phone, Ryan wouldn't be able to get a hold of me and he would get worried.

As I listened to Jackson make the call, I was surprised. He seemed to be able to word it the right way so Ryan didn't get the wrong idea. Apparently, Jackson was with Ryan when he had spoken to me on the phone. Ryan told him to come and make sure I was okay while he tried to go talk to his dad.

So, Jackson explained that I broke my phone and I wanted to get out of the city for a while. He told Ryan where we would be going and that we would be getting two rooms for the weekend since I had to be back for my meeting at the school on Monday.

Ryan was cool with it and said he would probably drive up tomorrow and let me know how things went with his dad. I was honestly dreading that. If he didn't have good news, I didn't know what I was going to do.

Jackson and I didn't talk much on the ride up here. It was more of a comfortable silence as I looked out of the window and listened to the music he put on.

I thought about what happened at the bar and I was a little surprised. I wasn't expecting Jackson to show up there and I definitely wasn't expecting him to be so comforting.

I knew he was a good man, but that just seemed out of character for him. He seemed to always keep me right at arm's length, and I completely understood why he did that. He was trying to keep himself from making the mistake that I did when I fell in love with him.

I didn't see Jackson as the falling in love type, but then again, everything Everly told me is never too far from my mind. Maybe I didn't know Jackson as much as I thought I did.

The truck door opened, drawing my thoughts back to the present. I looked over as Jackson slid inside and handed me a room key.

"Here's your key. Our rooms are next to each other, so that's good. I'll drive around to the back so it's closer."

"Thanks," I said as I took the key from him. He drove us around to the back and we parked by the rear entrance. The Inn was very nice and looked expensive.

When I walked into my room, I noticed it had a large champagne-colored four-poster bed and was set up beautifully. There were two nice chaises by a large window and the bathroom was also a decent size with a large claw foot tub.

Jackson was staying in the room next to mine and I noticed we had adjoining doors. How coincidental. I set my purse down on the bed before I decided to take a hot bath. I filled the tub with hot water and soap before I stripped out of my clothes and climbed in.

I sighed as my body adjusted to the hot temperature. This is just what I needed. I could literally feel the tension and stress slowly release from my body. I sighed as my eyes slid shut and I tried to clear my mind.

I'm not sure how much time had passed, but I must have fallen asleep. One second, I was taking in the relaxation the hot water was providing, then the next, Jackson was at the bathroom door. "Princess? You okay?"

I shook my head a little to wake myself up before I answered, "Yeah, I'm fine. You can come in."

He opened the door and paused when he saw me in the tub. My hair was in a messy ponytail on top of my head and I was leaning back against a towel.

"You okay?" I asked find he kept staring at me. He had a weird expression on his face and it confused me. It's not like he hasn't seen me naked nearly a hundred times.

He cleared his throat before glancing away briefly. "Yes, sorry. I was actually coming to check on you. I knocked but didn't hear you." He paused before his eyes met mine. "Are you hungry? I was going to get some food for us."

"Yes, please," I breathed. I was fucking starving. I didn't eat anything before I went up to the bar, and I didn't take Jackson's offer to stop for food on the way up here.

He went to leave and I quickly said, "Wait!" He turned back towards me and I worried my bottom lip. "Come here."

He walked over to me and stood by the tub. I lifted my hand and crooked my finger at him to bend down. When he did, I placed my lips against his.

It was quick and sweet before I pulled away. "Thank you," I said, "for bringing me here."

He straightened and took a step back.
His voice came out a little rough when he said, "You're welcome, Princess. I'll be back with our food soon."

"Okay, I'll be here," I told him as I relaxed back in the tub and watched him leave to go get our food.

Being here, away from the city and the mess that's waiting for me, and with Jackson is the most relaxed I've felt in a long time...

"That was delicious, Jackson. Thank you." I wiped my mouth with a napkin after I finished eating the Thai food he picked up for us.

We were sitting at the small table in my room as we enjoyed our dinner. After I got out of the tub, I realized I didn't have any of my clothes. I was wearing the robe that came with the room right now, but I would have to figure something out.

"No problem. How are you feeling?" He asked with concern as he continued to pick at his food.

"Better," I breathed. "That bath was incredible. I know all of my problems are still waiting for me, but it's nice to be away from it for a little while." I laughed as I added, "I'm also glad that I don't have my phone. It's nice to be disconnected from civilization a little."

I definitely didn't regret breaking my phone. I didn't want to deal with my mother or any of that drama. I just wanted to get through the next couple days and hopefully get some good news from Ryan.

Jackson told me Ryan had called him while he was getting dinner and he didn't have an update yet, but he said he will be up here tomorrow around lunch time.

Jackson got up from the table and walked into his room. I frowned until he came back carrying one of his black t-shirts.

"I know you didn't bring any clothes with you and I had one of my duffle bags in the truck. I figured you could use something to sleep in tonight. I asked Ryan to stop by your place since he has a key and grab some of your clothes."

I got to my feet and took the t-shirt from him. With a smile I said, "Thanks. I guess I ran away from New York in kind of a hurry, didn't I? I didn't even bring clothes."

He chuckled. "Well, you had a lot on your mind." He started heading back towards his room. "I'm going to take a shower and lay down for a while. If you need anything, just come and get me."

After I changed into his shirt, I tried to lay down and watch some TV. A couple hours passed by and I felt restless. I felt wide awake and unable to fall asleep. It was most likely the stress of everything combined with being in a strange place.

A few times I found myself walking to the door that connects our rooms. I almost knocked each time then decided against it. I didn't know if he wanted to be left alone or if he wanted company and I didn't want to bother him.

Another thirty minutes passed by and I couldn't take it anymore. I opened the door slowly incase he was sleeping. I saw that he was sitting in his bed, leaning against the headboard as he watched TV.

As soon as I stepped inside, his eyes shot to me. "Princess? You okay?"

I walked to his side of the bed and I didn't miss how his eyes roamed over my body. Seemed like he liked me wearing his t-shirt as much as I did. "I can't sleep."

"Is there anything--"

I cut him off by pressing my lips to his. I felt his hesitation. I'm not sure if it was from shock or something else. After a few seconds, his hand cupped the side of my face and he deepened the kiss, moaning into my mouth.

He shoved the covers down before he pulled me on top of him and I straddled his waist. I always appreciated the fact that he liked to sleep in the nude; and I felt the his hard length as my body settled on top of his.

I pulled away from his mouth as I reached for the bottom of his shirt that I was wearing to pull it over my head when he stopped me.

"No," he said in a throaty voice as he cast a hungry look at me. "Leave it on."

Yep. He loved me in his shirts. I gave him a wicked smile as I leaned up on my knees and guided him inside me. "My God, you feel amazing," I moaned as he filled me.

"So do you," he said as he started kissing my neck.

I felt his hands grip my thighs as I started riding him slowly. I knew he usually liked to be in control. To dominate me and tell me exactly what he wanted to do. Usually, I loved it when he did that. But sometimes, I think he also liked when I took control a little, too.

And tonight was one of those nights.