Things Change

Jared pointed at her and said, "Hey. A woman as beautiful as you should never joke around with any man about...nuditity!"

"Nuditity? Do you make up a lot of words?" she teased with that amazing smile and another laugh.

"That's a word!" Jared told her.

"Ha! I think we should play Scrabble!"

"Wait. Did you just call me stupid?" Jared asked, keeping it going.

"Stop! I can't take any more! Let's go run," Jaclyn suggested even as she continued laughing.

Jared laid the sweatshirt on the back of her couch then told her to 'lead on'.

They stretched for a minute or so before Jaclyn asked if he was ready.

"How fast do you run?" Jared asked rather than answer her question.

"Let's find out!" she told him as she took off.

Jared was a slow starter but once he was warmed up, he could keep a 6:30-per mile pace going for a very long time. In order to max the run of the Marine Corps Physical Fitness Test or PFT, a Marine had to run three miles in 18 minutes or less. Having run track in high school, Jared had never failed to max the run.

He caught up to Jaclyn and could tell they were moving along at about seven minutes a mile.

"Is this fast enough?" she asked having no idea how strong a runner he was.

Because he'd be able to talk at this pace he told her it was perfect.

Jaclyn actually lived in Port Royal, and they soon passed the Port Royal Elementary School, a veterinarian's office, and then a post office before turning onto Highway 21 which was known as Ribaut Road. It wasn't busy early on Sunday mornings, so it was the only time Jaclyn would run on it.

When they hit the three-mile mark, Jared was ready to rock and roll, but he was enjoying the conversation about how Jaclyn got started running and her training regimen. He shared some of his here and there but mostly he was having fun just listening to her and found her enthusiasm infectious.

Highway 21 turned into Boundary Street in the city of Beaufort, and when they got there Jaclyn was showing no signs of tiring or even slowing down. They ended up running a huge loop all around Beaufort and back into Port Royal.

The last mile Jaclyn tried to outrun him, but when Jared matched her step for step she realized he was the better runner.

"You've been sandbagging me, Quinn!" she said as she gasped for air and had to slow down a bit.

"No way. I've been having the best time I've had in...hours!" he told her.

Jaclyn wanted to laugh but couldn't. Jared let her set the pace the last half mile and stopped when she did.

"You max the PFT, don't you?" she asked as she gulped air while she walked it off.

"No. Just the run and the crunches."

"Okay. No upper body strength, huh?" she teased as they walked and tried to get back to normal.

"I get 18," he told her, referring to the dead hang pull-ups Marines had to do. It took 20 to get the full 100 points and Jared had only done that twice. Were he allowed to kip, he could do 30 or more, but that wasn't permitted.

"If it makes you feel any better, I can't even do one," Jaclyn told him with a laugh.

"It doesn't," Jared said with a laugh of his own.

When the got back inside Jaclyn told him how much she enjoyed the run.

"And the company."

"Same here," Jared told her.

"Would you maybe like to stay for breakfast?" she asked as she grabbed a towel and threw one to Jared.

"Sure, but I'll need to run home and shower first."

"Why? I have a shower here?" she told him with a little smile that made his body ache.

"I don't have any other clothes with me."

"You have your sweatshirt and I have a pair of sweats from when I was...heavier."

"I better not look like I'm wearing..."

He couldn't think of the word so he said, "Those short pants women wear."

"Capri pants?" she replied with another laugh. "They'll be fine. Trust me."

Jared narrowed his eyes and slightly tilted his head.

"You better not be lying to me, missy."

Jaclyn laughed again and promised she wasn't.

"Okay, then. I'll stay. So if you want to shower first..."

"No. I can wait. You go ahead," she told him.

"You sure?"

"Uh-huh. I'm sure. Just let me put another towel out for you, okay?"

Jared was already moving toward the bathroom and Jaclyn was moving toward the other end of the house to grab a towel from the dryer that she hadn't had a chance to fold and put away yet.

By the time she got to the bathroom the water was running. She knocked but didn't hear anything, so she knocked again. Jared was already under the water and couldn't hear her. After standing there for a few seconds, Jaclyn slowly opened the door and went to set the towel down on the floor.

Just as she did, Jared turned around to wet his back and saw her.

"Did you want to come in?" he called out with a laugh.

