Hold Me Until Midnight

by Christina Phillips

  He laughed. It was unexpected, and a shit load of tension drained from him. “I always knew you’d put him in his place one day. Wish I’d been there to see it.”

  Scarlett linked her hands behind his neck and pressed her body against his. It felt like forever since she’d been in his arms like this, instead of hours. With one hand anchored in her hair he slid his other arm around her waist and held her close.

  “There’s something else.”

  He inhaled her scent and rubbed his jaw across her silky hair. He didn’t care what else there was. This was all he wanted. He grunted and swung her about so she was the one with her back to the door.

  That should tell her all she needed to know.

  “Jackson.” She wound her fingers in his hair and tugged. “My dad offered to help in the fight against the redevelopment. He—”

  Her dad. The crazy notion that he might find his forever with Scarlett splintered into a thousand jagged pieces. There was no forever, not for him, with Scarlett Ashford.

  He pulled back and looked at her. Her hair was messy, her face flushed, her breath uneven. It would be too easy to kiss her senseless. Make her his and forget about the outside world.

  But how long would that last? Only until they both collapsed on the floor, sweaty and sated. The real world was always going to be just outside the door. But it was more than that.

  Her father loomed between them, a hostile shadow she would never see.

  “I don’t want your father’s help.” Once again he saw the sneer on Marshall Ashford’s face as the other man had told him to name his price. What new game was Ashford playing now?

  Whatever it was, it made Jackson sick to his stomach that Scarlett had gotten dragged into it.

  He didn’t know how Scarlett would take his refusal of her father’s sham offer, but he hadn’t expected her to look as though his answer thrilled her.

  “I told him that.”

  He dragged his dark thoughts back to the present. “You told him what?”

  “That we didn’t want his help.”

  Jackson gave a hollow laugh. “Bet that went down well.” And when Scarlett had time to think about it, she’d realize what she’d done.

  He couldn’t compete with her father. But even if he did, and won, how could he stand to know he was the cause of the rift between them?

  Ashford might be a dick. But he was still Scarlett’s father and she loved him.

  “He was fine about it.” And then she frowned as though something had occurred to her. “It was weird. I almost got the impression he knew you wouldn’t want his help. I mean, he didn’t push it. And that’s not like my dad, now I come to think about it.”

  That was because Ashford already knew he couldn’t buy Jackson off. “He won’t like it.” He shoved his hands into his pockets but couldn’t bring himself to step away from Scarlett. “He’ll never accept the fact I won’t toe the Ashford line for him. I don’t kiss ass, babe. I kick it.”

  She gave a faint smile. “He’ll never admit it, but he likes it when people stand up to him.”

  Not when his daughter was involved. “I don’t think so.”

  Scarlett stopped smiling and pushed at his chest with both hands. “Are you going to let my dad come between us?”

  That was rich. “He’s already between us. He’ll always be there, Scarlett. You know that.”

  She shoved at his chest again. “Of course he will. If you let him. Are you going to let him, Jackson?”

  What the fuck? He grabbed her wrists and pinned her against the door, her arms stretched above her head. “We’re not talking about me.”

  “Oh, I think we are.”

  Her taunt wasn’t only unexpected. It was an unbelievable turn on. It took him a couple of seconds to realize she wasn’t messing with him. She was actually pissed off.

  “He’ll never accept me in your life. You might think it’s fun now but that’ll wear off, believe me.”

  A blush spread over her cheeks. He knew she was angry but it didn’t stop him wanting to silence her next words with his mouth. Hell, why was he even having this conversation with her? Why couldn’t he just take this for whatever it was and enjoy it for however long it lasted?

  Because I want more than that.

  “So you think I’m here now because it’s all a bit of fun to me? That this is all just a game?”

  “Isn’t it?” The challenge hung in the air between them, and hurt flashed through her eyes before she managed to hide it.

  “This is between you and me. Don’t drag my dad into it. He’d never get involved in this side of my life.”

  She really didn’t know her dad at all. But as he stared at her, he saw disbelief and then comprehension dawn. Too late, he realized she had seen the skepticism in his eyes.

  “He came to see you.” It wasn’t a question. It was an accusation.

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “The hell it doesn’t.” Horror replaced the fury. Not that her fury had been directed at him. He knew that. “He tried to bribe you to keep away from me, didn’t he?”

  He released her wrists and pressed his palms against hers. Compared to his, her hands were so small. If anyone looked through the window and saw them, they’d be justified in thinking Scarlett was in danger. He loomed over her. He was inches from crushing her against the door. But Scarlett wasn’t the one in danger here.

  He linked his fingers through hers. “Didn’t stop me coming to the barbeque, did it.”

  She opened her mouth and then shut it again. Finally she let out an infuriated splutter.

  “He did it. He actually did it. I can’t believe he had the nerve.”

  “I told you. I’d probably do the same in his shoes.” It sucked but it was true. He might not think much of Ashford but he could see his point on this.

  Scarlett dug her fingernails into him. “Yes, I’m sure you would. Two of a kind, you and him.”

  What the…? She couldn’t be serious. “We’re nothing alike.”

