by Robin Kaye
“So, tell me: who the hell is running the show now, Mr. Irreplaceable?”
He thought about it and shook his head; he had no idea. He hadn’t even thought to ask, and he hadn’t missed his work or the people he worked with. “I don’t know.”
“Well, they must have found someone because the world hasn’t come to a screeching halt, and I’m still getting my statements. My money is still being managed. Maybe you’re not so irreplaceable after all.”
“For both our sakes, I hope you’re right. I didn’t mean to be a prick, though.”
“You know, Jax, I’m starting to think this bump on the head was the best thing that ever happened to you. You always looked so miserable and stressed, and, well . . . I don’t know. Isolated. Since you came back from spending Christmas in New York with Rocki, you’ve been different—in a good way.”
“Thanks. Um, look. I can’t remember if I had my assistant schedule a limo for Grace and Teddy. I need to call her and make sure.”
“So call her.”
“Yeah, well, that’s the thing. You didn’t program my office number into the phone, and I don’t know it.”
“I have your office number at home. I’ll call Anne.”
“Who the hell is Anne?”
“Anne Pivens, your secretary.”
“Oh, Mrs. Pivens.”
“You didn’t even know her first name?”
“Of course I know her first name—I just don’t think of her by her first name. She’s been Mrs. Pivens since I got there.”
“Well, Anne and I have become friendly over the years—I call, you put me off, she feels bad and tells me how you’re doing. I’ll make sure she knows to take care of the limo.”
“Thanks. Oh, and Jaime?”
“Yeah?”
“If you ever make a play for Kendall again, even in jest, I’ll break both your legs.”
“I hear ya. I love Kendall like a sister. Believe me, she’s not my type. You have nothing to worry about there, bro.”
“So, what’s your type?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
*
Kendall did the dishes and thought about how to handle her parents. She wasn’t looking forward to telling them about her breakup, and then there was the whole issue with Jack. How was she going to explain that?
Jack must have walked all the way to Jaime’s, because he’d been gone a long time.
The kitchen was clean, the bed was made, and a crazy sexual bucket list had been written. And then she started sanding the last coat of mud. They’d be able to paint soon, and the room would be done.
Maybe she and Jack could take off to Boston for a few days and have some more time together without having to explain their relationship to her parents. She didn’t want to go back to the apartment, but when she pictured herself there with Jack, it didn’t seem too terrible at all. And if David ever caught wind of it, he would definitely be put out, and that worked for her too.
“Kendall?”
“In here.” She’d closed the door to keep the dust inside the bedroom—not that it really worked. Dust was like ghosts; it seemed to walk right through walls, no matter how careful you were.
Jack pulled his overshirt off as he came through the door, leaving him in a T-shirt. “You don’t have to do this. It’s messy and dusty.”
“It gives me an excuse for another shower.”
He climbed the ladder behind her. “You’re looking forward to our next shower?” His lips skimmed her jawline, and she leaned back into him, turning a little for a kiss.
“Oh yeah. Sex in the shower is on my sexual bucket list.”
“You have a list?”
“I do now.”
“Really? Wow, this I gotta see.”
“Oh no, you don’t. My list is private.”
“Not if I’m expected to perform these sexual feats, it’s not.”
She felt his erection against her bottom and she pressed farther into him. “Mmmm. If you keep that up, we’re never going to get this room done.”
“So?”
“So, I was wondering if you wanted to go to Boston with me for a little while. I have to pack my apartment and give my landlord notice. I thought since no one knows I’ve been here, except Jaime and Addie, it would also give us a little more time together without having to tell my parents.”
“You and me in Boston? Sounds good. When do you want to leave?”
“Before my parents get back. I’m really not looking forward to having to tell them about David in person. And then there’s the whole situation with us.”
“Situation?” His hand wrapped around her waist tightened, and tension shimmered around them.
“Come on, Jack, they’re my parents. They’re not going to be happy when they find out we’re together so soon after David dumped me. I’d like time to ease them into it.”
“Oh, okay. We can take as much time as you need.”
“You don’t mind?”
“No. Why would I? If we can get the room sanded, we can put a coat of primer on this afternoon, and this evening we can paint it and put the furniture back.”
Kendall smiled and felt all gooey on the inside.
“What?”
“I like the we part.”
Jack kissed her quickly. “You don’t happen to have spanking on your list, do you?”
Spanking? No. Not that she couldn’t add it, and it definitely expanded the possibilities. She’d read Fifty Shades, mostly for kicks during her monthly book club—not that they actually ever read full books, but after a glass or two of wine, the ladies really got into reading excerpts. “Do you want to spank me?”
“That depends. Are you a naughty girl or a nice girl?” His voice got all deep and gravelly, and just the sound of it was enough to make her hot.
“Nice is so overrated. I’m really getting into the whole naughty thing.”
He slid his hand over her rear, and she had to squeeze her thighs together.
“You have the greatest ass I’ve ever seen. Half the time I don’t know if I want to kiss it or spank it. Right now, I want both.”
“Jack, what else is on your sexual bucket list?”
“With you?”
“Well, I’m not interested in what you want to do with someone else.”
“Sweetheart, there’s no one else I want to do.”
