The dozen or so people gathered on her back porch and the extending deck laughed. A quick glance among the people, and Aja easily found her aunt smiling with pride.
“Two years ago, I had everything a woman could want: money, prestige, and the respect of my colleagues. I mingled in the world of celebrities and dignitaries. Figuratively, I was sitting on top of the world. I had everything at my fingertips, and yet still, I wasn’t happy.
“As wonderful as things looked on the outside, life was too busy stripping me of everything that mattered for me to embrace the blessings around me. So Aunt Jo called me and told me to come home.”
She stopped for a second to clear her throat. The memory of that call, of the love her aunt extended to her, still made Aja so raw on the inside. “I told her I was born and lived all my life in Brooklyn, New York. She told me that Brooklyn might be where I was born and lived, but home was where family was, and my family was in Texas waiting on me. I knew she was speaking the truth, so I packed up my life and came back to Restoration Ranch with a plan to restore, revive, and renew both this land and my life, determined to find my second chance here.
“Seneca Daniels and Brooklyn Osborn came here with the same intentions. They faced far greater obstacles than I ever could have. But even though the deck has been consistently stacked against them, they took a chance on me and my offer of a new beginning and tapped into the healing power of this land to remake themselves.
“And so tonight it is my honor to celebrate these two women and the journey they’ve embarked on. Ladies and gentlemen, please raise your glasses for Seneca and Brooklyn, two women who have fought for their own piece of happiness. They’re proof second chances work.”
The small group cheered, and Aja smiled as she caught sight of the glimmer of unshed tears in Seneca’s and Brooklyn’s eyes. She motioned for them to come up and speak. Seneca begged off, shaking her head and wiping at her eyes. Brooklyn stepped next to Aja, hugged her tightly, and turned back to their guests. “You want to say something, Brooklyn?”
The woman lifted her half-filled champagne glass toward the crowd and said, “Yeah. Let’s eat.”
Laughter rose into the air, and Aja shook her head at Brooklyn’s quintessential response, then ushered her guests inside the house to the waiting chafing dishes. Folks quickly fell in line, heaping the offerings onto their plates and finding a space to enjoy their selections.
Aja found herself in line, plating enough food for two, when Jackson’s strong hand settled on the small of her back. “Our plans still on?”
“Yeah, but if I don’t fix plates for us now, it will all be gone. And as excited as I am to sneak away with you, I’m not missing Aunt Jo’s steamed cabbage for anyone.”
“All right, make it quick.”
His impatience made her chuckle. “You’re the one who’d better be quick. We only have a few minutes.”
His eyes widened with excitement. “More than enough for what I have in mind. Now, let me wrap these plates up and stick them in the fridge. I’ve got plans for you, Ms. Everett.”
He took the plates out of her hands and headed toward the counter next to the fridge, giving her the opportunity to get an eyeful of his muscled body as he walked away. Whatever plans he had in mind for her, Aja knew one thing—she was in so much trouble, and she liked it.
Chapter 37
I should really be ashamed of myself.
The thought lingered for a moment in the back of her mind. It was true. She had guests upstairs, two of whom were her aunt and uncle. But instead of being a gracious hostess, she was bent over the top of her aunt’s deep freezer with her skirt jacked around her waist, and Jackson slamming inside her dripping body so good it was impossible for her to feel any genuine guilt about her behavior.
“God, I’m almost there.” This was the second time she’d uttered those words in the short time they’d been locked away in the basement. The first time Jackson had been on his back while she was riding him, milking every inch of pleasure his smooth length offered her.
Determined to live out his fantasy of bending her over the nearest sturdy object and hiking her skirt over her bare ass, Jackson had taken advantage of her momentary postorgasm weakness, and she found herself holding on to the freezer for purchase while he buried himself so deep, her legs were shaking.
She didn’t know if he recognized she was so gone, so lost in the ecstasy he brought her that she could hardly stand on her own two feet. But he paused for a moment and hooked his hand behind her knee, causing it to instinctively bend. He lifted her leg and placed it atop the freezer, then bottomed out inside her again, even deeper than before.
“Come on, woman. Give me what I want, or I swear we’ll be here until someone from upstairs comes looking for us.”
She bit her lip and moaned as quietly as she could. The way he had every nerve in her body on edge, lit with the blazing fire of her desire, she was tempted to hold out on climaxing for as long as she could. Guests be damned, the way her sex molded to his, the way she burned from the inside out as he touched her in the most intimate places, being discovered by people milling about in her home was a reasonable price for satisfaction.
She fought the orgasm trying to take root. She wasn’t ready for this to be over yet. But Jackson must have sensed her refusal to let go because he slid his hand down the pad of her abdomen until his fingers slid between her folds and he caressed her clit with his fingertips.
Whatever restraint she thought she had bled away, and she fell to the power of her climax. It grabbed at every muscle she had, forcing her to bear down to keep from falling to pieces.
“That’s it, baby girl. Ride it out.” He kept pounding into her, kept her riding the crest of her peak, extending it until it triggered another orgasm, one that made her cry out. He leaned in to her, placing a hand over her mouth, muffling the tortured sounds climbing out of her throat.
