Jackson’s face was a mask of disdain. He wouldn’t even look at her. It made Lily feel sick to her stomach, a feeling she knew she deserved for what she’d done to them or, rather, what she hadn’t done, which was tell the truth from the beginning.
But just as she was about to bow her head in shame, Ethan caught her eye.
“Hey, Lily.” Ethan walked up to her and hesitated for a moment before leaning down and placing a careful peck on her cheek. “I hope we didn’t keep you waiting too long.” His smile held a hint of sadness, but she was relieved to see it all the same. It was a start and more than she was expecting.
“No, not at all.” She was happy just to see them there. “To be honest, I wasn’t sure you two would even come in today. You know, after…”
“Forget about it.” Ethan held the tips of her fingers, pulling them into his chest. The combination of his words and the heat radiating from his skin and the hard planes of his body had her struggling to find her bearings. She could not reconcile the look of heartbreak that had been written all over Ethan’s face a few nights before with the Ethan before her. He gazed at her with love and warmth in his eyes, and more than anything, Lily felt grateful.
“But—”
“Shh.” Ethan lifted his finger to her lips, silencing her. “I’m not mad, Lily, at least not anymore.” He pulled up a stool beside her and sat down, folding her hands into his own and resting them on his firm, denim-clad thighs. “Believe me, I was angry at first, but it didn’t take long for me to realize what’s actually important here. I love you, Lily, and I’ve only ever wanted what’s best for you. I’d like to think it’s being with me and Jackson here in Liebling, but if that’s not what your heart tells you, I can’t change that. If your dream is to go to school in New York, and if you really think that’s best for you, then I can deal with that. I’ve waited about ten years to be with you, something I never thought would happen in the first place, and maybe I can wait ten more years if that’s what it takes. But I decided that whatever happens to us in the future, we still have today, and if that’s all I can get from you, I can accept that. Whether it’s for another four weeks or for forty years, I want to be with you. We’ll just take it one day at a time.” He blew out a deep breath as if to punctuate the end of his speech. It sounded like something he’d rehearsed all weekend and it made her feel absolutely shitty. Why was he so damn nice, so fair, so insanely diplomatic?
Ethan’s big hand held the back of her head and pulled her firmly toward him to his full, delicious lips. His kiss electrified and melted her all at once. His lips parted, and she welcomed his sweet tongue as it massaged her own and explored the depths of her mouth as if searching for something she could not name.
His hands trailed down her back, his fingertips caressing her through her blouse, sending tingles of pleasure throughout her body. When his hands reached her ass, Lily let him pull her to straddle his lap. The feeling and intention of his cock swelling against her was unmistakable, but when she reached for his fly, Ethan pulled away.
“What’s wrong?” Lily felt her stomach sink and fear again crept back to cradle her heart.
His smile, this time offered without hesitation, instantly eased her mind. “Nothing.” Ethan’s hand ventured down her blouse, unbuttoning her as it went.
But even as effervescent pleasure blanketed her body, one loose thread tugged at her happiness. She flicked her gaze to where Jackson sat on the other side of the room. The moment their eyes connected, Jackson grimaced and looked away. She knew that without Jackson in the picture, Ethan would never be truly happy. Hell, Lily wouldn’t be truly happy either. As much as he pushed her buttons, Jackson had a special place in her heart. He was a man she loved to hate, but more than anything else, a man she loved to love. Jackson could definitely be an ass at times, but when he turned on the charm, he was absolutely irrepressible.
“Don’t worry about him,” Ethan whispered into her ear between nibbles. “He’ll come around, and if he doesn’t, well, that just means more Lily for me.”
Lily nodded and pushed Jackson out of her thoughts. If this is how Ethan wanted it, she was more than happy to comply. At least for now.