“Good answer.”
He ran his hand around to her front and slipped it into the waistband of her pants and under her panties. “After our first kiss, it was all I could do not to rip off your jeans and take you up against the wall like an animal.”
“Oooh.”
“Yeah, oooh. And seeing you on your knees between my legs—well, you know damn well what I was thinking then. But you already checked that one off your list, didn’t you?”
“I really liked it.”
“I gotta tell you, for someone who’d never tried it before, you’re a natural. That was the best I’ve ever had. If you get any better at it, I might not survive.” He slid his hand lower and sucked in a breath. “Kendall, damn, you’re so hot and wet.”
She couldn’t believe what he could do to her with just his voice. She held on to the ladder and ground into his hand. “I’m thinking we need a break. Either that or we’re going to end up making love on the ladder.”
“Sounds interesting.”
“Really?”
“But dangerous. And, right now, it might just be combustible. I’d be in hot water if we burned down the cabin.”
“So, no chutes and ladders?”
“Not unless it’s an adult version of the board game.”
“Then I guess you’ll have to get your ants out of my pants.”
“We could play Operation later.”
She bumped her bottom against him. “Or Monopoly. You still can’t count. I would win.”
“You would cheat.”
“Yes, but you wouldn’t know.”
Jack’s palm landed on her
backside with a decisive thwack and a sting that left her throbbing. “Get back to work, and I promise to haul you over my knee later.”
“Oh, my.”
*
The next morning Kendall woke up to moaning. And not the good kind. “Jack, what’s wrong?”
He rolled over, and she got her first look at him. He was pale, a little on the green side, and sweating profusely.
She pushed the hair off his forehead, which was clammy. “Headache?”
“Like you read about.”
“Why didn’t you wake me?”
“I thought it would go away.”
Men could be such babies. “It looks like you were wrong. Didn’t any of your nurse girlfriends tell you that you need to stay ahead of the pain? That means Motrin as soon as you feel one coming on. Have you taken anything?”
“No.”
“What do you need?”
“A bullet.”
“Very funny. Motrin and Tylenol, or are you ready for the hard stuff?
“The hard stuff.”
“Okay.” She swung her legs over the edge of the bed. “Where is it?”
“Medicine cabinet.” Jack groaned again and covered his eyes with his arm.
She got out of bed, and a shiver ran through her—she wasn’t sure if it was from the cold or concern for Jack. His color was off, plus the pain she saw in his eyes and the strain in his body—everything about this scared her. Should she take him to the hospital?
She shaded her own eyes as she turned on the obnoxious overhead light and opened the medicine cabinet. She pulled down a prescription bottle, but it was prescribed for Jackson Sullivan. “I don’t see it. Are you sure you put it in the cabinet?”
“It’s on the second shelf.”
There was only one prescription bottle in there—right next to the Motrin and Tylenol. TAKE TWO EVERY FOUR HOURS AS NEEDED FOR PAIN. But the prescription was for Jackson Sullivan. Jax never came to the cabin. He hadn’t been there in years. Why would he have a prescription here?
“Jack, Jackson.” She heard blood rushing through her ears. “Oh, God. No. He can’t be.”
She looked at the date of the prescription. Last month. December. She remembered her mother saying that Jax was coming before Christmas for a ski vacation. Her face tingled like a million bees were stinging her, their buzzing filled her ears, and her vision grayed. Her hand shook so badly, the medicine sounded like a maraca.
Jack—her Jack—was Jax. She closed her eyes, and her hand clamped onto the edge of the porcelain sink. She couldn’t deal with it now. No, she’d medicate him, and once he got better, she’d kill him.
Kendall blinked her eyes, trying to clear the gray fog closing in on her and realized she was holding her breath. Not good. She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, then another. She was fine. She was in control. She was strong. She was also an idiot. Jack—Jackson. Wow, how could she have fallen for that? He’d even told her his parents had died—she’d never put the two together.
She remembered Jax’s parents and their funeral. The whole town showed up to pay their respects. Everyone loved Jack and Marie Sullivan. She remembered Jax that winter day, wearing a black suit and overcoat. He looked nothing like the boy she’d followed around the summer before—no, he looked like a man. A stranger—his expression blank, his eyes dead. He looked as if he were made of wax, like one of the statues she’d seen at Madame Tussauds the time her parents took her to New York.
Jax might have stood beside both his uncles, but even at twelve years old, she’d known he was alone. His sister, Rocki, had survived the accident that killed their parents and was still in the hospital.
That had been the last time Kendall saw Jax. When she’d tried to speak to him, he’d looked right through her, as if she didn’t exist, didn’t matter, didn’t count. He’d been in shock. She knew that now. Back then, though, all she knew was that it hurt.
That was fourteen years ago.
Kendall could almost forgive herself for falling for David; she’d been a child then. She didn’t have that excuse now. She’d fallen head over heels in love with Jax Sullivan, the Grand Pooh-Bah of Harmony—a money-hungry, narcissistic, megalomaniac just like David.
But the Jack she knew, the Jack she’d made love to, the Jack she saw in her dreams was sweet and honest and loyal. Jack was an illusion.