He pummeled into her until she was spent and her bones became soft and malleable, unable to hold her up. And when her moan turned into an almost sob, his rhythm faltered. The tip of his cock was wedged so deep inside her, straddling the line between pleasure and pain as his release pulsed into the latex barrier separating them. He grabbed on to her breasts, squeezing them as he buried his mouth in the curve of her neck and smothered the powerful roar his orgasm tore from him.
He dislodged himself and sprawled over the freezer as she did. “I swear to God, the next time we do that, I want nothing between us. If my doctor doesn’t send me my damn test results soon, I’m liable to shoot him.”
She offered a weak chuckle as a response. It was a task breathing and attempting to concentrate on actual words at the same time. Speaking would’ve required more mental power than she had at the moment.
Since they’d become an official item last week, they’d come to a decision they wanted no barriers between them. All that remained for them to cross that line were Jackson’s test results. Aja’s had come in yesterday. She was already on birth control, so as soon as his doctor gave him a clean bill of health, they were ditching the condoms.
It probably should’ve panicked her. But if she knew anything about Jackson Dean, it was that he was a man of his word. She trusted him, and that was important. But the most remarkable thing was they trusted each other and were taking this step together.
It was a big change for both of them. He was moving beyond his past, and she was finally ready to get over hers too.
It was happening. Slowly but surely, it was happening.
Aja stood on wobbly legs, searching the floor for her panties. “I am not going back upstairs bare-assed, Jackson. You tossed them, you gotta help me find them.”
He continued to lie on the top of the deep freezer, giggling like a crazed fool, completely unbothered by her frantic request. Realizing her distress seemed to amuse him further, she pulled her skirt from around her waist and walked t
he few steps to the basket of folded towels sitting on top of the dryer. She removed two hand towels and threw one at him. “If you won’t help me, at least go in the half bath near the back of the stairs and clean up.”
He sat up, grabbing the towel in one hand. “Darlin’, I can’t seem to get mad at the thought of your walking around bare-assed under that skirt.”
“Jackson,” she called out as she continued searching the floor for her undergarments. “I cannot walk around with no panties on while serving guests food and drinks. My aunt and uncle are upstairs.”
“True. But only you and I would know. Having that kind of secret running through my mind every time I looked at you would be better than a slice of your pineapple coconut cake. And you know how I love that.”
The sound of his delicious words did more than entice her, they aroused her. She turned around to see the naughty smile gleaming in his dark eyes. Everything in her wanted to give in to his request. No one would know. Just you and that gorgeous hunk of man.
“If I were wearing pants, maybe. But not with a miniskirt. If I bend over the wrong way, there goes our secret.”
Another flash of mischief lit up his face, leaving Aja wondering what carnal thought was crossing his mind when he huffed as he pushed his hand in his pants pocket.
“I guess you’re right,” he acquiesced before pulling his hand free of his pocket and tossing her panties at her.
“You had them the whole time?”
He laughed again and headed for the bathroom when she balled up the remaining towel and pulled her arm back as if she were preparing to pitch in a championship baseball game.
When he was out of sight, she let the amusement she was holding in for his benefit bubble to the surface. She looked at the crime scene, a.k.a. the deep freezer, and went to a cabinet where she knew there was a bleach cleaner and sponges.
When Jackson returned from the bathroom, Aja was bent over the freezer, spraying and scrubbing the top with furious circular motions. “You keep scrubbing at that thing that way, and you’ll take the paint off it.”
“If Aunt Jo finds out your naked ass was sitting on top of her deep freezer, she’s gonna take a switch to both our hides. I’m not going out like that.”
He shook his head, looking at her as if she were losing her grip with reality. “It was closed, and I’m sure the meat inside is vacuum-sealed in thick plastic. Besides, don’t you own the land and the houses built on it? Doesn’t that technically make this your deep freezer?”
“You obviously don’t understand. She is the matriarch of my family. It doesn’t matter that I own the deed; that kitchen and everything that goes in it is hers when she’s on the property.”
“Are you as territorial as your aunt? It could be fun if you are.”
She shook her head and put her hands on her hips. “You can take your chances with her if you want. Me? I’m cleaning it so there are no questions later.” When she was done, she tossed the sponge in a nearby trash can, returned the cleaner to its hidden spot in the cabinet, and washed her hands in the mudroom sink. She grabbed the hand towel she’d picked up earlier and headed toward the bathroom. “Oh, don’t forget to grab a few bottles of wine from the racks on that wall to the far right. That is what we supposedly came down here for. Right?”
He tipped his imaginary hat and gave her a wide smile and a hearty “Yes, ma’am” before heading to the wine rack. A spark of happiness danced inside her belly, and she wrapped her arms around her middle as she embraced it. Whether it was because of his smile or the way he’d made her lose herself in ecstasy a few moments ago, Aja was content. No matter what happened after this, nothing could rob her of the serenity these shared moments with him in her dark basement had brought.