He was just kidding, and at first, she felt embarrassed as she nearly jumped out of the bathroom backwards as she slammed the door shut. But the feeling disappeared almost immediately, and Jaclyn saw her hand reaching for the doorknob again. If that wasn't scary enough, she watched it turn the knob then push it back open.

"Did you change your mind?" she heard Jared say, his hair soapy with shampoo.

She didn't want to look, but it was if she was possessed, and her eyes scanned his body from head to toe in an instant. And in that short amount of time, her own body reacted in a way it hadn't in so long it made her tremble.

Jared was lean and hard and...very nicely equipped. So while a part of her wanted to undress and step in with him, another part told her that was wrong on every level. But when Jared pulled the glass door back and held out his hand, Jaclyn lost the ability to think.

"Come here," he told her as he pulled on her hand a little.

She managed to kick her shoes off but was otherwise still wearing everything she'd worn on the run. Jared pushed the sliding glass shut then put his arms around her and kissed her as the water beat down on them both. It no longer mattered that she was still fully clothed as tongues swirled while Jared began solving the matter of her being overdressed for the occasion.

Jaclyn lost track of time as heavy, wet items of clothing plopped down on the shower floor next to her as hands groped and squeezed and stroked and held. Fingers and hands delivered pleasure and then, before she knew what was happening, Jaclyn's face was against the glass as she felt him against her back and then...inside her.

It had been so long since she'd experienced this kind of pleasure that she cried out in ecstasy, moaning and trying to grab onto anything she could find as he took her as deeply as she'd ever been taken before. In a dreamlike state, Jaclyn felt her body spasm so hard she could barely breath as he entered her to the hilt and held it there while pressing his body against hers. She exploded in wave after wave of pleasure as she came so hard it made her scream.

When the passion subsided enough for her to think again she asked if he'd 'finished', too. Jared nodded toward the floor where the proof that he had was swirling toward the drain.

Jaclyn laughed again then moved closer and put her arms around him and just held him as the water continued to fall. Jared held her back then reached for the bar of soap and began lathering her as he admired how firm and hard every inch of her was. She then returned the favor before they rinsed off and got ready to get out.

"You uh, you lost your clothes," Jared said as they toweled off together.

"No. I believe someone tore them off of me," Jaclyn playfully corrected him.

"I see. So...are you complaining?" he asked very seriously as he tried not to laugh.

Jaclyn dropped her towel, moved closer, then kissed him.

"Uh-uh. Just reporting the facts."

Jared hung up his wet towel then asked where these 'huge sweatpants of hers' were.

"They're on the bed."

Seconds later, Jared was wearing them and realized he needed to pull the drawstring to keep them up.

"How...big...were you?" he asked when Jaclyn came out, her towel covering her body.

"Maybe I'll show you an old photo sometime."

"That big, huh?"

"Oh, yeah. That was the darkest time of my life."

"And yet...look at you now," he said in a very kind way.

"You're not...disappointed?" she asked, the question causing him to shake his head in disbelief.

"Disappointed? Ha! How could I be disappointed with..."

He walked over and undid the towel then smiled.

"With...perfection."

Jaclyn felt 'him' though the fabric of the sweats and laughed.

"Has something...come up?" she asked as seriously as she could while she put her arms around him.

"I hate to admit it, but you've had that effect on me from the first time I saw you."

"You should get that looked at," she replied just as seriously.

Jared smiled at then gently pushed down on her shoulders. When she didn't resist he continued pushing until she was on her knees in front of him.

She pulled the sweats down over the huge bulge then gave her initial diagnosis.

"Oh, yes. This looks serious. Very serious!"

"Maybe you should have a closer look...nurse."

Jaclyn laughed then told him she'd love to as she took him in her hand. Just before she pulled him into her mouth she said, "It's funny, but as much as enjoy lovemaking, I might love doing this even more."

Jared shook his head in disbelief then groaned deeply when he felt her soft lips wrap around his shaft until another discharge occurred several minutes later.

As Jaclyn made breakfast for them, Jared noticed the glorious smell of bacon.

He came up behind her and put his arms around her waist and said, "You're beautiful, a strong runner, smart, funny, great in...the shower, and you're not a vegan!"

She laughed then told him she had her moments.

"I'll say," Jared told her as he nuzzled her neck before a speck of hot grease hit the back of hand.

