"Send in the last model," Rob barks at one of the interns and a second later, I hear footsteps approaching.
I take a bite of my snack bar and feel crumbs tumbling down my chin and into my cleavage. Awesome! I think as I reach for a napkin and try to brush the mess away.
When I spin my chair around, my mouth drops open as a huge man in an olive green shirt and a big old cowboy hat approaches us.
"Well, good morning," Rob growls, cat claws swiping through the air. "Who are you?"
Siobhan grins slyly. "This is Jakob Wilkinson. He doesn't have a modelling agent but when he reached out to me and expressed that he wanted to participate in the casting, I couldn't refuse."
My throat caves in on itself, my palms go damp and I feel all those damn hormone-fuelled emotions stinging at my eyes.
Jakob is here. He's standing right here.
My system struggles to compute that tiny bit of information. I thought I'd never see him again. I was trying to make peace with that fact. I was trying to focus on the baby and put him out of my mind.
Why is he standing here?
Siobhan's voice cuts through my thoughts. "Now take off your shirt, sir!” she commands with a predatory glint on her face.
Jakob starts to protest. "Well, I didn't actually come here to audition —"
Siobhan becomes stern. “Look, mister — this was part of our deal. If you want the opportunity to be here right now, the shirt has got to go!"
Rob pounds his fists into the table rhythmically. "Take it off! Take it off!" he hoots.
Jakob chuckles under his breath, his eyes locked on me. My heart beats double-time as he peels off his cowboy hat and sets it on the table in front of me. He reaches for the hem of his shirt and begins working on the buttons. My nipples grow tighter with each button that gets undone. My mouth is so dry that my tongue is about to cause rug burns on my palate. I can't think of any words to say as he frees himself of the shirt, letting it flutter to the ground.
He leans down over me, both of his hands pressed flat on the table. "So, what do you think, miss? Do you think I’ve got a shot?" he says in a growl. My pussy clenches violently as his heat and musk encapsulate me.
I'm vaguely aware of Siobhan pushing a confused and protesting Rob toward the door. "Sweetie, we're gonna go grab lunch. We'll let you decide what to do with this sexy cowboy. And I’m assuming you’ll need the rest of the day off. You’d better not be here when I get back." The door shuts heavily behind them.
I stand and round the table. "You shouldn't be here." I hold a hand out protectively in front of me.
Jakob faces me with his fists balled at his sides. "Stop it, Lily."
"You really don't know anything about me," I continue.
"Stop it."
"I'm pregnant with some other guy's kid."
"Lily!"
The sternness in his voice causes me to freeze. Damn — he does bossy so well. My mouth snaps shut. He has my full attention now.
"Good," he smirks with satisfaction. "Before you turn me away and send me back to Reyfield disappointed and heartbroken, give me a fair chance to make my case."
I heave a sigh and purse my lips as my arms cross over my chest. There's so much I want to say right now.
I hold my tongue.
"Sit down," he orders me. The urge to protest is strong but I'm so heady off of possibility that I do exactly as he says.
When I'm seated, he goes over to the door and grabs something from the hallway. It's his guitar. I find myself giggling. My insides tighten with anticipation.
Perching on the edge of the table, he begins to strum. I recognize that riff. I recognize it. Is it Bad to the Bone by George Thorogood? I’m pretty sure it is.
Jakob’s deep, smoky growl fills the room.
I was just a farmer, working hard on my land
Though I’d never admit it, I’was a lonely man
Then one random morning, I knocked some random door
Caught a glimpse of Sunshine, she left me wanting more
At first I was stupid, I tried to stay away
But deep down I knew that, she w’s the best part of the day
One morning I woke up, and she was in my bed
She stole my heart with her smile then, started giving me head
I burst into giggles over his horribly corny lyrics but he carries on, strumming away undeterred.
I can’t leave you alone, Lily-Lily-Lily-Lily
I can’t leave you alone, I can’t leave you alone
The rest of the lyrics get lost as tears pour down my face and my brain turns to mush. I'm shaking, clutching my belly as all of my resistance melts from the inside out. Our situation is far from perfect. He has no idea. He has no idea of all the obstacles ahead of us.
He sets his guitar on the table and comes around to me. He rolls my chair back and kneels in front of me. "Lily, I was a fool to let you walk away from me. I was a fool to think that I'd ever be able to recover from losing you. You are the best thing that ever walked into my life. You gave my heart a reason to beat again." His hand settles on my belly. "You and this baby are everything to me.” His voice cracks roughly. “But I thought you wanted to be in the city, to work at your fancy job, to get back with your ex-boyfriend—”
“I told you I was done with him!” I say, irritated.
He sighs roughly. “I know, I know…” I crumble at his vulnerability.
