by Rose Haven
Galina shivered at his words. She could feel them like an actual caress over her body. That was probably why she felt so skittish around him. No man had ever provoked such desire in her. The few lovers she’d had were adequate but they never inspired the same level of want and need Jackson did. She knew she should run in the other direction for her own sanity, but instead she nodded obediently and said, “I have just the thing.”
He watched as she floated around like a hummingbird, snipping a few buds here and a few leaves there. She finally came to a stop in front of him holding out two linen bags. Against his better judgment Jackson reached for the bags but took her wrist instead and pulled her flush against him. “Almost kissing you in the kitchen today only wet my appetite for another taste of you.” He nipped her ear lobe, still whispering. “I often think about our first and only kiss and where else I would love to taste you.” When that involuntary groan sounded, Jackson did the only thing he could, he captured those pretty pink lips with his own.
She was so sweet, so warm and lush that the kiss quickly spiraled out of control. Galina was wrapped around him tight enough he could feel the warmth seeping between her legs against his straining erection, her beaded nipples pressed against his chest. His hands cupped her firm ass to keep her against him while her hands threaded his hair, pulling him in so she could taste more of him. Jackson couldn’t help himself and thrusted lightly into her, causing her to cry out. He pulled away abruptly, panting and staring into her eyes, now navy blue with desire. “I want you so much Galina.”
She nodded her agreement, still trying to slow down her erratic breathing.
“But I’m not the man for you. Not really.”
At his words Galina felt pieces of her die a little, her heart shredded even more and she didn’t plead with him. She merely nodded and stepped back.
“Dammit Galina don’t look at me like that. I’m telling you this for you, not me.”
She continued to nod, backing up away from him and turning her back to hide the evidence of her arousal and his effect on her body. She heard the heavy sigh escape into the silent greenhouse and even with her eyes closed tight she could imagine him running fingers through his short russet locks.
“Look Galina,-“
She cut him off quickly with one hand. “Save your apologies and explanations Jackson. I’m a big girl and I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time. I don’t need anyone else to do it for me.” She turned to face him. “I know you are not the man for me but I was willing to take the chance. But if you walk away now, don’t come back.” She could see the hurt and disappointment flash across his beautiful rugged face but he nodded.
And walked away.
***
I am an ass. A big fat stupid ass. Jackson practically ran from the greenhouse and straight to his room. He didn’t stop for his father or Ethan, instead focused on making it up the stairs, down the hall and into his suite of rooms. With a flick of his wrists he opened the French doors leading to the balcony and marched back inside to pour himself a drink and rid his mouth of her taste. He closed his eyes to stop seeing the refreshing beauty of her flushed skin and clutched his hands to avoid reaching out and reliving her touch. Her body wrapped around him, her scent clogging his brain, her moans torturing him.
He fucked up big time with her. He knew it and her words—don’t come back—rang in his ears. He wanted to run back to her and tell her that he was wrong but he believed her words. So he drank.
His efforts to drink himself blind were interrupted by the chirp of his phone. Cade. “What do you have for me Cade?”
“Hello Jackson, I’m fine. How are you?”
Jackson huffed. “Seriously?” When Cade said nothing he went on. “Fine. Hey Cade, how’s it going man?” Another pause. “So do you have anything for me or is this call just to harass me?”
“As fun as it is to harass you this call has a purpose. I went out on the property last night and early this morning and captured an image I believe is the stalker. She was too far away to catch, but luckily my camera is faster.” He waited in case Jackson had questions. “I’ve sent it to your email. It is a little blurry but show it around and tell me if anyone recognizes it.”
He thanked Cade and ended the call. Jackson sat and opened up the attached image and even through the blurriness he didn’t recognize the figure. The slight frame definitely indicated a female but none of the women in their lives were strong or daring enough to trek through the thick woods surrounding Silver House. Back to the study, I guess.
