“Yeah,” I say sarcastically, “Cooper is a real jokester.”
“Come on, you don’t think it’s funny that he came all the way out here to cock block you?”
“No. He’s lucky you were dressed or I would have been going to jail for homicide.”
“Oh, don’t be such a party-pooper.”
Elle spends the rest of the ride asking me about some of the things Cooper did growing up to get at me. It filled the rest of our time, because even though he is my little brother, Cooper knows how to get the best of me.
I pull my car behind Elle’s in the driveway because she mentioned at dinner that she has no plans in the morning. Of course I have to be up bright and early to help our new hires learn the ropes. Who has new employees start on a Saturday? Apparently, I do.
Elle stays in the car as I’ve asked her so that I can walk her to the door. She smiles sweetly at me as I place my hand on her lower back as we stroll up her walkway.
“Thank you for the date. It was wonderful.”
“You’re welcome, I enjoyed it too. But I’m going to be a gentleman and leave you here.”
“Really?” she asks surprised. As if I’ll let my parents know that I’m sleeping with her.
“Yes, really,” I reply as I place a kiss on the cheek of her shocked face. I love the way her lips form that perfect “O” shape.
“Goodnight, Elle.”
“Goodnight, Jackson,” she counters, and I can hear the bewilderment swirling in her voice.
Just as I’m at the end of the walkway about to cross over to my yard I shout, “Maybe keep that window open tonight.”
Her lips part to reveal a beautiful white smile and for a moment I feel like I’m blinded by the sun. I almost step back toward her, like a moth to a flame ready to be burned, but I hold steady. I don’t want to embarrass her in front of my family or have to explain anything to her kids. I’ll bide my time, but only for a few hours.
Chapter Eleven – Elle
The alarm sounds on the nightstand and I do my usual head to toe stretch as I wake, but this time I feel soreness in all of my muscles. A good soreness. The kind you get after hours of rough sex and sweet lovemaking. The kind that reminds you all day long about everything you did the hours before.
“Mmm,” I moan as I stretch out my toes.
Reaching across the bed, I’m surprised to find the sheets cold and empty. I’m pretty certain that Jackson spent the night in my bed, but truthfully I had baked late into the night, and I may have dreamt him. But that doesn’t explain my soreness.
He hasn’t pressed me anymore about making our relationship serious, not since our date two weeks ago when his brother caught us in our post-coital bliss. I’m almost afraid that he’s given up on me, but he’s been just as busy as I have. With Hunter out of work, Jackson has had to step up with the lawn business in the meantime. And he’s training employees night and day at the gym as well. Luckily, he took my advice and contacted Sara’s brother to join the lawn team, and as far as I know everyone has been a good fit.
Finally, I swoop my body out of bed and throw on a pair of cut off sweats and an oversized T-shirt. Today is Saturday and I promised the kids we would go to the park before the weather starts to cool down. So while I’m all caught up on my baking needs for the weekend, I still like to get up early and have some time to myself.
The darkness has yet to give way to the daylight, so as I make my way down the hall I’m surprised to see light pouring in from my kitchen. I stop dead in my tracks when I notice Jackson standing in the kitchen in front of the coffee maker. His broad and muscled back is to me and I lose all train of thought as he turns around holding two coffee mugs. My focus is completely on the way his jeans hang low on his hips showcasing that remarkable V pointing down to one of my favorite parts of him.
“You’re up.” He steps closer to me, sealing his lips against mine in a chaste kiss before pulling back and handing me a mug full of the sweet nectar. “I was going to bring you coffee in bed.”
“Oh, that was sweet of you,” I finally say as my thoughts return to me. “But since we are both awake, do you want to sit outside with me and watch the sunrise?”
“Yeah, that sounds nice. I have to head to the gym soon to open, though. That’s why I was up.”
