A Daddy for Jacoby

by Christyne Butler

  Her first instinct was to cover herself, but she fought it off. Leaning against the footboard, hands clenched tightly to the curved wood behind her, she instinctively sucked in her tummy, her breasts tingling from the hard breath he exhaled.

  “No f-fair.” Her words came out in a husky whisper, but it was the best she could do when she saw the need in his eyes. “You have more clothes on than me.”

  His mouth rose in a half grin and her heart raced. Oh, she loved that smile. He so rarely displayed it, except lately, and she guessed she could thank the new direction his life had taken for that.

  “I can fix that.”

  His eyes caressed her, from her wild curls to the tips of her toes, as he quickly slipped off one cowboy boot, then the other, followed by his socks. Straightening, his eyes locked with hers. He lowered the zipper of his pants and pushed them past his hips. They fell to the floor and he kicked them away.

  Giving in to the temptation, she looked at him, all of him, standing before her in snug black boxer briefs that outlined the evidence of his arousal.

  “Fair enough?” he asked.

  No, it wasn’t fair.

  It wasn’t fair that he was so well put together from the defined muscles of his broad shoulders and strong arms to his long tapered legs. It wasn’t fair his beautiful body was marred by the two faint marks across his washboard abs and chiseled hip bones, and it most definitely wasn’t fair that she was most likely only going to have this one night with him.

  Gina stifled the anguish that insight caused, determined to follow the decision she’d made the moment he’d kissed her. Enjoy tonight. Take this moment, with this man, and live every minute of it.

  She returned his smile and pointed the toe of one high heel at him. “Hmm, I think I have the advantage now.”

  “Not for long.” Justin repeated the same line he’d said in the living room as he lifted her into his arms.

  The move surprised Gina, but Justin swallowed her squeal with a hard kiss. The bedsheets were cool against her skin as he laid her down and stretched out next to her, never taking his mouth from hers.

  After what seemed forever, he pulled away to move to the end of the bed. He lifted each foot and slowly removed her shoes. She wiggled her toes in appreciation, but they curled of their own volition when he placed a kiss at one ankle while his hand curved behind her calf.

  His lips never left her skin as they moved up the length of her leg, his fingers repeating the path on the other until he reached the patch of lace covering the most intimate part of her. His breath was hot as he nuzzled her and she was sure he could feel the dampness clinging to her. She reached for his shoulder, whether to pull him farther up her body or to keep him in place she didn’t know, while her other hand fluttered over her stomach.

  He captured her fingers as his tongue left a moist path between her belly button and the top edge of her panties. “Well, well…what do we have here?”

  Gina’s breath caught, unsure of how he would react to the words inked above her left hip bone. While enjoying Miami’s South Beach on the way back from her vacation, she’d walked into a local tattoo shop, shocking everyone, including herself.

  He read the words aloud. “‘I shall not live in vain.’”

  “It’s from an Emily Dickinson poem. I love her work, but this one is my favorite.” The words tumbled from her lips. “‘If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live—’”

  “I know how it goes.”

  He made his way up her body reciting aloud the poem she’d found years ago while searching for solace in the aftermath of her father’s death. Each word was punctured with a kiss, across her stomach, rib cage and the far side of one breast until he stretched out on top of her and whispered the final word against her lips.

  She loved him.

  As simply and easily as that, Gina fell into the unknown and scary world of truly loving a man. One hundred percent, wholly and completely, head over heels and topsy-turvy in love.

  With Justin Dillon.

  She closed her eyes against the revelation, afraid he’d be able to see the emotion in her eyes. Pressing into his pillows, she inhaled, and his clean, earthy male scent filled her head.

  A low moan escaped as first his hands and then his lips caressed her breasts until he took one nipple into the warm, wet heat of his mouth. She gasped at the sensation, her nails digging into his shoulders. His fingers moved over her skin, lower and lower until they slipped beneath the edge of her panties to stroke her. She mirrored his action, reaching inside his briefs to cup his hard, silky flesh. One stroke, then two, before he pulled from her touch. Seconds later he dispensed of their underwear and they were skin to skin.