* * * *
Jackson breathed a sigh of relief when Ethan finally took a break from fawning over Lily to pick up lunch. He had been trying to ignore them all morning as they worked side by side—as close as two bodies could get without being on top of each other—discussing Lily’s new designs and ways to improve on existing ones. On the surface, they seemed professional, but the devil’s in the details and Jackson picked up on every subtle gesture and caress. The air was thick with their attraction, and it probably would’ve made him as hard as a rock if it weren’t so annoying at the same time. Those two were acting like lovebirds, and Jackson suddenly felt like renewing his hunting license. He was amazed they had managed to keep from tearing each other’s clothes off. Maybe that’s because he wasn’t in the equation. Surely if he had been there, Lily would’ve stripped down to her birthday suit to blow out his candle in a heartbeat. She would’ve sucked his cock like her life depended on it, her warm lips and wet mouth bathing him, her tits swaying beneath her, peaked with the most adorable little nipples he’d ever…
Jackson shook the fantasy from his mind. Maybe his body still wanted her, but his brain sure as hell didn’t. Lily was trouble, for him and his brother. Jackson didn’t know how much more of this he could take. Watching his brother get played by a Chisholm drove him crazy, but he knew nothing he could say would change Ethan’s mind. The damn fool loved the girl and had nursed a love for her that could not be squashed by reason or logic alone. No, he had to convince Lily to come to her senses and stop toying with his twin. The woman was leaving, and no matter what Ethan claimed, he could not possibly be fine with that.
She was beautiful, though, and smart—dangerously smart. The woman was damn near irresistible, but Jackson was too strong for her wiles. He could resist her, and he knew he had to be strong enough for both him and his brother.
Damn it.
Jackson realized he might have been staring at Lily, which she apparently took as a sign that he gave a shit about her and decided to walk on over. But that was okay. A perfect opportunity to show just how little power that she-devil had over him.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Jackson shook off Lily’s wandering hand.
Frowning, Lily crossed her arms over her chest. Jackson didn’t miss the way the action pushed up her tits in the process, creating a line of cleavage he could not help but imagine his tongue sliding over. “You were staring at me with your tongue hanging out, so I figured…”
“Well, you figured wrong. If my tongue had been hanging out, it was from the shock of watching evil incarnate picking out fabric samples.”
Lily’s jaw dropped, and she took a step back. “What is your problem?” Her eyes seemed to search his face for any clues or maybe any sign that he was joking around. “Ethan’s happy, we’re happy, and I don’t know why you can’t be happy for us or, even better, be a part of this…this relationship.”
“Pfft. In your dreams, Lily Chisholm.” He spat out her last name as if the word itself left a bad taste in his mouth. “You Chisholms are all alike—selfish, stubborn as mules, and able to tell a lie like you were singing the gospel.”
Her posture stiffened as if she had actually been slapped in the face. Whatever emotion she was feeling before, only anger seemed to be behind her eyes now. “What the hell are you talking about?” She flipped her hair over her shoulder and planted her hands firmly on her hips. She looked ready and raring for a fight. Well, if that’s what she wanted, Jackson would be more than happy to comply. He pushed his sleeves up over his elbows and towered over her. He was about to give her a piece of his mind when he saw the awful way her brows knit together. Did she look afraid?
Oh, lord. Don’t tell me she thinks I’m planning to hit her or something.
Jackson would never raise a hand to a
woman, and the fact that Lily didn’t seem to know that hurt him to his core. This woman who drove him crazy didn’t seem to know him at all. So why was he even bothering with talking to her?
Ethan. He could not let his brother get hurt.
Jackson took a deep breath and took a half step back. “Listen, Lily, all I want to do is talk.” He cleared his throat. “What you’re doing is wrong. How you’re treating Ethan is wrong. While you two are carrying on like lovebirds, I’m over here working and trying to figure out how I can get Ethan to realize what a damn fool he’s being.”
“I think the only fool here is you. What goes on between me and Ethan is none of your business.”
“Like hell it isn’t. If you really cared about Ethan, you wouldn’t treat him this way. You can’t just lead people on and make them think you love them! Do you know what that does? It tears a man apart. When you leave, I’ll have to pick up the pieces.”