He takes my hand and we walk outside to sit on the patio. The sun is just peeking over the horizon, washing the sky in a pale blue. We don’t speak, both of us equally as silent as the wildlife still hunkered in their nests and dens, but as the sun begins to rise in the sky, the birds come alive and awaken the world.
Taking a sip of my coffee, I turn to Jackson and say, “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something.”
“What’s that?” he asks as he leans back in the chair, cup long forgotten.
I fidget with my fingers for a moment, not sure how to broach the question. I toss around a few thoughts in my head but decide to just ask him straightforward.
“What are we doing, Jackson? Is it still just sex? Do you still want more?”
He smirks at me in that way that usually melts my panties right off, but today I find it irritating.
“Stop smiling at me like that. I want an answer,” I lash out.
“Sweetheart, we’re doing whatever it is you want to do. I want to be with you, you know that. I’m just giving you some space to decide for yourself.”
“Oh,” I whisper, and I turn away from him and look down at my thighs. Of course, he has the perfect answer. He hasn’t been distant on purpose, he's merely biding his time until I come around. It’s something I’ve been tossing around in my head for the past two weeks.
Am I ready to move our relationship forward? Is my heart ready? And I’m already considering our demise. I have nothing to offer Jackson, just a crap ton of baggage. An ex-husband who seems to pop in whenever he feels like it, a business that demands almost all of my free time, and two kids that my world revolves around.
“Don’t worry, Elle. I’m not giving up on you,” he mentions as he stands from the chair and kisses the top of my head. “I’ve got to head to work. I’ll see you later, okay?”
“Yeah.”
I watch his long strides pass between our two yards and I wonder if we’d ever be in this position if I hadn’t knocked down that middle fence. If we would have given each other the opportunity to let the other in. It’s hard to say. I’m almost curious if my dad played a part in us coming together. The fence surrounding each of our homes is pristine, but the one in the center was as rotten as a condemned home when I moved in.
He waves to me one last time before entering his house and I blow a kiss his way which he dramatically catches and pretends to put in his pocket.
The morning passes quickly, and around lunchtime the kids and I are sitting on a bench at the park with our picnic laid out on the table in front of us. Sara is meeting us here for lunch and she wants to go over a few things with me. That seems to be the case whenever I see her nowadays.
Just as I’m unwrapping the sandwiches for the kids, I see Sara stroll across the park in a pair of jeans shorts, a T-shirt, and Converse tennis shoes. Everybody at the park gives her a second glance as she passes because even in casual attire she is just that stunning.
“Hey guys,” she says to my kids and then to me as she takes the seat across from me beside Noah.
“Hi, Auntie Sara,” Kennedy replies as she stuffs her sandwich in her mouth.
“Hey,” I say quietly as she settles in beside Noah and snags one of his carrot sticks. “What’s this good news you have to share?”
“Well, do you remember about a month ago that I mentioned a promotion I was up for?” She waits for me to nod before continuing. “Well, I got it! I’m now a senior partner at the firm.”
“Oh, Sara. I am so happy for you. You’ve worked so hard for this.”
“I know. And now I can delegate the clients that I want to take on. Man, this is such a relief.”
“Are you going to be abl
e to go with me to New York on Monday for the meeting with Elver’s?”
“Oh, shoot. I completely forgot. That’s when I get my first chance to sort through clients and learn what the other junior partners are working on. I’m so sorry, Elle.”
“That’s okay. I can manage on my own.”
“Why don’t you see if your mom wants to go? Or maybe that hunky neighbor next door.”
I haven’t said anything to Sara about my relationship of sorts with Jackson. I’m not sure why I’m so hesitant. We’ve told his brother, and by now his parents know, but for me, telling Sara makes it real. And I’m not sure if I’m ready for real yet.
“I think I’ll be fine, but I’ll ask around, okay?”
At least I have transferable plane tickets.
Sara apologizes again while the kids and I finish up our lunch, and then we sit and watch Noah and Kennedy playing on the playground while she tells me about one of the new partners that just joined the firm. He’s our age and single, which is about all of the information Sara needs.
