Ready or Not (The Ready Series Book 4)

by J. L. Berg

  “Like what?”

  She handed me a gritty piece of sandpaper, and I watched as she began moving her own piece along the wicker, creating a plume of dust.

  “Hmm…” I mimicked her movements with my own sandpaper. “Let’s play Truth or Dare,” I challenged.

  Her smile turned mischievous, setting down the sandpaper to grab a large metal tool to scrape off a large patch of paint that had begun to chip away.

  “Okay, but how exactly are we going to do dares when we are supposed to be working, genius?”

  “Just truths then?”

  “So, basically, you just want to know all my darkest, deepest secrets?”

  “Yep,” I admitted.

  “Fine.” She laughed. “But I get to go first,” she said, her eyebrow angling up in amusement.

  “Deal,” I agreed.

  “How old were you when you lost your virginity?” she asked, a gleam of wickedness cascading across her face.

  “No holding back, huh?”

  “Nope. Spill it.”

  “Okay, okay, but no laughing.” I sighed. “I was nineteen.”

  “Nineteen!” she squeaked. “I would never have guessed.”

  “Yeah, well, I was a tenderhearted youth, and I had it in my head that I was going to wait until the right girl came along.”

  “And did she?” she asked hesitantly.

  “Nope,” I answered bluntly. “But I got Noah out of the deal, so I think that counts as a win.”

  I tried to cover up the bitterness with a smile, but I could tell I wasn’t doing a great job.

  “Her name was Natalie,” I finally said. “We met in college. Coming from my middle-class, Southern upbringing, Nat was completely foreign to me. She was from Arizona, and she had lived on an Indian reservation for part of her life. She was exotic and looked like Pocahontas, and she was totally out there in the way she lived her life. To a wide-eyed boy like me, she was completely dangerous.”

  “Dangerous how?” Liv asked. Her sanding had stopped, and she was now focused solely on me.

  “Everyone told me to stay away from her. They said she was bad news and that she’d bring me nothing but misery, but I was young and naive. She’d come from a questionable past, and she had broken a dozen hearts by the time we found each other. The attention she gave me was hypnotizing and addictive, and I swore she was the one I was meant to be with forever.

  “I thought I was the special one because she’d stayed. We dated through college and lived together. Shortly after graduation, she told me she was pregnant. I was ecstatic, but she was less than thrilled. It wasn’t great timing, but I knew we’d figure it out. I bought her a tiny diamond ring and promised to marry her after our son was born. When I saw the hesitation in her eyes, I told her that my father had given me a large sum of money. I thought she would be happy.”

  “Oh, please tell me she didn’t—”

  “She did,” I said. “Being the trustworthy dumb fuck that I was, I gave her access to the account. She was my fiancée, and she was carrying my child. I wanted her to know that I would take care of her. Weeks after Noah was born, she was gone—along with the money.”

  Liv’s hand touched mine, and I felt her warmth seeping into me.

  “Were there any clues? Or were you completely blindsided?”

  I shook my head. “I knew something was amiss. She hadn’t been happy for months—basically since she’d found out she was pregnant. Toward the end, she was on the phone a lot. I tried to tell myself that she was just adjusting, but now, I don’t know. There was probably someone else.”

  “Amazing,” was all Liv said.

  “Yeah,” I answered. “An amazing bitch.”

  “No—I mean, yes, I guess. But I was referring to you. Think about what you just told me, Jackson, but fast-forward eleven years to now and include everything you’ve accomplished. That one event could have crushed you, but instead, you became stronger.”

  “I had to. Noah needed me to.”

  “There are always going to be people in our lives who will ruin us and pull us down into our own personal hell, but then there are the ones who will build us back up and help restore us to what we are meant to be.”

  “You’re very wise, Miss Prescott.” I smiled.

  “I know. Lots of education.” She winked. “We suck at this game. Quick, ask me something embarrassing. Better yet, give me a dare and even the playing field.”