  Justin was going crazy.

  Gina’s natural and instinctual moves were driving him insane with desire. He wanted to touch her, kiss her everywhere. She clung to him and he longed to bring her a higher pleasure than she’d ever known before.

  “Justin, please.”

  Her soft cry pierced his heart. He captured her mouth again while reaching for the drawer in the bedside table. He fumbled for one of the packets he’d purchased weeks ago, never really believing he’d have this woman in his arms, in his bed. He quickly sheathed himself and moved between her open legs.

  Lowering himself slowly, he wanted to give her time to accept all of him. “I don’t…I don’t want to hurt—”

  “You won’t…please.”

  She tilted her hips, allowing him to ease into her. Her hands moved low on his back, one long smooth leg wrapping around him and their bodies joined.

  Powerful emotions crashed over him. A longing to stay, a desire to belong, of being wanted and needed for all the right reasons. He looked at her then and their eyes held. He slid even deeper inside and she rose to meet him. Again and again they moved in perfect unison until she shuddered and cried out his name. And still he couldn’t get enough of her. He never wanted the sensations to end, but his body demanded release and he soon found it in the warmth and protection of her body.

  Justin’s hands shook.

  He clenched the small paring knife in one, the fresh pineapple in the other. He’d been up since dawn, working for the last hour on the delicate yet edible flowers. Pineapple daisies, tomato roses, strawberry fans and apple leaves.

  He wanted everything to be perfect.

  The vanilla crepes were done, filled with fresh blueberries and topped with whipped cream. Freshly squeezed orange juice and coffee were on the breakfast tray, as well. All he needed was to get these last few flowers done and he could get back to his bedroom, to his bed, before Gina woke up.

  A deep breath and he went back to work. Stifling a yawn from his sleepless night, he was exhausted but in a good way. He and Gina had turned to each other during the night, making love twice more before she fell into a deep sleep in his arms. He’d closed his eyes, loving the feel of her, wanting to stay there forever.

  That’s when he’d left the bed.

  Being with Gina had been good—no, great, amazing, mind blowing—and he had no idea what to do about it.

  They’d agreed last night in the dark to no promises, but in the light of day he had no idea what that meant.

  Or where they should go from here.

  No, that wasn’t true. He did know where they were going.

  Nowhere.

  Even as he lost a little bit of himself with every kiss, every touch, he knew the fantasy of last night had to come to an end. But he wanted to give her something special, a few more hours of togetherness before the real world barged back into their lives.

  A world filled with uncertainties and doubts, fueled by his own battered childhood and his lack of skills needed to raise a child. A world where their pasts dictated their futures, whether they liked it or not.

  The ex-con and the egghead? Not likely.

  Mentally scraping all of that to one side, he arranged the fruit flowers on the plates. After washing his hands, he grabbed the tray and headed back t
o the bedroom. He paused at the doorway, enjoying the view of Gina’s curls fanned out over his pillows and her curves pressed against the sheets.

  Ignoring the way his heart seemed to flip over in his chest, he knelt on the bed and placed the tray between them.

  Gina opened sleepy eyes. She blinked a few times, almost as if she didn’t know where she was, then her beautiful blue eyes grew wide.

  “Good morning,” he said.

  Her lips curved into a smile that was both sexy and shy. Justin wanted nothing more than to set the food aside and work up an appetite with this lady, starting with kissing her amazing mouth.

  “Good morning,” she replied, her gaze moving from him to the wooden tray. “Wow, what’s all this?”

  “Breakfast.” Justin leaned back against the pillows. “Hope you’re hungry.”

  Gina sat up, keeping the sheet tucked around her. “Oh, this is beautiful! You didn’t have to do all this.”

  Her enthusiasm caused a shiver of pride to course through him. “I wanted to. So, what will it be first? Juice or coffee?”

  “Juice, please.”

  He handed her a glass and took one of the mugs for himself. Gina reached for a pineapple flower, then stopped.