I notice that she seems distracted though as she talks about him, as if she’s forcing herself to feel this way about a stranger. It makes me think back to the moment in the restaurant so many weeks ago when Jackson and his brother had passed by our table. How she had mentioned that he seemed familiar to her, as if she naturally responded to him. I wonder if there is more to Sara and Cooper than they are letting on. But who am I to try and navigate their secrets when I’m harnessing some of my own?
“Hello, Elle,” I hear a deep voice say from behind me, and I immediately reach out and grip Sara’s arm, never taking my eyes off my kids playing across the way from me.
“What do you want, Dan?” I ask behind gritted teeth.
“Why don’t you go make yourself useful somewhere else, Sara, while I talk with my wife.”
Sara turns in her seat and from the corner of my eyes I can see that she’s giving him a glare known to make bigger men cower in their places.
“I will be staying right here, Dan, with your ex-wife. And you can bet your ass that I will be sending a report of this to the judge.”
“You do that. Because I also plan on sending in documentation that Elle has been placing my children in harm’s way.”
“How have I been doing that, Dan?” I seethe at his accusation, my pulse pumping faster in my veins.
“I’ve seen a man leaving your house. A man covered in tattoos and he’s in their presence at all times of the day and night. He’s a troublemaker. Probably dealing drugs or something like that. He’s just using you, Elle.”
“Jackson is not a troublemaker, he’s a business owner and my neighbor. Now please do as Sara says and be on your way. You’re not wanted here. Go be with your new family, Dan. We’re better off without you,” I add, and finally turn around to look him in the eye.
He looks disheveled, like a shell of the man I had married. His eyes are sunken in, his clothes misshapen and hanging off his leaner body, and his dominant swagger is far removed.
“What happened to you, Dan?” I whisper, not really wanting an answer from the man that overturned my life but concerned just the same.
“Sky left me, and she’s due any day now,” he replies, the heat leaving his voice.
“Well, I wish you both the best and that you can sort it out. Move on with your life, Dan. I have.”
I’m surprised that he nods his head once and then slumps away, his shoulders lowering with every step. I almost feel bad for the way I spoke to him. We were together for years, but I have moved on with someone that treats me better than I ever expected.
“Sara, I’m going to pack up the kids and head home.”
She nods and then helps me clean up the picnic leftovers before grabbing me in a hug. “Please consider the restraining order.”
“I will,” I say as I call out Noah and Kennedy’s names and we head home.
As I pull into the driveway, I notice Jackson standing on his front porch with Cooper, and Bailey sits quietly at their feet.
“Look, Mommy, it’s Bailey! Can we go play?”
“Well, let’s ask Bailey’s daddy first, okay?”
Both kids nod their heads and wait patiently for me to unstrap them from their seats and then they're off like a rocket soaring through the sky. Before I even have a chance to grab the bag and my purse from the seat, they’re already rolling around on the ground with the dog.
“You’re really making it hard to not get them a puppy, Cooper,” I say as I walk up to them on the porch. “Did they at least ask you to play with her first?”
“They did. Thanks for watching her again, Jackson. I’ll grab her on Tuesday.”
“No rush, you know Bailey is my girl. Just don’t tell Elle,” Jackson fake whispers and then winks in my direction.
We watch as Cooper strolls back to his car and then heads down the road before I turn back toward Jackson who is intently watching the kids play with Bailey.
“Jackson,” I whisper, and he finally turns to face me as I wrap my arms around his waist. It’s the most public display of affection I’ve had with him and the surprise in his eyes is quickly masked by delight.
“Hey, babe.”
“I have a question for you.”
“Yeah, what’s that?” he asks as he leans toward me, punishing my mouth in one of his heated kisses. Jackson always kisses me like I’m the last drop of water in the desert and I secretly hope that it never stops.
