Soft Spot: A Hale Street Novella

by Amy Knupp

  "Since I'm here, she'll tell you the truth," Vegas said, opening a bottled water. "She overslept this morning, had to haul ass to get to the senior funny farm on time, and is only just now bathing for the day."

  "Is it too late to cancel our new lease together?" Asia said to her sister. "But yeah. Pretty much what she said."

  "You look good," Jackson said. "All you need is some shoes."

  She forced herself not to get caught up on the fact he'd said she looked good. For now. "Where are you taking me?"

  "My house."

  "Mm-hmm," Vegas said suggestively.

  "Living alone is pretty awesome, isn't it?" Asia asked Jackson. "I don't know what I was thinking when I let her move in." She gestured toward her sister affectionately. "So just your house?"

  "That's it. But do whatever you need to. I'll wait." He leaned against the wall near the door, his legs spread slightly, and the way his jeans molded to his muscular thighs caught her attention.

  "Feel free to sit." Asia pointed at the overfilled sitting area. "Lots of places to choose from. Behave yourself," she told Vegas as she went back into the bathroom, which also opened up into the bedroom.

  Though he'd insinuated he wasn't in a hurry, she didn't want to keep him waiting any longer than necessary. She ran the hair dryer over her hair for a couple of minutes, then slid on some fuchsia flip-flops. She applied a quick coat of mascara and called it good. There was looking good and then there was looking like she'd tried too hard, and she didn't want to go there. After grabbing her purse from the chair in the bedroom, she paused inside the door, sucked in a calming breath, and went back out into the living room.

  "Ready?" Jackson said as he stood.

  "As ready as I'll ever be."

  "Have fun, kids," Vegas said as they left.

  "It's your lucky day," Asia said out in the parking lot as he opened the passenger door of his Mercedes for her. "No one messed with your car while you were inside."

  "Has someone messed with yours?" he asked once they were both inside.

  "Mine's not worth messing with. Yours sticks out."

  "It's broad daylight," Jackson said, glancing around as if maybe he could spot some thugs circling the lot.

  "All's well," Asia said. This time. Moving day couldn't come soon enough. "Sorry about my sister back there. I'm reasonably sure her main goal in life is to embarrass me."

  "Little sisters," he said, grinning and backing the car out. "Mine have been known to be twisted and diabolical."

  "Guess I'm going to be neighbors with both of yours."

  "Hale Street's a done deal?"

  "We finalized our wall colors and backsplash yesterday. Papers signed."

  "Which apartment is yours?"

  "The one over the boutique," Asia said. "Two bedrooms. It's been awhile since I've lived with anyone. It'll be an adjustment."

  "But you're excited. I can tell."

  She worked to wipe the undeniable grin off her face and tilted her head. "How can you tell? You barely know me."

  "You're practically bouncing in your seat. And if you smiled any bigger, your face might crack."

  Which made her break out into a grin again. Involuntarily. "Maybe it has nothing to do with moving. Maybe it's the company," she said coyly. Maybe a little flirtatiously.

  Maybe a lot flirtatiously. Maybe to make up for all the times she'd told him no…

  "Yeah?" When he reached over the center console and took her hand in his, she couldn't make herself worry. All she could do was react. Her heart jumped as if an electric current had sparked it, and her private bits woke up.

  Just at the touch of his strong, long-fingered, white-collar-smooth hand.

  Instead of pulling away, she gave his hand a light squeeze and allowed herself to take in his profile as he drove with his other hand. Masculine angles, the beginnings of a five-o'clock shadow, the obvious quality of his clothes — that shirt didn't come from Target — his unflappable confidence… She looked for something not to like and couldn't find it. Even the bump in his nose added to his appeal.

  And he'd gone out of his way to stop by her apartment, pick her up, and take her to his house. Where they would evidently be alone.

  She narrowed her gaze on his lips and decided she'd be an idiot not to indulge in another sample of those if offered. Or maybe even if they weren't offered.

  Jackson glanced over and caught her staring. Instead of shying away, she eased her lips into another grin, not caring if her thoughts were reflected in her expression. Their eyes met for a moment, and her blood heated like it hadn't in … so long.

