Olivia sighed as she began filling in basic information about herself. Height? 5’4”. Hair color? Brunette. Kids? One. She felt a hint of distaste creep into her mouth as she finished making the profile and began answering the first few questions.
“What’s the most impressive thing you’ve ever seen?”
Olivia almost typed in an answer about all of the woodwork at Jackson’s house, but stopped herself. Not a good look, Liv, she thought as she shook her head. Not a good idea to talk about other dudes when trying to land a date.
Instead, she wrote about Max learning to walk, and how amazed she was to see him grow every day.
When Olivia was done, she clicked “save” and then after a moment, refreshed the page. She gasped at the list of men who had already viewed her profile, then began to scrutinize their photographs.
“Hm,” Olivia murmured as she clicked on the first guy. “You could be interesting.”
She closed the page a moment later. His biography had seemed normal, until the third sentence where he mentioned that he was a widower….three times over.
“Not in a rush to become Dead Wife Number Four,” Olivia muttered as she picked up her glass of wine and took a long drink. Stay positive, she thought as she continued rooting through all of the profiles. One of these has to be good.
By the end of the night, she was feeling more discouraged than ever. The only guys who had responded to her messages all sounded suspiciously bratty, like Derek. There was no one who compared to Jackson. Hell, if Olivia was being honest with herself, there was no one who even came close.
The next evening, there was a knock on the door. Olivia hefted Max into her arms and cautiously opened the door, expecting it to be Lisa, or even worse, Derek.
Instead, it was Jackson. He was holding a brown paper bag full of something that smelled delicious and a bottle of wine. “I hope this isn’t too much of an imposition,” Jackson said with a grin. “I was in the neighborhood, I thought I’d stop by.”
Olivia could barely contain her excitement as she stepped to the side and allowed Jackson into the house. “I’m glad you stopped by,” she said shyly. “Max was really starting to miss you.”
“Just Max?” Jackson gave her a questioning look. “Or maybe you, too?”
Olivia gave him a coy smile. “My lips are sealed,” she said softly as she led the way into the kitchen.
Max was overjoyed to see his new best friend. He waved his arms and chattered excitedly through the whole meal. Jackson had brought Peruvian chicken with rice and beans, and the three of them enjoyed a wonderful meal together. When Max’s lids started falling down when they were almost finished, Olivia jumped out of her chair.
“I’m just going to put him down,” she told Jackson. “I’ll be right back. Is that okay?”
“Of course,” Jackson said. He took another giant mouthful of chicken.
Olivia grinned. She carried Max into his bedroom. There were butterflies in her stomach, and while she didn’t want to think about why she was feeling so nervous, she knew that it was because of Jackson. “Mommy has an important night tonight,” she said softly to Max as she laid him down in his light blue crib. “So you behave, okay?”
Max yawned in Olivia’s face, then snuggled up with his favorite stuffed animal and closed his eyes. Satisfied, Olivia crept out of the room, pulling the door closed behind her as quietly as she could.
Jackson had started to clean up the kitchen by the time she was back.
“You don’t have to do that,” Olivia chastised. “Really, you’re the one who brought the food! You should relax.”
Jackson laughed. “If you’re trying to let me down easy, I get it,” he said softly. He chuckled under his breath. “You’re so cute when you get so flustered.”
Olivia’s cheeks pinked and she dipped her head. “Whatever you say,” she said, trying to hide how flattered she felt. “Thank you so much for bringing that over. Everything was delicious. Especially that green sauce!”
“I love it,” Jackson said with a smirk. “The guys at that place know me, and sometimes I go in just for the sauce. I put it on everything,” he said. “You should have looked inside my fridge. Then you’d know what a sad bachelor I really am.”
Olivia shook her head. “I’m sure you’re exaggerating.” She reached across Jackson for a dish, but her feet slipped on a wet part of the floor and she went skidding right into Jackson’s arms. He caught her easily, bracing her arms just as he had done at the wedding. But unlike the wedding, Olivia couldn’t make herself pull away. Jackson’s musky scent washed over her and she shuddered, suddenly aware that she was soaked between the legs. They stared at each other, the moment growing more heated by the second.
“I really like you, Olivia,” Jackson said in a husky voice. She stared into his golden-brown eyes, feeling a heady, intoxicating blend of lust and attraction.
“I know,” she said softly. Finally, Jackson leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. At first, the kiss was awkward, as all new kisses are. Then, after a moment, it began to heat up. Olivia was increasingly aware of Jackson’s lips pressing against her own. A thrill of pleasure shot through her body and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her torso against his muscular body. Jackson felt so good to kiss – his lips were warm, dry, and soft, and when he slipped his tongue between her lips, Olivia thought she was going to die of arousal.
