by Iris Abbott
“I don’t think so,” he gave her a smug smile. “You promised me at least a year, and I’m holding you to that promise. Besides,” He felt a little guilty, but he shoved his misgivings aside. He wasn’t backing down on this, and there was no way she was walking out of his life again. It was time to bring out his ace in the hole. “Your mother needs you here right now. And I own the only animal clinic in the immediate area.” He took her glaring silence as agreement. He drove the rest of the way to the clinic in blessed silence.
****
“Let’s go,” he ordered Mandy as soon as they entered the veterinary clinic. He marched off toward one of two examination rooms in the back of the building. He did glance back to make sure Mandy had listened. She didn’t look thrilled about it, but she was following him.
He noted the amused expression on Daniel’s face. He was filing away notes and manning the phone. Jackson glowered at the man. “I don’t see anything funny,” he snapped. “She got kicked by that ornery cow. I want to take a look at the injury, so we’ll be in the back. Then I’m giving her the rest of the day off. If anything comes in, you can handle it,” he ordered the other veterinarian.
As soon as they were alone, Mandy found her voice. “Jackson, I don’t think this is necessary. It’s just another day on the job. Minor injuries are not all that unusual,” she insisted.
Jackson didn’t respond, but the thought of Mandy being injured doubled his heart rate. He yanked off the paper covering the exam table. He replaced it and then turned his attention to Mandy. “Take off your jeans and have a seat.”
Mandy’s eyes widened. Well, what did she expect? How else was he going to get a look at the injury? It was on her thigh, and you couldn’t exactly roll or push up the tight denim leg of her jeans. She figured he loved how uncomfortable this was making her. It was payback time for all the embarrassing things she’d done to him back in the day. She wasn’t going to make this easy for him.
She crossed her arms in front of her and stiffened her spine. “I don’t need you here for this. I’m quite capable of looking at the injury myself.”
Jackson adamantly shook his head. “I don’t think so. You act as if getting kicked by a seven-hundred-pound bad-tempered cow is nothing. That animal could have done some real damage. I want to see for myself that you are okay.” He wasn’t exaggerating. He really did need to see with his own eyes that she was all right.
His chin was stuck out at a determined angle. Mandy knew that stubborn look. She didn’t want to spend every day at work fighting with Jackson. She also wanted to nip the notion that she was some delicate little flower right in the bud. She’d been following this career path for a while now. She knew what she was doing. It was time Jackson realized that too.
She slid out of her jeans and hopped onto the table. “See,” she pointed to her thigh. “It’s just a bruise. It’ll heal just like all the other bumps and bruises I’ve picked up on the job.”
Jackson moved so that he was standing right in front of her. He ran a calloused hand over the affected area of skin. “It’s already turning purple, but at least it’s not raised. I guess you were right. It doesn’t look too bad all things considered.”
There was a strange hitch in his voice. The sight of his large, tan hand fascinated Mandy as it traced her much paler skin. She quickly lifted her head and focused on a point behind Jackson’s shoulder. She needed to dislodge the erotic images that had taken up residence in her head. All she could see was the two of them entwined together on a bed of silk. Creamy, soft skin surrounded by darker, rougher skin. Oh, the friction and texture would be delicious. Her nipples puckered, and her thighs clenched together. Surely Jackson could feel her muscles tense.
She glanced from the wall down to Jackson. His face was no longer bent over her body. Instead, he was standing right in front of her. They were so close their noses were almost touching. Mandy absently noted that he had shifted. He was now standing between her thighs. The stance reminded her of the lust-induced episode in the parking lot of the honky-tonk. She tried to wiggle backward. She needed to put a little space between them, but there really wasn’t anywhere for her to go.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, Jackson knew this wasn’t the best idea. His body’s reaction to Mandy’s softness overrode the common sense trying to assert itself into the situation. “I haven’t been able to get that kiss off my mind,” he admitted. Then he swooped in toward Mandy. He wanted to see if that kiss had been everything he remembered or just a figment of his imagination.