Her jaw ticked, and she tugged at the end of her braid as it curled over her shoulder. She chewed on her bottom lip, and Jackson thought maybe he’d actually gotten through to her. He could not believe how easy that had been. He had been ready to argue till he turned blue in the face. It looked like he wouldn’t have to. Jackson was about to pat himself on the shoulder when Lily turned around and started pacing. Suddenly, Jackson didn’t feel so confident that this was over.
When she whipped around and poked her finger in his chest, Jackson knew they had only just begun.
“How dare you! Pick up the pieces? Well, if you did that, that’d be a first for you, Jackson—doing anything for someone other than yourself. And besides, you’re wrong, because I do love Ethan, and you heard what he said. Ethan is a grown man, and he can make his own decisions, and if he says he’s happy with this arrangement then I’m going to take him at his word.”
“Do you really think it’s as simple as that? It’s Ethan we’re talking about. The man overcomplicates everything.”
“But—”
“Please, the man is in denial, sweetheart. And if you don’t know that, then you’re dumber than I thought. And love him? You know, Lily, I never took you as a love ’em and leave ’em kind of gal, but I guess I was wrong.” Jackson almost felt bad for insulting her like that. It was a cheap shot, and if his mother had been around, she would’ve washed his mouth out with soap for speaking to a lady that way. But all’s fair in love and war, and this seemed to be both. Jackson decided to press on. “Do you honestly think Ethan is okay with you leaving, with his bullshit ‘I’m happy with what I can get’ line? He’s not happy. He’s miserable inside, and when you leave, who do you think will be stuck with his moping, brokenhearted self, huh? Me, that’s who. And nothing dampens a man’s game more than a twin brother pining over some other woman.” He unclenched his fists as he realized his nails were starting to dig into his flesh. “Listen, Lily, what you’re doing is selfish and wrong. Plain and simple.”
Lily bowed her head and turned away. Then he heard a sound that nearly broke his heart. A small sniffle and then another. A quick hand swiping her cheek told Jackson everything, and as much as he knew he was in the right, he still felt like the biggest asshole this side of the Mississippi.
“Ah, Christ, Lily. Are you crying? You can’t do that. That’s not fair.” He walked toward her, placing his hand on her shoulder. He didn’t know if he was comforting himself or her.
She shrugged his hand off and whirled around to face him. The force of her movement made Jackson take a step back, and he instinctively put his hands up in a defensive position. Despite the tears that still trailed down her cheeks, the fiery look in her eyes burned as strong as ever. He hadn’t comforted her at all. She was pissed.
“You know, Jackson, you have some nerve accusing me of being in the wrong when your actions haven’t been so angelic either.”
“Don’t you turn this around on me. This is about you.”
“It’s as much about you as it is about me.”
“How do you figure? I’m not the one taking advantage of Ethan’s heart.”
“Ha! Well, aren’t you the pot calling the kettle black? You practically have a monopoly on taking advantage of your brother.”
That one cut deep, but he wouldn’t let on. “That’s ridiculous…” But even then, Jackson could not deny the grain of truth her words held. No, not a grain of truth. It was the truth. “Okay, whatever. Let’s say it were true, and I’m not saying it is, that’s our business. We’re brothers, and when it comes down to it, we look out for each other, and I know you’re trouble for him.”
“And what am I to you?”
“A pain in the ass.”
Lily scoffed and crossed her arms back over her chest. “Are you sure you aren’t talking about yourself?” Lily’s bottom lip went out in a pout, and she suddenly became that little girl he teased when he was a kid. They were both acting like children, bickering back and forth and not getting anywhere. When they were kids or even teenagers, he would have found this endless teasing amusing, but not now. As he looked at her, her face pinched in anger and frustration, the evidence of her crying now drying salty trails on her face, he felt sad. Sad for her, for himself, and for Ethan. Sad for the future they might’ve had together, except she was leaving them. That Ethan’s heart would be broken went without saying, but what about himself? Did he want to be Jackson the bachelor for life? Maybe a small part of him didn’t want to see her go either.