Jaclyn tried not to laugh but couldn't help it because of the way he pulled back so fast.

"Man that hurt!"

She laughed again when she saw him shaking his hand.

"And I thought you were the smarter one," she said without looking his way, a big smile on her face.

"If you weren't in the 'danger zone' I'd come over there and..."

"And what? Get burned again?" she teased, happier than she'd been in years.

"Good point," Jared admitted before laughing at himself.

The bacon, eggs, and toast were perfect after the long run and the...fun...they had afterwards together. The only surprise was that Jaclyn didn't eat any bacon.

"So are you a vegetarian?" Jared asked.

"No. Not at all. I just won't eat bacon anymore."

She grabbed her phone, went to 'Photos' then scrolled down a bit before handing him the phone.

"You were warned," she said as she gave it to him.

"Oh, my...goodness. Jaclyn. Is that really you?"

She was wearing the same sweats he had on along with a dumpy looking top. Her hair was a mess and had he not been told there was no chance he'd have recognized her.

She waited for him to hand the phone back to her then told him she had other pics but didn't want to show them.

"I think that was my way of trying to keep my ex from ever even trying or wanting to, you know."

"Get frisky?"

"Yes. He was drunk so much of the time it disgusted me. So when he drank, I ate."

She hesitated then said, "A LOT."

"That's truly amazing."

She then showed him a photo from high school and it also blew his mind.

"You were a babe!"

He laughed then said, "Like you are now."

"Yeah. And yet all three of those were me. Granted, I didn't like Me#2 very much, but it was still me."

Jared looked at her and said, "I'm really proud of you, Jaclyn. And may I say you are definitely not a quitter."

That word, as well as his kind words, made her laugh.

"I'm so glad I discovered running."

Jared took her hand and told her he was, too, before insisting on clearing the table, something her former husband had never done, not even when they were dating. But Jared did, and as she watched him, she couldn't help but think that she could very easily fall in love with this much-younger man who shared her greatest passion.

"I really should go home and change," he said once the dishes were rinsed off and in the sink.

"If you must," Jaclyn replied with a sweet smile.

"I'd invite you to come with me, but I have a roommate, and let's just say he's more the um...stereotypical Marine...and leave it at that."

"I've met a few of those," Jaclyn said as a reminder.

"Oh, right. Gee. Duh."

Jaclyn laughed again and told him she'd had an absolutely wonderful weekend.

"Me, too. And I wouldn't mind having more of these. A lot more."

"Hmmm. That's interesting because I was thinking the very same thing."

"Yeah?" Jared said as he moved closer and put his arms around her.

"Uh-huh."

He gently brushed her hair back and told her again he thought she was amazing.

"I feel the same way about you, too," she said right back.

Jared looked into her eyes for several seconds then leaned down a bit and kissed her. The kiss got passionate very quickly and that made him say, "If we don't stop this, I'm going to want to take you to bed again."

Jaclyn gave him a coy little smile and said, "You haven't actually taken me to bed yet."

"Oh, right. Yeah, there was the shower, and then the uh, well, the amazing surprise!"

"I'll surprise you again if you'd like stay a little while longer."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Uh huh. I honestly do love that."

"Wow. Well, in that case I'd love to stay."

"Then follow me!" she said playfully as she took his hand and took him to bed.

Jared followed her and she did indeed surprise him again. But the nicest surprise came afterward when she lay there in his arms and they just talked. It was now obvious they were compatible in bed. In fact—very compatible. But Jared realized he still knew very little about her. So when Jaclyn asked him his views on politics, he had the opportunity to share them and found that she was right there with him. The same was true with regard to religious beliefs.

"I hear that money is even more important than sex," he mentioned after talking about two of the 'biggies' in any relationship.

"Oh, right. I've heard that, too. More marriages end over money than sex."

Jared had become a saver in a big way. He thought that perhaps Jaclyn would be a spender having been kept on such a tight leash for so long, but as it turned out, she was also very much into delayed gratification.

"I don't need much to be happy," she told him. "In fact, the only thing I've ever really wanted is a loving husband who respects me."

"No kids?" Jared asked.

"Oh, yes. Definitely. But I want the loving husband first. I'm obviously no prude when it comes to lovemaking, but I don't ever want to get married again unless I know the guy is as dedicated to making it work as I am."