“You know that I’m leaving for New York on Monday and I know that you’re watching Bailey, but. . . would you want to come with me?”
Jackson’s eyebrows shoot up in shock and then he smiles. God, it’s that magnificent panty-melting smile that can bring a woman to her knees, and I nearly fall to the ground. Thankfully my arms around his waist are keeping me upright.
“Are you saying that I get two whole days with you and two nights?”
“Yep.”
“You can bet your ass that I’ll be there.”
We stand smiling at each other like a couple of love-struck teenagers for who knows how long, the only reason we pull apart is because Noah screams that Bailey is pooping in the grass.
“I’ll text you all the information and get the ticket changed over to you,” I tell Jackson as I step away and gather my kids. Something about moving away from him feels wrong, but I can’t pinpoint why.
“Okay.”
The kids and I make it about halfway to our house before I hear his deep voice yell, “Elle!” He waits before I turn around before adding, “Thank you.”
And I really need to teach my kids how to mop because I’m now a melted puddle on the stone pathway.
Chapter Twelve – Jackson
“Oh, Jackson. Yes, right there,” Elle cries out in our empty hotel room. We just finished checking into the room after our flight was delayed, twice. Elle and I were tired, irritable, and hungry. But being in such close proximity for the last four hours made us hungry for something else.
Her body is resting against the wall as I pound into her repeatedly, making sure to steer clear of the suitcases across from us. We barely made it into the room before we threw ourselves at each other.
“Fuck, I’m coming, Elle,” I cry out as she nips at my neck. Her fingers claw at my back underneath my shirt and my cum surges into the condom not long after she reaches her own release.
Her body slinks against me and I carry her to the bed where I quickly deposit her onto the soft duvet.
“Can we just have an entire two days of me and you in this bed?” I ask her as her heavy-lidded eyes look me over.
“I wish, but my meeting is in an hour and I need to get ready,” she reminds me.
She had to call and reschedule the meeting from lunchtime to later this afternoon when our flight continued to get pushed back.
“Fine.”
Reluctantly I pull away from her and begin pulling our suitcases further into the room so that she can get dressed for her meeting. Elle e
xplained to me during the flight about Elver’s catering and how they want to use her recipes for some of their affiliates. She and Sara both seem excited about it. I’m glad that Sara will be calling into the meeting though, so that Elle has someone on her team to guide her.
From the corner of the room, I watch as she strips herself of her shirt and bra, her panties and stretchy pants long forgotten on the floor by the entry. Elle opens her suitcase and pulls out a handful of lace and places it on the bed. A black garter belt, silk stockings, and a lace bra glare at me from their perch on the white duvet. My focus should be on Elle’s naked body, but instead, I find it set on the luxurious material she’s about to put on her body.
She reaches out and grabs the garter belt, hooking it around her waist and then doing the same with her bra. My mouth grows dry watching her put the sumptuous items on her porcelain skin. One of her legs bends and her foot settles on the bed as she takes one of the stockings in her hands. Slowly, so fucking slow, she rolls it up her leg, taking her sweet time to bring it up to her thigh where she hooks it onto her garter belt.
Am I having a heart attack? I feel like my heart is pumping my blood through my system so fast that I can’t catch my breath.
Elle repeats the motion with her other leg and stocking until both of her legs are clad in black.
“Can you hand me the outfit from the garment bag?”
Wordlessly I follow her command and I walk over to the chair where I placed the garment bag. Inside I find a black skirt and a bright pink blouse made of the softest silk. It reminds me of the kind of woman Elle would have been before she met Dan. She mentioned before how she was crawling through the ranks in her career when she met Dan and then became a homemaker. I’m not disappointed at the turn she has taken, but I could tell that she had been.
As I hand her the hangers holding her clothes, I take in her body barely covered in the lace and silk. She smirks in my direction as she takes the hangers from me and I swear that I fall more in love with this confident woman.
Stolen Nights (The Stolen Series Book 1) Page 16