* * *
Aja carried an armful of wine bottles carefully in a crate. Did she really think they needed the crate she carried, plus the one Jackson held in his hands? Nope. And the lifted brow Seneca shared with her when she caught sight of their bounty said she thought they’d overdone it too. But this was Aja’s story, and she was sticking to it. If her courtroom days had taught her anything, it was that the appearance of propriety was much more important than actually being proper.
Jackson placed his crate down and then reached for hers, placing it on the counter alongside his. “Did you get everything you wanted in the cellar?”
Aja held up a finger, suspending Seneca’s shady question while she turned to Jackson. “Would you mind getting me a glass of my special iced tea from the fridge? It’s in a thermos that has my name engraved on the front.”
“Sure thing.” He left the two ladies at the counter together and made his way toward the fridge.
She gave Seneca a conspiratorial smile before she answered. They both might know Aja and Jackson’s cover was flimsy, but she would not concede defeat to Seneca’s attempt to snoop. “Everything.” Her answer was accompanied by a hand on her hip and an easy smile. “I found reds, whites, and even a few blushes in the mix.”
“I bet you did.” Seneca put a hand on Aja’s shoulder. “Girl, I want details.”
“People in hell want ice water, too, but you don’t see them getting it.”
“You are so selfish. First you’re making special batches of iced tea for yourself, and now you won’t kiss and tell.”
“You know folks only want sweet tea here. It’s a great drink, but mixing alcohol in it is horrible. Long Island iced teas, on the other hand, mix wonderfully with booze.”
Seneca shook her head. “So selfish. Stamping your name on everything, including Jackson. It’s like sistah code to share details about a man as fine as him.”
“Nah. My mama always told me the best way to lose a man is tell your friends too much about him. Not telling.”
Jackson returned with a tall glass of the cocktail. Before he could hand it to Aja, Seneca grabbed the glass and drank it until the cup was tilted in the air. “Maybe that will teach you to share.”
Aja shook her head. “Probably not. You’d better hope that drink doesn’t put you on your ass later. You know how they sneak up on you.”
Seneca let a playful sigh cross her lips and waved a dismissive hand at Aja. “You’re the worst. I still love you, though, Boss.”
Aja smiled. “Feeling’s mutual.”
Seneca left them at the counter and wandered off to the back door where Aja could see Colton standing. The two smiled easily at each other, piquing Aja’s interest. She turned to Jackson. “Those two seem chummy. You think anything could be going on?”
He glanced at them briefly. “He hasn’t mentioned anything. But then again, I didn’t talk to him about us either.”
“How well do you know him?”
“We’ve been friends since we were kids. Served a bit in the army together. Colton’s the strong, silent type. But he’s good people. He knows how to press a damn nerve like no one else’s business, but he’s still one of the best men I know.”
She accepted his endorsement, hooking her finger inside his belt loop and tugging slightly. “You bring a bag with you? I was hoping you’d agree to a sleepover.”
“If I spend the night, I can almost guarantee you there won’t be much sleeping going on.”
“Sounds perfect. You prepared to stay?”
“For as long as you’ll have me.”
Something shifted. The light playfulness between them was pushed aside, and there was something heavier, more substantial linking them. He wasn’t just talking about staying the night. If she read people as well as she thought she did, she was inclined to believe he was talking about them in the bigger sense.
I so want to be right about this.
“My door is always open. Maybe tonight we should take the time to talk about that.”
He was about to answer when they heard a loud shout coming from outside the house. Jackson opened the back door and s
tepped onto the back porch, and she followed. Seneca and Colton were locked in some sort of odd embrace. He was trying to hold on to her, and Seneca seemed to be trying to push him away.
“I told you to leave me alone.” Seneca was upset, but there was something off about the situation. Aja had seen her upset before, and this wasn’t it. Her face was flushed, but her words were slurred, and she couldn’t seem to focus her eyes.
“What the hell is going on out here?”
Colton locked eyes with Aja. “Something’s wrong with her. Help me.”
Aja was about to tell him she wasn’t there to help him when Seneca went slack in his arms.
“Seneca,” Aja yelled. There was no response.
“I told you, something wasn’t right. She started slurring her words when we came outside. I was trying to get her to sit when you found us.”
He grabbed Seneca up in his arms effortlessly and took quick steps to get her to the lounge swing at the other end of the porch. He laid her on the chair gently, and Aja rushed to her side. She went to lean over Seneca and Colton pushed her back.
“Give her some room. Let me check her out.”
She stood still, unable to move. This was her friend; she had to do something.
“Aja, move!”
Having Colton scream at her made her whole body jump and set off violent shivers all over her body. She felt familiar hands on her shoulders moving her aside. “It’ll be all right,” Jackson said in a slow, smooth tone. “He knows what he’s doing.”
Aja blinked, still only processing about half of what was going on around her. Panicked, she stared at Jackson, still trying to figure out how she was supposed to respond to this situation. “Aja, honey,” he began, speaking slowly as he moved her out of Colton’s way. “Let him take care of her.”
Jackson Page 27