"Are you some kind of mind reader?" Jared asked when she echoed another one of his primary tenets on relationships. No, he'd never really had any experience with them, but that didn't mean he hadn't given some thought to what he eventually wanted. And a woman who was willing to compromise and work hard at making things work was huge.

"No, I'm not a mind reader. But after having failed so miserably the first time around, I don't even want to think about a second failure."

She looked up and saw Jared looking at her in a way that made her ask what he was doing.

"Sorry. I'm just trying to understand how your former husband could be so...ungrateful."

When Jaclyn broke eye contact Jared assumed it was because he'd touched a nerve. But the real reason was that, in spite of everything she knew and that others had told her, she still couldn't help but think a lot of the reason her marriage failed was her fault.

"You're...you're the pearl of great price," Jared told her when she didn't say anything for several seconds.

"What's that?" she asked, still not looking at him.

"It's from the Bible. It's a parable, or at least I think it is."

"What does it mean?"

"Well, it's about a man who, when he realizes how valuable something is, goes and sells all that he has in exchange for it. In that case, it's a pearl; a pearl of great price."

He kissed the top of her head, pulled her even closer with his right arm then said, "That's my impression of you so far, Jaclyn. And if I hurt you by mentioning your ex in that regard, I'm really sorry."

When Jaclyn finally looked up, Jared saw the tears in her eyes and felt terrible.

"It's not you," she told him. "Or not in any bad way. I...I just wanted to hear those kinds of things for as long as I can remember. Not even necessarily that...poetic. Just some hint of appreciation, you know?"

He smiled at her but didn't say anything.

"And now, here you are, making me feel like I've never felt before."

"So you're not upset with me?" he asked.

"Upset? No. Not at all. Just the opposite. I think maybe I'm the one who found this...pearl of great price...and well, I guess I can't help but think that maybe I'll lose it, and..."

"Hey. Stop that," Jared said very quietly.

"Sorry. I know I'm insecure, and I hate it."

"I understand," he told her. "How could you not? You've never had anyone make you feel as wonderful and special as you are, let alone stand by you through thick and through thin."

"Maybe you're the mind reader," she told him, finally smiling.

"Or maybe you're an open book that's easy and pleasant to read," Jared suggested.

Jaclyn looked away again, and as her head rested on his chest she said, "You're trying to make me fall in love with you, aren't you?"

She could tell he was smiling but also knew he wasn't being sarcastic when he asked her, "Is it working?"

She rolled over on top of him, smiled happily then said, "You probably shouldn't ask me that unless you're ready to hear the answer."

"Oh, okay," a very surprised Jared Quinn replied.

He was surprised because he was hinting around and hoping to hear her say that it was working, and her answer led him to believe that maybe she didn't think it was, and now he was very confused. Then again, they barely knew one another, so perhaps that was the best he could hope for at this stage of their budding relationship.

When Jared got back to his place, his roommate was nursing a hangover from the 12-pack he'd put away the night before. He was up and feeling like hell, but he still noticed the baggy sweats and that his fellow sergeant was carrying his PT gear.

"Did you run into a thrift shop and find some fat-ass's old sweats?" Bill snarked.

Jared chuckled and told him that hadn't happened.

"So...what did happen?"

"We ran the loop around Beaufort and Port Royal for starters."

"Whoa! Are you insane?"

"Maybe."

"How far is that?"

"I'd tell you, but it'd just make your head hurt even more."

"Good call."

"And we uh, we talked. I mean, we really talked."

Through the pounding in his head, Bill still understood what he was hearing.

"You're falling this chick, aren't you?"

Jared stood there for several seconds, the damp running clothes still in his hands then said, "I think maybe I am."

"No! Not you! Not...Jared Quinn. Please tell me that ain't so."

"I would. But only if it was true."

"And it isn't...true, is it?" Bill asked, his foggy brain trying to understand what was going on.

"Yeah. I...I think maybe you're right."

"Isn't she a lot older than you?"

"I guess. I just don't think it's a big deal."

"How about her? Is she okay dating Bambi?"

Jared laughed then told him she had no problem with it.

"I'll be damned," Bill said with a shake of his head. "So I take you haven't 'hit that' yet, right?"

"Everything in its time, my friend," Jared replied with a smile that confused his roomie even more.

"Well, you better make sure she's good in the sack before you get into this too deep, man."