  And wasn't that just sad?

  Asia averted her gaze. Cleared her throat. "So … must be pretty sweet to be the boss man and take Friday afternoon off whenever you want, huh?" She kept her tone light, teasing.

  With a chuckle, he said, "You'd think, wouldn't you?"

  "You don't do this often?"

  He paused. Steered the car onto the winding road with the oversized lots and refined mansions that she remembered led to his house. "I've never done this. Ryan, my friend and VP, was so stunned when I told him I was leaving that he couldn't come up with a smartass comment."

  Letting that sink in, she played with the zipper pull on her purse. "You must need to show me something pretty important then." She couldn't even begin to guess what it might be.

  With a laugh, he shook his head. "No. It's really not. It's… You'll see. No big deal." He slowed, flicked on his turn signal. "Ryan recently decided I need to get a life. He’s the one who accused me — rightfully so — of being married to my job."

  As they drove up his long, brick-accented driveway, she racked her brain trying to figure out the mystery as she listened to his lulling voice.

  "Come on in," Jackson said once he'd stopped the car in its spot. "I never did give you a tour."

  The only time she'd been here, he'd kissed her, of course. She'd choose that over a tour any day, but she couldn't deny she was dying to see his home. It was intimidating, knowing he'd now been in her lowly one multiple times, but she wanted to figure out more about this man who apparently didn't take time off, who could get any gorgeous, well-off girl he wanted, and who seemed to have chosen her, at least for today.

  She followed him to the side door of the garage that led inside.

  They came into a mudroom that was bigger than her bathroom, with beautiful cabinetry, wooden hooks on the wall, and not a thing out of place. A rhythmic click, click, click sounded on the tile floor from the next room, followed by the high-pitched jangle of metal.

  "Hey, boy," Jackson said as he went through the doorway to what appeared to be the kitchen.

  As Asia trailed him in, her perusal of the room was interrupted by a big, furry, black … horse?

  "Meet Galileo," Jackson said, bending over only slightly to give the animal an affectionate, two-handed rubdown on its big head.

  "He's huge." She hesitated near the doorway, because that creature that somewhat resembled a dog had to outweigh her by fifty pounds at least.

  "He's a big, gentle baby. Newfoundland. Half of what you see is fur."

  The dog came over to her and nuzzled her hand as it hung by her side, giving her no choice but to pet him. Which she didn't mind, as long as he wasn't going to bite her hand off.

  "Not a dog person?" Jackson asked.

  "I…" She made eye contact with the beast as Galileo looked up at her, and she was taken in by the friendly, trusting look in his eyes. "I've not been around dogs a lot. And never one this size. He seems sweet."

  The dog walked away, seemingly with purpose, and Asia took the opportunity to check out her surroundings. The kitchen was from an HGTV show. Black cabinets that stretched all the way up to the high ceilings, earth-toned granite countertops, stunning tile backsplash, contemporary stainless appliances and hood… She'd be afraid to cook in here. Compared to her dingy kitchen, this was museum quality.

  The click, click, click of Galileo's feet on the tile floor ca
ught her attention again just as the dog rounded the corner of the island and headed toward her — with a green toy in his mouth.

  "The ultimate sign of approval," Jackson told her. "He's presented you with Frog."

  "What should I do?"

  "Just bend down and hold your hand out. He'll drop it for you."

  "And then?"

  Jackson shrugged. "Then cherish it. He's entrusting it to you."

  Asia did as he said, rubbed the dog's giant head, and said, formally, "I can do that. Thank you, Galileo." The dog released the damp toy and turned his soulful, hopeful eyes on her. She'd have to be dead not to respond by giving him more rubs.

  "Let me feed him and then we'll get on with it."

  Asia stood and didn't allow herself to think about what they might get on with.

  Jackson went to a tall cabinet, opened the door, and took out a plastic bin of dog kibbles. He scooped some in a large, elevated double bowl along the window that looked out onto a swimming pool. Galileo lumbered over and dug into his dinner.