  “I thought we weren’t doing dares,” I said, feeling my mood improving.

  “Didn’t anyone teach you that it’s okay to break the rules every once in a while?”

  “Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” I grinned.

  “Lay it on me, counselor.”

  “I dare you…to strip down…right here and let me take a picture of you.”

  She laughed, her eyes immediately darting to the warm glow within my house, knowing Noah was inside.

  “He’s glued to the TV. Don’t use him as an excuse,” I challenged.

  “Need something for your spank bank, Mr. Reid?” she asked, her fingers moving down to the hem of her tank top.

  “Something like that.”

  With a quick whoosh, her top was on the grass next to us. Black lace covered her beautiful round breasts, displaying a deep valley where I wanted to dive in and never come back.

  “Now, the shorts, Liv,” I instructed.

  She stood up as I watched from below. She slowly unbuttoned them and slid her fingers underneath the denim before sliding them over her hips. When they fell to the ground, she kicked them aside. Thin lace panties barely covered her most intimate parts, making my mouth water as I yearned for a glimpse of what was hidden beneath.

  She sank back onto her knees, spreading her legs as wide as they would go and leaned forward on her palms. “Well, are you going to take your shot or not?” she asked with a smirk.

  “Right!” I nearly barked, shoving my hand into my pocket to grab my phone.

  The pose she was in—covered in a few scraps of lace, her breasts jutting forward, as mountains of ebony dark hair cascaded down all around her—was enough to make any man forget his own name.

  At that moment, I’d forgotten everything, except for the woman in front of me.

  I clicked as many photos as I could get in quick succession, and then I dropped the phone to the ground.

  I needed to touch her.

  “Dear God, you’re gorgeous,” I whispered, moving closer until I was kneeling before her. My hand found the curve of her ass, as I pulled her heated body against me. “I can’t wait to be inside you, Liv. I want you so bad.”

  “I’m right here.” She nearly moaned in my ear. “Unfortunately, you didn’t include that in the bet.”

  Wait—what?

  I pulled back to find her smiling. Then, that smile led to a devilish giggle.

  “Pictures only, remember?” she teased. “That means the clothes have to go back on.”

  She made a pouty face as she grabbed her tank top and shorts. Not bothering to put on either, she stood in front of me. I still couldn’t move. I was in complete shock from this crazy woman.

  Liv skipped across the yard without a care in the world even though she was half naked. She unlocked the gates separating our yards. “Good night, Jackson.”

  “What about the furniture?” I asked, nearly whimpering.

  “I’m sure you can handle it. Have a good night.” She winked. “Think of me.”

  My eyes followed her as she took her time making her way to her back door with her perky little ass swinging behind her. I heard the door lock behind her as I sat there on my knees, sporting the biggest boner in history.

  I looked down, picked up my phone, and scrolled through the pictures I’d taken. “This woman is going to kill me,” I muttered as I attempted to stand.

  I had a feeling though that there would be no better way to go.

  ~Jackson~

  A knock came to my office door late Tuesday afternoon as I wa
s finishing up some notes on a case. I gave the okay to enter, and my boss Mark, one of the senior partners of the firm, greeted me. For a cutthroat lawyer, he was a pretty stand-up guy, and with each passing week, I had grown to like him more and more.

  “Hey, Mark. How’s it going?”

  “Not too bad. How about you? Things okay over here?” he asked as a sly smirk spread across his face.

  Many people had let Mark’s young appearance sway them in the courtroom, assuming his lack of experience would hurt him in the long run. Those who doubted him were always the first to discover just how quickly he could crush them. He was a shark with a keen eye for detail and model good looks that could influence any juror in his favor.

  “Yeah. Why?” I asked.

  “Well, when I came over and said hi to Kate, I asked if you could spare a few minutes. She mumbled something and then said, ‘It wouldn’t do any good to call him. He won’t answer anyway.’ Then, she just shooed me in here.”