“Jackson,” Olivia moaned softly as she broke the kiss. Jackson’s hands slid down her back and she trembled as his warm, rough fingertips tugged up the hem of her shirt and touched her bare skin. Eagerly, she pulled him close and kissed him passionately, sliding her tongue alongside his. Jackson growled with desire and that set Olivia off: the private area between her legs was thumping with lust. Jackson squeezed Olivia tightly to his body and tugged off her shirt, tossing it on the floor. Olivia crossed her arms over her chest and blushed shyly as Jackson stared at her body.
“You’re so beautiful,” Jackson murmured in a husky growl. He stepped forward and scooped Olivia up in his arms, swiftly carrying her into the bedroom and closing the door.
Once they were in her bedroom, Olivia felt an amazing rush of adrenaline come over her body. She tugged frantically at Jackson’s clothes, desperate to see him naked. When his shirt was off, she gasped and marveled at the shape of his chest. He was muscular and hairy, and she ran a hand through his chest hair and shivered.
“You’re so manly,” Olivia giggled. “It’s really hot.”
Jackson winked at her and kicked his jeans to the ground. “So pleased the lady finds me attractive,” he teased. The moment turned serious again when he grabbed Olivia and tugged her jeans off, leaving her clad only in panties. Growling, he pushed Olivia back down on the bed and nosed his way down her body. She shivered at the feel of Jackson’s rough, hot tongue on her belly. When he began tugging her panties off with his teeth, she thought she was going to scream with anticipation.
Frantically, Olivia tugged at Jackson’s boxers until he was naked. His cock bobbed and stood straight up in the air, thick and beautiful like the rest of his body. She gasped when Jackson crawled on top of her and nudged her legs apart.
“Touch me, please,” Olivia moaned into Jackson’s neck. As his fingers stroked the soft inside of her thighs, she shivered and spread her legs as far as she could. Jackson softly stroked her labia and finally slipped a finger inside, making Olivia gasp and cry out with pleasure. Jackson seemed to know exactly how to touch her, and she could feel herself getting wetter by the second.
“God, Olivia,” Jackson groaned in a husky growl. “I need you.” He pulled his hand away, grabbing both of Olivia’s wrists in one hand and pinning them over her head. She arched her back and moaned as he leaned against her, pushing his hips against her own until she could feel the head of his erection straining at her secret entrance. When Jackson bucked his hips and slid inside, Olivia let out a loud, strangled cry of lust. It felt so good that she didn’t even think she coul
d move, but soon she was moving along with Jackson. Their hips bucked in the same rhythm, their mouths tarried and lingered on each other’s faces. Olivia closed her eyes and moaned steadily as she felt something hot gripping her lower belly. The lust and pleasure spread through her body until she felt every cell, every nerve tingling as if lit on the most delicious fire.
Jackson’s body bucked and strained against Olivia and she could feel his muscles clenching and tightening. When he let out a loud growl and slammed her body hard into the mattress, she felt a powerful orgasm rip through her body. It strained her own muscles until she felt happy tears come to her eyes.
Afterwards, they lay tangled together in Olivia’s bed. Olivia was sweating and hot, and finally she pulled herself away and went to turn on the fan.
“You’re incredible,” Jackson murmured when Olivia came back to bed and rested her face on his shoulder. “You’re so amazing.”
Olivia bit her lip and closed her eyes, sighing happily. “You are,” she said softly. “And I certainly hope you’ll be spending the night.”
Chapter Four
Olivia slept better than ever before with Jackson beside her. She didn’t even have any weird dreams about what was going to happen in the morning, or Derek, or Lisa. It was the best night of sleep that she’d gotten in years.
In the morning, there was a loud knock on the door. It was insistent, sharp. Olivia was awakened by the cries of Max. She leapt out of bed and pulled a robe on. When she opened the bedroom door, Jackson finally stirred.
Jackson yawned. “Do you want me to go take him?”
Olivia bit her lip. “Do you mind?” She frowned, then winced as the knocking started again, louder than ever. “I don’t know who’s here,” she added.
Swallowing hard, Olivia ran a hand through her brown hair and pulled the door open. There stood Derek, looking brutish and angry.
“Who’s car is that?” He pointed towards Jackson’s car in the driveway. “I don’t remember you having new friends,” he added with a sneer.
“Derek, what do you want?” Olivia shifted her weight and stared right at her ex. It was funny, how little she felt inside with him standing right in front of her. “Can I help you?”
“Liv, I need to talk to you,” Derek said. His tone changed from nasty to almost kind, and Olivia sighed. “It’s important.”
She swallowed hard. “Why? I think the time for talking is over, Derek. And if it wasn’t then, it definitely is now.”