  “After my granddad tried to pay him off to keep away from my mom, oh my God.” Scarlett tried to tug herself free, and he tightened his grip on her. She glowered at him. “That was one of my dad’s favorite stories when we were kids. He used to joke he’d do the same to any guy he thought might try and steal me away, to test his loyalty toward me, and my mom would tell him to stop being such an ass.”

  That definitely wasn’t the reason why Ashford had come to see him. There was no way he wanted Jackson in Scarlett’s life.

  And yet…

  That secret smirk Ashford had cast his way as he’d left had lingered in Jackson’s mind.

  Because it hadn’t made any sense. Not then. And now?

  “Son-of-a-fucking-bitch.” Her father had been testing him. Seeing if he could be bought off. And Jackson hadn’t seen it.

  “And you both pretended you’d never met when I introduced you.” Scarlett struggled to free herself again, and then she kicked him on the shin. “What was that all about, some stupid macho point scoring thing?”

  To hell with it. Jackson crushed her against the door. “Your father is a conniving bastard.” If they had any chance of a future together, she might as well know what he thought of her old man.

  “Well, that makes two of you.” Scarlett’s frantic wriggles were shredding his thought processes and playing havoc with his self-control. “Let go of me. I can’t move.”

  He released her hands long enough to hoist her over his shoulder. He heard her sharp intake of breath and could imagine the disbelief on her face. He grinned and marched back to his office.

  “Put. Me. Down.” Each word vibrated with outrage.

  He kicked the door shut and only then slowly allowed her to slide down his body until her feet hit the floor. He let go of her, but she didn’t reel backwards or slap his face. She appeared lost for words.

  It was now or never. He either told her how he felt or risked losing her over a stupid argument.

  He was no go
od at saying how he felt. He’d never done it before. Didn’t want to start now. But Scarlett wasn’t just mad with her dad anymore. She was furious with him.

  “Do you want to know why I didn’t tell you about his visit, Scarlett? Because I didn’t want to give him any power in our relationship.”

  He took a deep breath. That hadn’t been too hard.

  “Oh. We have a relationship, do we?” There was an unmistakable thread of sarcasm in her voice, but at least she no longer looked on the verge of scratching out his eyes.

  All this talking was killing him. But at least he didn’t have to bleed out his heart in front of her father.

  “Yeah, we have a relationship. We belong together. You got a problem with that?”

  “And you have no intention of kissing my dad’s ass.”

  From nowhere he remembered something she’d said the first night they’d slept together. About how she used to fight off fortune hunters.

  He thought she’d been joking. But she hadn’t. How many slimy jerks like Saunders had tried to worm their way into her life, simply because of her family connections?

  “I don’t need your dad’s network.” Say it. His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth and he had the alarming notion that the room was closing in on him. He took a deep breath. They were just words. “I only need you.”

  Her hostility faded. For a terrible second he thought she was going to cry. Fuck, what had he said? He thought he’d just been romantic.

  “You idiot.” She poked him in the chest with one finger and then flattened her palm against his heart. “You already have me.”

  A great weight lifted from his chest.

  He pulled her close and buried his face in her hair. This was where he needed to be. This was home.

  Finally she stirred. “You don’t ever need to see my dad again.”

  Now there was a tempting thought. Except he’d never backed away from a confrontation before and he’d be damned if he started now. “Nah. I have no intention of letting you go to all the Ashford bashes without me by your side. So get used to it.”

  “At least Edward won’t be going to any of them, if my dad has anything to do with it.”

  “Huh. Finally your dad and me agree on something.”

  She smiled and then walked her fingers up his chest. “So does this mean I’m your official girlfriend?”

  His girlfriend. He’d never had a proper girlfriend before. It sounded… weird. “I guess.”

  “Don’t sound too excited. I might start getting ideas.”

  “You’re my girlfriend.” It still didn’t sound right. Maybe he just had to get used to saying it.

  There was something else he needed to say to her. It wouldn’t kill him. But they were still the hardest words he’d ever said in his life. “I love you, Scarlett.”

  She sighed and wound her arms around his neck. “I love you too, Jackson.”

  Epilogue

  Finally, they were having a proper date. Jackson glanced at the view of the lake outside the window. He’d booked them into a top hotel for the night, but instead of getting room service they were eating in the dining room.

  So he could show off his girlfriend.

  But the word still didn’t feel right. And now he knew why. It was because he wanted Scarlett to be so much more than that.

  He wanted Scarlett to be his wife. The thought terrified him, but not half as much as the thought of living without her.

  “I’m really looking forward to meeting your gran on Sunday.”

  “You know she’s going to grill you about your intentions toward me.”

  Scarlett laughed. “She can’t be worse than my dad. Can she?”

  “I think we should get my gran and your dad together in the same room.”

  “They’d probably kill each other.”

  She thought he was joking. He resisted the urge to tug at his collar. He had an ulterior motive for this date tonight, but despite the plan he’d been working on for the last couple of days, fucked if he knew where to start.

  “I want to talk about planning an event.” He let out a relieved breath. Now that he’d started, it shouldn’t be too hard to keep going. But before he could get his shit together, Scarlett leaned across the table. She looked thrilled.