Mandy saw Jackson moving closer and gave in to the sensations she was feeling. She closed her eyes and leaned in to greet Jackson. Hot lips covered her own. This time she didn’t wait for the demanding thrust of his tongue. She opened her lips and invited him inside.
Jackson thrilled at the little sign of surrender. His tongue darted out and clashed with hers as they both pressed closer to each other. He felt Mandy wrap her legs around him and pull him even closer. He could feel the heat of her body through the thin silk of her lacy panties. It fanned the flames of the burning desire that was scorching through his veins. He put his hands under her silk-clad buttocks and lifted and pressed her deeper into his body.
Mandy had forgotten she was sitting there in her underwear. That’s how far gone her mind was. The feel of the hard ridge of his erection pressing into the wet, warm cleft of her sex served as a potent reminder. She ripped her mouth off Jackson’s and released a strangled moan. She buried her face into the welcoming warmth of his neck. She arched her back and rubbed her mound against the rough fabric of his jeans.
It still wasn’t enough. Her body was fighting to grasp and hold onto the sparks of pleasure igniting deep inside. She needed more though. And right now, in the tight grip of passion, she wasn’t too shy to let Jackson know that. She crossed her ankles behind his lower back and rocked her body against his. She let out a frustrated groan as the heat inside her seemed to have reached a plateau. “I need more Jackson! I need all of you.”
Jackson could feel the slight tremor of her body and hear the raspy hoarseness of her voice. She was close, and they had only just started. Her body was quick to respond to his intimate touch, and it made him feel ten feet tall. He wanted to give her everything, but first, he wanted to watch her fall apart in his arms.
Mandy felt a hand slid between their bodies and beneath her panties. Then a finger dragged over the sensitive bundle of nerves standing at attention begging to be touched, and her entire body jumped. She heard Jackson chuckle.
“You like that, huh?” His finger found the spot and this time instead of one swipe, he held the digit in place. When Mandy sucked in a ragged breath of air, he pressed down and vigorously rotated the tip of his finger.
Everything in her body seemed to be focused on that one little spot that Jackson lavished with attention. Her back arched and Mandy groaned. Her entire body was as taut as a guitar string, and she was still straining to get closer to Jackson.
She felt a finger probe her core and plunge inside. She gasped as pleasure rolled through her body. A second finger joined the first and Jackson moved them in and out, in and out, in a steady rhythm. It was almost as if her body was a finely tuned musical instrument and he was a virtuoso playing the performance of his life.
She bucked her hips in time to the movement of his hands. Delicious tension filled her body, and she was so close to being enveloped by pleasure. Mandy rested her head on Jackson’s shoulder and breathed in the tangy scent of the man.
He plunged in deeper this time and hit the right spot. The wall of muscles surrounding his fingers clenched. Jackson repeated the motion. Mandy’s entire body bowed, and tiny spasms began in her vagina and grew stronger as they worked their way through her entire body.
Jackson felt the tremors milking his fingers and increased their movement. Then he watched as Mandy’s whole body started to shake with tiny tremors. He wanted to see her face. He moved the hand resting on her hip up toward the back of her h
ead. He cupped the back of her neck and gently lifted so that she was looking at him. “Mandy, I want to see all of you,” he told her in a hoarse voice. Her violet eyes were glazed over in passion, and the lids were half-closed.
Her body trembled for about five seconds. When her orgasm was finished, she slumped in a satisfied heap against Jackson’s strong body. That only lasted for about ten seconds, before she realized she wanted and needed more. She wanted to see Jackson as fulfilled as she was.
She let her legs gracefully fall from around his waist. She wiggled her hips and scooted further back on the examination table to put some space between them. Her hands shot to the fastening on his jeans. She didn’t want to waste any time, but her hands were trembling. And she was having a hard time getting the metal button through the buttonhole.
Jackson was in a hurry too. He took over. He had the button unfastened, the zipper undone, and was stepping out of the jeans and pair of briefs before Mandy could take another breath. He wasn’t about to stop there. He eyed Mandy’s panties. With one swift tug, the thin strip of silk on the side gave way.