She moved mechanically to the kitchen, grabbed a water glass, and filled it. When she returned, he was lying in the same position. “I have your meds, Jax. Can you sit up?”
His eyes shot open, and he looked at her—she couldn’t tell if the pain she saw was because of his headache or because she’d caught on. In the end, it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered. “Your name is on the prescription bottle.” She struggled with the childproof top and coaxed two pills into her shaking hand.
“Sweetheart, I can explain.”
“Not interested.” She handed him the water and the pills. “Just take your medicine and give me your phone.”
“Why?”
“Why the phone, or why am I not interested?”
He downed the pills and groaned.
“I’m not interested because, if you remember correctly, I’m pretty good at getting lied to. I’ve heard all the excuses before. And I need your phone because if the headache hasn’t subsided, you’re going to have to take more medicine in four hours, and last I heard, you can’t tell time—unless that was a lie too.”
“I never lied to you.”
“I’m going to set an alarm—I wouldn’t want you to accidentally OD on this stuff.”
He reached for her, but she snatched her hand away.
“Kendall, please listen to me. Sweetheart, I love you.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard that line before too. I shouldn’t have believed it then, and I’m certainly not falling for it now.” She set the prescription on the bedside table along with his water, picked up the clothes she’d laid out the night before, and went into the bathroom to change. She’d be damned if he’d ever see her naked again.
She’d tossed most of her stuff in the car last night. Jack—make that Jax—had put his leather duffel by the door. How could she not have noticed it was Gucci? She took a quick scan of the cabin, making sure she hadn’t left anything.
There was a rap on the door, right before it was pushed open and her father walked in.
“Daddy?” She reached up and gave him a kiss. “I didn’t think you were getting back until Thursday.”
“No, we were supposed to be back on Tuesday, but our plane was delayed coming out of New York. We just got home, and I saw the smoke, so I came to check it out. What are you doing here, Kendall?”
“I just came up to see Addie for a few days.”
“Is David with you?”
“No, he’s in San Francisco. I thought I’d check on Jax before I left. He’s not feeling well.”
“Jax is here? What’s wrong with him?”
“Headache, I think. But, then, he’s a little green, so I guess it could be the flu or a virus. He doesn’t have a fever, so I just gave him his pain pills. I’m going to head home. I have a busy day, and I’m already running late.”
“You’re going to stop to see your mother, young lady, aren’t you?”
“Sure, Daddy.”
He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead.
“I’m glad you’re home.”
“Me too, baby girl.” He didn’t say anything else, but he didn’t need to. It was written all over his face.
She was so busted. “Bye, Jax,” she called out over her shoulder.
“Kendall, wait. Don’t go.” She heard Jax’s footfalls coming behind her. She grabbed her bag and coat on the way out, but didn’t bother putting it on. She stepped out of the cabin and slammed the door on her past, and took the first step into her future.
The bright sunlight shone off the snow, temporarily blinding her. She didn’t register the cold cutting into her. She couldn’t feel anything; she was numb.
*
Jax heard Kendall stomping around the cabin as he tried to feel for his pants. His heart raced, shooting blinding pain through his skull with every beat. He stuffed his legs into the pants, stood, and swallowed back bile. He had to stop her. He had to.
“Bye, Jax.”
“Kendall, wait. Don’t go.” He ran down the hall, right into Teddy.
“Jax, what the hell is going on?”
He reached for the door and stepped out, and then blinding light hit him. Pain shot through his eyes and head like bullets, his knees buckled, and he went down hard, right before he puked his guts out.
Teddy laid a hand on his back as he heaved. “She’s gone, son. She’s gone.”
He was cold, cold like he could remember being only once before—the day he buried his parents.
“Come on, let’s get you inside.” Teddy helped him up, tossed Jax’s arm around his shoulder, and walked him back to the bedroom. The half-empty, economy-size box of condoms lay right next to his painkillers, and the glass of water on the bedside table. Both sides of the bed were messed up, the indentation of Kendall’s head still clear on her pillow. “Put a shirt on. I’m taking you home.”
“I am home.”
“Dammit, Jackson, I can’t leave you like this, and I can’t kill you. Grace would have my head if I did either. Now get dressed. We’re going to the lake house.”
“I can’t. I have to find her.”
“Son, in the shape you’re in, you couldn’t find your way out of a wet paper bag.”
A sweatshirt hit Jax in the chest.
“Put it on. What the hell were you thinking, coming up here like that? And just how did you and Kendall—” He held up his hand. “Never mind. I really don’t want to know.”
“I love her, Teddy.”
“You had better, since it looks to me like you’re already sleeping with her.” A pair of socks flew at him. “Can you get those on yourself, or are you gonna start ralphing again?”
He braved the glare to stare at Teddy.
“It’s not as if I haven’t dressed you before, son. Hell, I even diapered your ass a time or two. Whipped it too.”
Jax winced as he remembered the time when he was thirteen and Teddy caught him and Jaime taking a joyride in his parents’ car. “I couldn’t sit down for days. Neither could Jaime.” It was never mentioned again. Jax always wondered if it was to cover his own ass. Still, Teddy never left the keys in the ignition after that.