Derek shook his head. “Look, I get it, you’re still angry with me. I know. But hear me out, okay? Max deserves a father, Liv. And I slept with Lisa to make you jealous!”
Olivia rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right,” she said. “More like you did it because you follow your dick, not your brain.”
Derek pouted. “Come on, Liv, hear me out, okay? Just for old times’ sake?”
Olivia bit her lip. “I don’t know,” she said, feeling uncomfortable. “I think you made your decision pretty clear, Derek.”
“I didn’t, though,” Derek said. He tried to step inside the door. Reluctantly, Olivia let him.
“Just hold on,” she said as her eyes flashed with irritation. “Wait outside.”
A knot was forming in Olivia’s stomach but she did her best to ignore it as she walked through the house on unsteady legs. “Jackson?” Olivia called loudly. “Max? Are you here?”
“We’re back here,” Jackson called from Max’s bedroom. When he saw the expression on Olivia’s face, he jumped up. “What’s wrong?”
“Derek’s here,” she said miserably. “I think I need to talk to him…” she trailed off, unable to meet Jackson’s eyes. “I mean, I feel like I have to. Or rather, I feel like I owe it to him, somehow. Does that make sense?”
Jackson sighed heavily. “It doesn’t have to make sense,” he said moodily. “It’s your choice, Olivia.”
As she watched Jackson leave the house, she felt a pang of regret and longing. Part of her wanted to run after him, to throw herself into his arms and beg forgiveness. You were engaged to Derek, she thought unhappily. You at least owe him some closure. Jackson will understand. It’s okay.
But it didn’t feel okay.
Derek followed Olivia into the living room and flopped down on a couch. He kicked his feet up on the coffee table and she winced at the muddy bottoms of his shoes. Jackson would never do that, a little voice inside Olivia’s head chirped. You know he’s too well mannered.
She shook her head, as if to rid herself of any lingering ideas about Jackson. When she lowered herself into a chair opposite from Derek, she stared at him.
“So what did you want to talk about?”
“About this,” Derek said. He gestured around. “You know, I think it’s time for you to come down from that high horse,” he added. “You need to realize how things are in the real world. Sex doesn’t mean anything to men, Liv,” he said, as if letting Olivia in on some kind of hidden secret. “And I love you.”
“If sex doesn’t mean anything, why did you run off and have it with someone else while we were still dating?” Olivia glared at Derek. “Or rather, still engaged.”
Derek laughed. He ran a hand through his short hair. “You’re such a puritan, Liv, loosen up! It was just sex! That’s how men are, honey, we have this biological imperative…” he trailed off and winked at Olivia. She shifted uncomfortably.
“I don’t know,” she said finally. “I think Max and I are doing much better without you.”
“I highly doubt that,” Derek scoffed. “I can imagine he’s suffering, you know, you’re the one who keeps parading men in and out of his life. That isn’t good for a kid, Olivia. I thought you’d know better than that.”
Olivia frowned and stood up with her hands on her hips. “What are you even talking about?”
“That guy, who was here just now,” Derek said. He smirked. “Can’t have been good for our son, Olivia. He needs a real father, someone who won’t abandon his family for the next best thing when the going gets tough.”
Olivia stared at Derek. As much as she hated him, there was a small part of her that was ashamed at his words. It was true. She’d brought a new man into Max’s life with little regard for how it would play out, and that made her a bad mother. She bit her lip as tears came to her eyes. Sitting back down on the couch, she looked down at her shoes.
“I knew you’d come around,” Derek said confidently. He stood up and wiped his hands off on his jeans. Olivia noticed a muddy smudge on the coffee table. “I’ve actually got some of my stuff in the car, I thought I’d bring it back over.”
Olivia put her head in her hands as she listened to Derek’s heavy footsteps walking outside. Suddenly, there was a loud sound, almost like a roar. Jumping to her feet, she ran to the front door and watched in horror as a big, brown bear chased Derek down the street.
“Oh my god,” Olivia mumbled. She clapped a hand over her mouth and shut the door, running back to check on Max.
A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Warily, Olivia grabbed a hammer and set Max down in his room as she inched towards the door. When she pulled it open, she was surprised to see Jackson standing there, heaving and breathing heavily.
“There was a bear,” Olivia said in disbelief. “It…it chased Derek away!”
“Can you let me in?” Jackson’s voice was shaking. “I need to talk to you.”
They stepped into the foyer and Olivia shut the front door. “What is it?” She looked into Jackson’s face, feeling ashamed.
“I had a bad feeling about that guy,” Jackson said uneasily. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “And I didn’t leave, I, uh, kind of hung around. When he came out of your house, he was on the phone with someone. And he was saying, well, he was saying that you fell for it, and that you have no idea about Lisa.”
Kenny (Shifter Football League Book 2) Page 130
