by Jaci Burton
She inhaled a deep breath and let it sail out on a long sigh.
“You okay over there?”
She turned her attention on Jackson, drawing her sunglasses down her nose. “Fine. Just wrestling with my own wayward thoughts.”
“About?”
“You, of course.”
He gripped the steering wheel so hard she saw his knuckles go white. As he made a right turn, she caught the way his jaw clenched.
“See, this is what I’m talking about.”
“What are you talking about, Jackson?”
“First, you invite me into your bedroom this morning, and then you talk about not biting unless I want you to. And now you’re insinuating you have wayward thoughts about me. I’m trying to be good here, Becks. But you’re not making it easy.”
She let out a soft laugh. “I don’t know where this chivalry came from, Jackson. But I haven’t asked you to withhold any sexual desire you might feel for me. If you want me, state your intentions.”
He pulled into the parking lot and shoved the truck into park, unbuckled his seat belt, then leaned over and got very much into her personal space. She breathed in the utterly masculine scent of him, reaching out to grasp one extremely well-muscled biceps.
“You know what I want?” he asked.
She was breathing so fast she might pass out. God, she hoped she didn’t, because this was getting really good.
“No. Tell me.”
“Right now my dick is so hard it’s about to split the zipper of my jeans. I’d like to throw you down onto your back, kiss you until both our lips are numb. I want to get you out of those jeans and eat your pussy until you’re shivering all over. Then I want to take my cock out and fuck you until you scream because I’ve made you come so many times you’ve lost count.”
She swallowed. Or tried to, anyway, because the visuals he’d conjured up made her nipples tingle and her pussy quiver.
“That all sounds really good and I’m totally down for that. Unfortunately we’re in a public parking lot and Margie just drove up next to you.”
He straightened and backed away. “Fuck.”
Her lips quirked. “Yes, I’d like to do that, too.”
“I’m gonna need a minute, Becks,” he said, dragging his fingers through his hair.
She’d like to have all those minutes he just suggested to her. “Well, put a pin in what you just said, because I want all of it.”
He shot a look at her. “I’m gonna need more than a minute if you keep talking about it.”
She smiled. “Okay. I’ll get out and talk to Margie.”
She slid out of the truck, her legs quivering when she hit the ground. She felt as if her entire body were on fire and all she wanted to do was climb back in the truck, straddle Jackson’s lap and act upon everything he’d just suggested. But since Margie was approaching, she did a mental cooldown, forcing herself not to look back at Jackson.
“Hey, girl,” Margie said. “Let’s hope third time’s a charm.”
She planted on a smile, trying to calm her heart rate down to normal and get her mind on business instead of the steamy conversation she’d just had with Jackson. She inhaled, let it out, and smiled at her friend. “I have a good feeling about this one. The location is perfect.” Becks glanced up and down the shopping center. There was a scarf shop on the corner, a surf shop, a vape place, a couple of restaurants and other assorted retail establishments. This was the only vacant spot, which spoke well for the location.
“It just opened up and I don’t think it’ll last long,” Margie said. “Hopefully this is the one for you.”
“I hope so, too.”
Margie paused and looked toward the truck. “Is Jackson coming?”
She’d like to see Jackson coming. And if she didn’t stop that line of thought she’d blush through the entire tour. “He’ll be along shortly. He . . . uh . . . had to make a phone call.”
“Oh, sure. Let’s go on in, then.”
She followed Margie inside.
The reception area was accommodating and spacious. It was nice and cool inside, which meant the air-conditioning worked. There was a built-in L-shaped front desk and plenty of room for chairs in the waiting area.
The floors were pristine and clean, and the walls were freshly painted.
Perfect.
“This is nice, isn’t it?” Margie asked.
Becks nodded. “It is.”
“And the rent is reasonable, too. Well, as reasonable as you’re going to get this close to the beach.”
That was the drawback. She wanted to be close to the beach, and as far as locations went, this place was a dream spot. But the rent was higher than anything she’d ever paid before.
She turned as the door opened and Jackson walked in.
“Oh, hey, Jackson,” Margie said. “I was just telling Becks about how much room there is in the reception area.”
He barely made eye contact with Becks but instead gave the room a once-over. “Yeah, it’s good.”
They walked down a hallway. “There are three rooms in here. I know you only have yourself, but two of the rooms are big, and I know you’ve talked about hiring out space for another artist. With the rent being high, you might want to consider it.”
“It’s a good idea. And this space is ideal. I’d have no problem attracting talent.” It was a decent-sized room and she could set up her chairs and supplies. “It would work.”
Plus there was plenty of storage space and room in the back for a small eating area. She stood in the center of the space and looked around.
“I like this. It feels good.”
Jackson had disappeared. Had he left? She’d been so immersed in looking at the space she hadn’t even noticed him leaving.
But then he came out of the back room, using a rag to wipe his hands. “Electrical checks out. Looks like they did an upgrade recently. You’re good to go here.”
Elation filled her. “Really? It almost feels too good to be true.”