Down in the study the four Silver men convened once again to figure out who in the hell was trying to cause them trouble. Ethan grabbed the phone and projected the image onto the large TV monitor hanging on the wall in Vance’s office. Each brother stared at the fuzzy image of the older woman, slightly older than middle age with dark brown or black hair and oversized sunglasses. Most of her body is covered by a calf length jacket but compared to the surrounding images, she was petite.
“I don’t know any women this old,” Ethan broke the silence.
“Oh.” The boys all turned to look at Vance, who was now pale and wide eyed. “I think I know who it is.”
Jackson scoffed. “Of course it would be one of his women.”
Vance narrowed his gaze at his son before turning back to the monitor. The figure was aged a few decades but he’d know those lips and cheekbones anywhere. “That’s your woman too, smart ass.” He glanced at Chase. “Yours too.”
“Sorry man I’ve never taken your sloppy seconds.” Chase was indignant, outraged.
“I think that woman,” he pointed at the screen, “is your mother.”
“Our dead mother?” Vance nodded and Jackson went on, “That’s crazy dad. She’s been dead for almost thirty years.”
“And if she isn’t dead, where the hell has she been and what the fuck does she want now?” Ethan roared, all eyes now turned in his direction.
“It can’t be her,” Chase whispered, not sure if he was trying to convince himself or the others. “It can’t be.”
Vance nodded, feeling sympathetic towards his sons in their shock but sure the woman in that photo was his dead wife Zoe.
“This is crazy.” Jackson stood up and stormed out of the office and through the house until he was outside, gulping in salty sea air. He needed, hell he didn’t know what he needed but he knew whatever it was it would be found wherever Galina was.
***
Galina had never been so happy to end her work day. Normally she enjoyed working at Silver House, the cleaning wasn’t too cumbersome and the cooking was her favorite part, but today had her feeling on edge and it wasn’t a feeling she enjoyed at all. She made a submarine sandwich with Italian meats, cheese, tomatoes, onions and lettuce tossed in red wine vinegar and she was putting the finishing touches on her sea salt and parmesan cheese popcorn.
She had two movies, a romantic comedy and a horror movie to get her through the evening. Add in a bottle of wine and she foresaw a relaxing evening in her future. At least she did until her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on her door.
She groaned, knowing there was only one person it could be. “Just a second.” She pulled the door open, gasping when she saw Jackson with fire in his eyes. “What are you doing here?” She tried to put steel in her voice but she was pretty sure she failed miserably.
Jackson couldn’t say anything, nor did he hear her question thanks to the blood rushing quickly to the area just below his belt. She looked like the sexiest fucking fantasy he’d ever had in silky blue shorts that barely covered her ass and a nearly see through white camisole. He could clearly see the pink dots of her nipples through the shirt and with her hair down in messy waves she looked like she’d just come from bed. “Are you alone?” He growled at her, scanning the carriage house for another person. That he would rip apart with his bare hands.
She crossed her arms over her chest and frowned at him. “I don’t believe that’s any of your business Mr. Si
lver.”
Ouch. Yep, he deserved it. In fact he deserved much more and was damned lucky she hadn’t slammed the door in his face. Yet. “Can I come in?”
Galina shook her head knowing it was a terrible idea. She looked over her shoulder at the bed just beyond the living room. “No, I don’t think that’s a good idea. What do you need?”
“You.” Jackson did what he had been aching to do, he reached out and wrapped those soft golden locks around his fist to angle his mouth over hers. She stiffened before succumbing to the heat between them and kissing him back with wild abandon. She pulled at his hair with one hand and his shirt with the other, a frenzy of passion overtaking her.
God this felt so good, so right. She knew she should stop but she couldn’t bring herself to do it yet. Just a few more seconds in his arms, with his lips and then I swear I’ll stop, she promised to herself.