  I shook my head, cradling it in my hands. It was all I could do to keep myself from banging it against the hard wood of my desk.

  “So, not okay then?” he guessed, as I looked up to see him taking a seat in one of the plush leather chairs in front of me.

  “Things could be better,” I admitted.

  “You’ve been here barely a month, man. How did you piss off your secretary so badly?”

  “I took her out on a date, maybe two,” I confessed.

  He laughed before saying the words I’d repeated to myself over and over, “You’re a dumbass.”

  “I know.”

  “What were you thinking? You don’t shit where you eat.”

  My face twisted in horror. “That is a terrible, terrible analogy.”

  He shrugged. “I’m not the one who fucked my secretary.”

  “I didn’t fuck her!” I countered. “I barely even touched her,” I added quietly.

  “So, why is she so upset?” He leaned back, swinging his feet up onto my desk.

  My eyebrow rose as he made himself comfortable.

  “Oh, she wanted you to fuck her,” he guessed. “And you brushed her off. You really are a dumbass.”

  “I just wasn’t interested.”

  “Then, why did you take her out in the first place?” he challenged.

  “Because I thought if I dated her, I’d stop thinking about someone else.”

  “That never works, my friend.”

  “Obviously.”

  “So, you left your sexy secretary hanging. What happened with the girl you were trying to forget?”

  The small grin that spread across my face seemed to answer his question.

  “Nice. Does Kate know about her?” he asked.

  “She just called,” I said, grimacing slightly.

  “Oh, hence the crazy talk I was confronted with out there.”

  “Yep.”

  “Dude, you’ve got to find a new secretary.”

  “I can’t fire her because I’m an idiot! That’s just wrong, and…well, highly illegal,” I replied, my head finding the comforting cradle of my hands once again.

  “No, you can’t, but Brayden needs a new secretary. His just left to be a full-time mom. Might be a good change of scenery for her.”

  It wasn’t a terrible idea. “She’d probably be relieved to get rid of me,” I admitted.

  “And in the meantime,” he said, “we’ll work on getting you someone new. Maybe a gay guy or a nice old lady.”

  “Jackass.” I laughed.

  The rest of our talk was boring and mostly work-related, ending with Mark telling me the news buzzing around the entire office.

  “We got a call this morning,” he announced, his body nearly vibrating.

  “Okay?”

  “Senator Prescott is coming out of retirement. He’s apparently putting together a team.”

  “What kind of team?”

  “The word on the street is, he’s going to make a bid for the presidency.”

  “Holy shit,” I whispered.

  This was huge. Senator Douglas Prescott was well loved in Virginia and beyond. Coming from South Carolina where we had our own political superstars, I hadn’t followed his career closely, but I knew the bare facts. A conservative superstar, he’d gone from state politics all the way to US Senator, and he’d served for years before retiring during a time people believed to be the height of his career. Maybe it had just been a well-timed hiatus, so he could prepare for bigger and better things.

  If he were indeed hoping to enter the race for the White House, it could be huge for the state.

  “So, how does this affect us?” I asked.

  “He wants legal representation on hand, and he’s keeping everything local.”

  “This would be great for us.”

  He agreed, “It would be an amazing honor.”

  “A bit of a soft spot for the Senator?” I laughed.

  “More like a giant hard-on if we manage to land this account.”

  I shook my head in wonder. This guy had a crude comeback for everything.

  “So, tell me about your woman,” he said.

  “You say hard-on, and the next thing that comes out of your mouth is about my girlfriend?”

  As he chuckled, the word girlfriend bobbed around in my head. I’d never said it before. Liv and I hadn’t discussed it. I didn’t even know if she would be okay with the term, but damn, the word had felt good leaving the tip of my tongue.

  “Seriously though, what’s she like?”

  “The exact opposite of me,” I replied. “She drives me insane. She’s a vegetarian, and she wears a million pieces of silver jewelry all at once. She yells at me about my truck, and she has a huge tattoo that runs down her shoulder.”