  "Let's go downstairs," Jackson said, and he led her to the stairway and down. The room they walked into was vast, with high ceilings — basement or not — and set up as a home gym. Asia had never belonged to anything but the Y so was not an expert on the subject, but it didn't seem to be lacking any type of workout equipment. In one corner, there was what appeared to be a sauna.

  "No hot tub?" she said dryly.

  "It's in the backyard."

  "Next to the pool," Asia said, nodding. Of course. "Do you use this?" She swept a hand out.

  "Most days."

  A thought struck her and she froze in her perusal of the weight machines. "Is this what you wanted to show me? You aren't going to make me do exercise, are you?"

  Jackson laughed and shook his head. "I'm not going to make you do exercise."

  "I mean, I know I could use it. I'm in horrible shape, but—"

  "Asia. No exercising. Unless you want to. Then you could… Never mind." He shook his head again and walked toward a door at the far end. In the doorway, he turned and said, "Coming?"

  "Is this the secret?" Asia caught up to him and looked eagerly into the next room and saw … wooden shelf after wooden shelf of storage.

  Jackson crossed the storage room and went to the third shelving unit from the right side and pressed a panel. Just like in a spy's mansion on TV, the shelf swiveled and revealed another room beyond.

  "A secret room?"

  Chapter Eleven

  It was a dark secret room, where she couldn't see much of anything. As the shelf/door latched closed behind them, Jackson hit a light switch on the wall, illuminating a rectangular room with no windows. Two of the walls were mirrored from floor to ceiling, and the other two were covered with padding, like a gym.

  "What is this?" she asked. "Another gym? Is this what you wanted to show me?" She couldn't help the confusion in her voice, because this… This didn't seem worth a drive across town or, really…

  "Nobody else knows about this room," Jackson said, looking embarrassed. "Except my jiu jitsu instructor."

  "Your jiu what?"

  "Brazilian martial art. I earned my black belt six months ago."

  "Impressive." And it explained those muscles. As did the home gym on the other side of the basement. "So, can you kill a man with a paper clip?"

  He chuckled. "I haven't tried it yet."

  Asia walked over to the corner of the room, where there were bins of equipment, pads, gloves, things she couldn't identify. "So no one knows about your secret jiu jitsu lair—"

  "Nobody knows about the lair or the black belt."

  Asia turned to level a baffled look at him. "Why?"

  "It's dumb." He blew out a self-derisive breath. "I was embarrassed when I started." He leaned down and picked up a padded glove, stood, and slid his right hand into it. He gazed down at it but seemed to look past it. "A few years ago, I was in Minneapolis on business and I got mugged."

  Asia couldn't help a sharp inhale, and she took a step toward him.

  Jackson did nothing to welcome her approach, if he even noticed it. "Guy came up behind me, threw me down. Pulled a knife on me." He fastened the velcro at the wrist of the glove, then punched his bare left hand with it. "It scared the shit out of me." His voice went low and quiet. "I've never felt so helpless. Overpowered."

  "Terrifying," Asia said, thinking if a guy his size had been overpowered, she probably would've been dead. "Did he hurt you?"

  "A concussion from hitting the ground was the biggest physical thing, but it screwed with me mentally. I may not be the biggest guy out there, but I played football in high school. I could hold my own, or so I thought." He ripped the velcro open, took the glove off, threw it back into the bin. "All it would've taken was for him to jam that knife a little farther into my throat…"

  She touched his upper arm, squeezed lightly, let her hand drop because he didn't seem to notice. He was caught up in the memory.

  "I didn't tell anyone about the mugging—"

  "Jackson, really?"

  "Just the police. It was embarrassing that I was so affected by it."

  "And so you decided to get your black belt," she said as the pieces fell into place. "In secret."

  "I didn't want to explain myself. I was kind of messed up for a while. And then, once I wasn't messed up, it was awkward to bring it up. So I didn't." He shrugged. "Except now."

  "I'm the only one who knows? Why are you telling me?"

  He faced her, met her eyes finally. "Because you took me to Spring Meadow, showed me not only your job but your grandma's world."

