Jackson leaned against the back door for a moment, trying to shake the fatigue in his bones. Running around on the land to check the progress of the crews had taken more energy than he’d had to give. A shower and one of Aja’s delicious meals would be the perfect way to end this frantic day.
The sound of laughter coming from the great room made him push off the door and head down the hall to see what all the ruckus was. He smiled when he found Aja sitting on the couch, her head thrown back in laughter. It was a shocking sight. Not that he hadn’t seen her smile in his short time on the ranch. But the only time he’d seen her this relaxed had been those fleeting moments when she’d allowed him to touch her body.
His eyes traveled down the length of her seated form until he saw a hand on her knee. Jackson felt his tired muscles tensing and immediately chastised himself. She isn’t yours. She doesn’t belong to you. Yeah, he could tell himself that, but somehow it didn’t stop the flame of anger from swelling in the pit of his belly.
He tracked the hand back to its owner and clenched his jaw so tightly, he thought he might have damaged something. There, sitting cozy next to Aja, touching Aja, was Mat Ryan. Son of a bitch.
Jackson’s hands curled into tight fists on their own as he swallowed the hard pill sitting in the middle of his dry throat. He wanted to fight, and he might have given in to that barbaric desire if he hadn’t glimpsed movement to the right of the room.
He blinked, trying his best to clear his vision. He saw Judge Henry sitting with a woman who, if Jackson’s assessment of their shared almond-shaped eyes and high, round cheeks was accurate, must be Aja’s aunt Jo, sitting and laughing at something Jackson had missed.
Jackson heard his name in the distance and returned his attention to Aja. She was smiling, but her eyes seemed to question him as they darted back and forth, as if she were scanning him for answers. “Jackson, is everything all right?”
“Everything’s fine.” His answer was direct, absent any of the familiarity they’d come to share. “Wanted to give you an update on the work that went on today. Could I pull you away from your company for a few moments?”
Aja must have caught his meaning because he saw the brief tick in her jaw before she painted a polite smile on her face. “Sure. Excuse me, everyone. This won’t take but a moment.”
She stood and walked into the hall, gesturing for him to follow her with the wave of her hand. She headed toward the kitchen in the back of the house, but Jackson lightly touched her shoulder, shaking his head when she turned around to look at him. “Upstairs, please.”
“Why, are you afraid you won’t be able to keep your voice down in my kitchen?”
“Exactly.”
She rolled her eyes so hard, Jackson had to wonder if she was on the verge of popping something vital. By the looks of it, she was as displeased with him as he was with her. When they made it upstairs, she went to open the door on her own, and he reached over her, moving her hand out of the way and opening the door instead. She might be pissed with him, and he with her, but there was no need to forget his home training.
In the center of the guest room with her arms folded over her chest, she worked her hard stare into a full-on glare. He motioned for her to take a seat, but she continued to stand there, staring at him. Her beautiful eyes were bright, the fire of her anger transforming them from their rich, soothing brown into something like a dazzling chocolate opal. His body responded to that fire, and he was this close to forgetting why he’d brought her upstairs in the first place. Focus, Jackson.
If he weren’t so mad at her, his mouth would be hitched in a grin. She was sexy, even when she was being as hardheaded as his daddy’s old mule. But now wasn’t the time for smiles or for satisfying the need simmering beneath his skin.
No, now was the time to lay down the law. The problem was, Aja knew the law better than most, and Jackson knew from the sharp set of her jaw that she was ready to tell him to go straight to hell before he’d even started the conversation. No sense in dragging this out. Let’s get to it.
“What do you have me up here for, Jackson?”
“Aja, don’t play dumb. It doesn’t suit you. You know damn well why I asked you to come up here. Why is Mat sitting in your house?”
“I don’t think that’s a question that requires answering. I explained his presence in my home the first day you arrived here.”
“Aja, I asked you to limit his access to the ranch. He could be the person who had his hands wrapped around your neck two nights ago.”
She shook her head and waved a dismissive hand in the air. “You know damn well your problem with Mat has shit to do with my attack and everything to do with your jealousy.”
The truth of her accusation struck him in the gut, and it was all he could do to keep from folding over at the center. “I’m not jealous.”
She lifted a skeptical brow and pointed a finger at him. “That’s bullshit. Every time he gets anywhere near me, you act the ass. I watched you watching him touch me—a platonic, meaningless touch, by the way. I’m surprised you didn’t melt the man into a bubbling puddle of goo with the angry laser beams you were directing at him.”
She was right again, but damn if he would concede that fact right now. He needed to get the conversation back under control. His control.
“It didn’t look all that platonic from where I was standing.”
She huffed, as if she were trying to keep her blood pressure down. By the exhausted sound she made, he didn’t think it was working, though.
“That man has no interest in me. I’m not the one he’s sweet on—Brooklyn is.”
Jackson’s mouth hung open. “He’s dealing with Brooklyn?”
Aja shook her head. “I didn’t say anything about him seeing Brooklyn. I said he’s attracted to her. He helped Brooklyn a lot when she got out. I think they both developed a bit of a crush on each other as a result. But Mat wouldn’t cross the line with her as long as she was his parolee.”