  But he hadn’t told her what he wanted yet.

  “I’d love to help, Jackson. Any way I can. As you know, I have plenty of contacts that I don’t mind ruthlessly using for my own ends.”

  He stared at her. “Right.”

  “I’ve never personally done anything like this before, but I know my friend Harley would love to be involved. If that’s okay with you?”

  He cleared his throat. “Like a rally or something to save Heyward Street, you mean?”

  “Yes. Well, maybe not a rally…”

  “Okay, good.” It was great she was so keen to help. But he didn’t want to talk about his dojo or Heyward Street tonight. He rushed on before she could jump the gun again. “I wanted to get your opinion on hiring somewhere for an upmarket party.”

  She nodded. “Okay. What do you have in mind?”

  “Something classy. But down to earth.”

  “Sure.” She didn’t look at all fazed. “What else?”

  He should just ask her straight out. Cut through all this bullshit. He grabbed his glass and downed the wine, but it didn’t help him find the words.

  “Something romantic.” He broke into a sweat and filled his glass up again. Scarlett looked as though she didn’t understand the meaning of the word.

  “Romantic? You’re not talking about an event to help save your dojo, are you?”

  “No.” I’m talking about you. “It’s something I know my gran would love.”

  “Oh.” Scarlett flashed him a smile but it looked a bit off. “Well, sure. I can do romantic and classy and down to earth. No problem.”

  Jackson tried to remember the next stage of his plan, but couldn’t. Things had gone much better inside his head. By now Scarlett had guessed what he was trying to do and had saved him the headache of having to spell it out in actual words.

  “By Thanksgiving.”

  “Absolutely. Is it a special birthday for your gran?”

  It took him a couple of seconds to figure out why she’d brought his gran into the conversation. “No. It’s just something I know she’d love.”

  To see one of her grandsons get hitched. Fuck, he’d never thought he’d be in this position. But then, he’d never thought he’d fall in love. Suppose Scarlett didn’t want him?

  She might love him. She might be fine about them dating and showing the world they were together. But that didn’t mean she wanted to go all the way and marry him.

  “If it’s a special Thanksgiving event, we’ll have to move fast. Is this a surprise for her, or can I talk to her about it on Sunday?”

  He should never have mentioned his gran. He eyed the wine. Another bottle probably wouldn’t help him out of this mess.

  He took a deep breath. This was more nerve racking than his first street fight.

  “This is about us, Scarlett. To celebrate our wedding. If you’ll have me.”

  She stared at him as if he’d just grown another head. Fuck. This wasn’t good.

  “Did you just propose to me?”

  He swallowed. Why had he thought this was a good idea? Walking barefoot across red-hot coals seemed preferable. “Yeah.”

  This wasn’t the reaction he’d expected.

  “Well… sure.” She gave a weird smile, as though she wasn’t sure whether he was serious or not.

  Why hadn’t he gotten her a ring? He’d spent hours trying to find the perfect one for her. He’d known exactly what he wanted—a pink diamond because it all tied in with her ball and the charity she loved so much. He’d never even heard of pink diamonds before that night.

  But there was no way around it. If he wanted to get her a pink diamond engagement ring he’d need to take out a second mortgage.

  But a ring
would’ve shown her he meant it. That he wasn’t fucking about. This night was going to hell. He should’ve asked Cooper to write him a speech or something.

  With a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, he pulled the small jewelry box from his pocket. Scarlett gave a silent gasp when she caught sight of it. Maybe she recognized the jewelers it came from. He half wished he’d left it in his pocket. It wasn’t what she so obviously imagined.

  He pushed it across the table. “It’s not a ring.” It was only fair to warn her. But more than that, he knew he’d hate to see the disappointment on her face when she opened it.

  Slowly she opened the box. Her smile froze when she saw what was inside. And then her smile disappeared altogether and she looked as though she was about to cry.

  He sat there like a fucking idiot. If he dragged her into his arms and held her tight she wouldn’t thank him for drawing the entire restaurant’s attention. He took another gulp of wine and tried to think of something deep and meaningful to say.

  “It’s a rosebud.” He sounded crazy and desperate. “It’s not a pink diamond. It’s only crystal. But I thought—”

  Scarlett flapped a hand at him and finally dragged her gaze from the crystal rosebud, which had reminded him of her when he’d seen it in a glass display case. There were tears in her eyes and her bottom lip wobbled.

  He should really have gotten her a ring.

  “I know what it is.” Her voice was all choked up. “I know what it represents. I’m just… this is the best present anyone’s ever given me.”

  He wasn’t sure she meant it. Her reaction was freaking him out. “I can take it back. We can get a ring instead. It’s just I can’t—”

  The words lodged in his throat as Scarlett stood up, came round the table, and cradled his face between her hands.

  “Don’t you dare take it back.” Her whisper was soft and husky. “I don’t need a ring, Jackson. Not when I have you. Only you would’ve thought to get me something so perfect. I love it. And I love you.”

  The knot in his chest eased. “So that’s a yes, then? You’re definitely going to marry me?”

  “Yes, I am. There’s no way you’re getting out of that now. You just hired me to organize our wedding, didn’t you?”