  “You can eat them,” Justin said, smiling. “That’s why they’re on the plate.”

  “But they’re too pretty to eat.”

  Justin took a sip of coffee and returned the mug to the tray. He cut a piece of crepe with a fork and held it out to her. “Here, try this instead.”

  She accepted his offer, a dollop of whipped cream landing on her upper lip as she closed her mouth.

  “You missed some.” He swiped away the cream with his fingertip.

  Gina swallowed, then her lips turned downward in a pretty pout. “You couldn’t think of a better way to remove that? Here, let me show you.”

  She dipped one finger into the whipped cream, then trailed the cream over his chin before she lapped it away. “Hmm, much better.”

  And just like that, he wanted her.

  Again.

  Justin repeated her actions, only his target was a bit lower. Seconds later, he was leaving a damp path over the swell of her breasts until Gina pressed her hand to his cheek and guided his mouth up to hers for a deep kiss. Succumbing for several minutes before finally pulling away, he lunged off the bed and placed the tray on the dresser. Her giggle and the gleam in her eyes had him reaching for the top button on his jeans.

  He’d released two when a loud knock came at his front door. “What the—Who could that be?”

  Gina shook her head and the knocking came again. “Jacoby?”

  “No, he’s with Racy and Gage until after church services this morning. Wait here, I’ll be right back.”

  She nodded and Justin walked into the living room, quickly redoing the buttons on his jeans. He made it to the door when the knocking started for a third time. Grabbing the handle, he twisted the lock and yanked the door open. Surprise filled him when he found both Leeann Harris and Gage standing on his front porch.

  “What’s going on? Is something wrong? Is Jacoby okay?”

  At the mention of his son, the stranger Justin noticed standing next to Gage caught his breath.

  “Justin, this gentleman is Richard Ellsworth,” Gage said. “Jacoby’s fine, but we need to talk.”

  Why did that name sound familiar? Justin gaze flew from the stranger to Gina’s brother to Leeann. “Now?”

  Leeann nodded. “Yes, now.”

  He pushed open the screen door and stepped back. He saw the sheriff department’s Jeep parked between his ratty pickup and the vintage 1946 candy-apple-red Ford pickup he and Gina had used last night to get to the dance.

  Gage’s vintage 1946 candy-apple-red Ford pickup.

  Having no idea what was going on or if Gina would stay out of sight, Justin motioned for his surprise guests to have a seat, thankful he’d cleaned up Gina’s first-aid stuff from the coffee table this morning.

  Grabbing a clean T-shirt from the laundry stacked on the dining room table and pulling it on, he noticed how interested Richard Ellsworth was in the cabin. His sharp gaze took in everything from the secondhand furniture to the mess Justin had left in the kitchen after fixing breakfast. He guessed the man was in his midsixties by the gray hair, and the tailored suit jacket, dress slacks, leather loafers and shiny gold watch told him he came from money.

  Justin had just moved to the couch when the sound of a door opening caught everyone’s attention.

  Seconds later, Gina walked into the room.

  Dressed in one of his flannel shirts and a baggy pair of sweats, she padded barefoot to Justin’s side. The worry on her face caused him to smile as she placed a hand on his arm before offering a gentle hello to her brother and Leeann. Justin had to give them credit. Leeann’s eyes widened for a moment before she schooled her features, and the good sheriff only offered a raised eyebrow.

  “I’m sorry to interrupt,” Gina said to everyone, “but I heard my brother’s voice and thought something might be wrong.”

  Justin made a quick introduction while he tried again to figure out how he knew this man. “This is my— This is Gina Steele. Gina, this is Richard Ellsworth.”

  The man nodded from where he sat next to Leeann on the love seat, then spoke. “Ms. Steele, Mr. Dillon, let me get right to it. I’m Susan Ellsworth’s father. I’ve been told you know her as Zoe Ellis.”

  Astonished, Justin sank to the couch, pulling Gina down beside him. As he gripped her hand, he flashed back to his conversation with Leeann about Zoe’s car being found in Reno. He tried to connect the obviously wealthy man in front of him with the ragtag girl who’d walked out a month ago leaving her son—their son—behind.