“And you believe him?”
“Yeah,” she answered. “He used to have separate meetings with Seneca and Brooklyn. But shortly after Brooklyn started living and working here, he stopped their individual visits. He never allows himself to be alone with her. He really is a decent guy who’s just trying to do the right thing.”
Jackson stood with his arms crossed and lips pushed out into a petulant pout. “Maybe. But I still don’t like him touching you.”
She waved her finger in front of his face until she was certain she had his attention. She hadn’t needed to do that because Aja always had his attention, even when she didn’t know it.
“Newsflash, Jackson—you are the one who said we couldn’t have a relationship. I would’ve gladly made it more. Hell, as good as we were together, I would’ve considered making it last beyond your time here on Restoration. But that’s not what you said you wanted. All you offered was a night. And since I’m not about begging a man to give me his time, that’s all I accepted.
“You were clear on your boundaries, so let me be clear on mine. This is my home, my land, and my business. Mat plays an integral role in that as Seneca and Brooklyn’s parole officer. You will respect my decision that he is allowed on the ranch. Just because I spent a night with you doesn’t give you rein over my life.”
“I don’t get it.” He threw his hands up in the air in frustration. “You will take on anyone, including the sheriff, to protect Seneca’s and Brooklyn’s rights, but you won’t lift a finger to protect yourself. Why are they more important than you?”
Her shoulders drooped a little, as if some of the fight was leaving her. “Because sometimes you help people so you can live with yourself, so your own life can have meaning.”
“Live with yourself? You were a lawyer for debutantes and celebrities. What could you have done that requires this kind of atonement?”
She looked down at t
he floor for a moment, shaking her head before she looked at him again. There was sadness there. Something so serious, it made goose bumps rise underneath his skin.
“I’m not perfect, Jackson. I’ve never claimed to be. And I hope that’s not how you see me. We all have things in our past we’re not proud of. I’m simply trying to be a better version of myself. And the best way I know to do that is to help people like Seneca and Brooklyn reestablish their lives.”
He groaned, trying to hold his temper at her refusal to see herself the way he did. Aja might not think she was perfect. But in his eyes, aside from her stubborn streak, she was about as perfect as he’d come across.
“I know you want to help them. But let me tell you, as worthy as they are to live their lives in peace like the next person, you are the only one I care about saving. You are the one in immediate danger. Not them. So maybe I am a little possessive about you, more than I have the right to be. But I make no qualms about admitting you are all I care about in this scenario.
“Perhaps I can’t give you a relationship, Aja. But that has no bearing on the way you’ve burrowed yourself under my skin, the way you’ve made your presence and well-being a priority. Even if I can’t have you for my own, I’ll be damned if I’ll see anything happen to you. If you won’t protect yourself, I must. And the only authority I need to protect you is my badge, and whatever this thing is that’s been sitting inside my chest since the moment I laid eyes on you. I’ll do what I have to in order to keep you safe.”
She continued to stare at him, her vision roaming over his face, looking for something unspoken. If it was the truth, she wouldn’t have to look far, because Jackson meant every word he’d said.
“Jackson,” she huffed as she dropped her arms to her sides. “I don’t know how you can be such an asshole one minute and so endearing the next.”
He dared to let a smile cross his lips as he took slow steps toward her. He placed a careful hand on her cheek. They might have shared each other’s bodies, but it was obvious he hadn’t earned the right to touch her at will. Besides, knowing she wanted him, that she would allow him to enter her personal space, was so alluring. He lived for moments like this one, where she answered his request by burrowing into his touch. “It’s part of my charm.”
“It has to be.” She stepped closer until she was pressed against him, pulling his hand from her face and wrapping it around her waist as she laid her head on his chest. “Otherwise, that cut I got on my head when the barn exploded did more damage than I realized. Because for some unexplainable reason, I keep wanting to end up in your arms.”
He tightened his hold on her, reveling in the way her nearness soothed and excited him at the same time. What he wouldn’t give to keep them like this all the time, secluded away from the outside world. They fit together perfectly when it was just them. When his job and her crusade to save everyone else weren’t in the way, there was harmony between them. It was selfish of him, and he had no problems admitting that to himself or anyone else who would listen, but he wanted more of this. More of her.
He placed a kiss on the top of her head, and she looked up at him. The fire in her eyes had cooled to a sexy simmer instead of the angry blaze he’d witnessed before. He leaned down, taking the moment to press hungry lips to hers. When she responded with a languid moan, he deepened the kiss, licking at her full bottom lip, demanding entrance into her mouth.
Aja was no wilting flower. She met each demand with one of her own, and soon, instead of arguing like two fools, they were standing in the middle of the room, tongues tangling, fighting to taste as much of each other as possible.
He felt her pull away first and chased her mouth with his until she took a step away from him. “I would so love to see where this could go, but I’ve got lasagna coming out of the oven in”—she looked down at her watch, then back at him—“two minutes. And Cajun lasagna isn’t a thing, so I have to save it from burning to a crisp. And also, you’re filthy. I love a rugged cowboy as much as the next girl, but ‘smelling like outside’ is not as tantalizing an aroma as one might think.”