Jackson cracked a smile. “Okay, Cinderella. Put on your glass slippers and sign the papers.”
Oh, wow. Grumpy Jackson was a force to be reckoned with on the Sexy Meter. But Smiling Jackson? His smile made the sides of his eyes crinkle and turned her on in a very unexpected way.
Eye crinkles are a turn-on? Really, Becks?
“So this is the place?” Margie asked.
“I don’t know, Margie. It’s ideal, location and size-wise. It’s everything I want. But the rent will be tough for me to manage. I still need to find a new place to live, which means first and last months’ rent and a deposit.”
Margie nodded. “We can keep looking.”
She nodded. “It’s probably for the best.”
They turned to head out, but Jackson grasped her wrist.
“You can stay with us as long as you need to,” Jackson said.
Becks shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Jackson turned his attention to Margie. “Give us a sec?”
“Sure. I’ll be right outside, making a few calls. Just wave at me when you’re ready.”
Margie left, and Becks wanted to be sure to put an end to this right away.
“I appreciate the offer, Jackson, but I can’t take advantage of you all like that.”
He shrugged. “You’re not taking advantage. We’re not there all the time, so we won’t be in your way.”
“That’s hardly what I was talking about. I’m the one who’s in your way.”
“No, you’re not. The room was empty anyway.”
“Don’t you typically rent it out to firefighters?”
“Yeah, but—”
“But nothing. I only intended to stay a few days. And I’m taking a firefighter’s spot.”
He let out a short laugh. “Rafe an
d Kal and I decide who lives there. I can guarantee they’re not going to want to push you out. Plus, you’re pulling your weight at the house. You wanted to pay rent, so you’ll pay rent. Right now you can pay what you can afford. When you can afford more, you pay more. Then, when you’re ready, you can find another place.”
She wanted to argue, but she also desperately wanted this shop. “I don’t want you to think I’m taking advantage of you. You didn’t want me there in the first place.”
“I changed my mind.”
She stepped closer. “Why?”
“Because you should rent this shop. Margie’s right. The location is good and the shop has a lot of space. Plus, I think you’d have a lot of success here.”
She felt a buzz of warmth that he wanted her to succeed. Not many people had cared about her in her lifetime. That Jackson did meant a lot to her.
“Okay. But on one condition.”
“Shoot.”
“If you need to rent out that room to a firefighter who needs it, you tell me and I’ll vacate.”
“Done deal.” He held out his hand.
She took it, and she felt a zing of electricity cross from his hand to hers. There was a definite hot spark of attraction between them. And from the smile on Jackson’s face, he’d felt it, too.
This wasn’t the time, and with Margie practically sticking her nose to the glass in curiosity, it definitely wasn’t the place.
So, instead, she shook his hand.
“Done deal. And thanks.”
Margie peeked her head in the door. “Does this mean we can do the paperwork now?”
Becks grinned. “Now we can do the paperwork.”
CHAPTER 10
After signing the lease and sending Margie off with a check for deposit and rent, Jackson and Becks ran Jackson’s errands, first to the auto parts store and then to the garden store.
She gave him a look of surprise when he picked up potting soil along with some fertilizer, but for indoor plants.
“So you’re the plant guy?” she asked as they headed back to his truck.
“Huh?” He looked at her and frowned.
“There are beautiful houseplants at your place. Those are yours?”
“Oh. Yeah. I like greenery. Plus plants are good for the house. They give off oxygen.”
“You just got ten times more interesting, Jackson Donovan.”
They climbed into the truck and he looked over at her. “So does that mean I wasn’t interesting before?”
“Oh, parts of you definitely interest me.”
He laughed.
They stopped at the store to pick up some groceries. Becks said she wanted to cook dinner for them tonight in celebration of finally being able to go back to work. Jackson told her that wasn’t necessary. She gave him a look that told him it wasn’t open for debate, so he shrugged and let her have her way. Which really wasn’t a big deal.
Jackson pushed the cart while Becks tossed food into it. He wasn’t sure what she was fixing, but he liked all food, and everything she chose looked good to him.
They piled the bags into the back of the truck and headed back toward the house.
“When will you open the shop?” he asked.
“I have to get set up first. Since it’s vacant, I’ll get the keys the first of the month, which is this weekend, so that’s great. I can get in and start putting all of my gear in there.”
“You got everything cleaned up from the smoke?”
She nodded. “I did. Thanks for letting me use your garage to store some of my things.”
“Not a problem. I’m just glad it’s all working out for you. And, honestly? Your new location is way better than the old one.”
“Thanks. I think so, too. Once I get settled I’ll have to get the word out to my clients with an e-mail blast and on my social media pages. I had a few appointments the day of the fire that had to be canceled.”
“Hopefully they’ll reschedule.”
“They were all with repeat customers. They all said they’d wait on me.”
He pulled off the highway and said, “You’re that good, huh?”
“Got any tattoos?”
“Not yet.”
He felt her gaze on him, so he glanced quickly over at her.
“What?”