My fingers trail over his thick biceps, across his sunkissed skin. "Oh Jakob..."
"I'll admit it — I'm scared. I'm scared that I won't be enough. I'm scared that I won't be able to give you all the things you want. I won't ever be able to afford those designer handbags and those fancy pajamas you like. I'm telling you straight. But I will work hard every single day, wake up with the sun every single morning to make sure that you and this baby and his many, many brothers and sisters have everything you need." His eyes plead with me.
"This is complicated," I cry. "You're a good man, Jakob. I want you but you don't deserve this mess of a life." I lean away from him, putting distance between us. "One day, you'll find a good woman. One that's kind and available and uncomplicated. One that's good for you."
Frustration glows in his eyes. He grips my knees tightly and he roars. "It's you or nothin', Lily. It's you or nobody. Why can't you see that?"
I'm a wreck. My mascara burns my eyes and my lips tremble uncontrollably. He's laying it bare for me and I can hear the abandon in his voice. “I feel the same way…”
I bend closer and he presses his mouth to mine. My pussy does obscene things as he cups my jaw in his palm, deepening the kiss. My brain short-circuits when his tongue slides along mine, twisting and curling around my heated flesh.
Emotion flurries inside of me. Nobody's ever wanted me before. But Jakob is here. For me. For me and the baby.
He pulls back, hands still caressing my face as he watches me, eyes blurry with emotion. "I love you, woman," he rasps out.
I sigh, my heart swelling fast. This is everything I’ve ever wanted. “I love you, too."
Chapter 45
Jakob
I have Lily all spread out in the tiny little bed of her tiny little apartment. She's so beautiful as she comes down from the orgasm that I just pulled from her with my tongue. My chin is wet. She came all over my face. I'm about to make her come again. With my cock this time.
She rests my hand on her belly. "He's kicking," she whispers.
I sit still, waiting, waiting, waiting, and then I feel movement beneath my hand, dull, rapid taps that let me know the little boy is really in there. I smile so hard it hurts.
"I missed you," she breathes, gazing up into my face. The way she's watching me makes my heart crack open.
I hate to think that I caused her pain when I let her leave Reyfield without putting up a real fight. I hate to think that she felt unloved or unwanted in that moment because I have never wanted anyone the way I want her.
"I missed you, Sunshine." I kiss her bel
ly, twirling her nipples between my fingers.
She groans and her spine arches off the bed. "Come here, Grumps. Let me show you how much."
With a wicked smile, I crawl up her body, dotting kisses along her skin as I go. When we're face to face, she cradles her hands on my cheeks. Only the candles illuminating the room provide light.
She's so beautiful, with those tight blond ringlets, the dimples, the tooth gap. It's impossible not to love a face like this.
Her thighs fall wide open and I wrap her legs around me. I sink deep inside of her and I fuck her like she’s mine because she is. For real this time. After we hit the climax together, we fall boneless next to each other, holding hands and breathing hard.
In this moment, I’m so grateful for Grace. I’m so happy that she encouraged me to come out here and speak to Lily in person. I was jumping to conclusions, assuming that Lily had come back here to be with her ex. Now, I see that I was wrong.
"I'm glad you came for me," she whispers into the air.
I’m glad, too.
I'm so glad that my instincts were right, that coming here with my old guitar was the way to win her back.
She nuzzles her face into my neck. "Thank you for coming. But Jakob — I can't go back to Reyfield with you..."
Chapter 46
Lily
Disappointment flashes over Jakob’s face but it’s quickly replaced by determination. “I won’t be without you, Lily. Not anymore.”
"I can't just pack up and move across the country every few weeks. I'm pregnant. And I'm tired. I need to lay down roots, build a nest, all that motherly stuff.”
I’m making excuses, still dancing around the real issue. I don’t want to tell Jakob about the baby’s condition, about the fact that I had to take this job because of the medical insurance and other benefits. If I admit that to him, he’ll try to find a different solution. I don’t want him making any more sacrifices for me and the baby. I don’t want to be a burden on him and I don’t want him to stick with us out of a sense of obligation. We aren’t his responsibility.
He looks at me and laughs. Then, he plops back against the pillows. "Well, I want to be where you are. So, I guess I'm just gonna stick around here." He says it like it's the simplest thing in the world.
"What about Mini?"
"Mini's in very capable hands. I hired her a new caregiver. A retired nurse looking for something to keep her busy."
"And what about the farm?"
"I have workers now. They'll take care of it."
I arch a brow, pleasantly surprised. Apparently, a lot has changed since I left.
"But you don't like city life."
He taps the point of my nose. "I like you."
I grin, all out of objections.
"I'm not going anywhere without you, Lily," he says against my lips.