He reached for her, and she dodged his hand by stepping to the side, barely out of his grip. “Are you telling me I stink?”
She tugged her bottom lip playfully between her teeth. “You said it.”
“You could help me get clean.”
“I could, but the lasagna would burn.” She looked at him again, something wicked flaring in her eyes. “It would also violate that one-night rule you instituted. And I wouldn’t want to contribute to you breaking your own rules.”
He closed his eyes. Her words were as sharp as a slap across the face. “That was my rule, wasn’t it?” He opened his eyes again to see the gleam of amusement brightening her features. She liked this. She wasn’t the least bit concerned that her entertainment came at his expense.
“It certainly wasn’t mine.” She circled him, appraising him as she took her fill. “I’m all for indulging in the things I enjoy. Denying yourself the things that make you happy is masochistic, in my opinion. And masochism ain’t my thing. Although since I met you, I can’t lie and say the whole bondage thing hasn’t crossed my mind. Imagining what you could do to a girl with your handcuffs has been…entertaining, to say the least.”
He groaned so loud, he was certain the people downstairs could hear it. “You are trying to kill me.”
She smiled, then walked to the door. “No, Jackson. I’m trying to show you the opportunities that lie in front of you. All you have to do is take them. Now, clean up and get downstairs. I’ll have a thick slice of lasagna served up for you when you get there.”
She left him standing alone in the room, wondering what the hell had happened. He’d dragged her up here to bend her to his will. But instead of getting her to agree to keep Mat off the ranch, she had him rethinking the one-night moratorium he’d placed on their lovemaking. Like you haven’t been rethinking that stupid rule of yours since she let you slide inside her.
He ran a hand through his tight curls and shook his head. Once again, the sexy lady lawyer had used her skills to turn the tables. And deep down, he wasn’t so certain he was all that upset about it.
Chapter 26
Jackson had never been so happy for a meal to end. Sitting across from Mat, he found fighting to keep the scowl off his face harder than he’d thought. Even after Aja’s declaration that the man had a thing for Brooklyn, the memory of his hand on Aja’s knee didn’t sit well with Jackson.
Quit it, Dean. You’re only mad because you’re being a possessive asshole.
It was the truth. He wouldn’t lie to himself by saying it wasn’t. Jackson was a brute for sure. But jealous and possessive weren’t traits he usually exhibited. He didn’t walk around marking his territory. But his inability to do so with Aja was making him suspicious of a man who wasn’t even interested in her.
“Jackson, may I have a moment on the back porch?”
Jackson turned to see Aja’s uncle standing at the counter. He followed the judge out the back door and looked around to make certain they were alone. Satisfied they were, Jackson waited for him to speak his peace.
“I see you’ve taken her safety seriously. There was security to greet us at the front gates. Is the entire ranch secure yet?”
“Not all of it.” Jackson huffed. “This is a big place. It will take at least a week or more to get the ranch covered in weatherproof cameras. But the crews are working hard. I’m keeping an eye on Aja, and my men are watching the ladies that work for her.”
“So you don’t think it’s them?”
Jackson couldn’t definitively say what he thought. Other than them being ex-convicts, there wasn’t a clear motive why Seneca or Brooklyn would terrorize Aja. “As of now, they’re clean. My men were actually with them when Aja’s attack occurred. We have no reason to believe the culprit is one of them.”
The judge scratched a
t the back of his head. “What’s the next step, Jackson?”
“We prepare and wait. He was bold enough to step into her room. He won’t stay away after that. And when he returns, I’ll make him wish he hadn’t.”
The judge slapped him on his shoulder and turned toward the door. “That’s exactly why I placed you here. To make whoever did this pay.”
The sound of footsteps and voices entering the kitchen filtered out onto the back porch, bringing their conversation to an immediate end. Jackson followed the judge back inside the kitchen where Mat stood next to Aja as she sliced healthy helpings of pineapple coconut cake and placed them on dessert plates on the counter.
“Mr. Dean.” Jackson’s gaze followed Mat’s voice. “We didn’t get much of a chance to chat at dinner. Aja tells us you’re helping get the ranch ready for opening next spring.”
Jackson allowed a long pause to linger in the air before responding. “It’s my job to keep things running smoothly for Aja. It’s why she hired me.”
“How…um…how long have you been a ranch hand?”
Jackson squinted as he tried to figure out what Mat was after. The small talk was obvious and awkward. He’d never said more than a few words at a time to Jackson before now.
Probably because you’re always silently threatening to do him bodily harm.
Aja must have worried that Jackson’s inner asshole was about to show up, because she cut the last and largest slice of the cake, plating it and pushing it in front of Jackson.
Their eyes connected, and he could see the bright twinkle of mischief in her eyes. She was bribing him with cake. It was ridiculous—this woman actually thought a thick slice of the sweet confection could convince Jackson to play nicely with Mat.
He stared at Aja for a moment more and then down at the cake. He felt the decided tear in his armor when she slid a napkin with a fork on top of it next to his hand.
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