“You should let me tattoo you. Then you could see how good I am.”
“Are any of the ones on your body ones you did yourself?”
“Yes.”
“You should get naked and let me decide if I want you tattooing me.”
She pulled her sunglasses down and regarded him. “You’d let me use my naked body as advertising?”
“Hell, yes.”
She laughed. “We’ll discuss that option.”
He liked that she considered it an option. He’d been thinking about her all afternoon. She was smart and sassy, and he liked smart and sassy women. He wanted to know he was going to get as well as he gave. Plus, that sassiness was given from an incredible mouth. He wanted to kiss her so badly it made him ache. While they’d been looking at the new shop, he found himself looking at her mouth, wondering what her lips would feel like under his. Then his gaze had traveled south and he found himself inspecting her butt.
He was an ass man, and Becks had a well-defined butt. He itched to grab a handful of it and see if it was as firm as it looked.
And then there were her breasts . . .
But since they were pulling into the driveway, he shut down any further mental inspections of Becks’s body.
“I don’t see Rafe’s or Kal’s cars,” Becks said as they grabbed the bags out of the back of the truck.
“They might not be back yet from running their errands.”
They took the groceries into the house and unpacked them together. While Jackson was in the fridge, he lifted his head.
“I’m having a beer. Want one?”
“Sure.”
He grabbed two beers and popped open the tops, handing one to Becks.
“Thanks.” She took a long swallow, then set it down and washed her hands. She took out the cutting board and started working.
“Anything I can do?”
“Not if you have something else you need to be doing.”
“I don’t. What do you need?”
“You can stay and talk to me while I work.”
He went to the sink to wash his hands, then grabbed a knife from the drawer and came up beside her.
“I’m handy with a knife, you know. I can do some cutting.”
“Fine. You can slice onions and jalapeños.”
He gave her a sidelong look. “Punishing me, huh?”
She laughed, then nudged her hip against his leg. “No. But if you think it’s too hard . . .”
“Didn’t say that. You just do your thing.”
“I was planning to.”
They worked side by side. Jackson chopped while at the same time watching Becks. She was fast and efficient, slicing tomatoes and avocados and mangoes like a pro. He also noticed she wasn’t much for conversation.
“You’re used to being alone.”
She jerked her head up. “What?”
“You’re not talking.”
She frowned. “I’m working here.”
“I don’t know about you, but I can slice and talk at the same time.”
She resumed her cutting. “So talk. I’m listening.”
He shook his head. “You’re very independent.”
“Didn’t we all grow up having to be that way?”
She had a point. Being on their own most of their childhood meant they all had to learn to rely on themselves. “True. But I had Rafe and Kal. Who did you have?”
“My smarts and my ingenuity. And really fast feet.”
He
laughed. “Yeah, outrunning the cops meant you had to be quick.”
“Plus carve out some exceptional hiding spots. In our area, I had ten that no one knew about.”
He stopped slicing and leaned his hip against the counter. “Ten?”
“Yeah.”
“Damn. That’s impressive.”
“I didn’t want to get caught and be hauled into foster care.”
“But didn’t you end up there anyway?”
She nodded. “After you and Kal and Rafe disappeared, the rest of the group mostly scattered, which meant I was alone. It was harder to find food and shelter without you.”
She had continued to chop, her head down and focused. He grabbed her focus by laying his hand on her forearm. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. If the situation had been reversed I’d have jumped on the opportunity to have a family. Plus, it worked out okay. I lucked out and got put with decent foster parents who I ended up staying with until I aged out of the system.”
“I’m glad for you. That doesn’t always happen.”
“Tell me about it. I had some nightmare foster families.”
He wanted to know more, but he understood a lot of people didn’t like talking about the experience. He sure didn’t. “Want to talk about it?”
She shrugged. “You know the various situations. There was one couple only in it for the money. In that house there was me and three other kids, all roughly the same age. One had mental deficiencies and needed serious attention. Not that Bethany and Henry cared. We could all have been running around with sharp knives in both hands and those two couldn’t have cared less, as long as we didn’t cut our own throats—or each other’s. Because that would have meant they’d lose out on a paycheck. Otherwise, they didn’t give a shit about us. Unless the social worker was there for a visit.”
“Of course.”
“But it wasn’t as bad as the other place I stayed in when I was—” She lifted her gaze to the ceiling. “Nine, ten, maybe?” She made eye contact with Jackson. “Foster dad who liked to cuddle the girls a little too much.”
His stomach churned. “Oh, fuck that. Did he touch you?”
“No. I was good at screaming for him to keep his fucking hands off me, and the wife would beat him over the head with a magazine and threaten to kill him if he didn’t stay away from us. So I made sure to be loud enough every time he crept into the bedroom at night. I didn’t sleep much, but while I was there he didn’t touch any of us. And as soon as the social worker visited I made sure to mention that he kept putting his hands on me and I was afraid to sleep at night. When they interviewed one of the other girls and she said the same thing, everyone got removed from that house in a hurry.”