  Gina’s touch warmed him as she covered their joined fingers with her other hand. He looked from her to Gage, and then to Leeann. “Does this mean you found her? You found Zoe, ah, Susan?”

  Leeann nodded, but it was Richard Ellsworth who spoke.

  “Yes, in a matter of speaking.”

  Justin looked at him again, closely this time, and saw how much he looked like Jacoby. He also saw anguish in the man’s eyes.

  “My daughter…” He paused and swallowed hard before continuing. “Susan is dead.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Dead?”

  Richard Ellsworth nodded, then dropped Justin’s gaze and stared at his own clenched hands in his lap. “A car accident on a highway outside of Las Vegas. They identified her body with an expired driver’s license and called us. She also had a picture of her—of a child in her pocket.”

  Justin tried to process what the man was saying, but confusion reigned. He looked to Gage and Leeann.

  “That’s how Mr. Ellsworth found out about his daughter’s death,” Leeann explained. “And about his grandson.”

  “My wife, Elizabeth, is devastated.” Richard pulled in a deep breath before he continued, drawing Justin’s attention back to him. “Susan was our only child. Growing up, she was so independent and creative. She loved to sing and draw, always talked about leaving our home in Boulder to go to Hollywood, to be in the movies. But by the time she was a teenager, she’d gotten involved with drugs and alcohol, skipping school and disappearing for days at a time.”

  His voice broke, but he kept talking. “We tried to help her, got her enrolled in a treatment program her senior year of high school, but as soon as she was eighteen she checked herself out and disappeared. We went to the police, hired private investigators, but she was gone. Until we got the call…”

  The man reached into his jacket and withdrew the photograph. He held it out, but Justin couldn’t move. It was as if he was frozen in place, until Gina nudged him to take it.

  Worn with bent corners, the image showed a baby not even old enough to sit up yet, propped up against a blue blanket embellished with a baseball glove. With dark eyes and the familiar lopsided grin, Justin knew he was looking at his son.

  “Elizabeth stayed at home
to start making…arrangements. I plan to have Susan returned home as soon as the autopsy is complete.” Richard ran his fingers through his hair. “When I found out someone was looking for her, and why, I came to Destiny. Deputy Harris filled me in on what Susan did last month by showing up here…”

  Justin knew the man was still talking, but everything faded as he stared at Jacoby’s picture.

  His son. His family.

  Jacoby, Racy and yes, even jailbird Billy Joe, were all the family Justin had in this world. But not Jacoby. His little boy had other people out there who shared his blood, his genes. People who cared about him. Grandparents. Why hadn’t Zoe, ah, Susan, gone home when she needed help?

  “Justin?”

  Gina’s voice broke into his thoughts and he realized the room was quiet. “I’m sorry. You were saying?”

  “All these years, my wife and I never knew Susan had a child. Maybe if she’d come to us, we could’ve helped—would’ve had a chance to know our grand—” Richard Ellsworth stopped and cleared his throat. “I take it from your reaction when we arrived he isn’t here?”

  Justin shook his head.

  “I see. The sheriff’s report says Jacoby is seven years old. Do you have any recent pictures of him?”

  He didn’t. Justin looked around the living room, comparing it again with the numerous framed pictures he’d seen last night at the Steele family home.

  Despite his attempts, this place still lacked a feeling of home and family. With the fire in January that had destroyed the house he’d grown up in, he had no mementos from his past; not that there’d been anything in that old place he would’ve wanted.

  Racy had managed to save a box full of old family photos she kept at her office, many of which she’d framed and scattered around her and Gage’s place, but he’d never thought to ask for any of them, not even the one of him and Racy with their mother taken shortly after Racy was born.

  And in the month Jacoby had been with him, he’d never take a photograph of the boy.

  “I have one.” Gina rose from the couch and went into the kitchen for a moment. She returned with several pieces of paper and her sequined purse.