  She'd felt foolish after doing it, vulnerable. It'd been a big deal for her to open that part of her life up to him, to anyone beyond family, really, and yet a little voice in her head had asked why anyone else would care. Why would Jackson care?

  But now, judging by the sincerity in his cerulean eyes, she suspected he'd understood. He got it. Got her.

  "Show me a move," she said, because all the other stuff going through her head was too much. She needed to sort through it all. Later. When she was alone.

  "A move?"

  "Jiu jitsu. One little thing."

  He eyed her. Rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then nodded. "I'll teach you a basic takedown."

  "Sounds scary."

  "You get to take me down. It'll be painless."

  She raised her arms in fighter stance, as if she knew what she was doing, which she didn't. She'd thrown one punch in her life and, by random luck, had broken Adam Wright's nose in fifth grade after he'd said some stuff about their mom to Vegas on the way home from school. Asia's takeaway had been that punching hurt like a son of a bitch.

  Jackson positioned her facing him, an arm's length away. "You're going to reach up and grab my right arm by the triceps, up by my arm pit, and drag my arm across my body to the left side."

  She attempted what he said and waited for the next instruction.

  "So you've got my arm out of the way, and that gives you access to my right leg. What you're going to do is go down to the ground and hook your right calf and ankle behind my right leg, still holding on to my arm."

  "Right calf," Asia muttered as she tried it. "Right leg. Like this?"

  "Now lean into my leg with your hip—"

  He collapsed backward onto the mat, and Asia leaned over him involuntarily, pulled by his momentum. She laughed. Then found herself half on top of him, ear to ear with him, her leg twisted around him. She propped herself up and met his eyes, which were gazing back at her with an irresistible sparkle.

  "Did I really do that?" she asked, finding it hard to catch her breath, and not necessarily from physical exertion.

  Jackson laughed, a low sound that reverberated through her. Between that and their positions, her private parts were sitting up and taking notice. And maybe crying out for some attention.

  "You really did that. Jiu jitsu is good for overpowering someone bigger than you."

  He was defini
tely bigger than her. Harder. Stronger. And damn if he didn't smell good on top of it all. Still peering into his eyes, Asia said, "Jiu jitsu is kind of hot."

  The next thing she knew, his arms were on her back and he was kissing her. Pulling her into his chest, one hand slipping into her hair, his breath engulfing hers, lips and tongue exploring. The tips of their tongues met tentatively, as if they were both afraid that if they tangled any deeper, they'd tumble hard, lose control.

  And then, suddenly, she was on her back on the mat with Jackson on top of her, his chest pressing into hers, his weight supported by his arms, and his tongue plunging inside her mouth, demanding, turning her inside out.

  His body settled between her legs, his hardness aligning with the apex of her thighs, and she arched into him, giving her thoughts over to sensation, heat. Need.

  She trailed her hands down his back, found the hem of his shirt, eased her fingers beneath it. Running her hands up his back, she soaked in the heat of his skin, the firm strength of his shoulder blades. He supported part of his weight on his arms, but she still reveled in the feel of him pressing into her from chest to thighs. Her knee went up, nestling him closer to the heart of her.

  Lost in his kisses, it took her a minute to register that he'd backed off a little, raising himself just enough so that their chests no longer touched. Deep, slow plunges of tongue morphed into shallow, sweet, but less fulfilling nibbles and pecks, until Jackson lifted his face from hers enough to stare down into her eyes. A heartbeat passed in silence. Two heartbeats.

  "We should finish that tour," he said, his voice coarse like a gravel road. "Before this gets any more out of control."

  Asia swallowed. Caught her breath. Tried to act like she hadn't been right on the verge of being out of control. She rubbed her lips together, tasting him there, feeling the tenderness from his mouth, his stubble. "Umm, yeah."

  He pressed one more quick kiss full on her lips, then hopped to the side of her and stood in a single impressive move. Bending slightly, he held his hand out to her. Trying to shake herself out of the spell he'd cast over her, she took his hand and got to her feet.

  "No fair," she said with a shy smile. "You know more moves than me."