“The bottom line is you’re leaving. It’s your choice and your life, but you’re not the only one who’ll be affected by your decision.” His voice caught in his throat, and he struggled to push down the emotions welling up inside of him, emotions he had tried his entire life to avoid feeling.
“This isn’t just about Ethan, is it?” Lily uncrossed her arms and put a tentative hand on his, just the warmth from the tips of her fingers breaking down the walls he kept trying to build even as she tore them down.
Damn this woman!
Jackson clenched his fists into tight balls and turned to walk away, the emotions raging inside himself with nowhere to go and nowhere to turn. Usually a man turned to his woman when he needed comfort, but what did he do when she was the source of his agony?
“Damn it, Lily!” He slammed his fist down and roared. He felt like a cornered animal, letting fear manifest into aggression. “Why’d you have to go and do a thing like that?”
“L-like what?” Lily stammered as she watched him, her eyes wide with an unknown emotion. Was it fear, was he scaring her again? Her tiny pink tongue darted out and licked her sweet lips, and he knew. She wasn’t afraid. Lily Chisholm usually wasn’t a girl who was afraid of anything, not even a brawny man looking ready to throw a temper tantrum. Her cheeks flushed and her lips parted, as if in invitation.
Jackson went to her. He had to touch her, to be so close to her he could feel her heart beat, to smell the soft, delicate scent that emanated from her like a halo of femininity. He needed this woman.
Wrapping his big hands along her face, he held her still, held her close to him. He rested his forehead against her own, could feel her pulse beating against his palms, quickening with each second that ticked by, each moment that passed between them.
“Why’d you have to go and make me fall in love with you, Lily Chisholm?”
Her mouth formed a perfect O, and he dived right in. He wanted to devour her, to love her, to assure her with his actions what he could not with words. His hands traveled down her smooth neck, the gentle slope of her shoulders, and then down the length of her back, past her luscious ass, until he reached the warmth of her thighs. He quickly thanked his lucky stars she chose to wear a skirt that day and tore away her panties, the thin material soaked with the evidence of her arousal. Jackson knew she hated when he did that, but he hoped that she, too, was beyond caring at that moment. The way her hands worked furiously on his buckle and then the button of his jeans told him he was right.
Finally, blessedly, his jeans fell to the ground, settin
g his cock free to be one with the woman he loved. He wrapped his hands around her waist and lifted her. She was all for it, as evidenced by her low groan of approval, and wrapped her long legs around his waist. The luscious contact his hard, aching cock had with her pussy made his whole body clench in wild anticipation. There was not any time for foreplay. He needed her. Now. Without any preamble, he plunged the thick length of his cock inside her, letting her moist warmth envelop and soak every inch of him.
The world fell away and nothing else mattered. It was just a man loving his woman and cherishing her for what she was for what little time they had together. He finally understood what Ethan had meant. A second of bliss with Lily Chisholm was worth a lifetime of pain at her loss, but Jackson pushed those thoughts away precisely because of the truth they held.
Lily’s back arched, pushing her dripping cunt harder against his pelvis, rocking into him, riding him like the stallion he felt like whenever he was with her. Jackson leaned her against a table and took his shirt off. Her hands clung tightly to his shoulders, her nails digging pleasurably into his flesh with each hard thrust of his hips against her soft body. He was aware of the fact that his shoulders would be peppered with crescent moons from her grip on him, but he rather liked the idea. He pumped into her, letting any anger, fear, or other emotions besides love and pleasure melt away with each slap their bodies made as they collided together. Her pillowy breasts, tipped with her pebbled nipples, met the hard planes of his chest, electrifying his skin, suddenly more alive with feeling than he’d ever thought possible.
He parted her ass cheeks and brushed his fingers against her asshole, knowing the rough calluses of his hands would rasp against the sensitive skin there, the rosette of nerves that ached to be filled with his twin as much as her pussy was with him.
Mitchell, Ava and Holiday, Sydney - Corralling the Stones, Part 2: The Taming [Liebling, Texas 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 6