She didn’t have to stop it because Jackson did, with a fierce expression on his face. “I’m sorry for walking away earlier Galina but I meant what I said. I’m not the right man for you. I’m not looking to settle down and you are exactly what a man in search of a wife is looking for. You’re gorgeous, so damn gorgeous, smart, warm, caring and you are one hell of a cook.” He smiled shyly at her. “But I don’t think I can give that to anyone. Not even you.”
Not even me? What does that mean? She didn’t have time to ponder too long when Jackson picked her up and kissed her until she was breathless. She knew this was her time, her one night of pleasure with Jackson Silver and dammit, she was going to take it. “I never thought you were mine to keep Jackson. But you can be mine for tonight.” Those words hurt like hell to say but apparently it was exactly what he needed to hear because he attacked her mouth while he walked her back to the big bed waiting for them.
He released her so she slid down his body, her feet softly hitting the floor. Galina didn’t have time to be nervous because the moment her feet hit the floor Jackson was removing her clothes. The dark look in his eyes made her a little uneasy because she didn’t know what he was thinking as he took in the sight of her naked body. Her modeling days were long behind her but she thought she looked pretty good and hoped he did too. “Fuck, you are too beautiful for an old bastard like me Galina, but dammit I want you and I’m too selfish to walk away.”
She squared her shoulders, pushing her chest out a bit. “Tonight I don’t want you to walk away.” She closed the gap between them and nipped his bottom lip. Jackson picked her up and tossed her on the bed, crawling up her body until his mouth was level with one of her aching breasts. Galina squirmed from the first touch of his hot mouth on her sensitive nipple. He sucked hard, almost too hard, but before she could protest he soothed it with his tongue and felt the rush of liquid between her legs. “Oh, Jack. Yes!”
The sound that came from him when she called him Jack was low and dark and deep. He moved his attention to her other breast until he received the same reaction. She was so responsive. “I love it,” she whispered again. From the tip of her nipple he kissed up her chest, licking her neck and biting the shell of her ear before taking the journey down again. She tasted like honey and cream and rose petals and he couldn’t get enough. Bites lined underside of her breasts, her ribs, the curve of her waist and the dip of her hips. He licked her thighs so light she could barely feel it, grabbing his hair for something to hold on to and digging her heels deep in to the bed.
“Jack. So, so incredible. Jack!” She screamed in her cute polish accent, when she felt his tongue separate her lips and licked hard against her clit. He licked and licked and licked until she was delirious with desire. “Fuck yeah, Jack. Yeah. Oh yeah.” When he opened her thighs wider she crossed her ankles behind his head and thrust up into his mouth. When his lips wrapped around her clit and sucked, the sensation of his teeth against the sensitive nub sent her cresting that wave. Breathing hard with her eyes closed, still spread wantonly before him, Galina gasped when the full length and width of him invaded her.
“Fuck. Tight.” He couldn’t form complete sentences right now and wouldn’t have been able to even if the fate of SE depended upon it. Once fully seated Jackson unleashed all the passion and need and want that had been building for Galina since he laid eyes on her. “Look at me.” He felt the need to possess her, to stake his claim on her, and mark her with his body. He stared into those hazy blue eyes, noting her response to every movement. She was so fucking responsive and that just made him even harder.
“Harder. Harder, Jack!”
That soft sweet voice giving him permission to do exactly what he longed to do was all he needed to increase the pace, the depth of his sensual journey into her body. He thrust and thrust and pounded until their bodies were slick with sweat. Their breaths coming in more labored and their movements more frantic and jerky. She was close and he could tell by the way she squeezed his cock almost painfully, and because her screams were getting louder and higher in pitch. A goddamn orgasmic symphony. “I want you to look at me when you come, Galina.”
She nodded and shifted the angle of her hips to give him more depth and he growled his appreciation. When she reached between them to touch herself his balls lifted and his frantic pace increased faster and faster until they were shouting out their ecstasy together. Together. A few more thrusts to wring every drop of pleasure from their first time together and Jackson knew, without a doubt that he was in deep shit where this woman was concerned.