  For once, Mark was silent—for a moment at least.

  “The sex must be amazing.”

  “Dude!”

  “Oh, come on, Jackson. I’ve been married for a hundred years. Throw me a bone.”

  “That’s none of your goddamn business,” I replied, chucking my pen at his head.

  He ducked and came back up, laughing.

  “Okay, I get it,” he answered, his feet hitting the floor. He rose from the chair and walked to the door, pausing just before turning the knob. “If you need help with those blue balls you are obviously sporting, I’ve got an awesome lake house. Just ask, and it’s yours to use whenever.”

  He’d made it halfway out the door before I made him turn around.

  I ignored the rolling laughter that accompanied him back into my office.

  ~Liv~

  I had just put my keys down on the counter, contemplating whether or not to grab a snack before starting dinner, when the doorbell rang. I looked over at the microwave and double-checked the time.

  Jackson and Noah weren’t supposed to be here for an hour.

  Since I had walked away in the middle of the night, nearly naked, we’d been nearly inseparable. Meals were almost always shared in the evenings, and weekends were already being planned in advance.

  I’d never thought long-term when dating someone. Honestly, I normally never thought past the meal I was ordering or the outfit I was picking out of my closet. Dating was casual and fun, but that was always the gist of it—nothing more, nothing less.

  Had Mia been right? Had I really been dating all the wrong men on purpose?

  I was guessing dating was different for the majority of others. The rest of the world surely felt something a bit deeper when becoming romantically involved with someone they were attracted to.

  I didn’t consider myself a shallow person—quite the opposite in fact.

  Could I really have been self-sabotaging my love life—intentionally dating men I knew I’d never want to keep so that I’d never settle down?

  How did I miss that?

  My master’s degree had definitely not prepared me for how to evaluate my own problems.

  Moving swiftly, I headed for the door to greet my mystery visitor.

 
I came face-to-face with Victor.

  What the hell?

  “Hi, Victor. What are you doing here?” I asked, not even attempting to mask the rudeness in my tone.

  “We need to talk, Olivia,” he demanded, his clipped tone nearly slapping me in the face.

  Why did I date this guy?

  “It’s Liv, remember? And I thought we already discussed everything.”

  He pushed past me, not bothering to wait for an invitation. The strong stench of alcohol accompanied him, and I felt unease starting to take root in my gut.

  “You talked, Liv, and I listened. It’s my turn now.” His accent was thicker, hinting at just how angry he was with me.

  “Look,” I said, turning to face him, “I had a good time with you, Victor, but it was time to move on.”

  He laughed, cold and hollow. “Move on with whom?”

  “I don’t really see how any of that is your business.”

  His eyes flared with ire as he stalked forward. I took several steps backward until I felt the doorknob wedging deep into my back. He continued, his focus locked on me, until I was pressed against the door by his immovable hard body.

  During the few weeks I’d dated Victor, I’d never feared him. He’d been intense and possessive, but I’d chalked those specific personality traits up to his nationality. Having been raised in a completely opposite part of the world, I couldn’t fault him for being different. But this new Victor was beyond basic cultural variations.

  In that moment, I was scared beyond reason.

  “Victor, please,” I whimpered, not knowing what I was asking for but knowing I needed to do something, anything.

  “Please what?” His voice was deep and boiling with rage.

  “Please stop,” I begged. “You said you wanted to talk, so let’s talk.”

  “No,” he growled. “I like this position much better. Why are you so frightened, Olivia? It’s not like we haven’t done this before.” His hand curved around my waist and gripped it hard. “Or are you afraid your boyfriend might find out?”

  “Her boyfriend might kick your ass and toss it in jail,” a familiar voice said.

  I looked up to find Jackson grabbing Victor by the neck before pulling him off me and throwing him to the floor. I felt air rush into my lungs for the first time in minutes as I watched Jackson knock Victor out with one blow.