I feel my walls breaking down because I want to be with him. “There’s something I haven’t told you,” I blurt out before I can control myself.
His eyebrow jerks up. He’s waiting.
I lick my lips nervously, but I’ve already spilled the beans. I’ve got to tell him the whole story. “The baby has a heart condition,” I whisper, trying not to cry, “He’s gonna need surgery. I took the job at Hectic so that I could get health insurance and cover the costs.”
Jakob’s face drops and he sits upright in bed. “Lily…”
“I didn’t want to burden you with any of this.”
“I had no idea…Grace told me that you had good reasons for coming back here but she didn’t tell me the baby was sick. Why didn’t you just tell me? I would have been there for you. We would have figured something out. Together.”
“I don’t want you to feel responsible for any of this…”
He pulls me close, wrapping me in his arms. “Of course I’m responsible for this. I want to be responsible for this.” He presses his lips to my scalp. “We’re a family. You, me and the baby. I mean it.”
I exhale shakily. “You don’t have to do this, Jakob. You have no obligation to us.”
“Family isn't about blood. It's about love and being there for each other. I love the two of you. I want to be there for you. And nothing’s going to stop me.”
“The surgery — it’s going to cost a small fortune.”
He just shrugs. “I’ll find a way to pay for it. I’ll sell the farm.”
“Jakob!”
“You’re not getting away from me, girl. I love you too much to let you go again.”
I melt right then, right there in his arms. I nuzzle close to him and his arms come around me, caressing my belly in tender circles. The baby kicks vigorously. It’s almost as if he understands what’s going on. He has a family now. A mommy and a daddy.
We’re a family…
The next morning, I leave Jakob sitting on the couch, drinking coffee and reading the paper. He kisses me and tells me he loves me. He promises me a footrub when I get home from work.
I'm the happiest girl in the world when I walk out that door.
That's why I'm shocked and crushed when I get home that night...and he's gone.
Chapter 47
Jakob
A heavy oak bookshelf sits in the corner, thick leather-bound journals covering its dusty shelves. Half a dozen framed diplomas cover the walls. They're marked with fingerprints.
Dr. Houston takes a seat at his dark wood desk, landing heavily in his chair.
"Explain to me again how this happened!" I demand, my fists going numb as I grip the steel railings of the chair I'm sitting in.
"Sir, your grandmother had been suffering from neuropathy of the extremities for a long time," he begins.
I cut his ass off. "It was under control. It has been under control. I made sure of it.” God, I’m in denial.
He adjusts his glasses and peers down at the file in front of him. "These types of infections can sometimes creep up on a person when they least expect it. I truly am sorry for what happened—"
I bolt out of my seat. "You're sorry? You're sorry? That's the best you can tell me?"
"Sir, calm down!" He makes an appeasing motion with his hand as I pace the tattered carpet in front of his desk.
I glare at him as I go to and fro, trying to persuade myself against punching him in the mouth. That fucking rat bastard. “I didn’t consent to this. You could have waited until I got here. You should have waited." Tears burn the back of my eyes.
"I'm sorry," he says coldly. "We couldn't."
He's so fucking smug and self-righteous. How does a person live with himself after doing what this man did?
"Mr. Wilkinson, we have something further to discuss." His jaw twitches nervously. My frantic mind immediately darts to thoughts of Lily and the baby because I know exactly what he’s going to say. I made them a promise and there’s no way I’m breaking it. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. “Significant medical bills have come about as a result of the care that we provided to your grandmother."
My blood boils and I'm angry enough to rip this guy to shreds with my bare hands. "Care? You consider what you did to that old woman 'care'?" I howl. "You butchered her! And now you expect me to pay for it? I should sue you! I will sue you!"
He reaches for the phone on his desk, clearly alarmed. "Sir, I'm gonna have to call security now!"
I snatch the phone from his hand and fling it right past his head. It smashes into one of the diploma frames and glass rains down like confetti.
It feels oddly satisfying, seeing him cower like that. But it can't fix what he did to Mini.
"Fuck you," I seethe. "And fuck your hospital bill."
Chapter 48
Lily
I push open the door to the hospital room and tears immediately spring to my eyes.
Mini looks so small and frail lying there in the bed, draped in a light sheet. The noise of my feet shuffling into the room causes her to stir, she looks up at me and gives a weak smile. "Tiger Lily," she rasps, her voice sounding hoarse and scratchy.
A move
ment in the corner of the room catches my eyes. "Lily?" Jakob looks exhausted, worn down. His hair is all over the place. His stubble is overgrown. His tired eyes wear more darkness than I've ever seen.
Dirty Farmer (The Dirty Suburbs Book 6) Page 16