Chapter Three
The next morning Jackson woke up with his big body wrapped around a tiny ball of heat. He inhaled the flower scented hair his face was buried in, mingled with the scent of their sex and sweat. It was a mind numbing combination that had him growing hard already. He rolled his hips against her and smiled when she pushed back. He liked the idea that she responded to him, even in sleep.
What would it be like, he wondered, to wake up every single morning and have her scent, her warmth nestled against him. It was a scary thought but not as scary as he would have thought last week. Shaking off those insane thoughts Jackson wrapped his arms around her to pull her in and pepper her face and neck with kisses. She moaned and began to wake up, pressing her body into his with a smile. “Good morning, Jack.”
He captured her lips for a brief but passionate kiss. “I love it when you call me Jack.” His hands began to move along her body stopping to test the heaviness of her small breasts before traveling down her belly and between her legs. “Mmm, wet for me already Galina?”
She turned in his embrace and snaked her arms around his neck, running her tongue along his neck, his collarbone and his ears. “Always for you.” She stilled for a moment, afraid she revealed too much. Luckily Jackson was too focused on other parts of her body to worry about her heart or her words. She gasped when one finger slid inside her. “Jack,” she whispered. She felt her body heating up and her heart racing as her hips began to push back against his hand. “Oh, Ja--.” Her words were cut off by a loud and persistent knock on her door.
Jackson groaned and released a few expletives before slipping on his jeans. He licked his fingers and told her to stay put. He yanked open the door. “What the hell?” Neither Chase or Ethan seemed all that surprised to see Jackson on the other side of Galina’s door, which for some reason made him even angrier than being interrupted just as he was about to partake of her sweet nectar again. “Well?”
“Come on man, let’s go.” Ethan’s voice was gruff, his face contorted in a frown.
“Yeah I’d love to bro, but I’m kind of busy at the moment.” Ethan could never be considered the easy going brother but the angry stare he directed at him made Jackson take a step back.
“We need to go. Now.” Ethan said no more, just turned and started back toward the main house.
Chase’s eyes held a bit more sympathy, probably because he’d rather be in bed with Brooke. “Seriously Jack, come on.”
Jackson groaned his frustration but he nodded to his brother and went to get dressed. Some news must hav
e broken about the stalker for everyone to be so testy this morning. A quick glance at his cell phone told him he’d missed two calls from Cade but he hadn’t left a message. He looked up at Galina, fresh from the shower and already dressed in dark slacks and a white top. “I have to go.” He looked for any trace of disappointment or anger in her and saw none.
She nodded curtly and told him, “I have to start work soon.”
Jackson just nodded and walked out the door. He wasn’t sure what happened back there but it was unlike any morning after encounter he’d ever had. She hadn’t asked about seeing him again, tried to kiss him or finagle a gift from him. Had he misread her enjoyment? He shook it off since there was time later to deal with Galina. Now he had to see what had his brothers’ panties in such a twist.
Ten minutes later Jackson was showered and walking down the stairs to the library where Chase said they’d be waiting for him. “Alright I’m here. Does somebody want to,” his words were cut off by the sight of the ghost sitting on the brown leather sofa under the bank of windows. He took in the image sitting still and proper before him. She looked the same as his last memory of her only older. The odd blue grey eyes that matched his own were unsure and defiant, the dark hair sprinkled with grey and the full mouth that was a mirror image of Chase’s all lead to one conclusion.
His mother was not dead. She was sitting in the library of Silver House as though it was a perfectly normal occurrence. “Hello son.”
“What the shit is this?” He looked to each of his brothers. Ethan looked pissed as hell and Chase seemed resigned. No one looked happy, least of all Jackson. An hour ago he was in a warm bed with a hot woman and now, now he was he was staring into the eyes of a ghost. “Why is she here?”
“She’s here,” his mother began her voice strong and clear, “because she wanted to see her boys.”