Mandy felt like her heart was going to beat right out of her chest. This was wild and uninhibited. She’d never been this reckless before. She’d never wanted someone so much that nothing else mattered. She was afraid to close her eyes in case the feelings weren’t real. But even in her wildest dreams, she hadn’t been able to imagine the frenzy of passion they’d created in this room.
Jackson had one thought, and one thought only. He wanted inside Mandy’s body. He put his hands on her hips and lifted her. “Wrap your legs around me,” he ordered in a voice so hoarse from desire he didn’t even recognize it.
Mandy automatically did as Jackson asked. Then she yanked the T-shirt she was wearing over her head. Her bra quickly followed. Jackson’s shirt was next to join the rapidly growing pile of discarded clothes. She pressed her body into his. The feel of flesh on flesh, crisp chest hair rubbing against smooth feminine skin, was intoxicating. She eagerly accepted his kiss. Their lips meshed together as if to seal the deal.
Strong firm hands shifted from her hips to under her buttocks. She felt the hard plum-shaped head of his erection nudge the opening of her feminine core. A warning whispered somewhere in the back of her mind. Mandy recklessly pushed it aside. The pleasure tingling through her body was much louder than any words of caution.
A loud knock on the door and an equally loud clearing of the throat finally broke through Mandy’s muddled senses. Mandy let out a little cry of alarm. She frantically dropped her arms and legs from around Jackson and moved away from temptation. She stooped down to pick up the pile of clothes and moved to the other side of the examination table.
“Jackson, Mandy, sorry to bother you, but I have a two-vet emergency on my hands.”
Now that the lust and passion induced fog was starting to recede Mandy was thankful for Daniel’s interruption. Now that she was thinking more like herself she was shocked at their behavior. They’d both been so far gone they’d lost all reason and had practically made love right there inside the clinic. And worse than that was the fact that neither one of them had remembered protection. Jackson had been seconds away from slipping inside her body without a condom.
Her body was still slightly shaking, but her heart rate and breathing were finally starting to slow. She hastily covered herself with the T-shirt she’d just discarded. She didn’t even bother with the bra. She had to get out of there. She stepped into her pants and noted that Jackson was doing the same thing.
The doorknob rattled. “Jackson, this is important. A horse trailer carrying five horses to the Walsh Horse Farm overturned about five miles from its destination. I’m going to need some help. I’ll be waiting for you in the truck.”
Jackson finished getting dressed then looked at Mandy. “Take the rest of the day off.” He shoved his hand through his hair. He really wanted to pull her close for a goodbye kiss, but the way she was shooting daggers at him he didn’t dare. “Hell,” he let out a sigh of frustration bigger than the state of Texas. “We’ll talk about this later. I have to go!”
The passion-induced adrenaline still flowed through his body. And he slammed the door to the examination room just a tad hard on his way out. His mind, however, was already focused on the emergency and a plan of action.
Mandy flinched at the sound of wood hitting wood. Well, she wasn’t happy about the situation either. If anyone had told her that working for Jackson was going to be difficult, she would probably have agreed one hundred percent. If someone told her it was going to be difficult because she and Jackson couldn’t keep their hands off of each other, she would have laughed in that person’s face. One thing was certain, she wasn’t laughing now!
NINE
Mandy yanked off the silk blouse and matching skirt she’d tried on. They joined the ever-growing pile of rejects strewn across the bottom of her bed. Jackson had stuck to his word and banished her to desk duty the entire week following the incident with the injured cow. What’s more, he’d spent all his time out in the field. She hadn’t seen him once. The week had dragged by. Even over the weekend when Daniel was off, Jackson still found a way to avoid her.
It had been one of the worst weeks she’d ever spent on a job. If she wanted to file paperwork and answer the phone all day, she wouldn’t have spent two years being trained as a vet tech. She missed the animals. And worse, she missed Jackson. That was enough to have her tangled in knots. And it wasn’t helping her any when she thought of the predicament facing her now.
Tonight was the night of the James dinner party, and she really dreaded it. She was so nervous at seeing Jackson in a social setting that she couldn’t even decide on what to wear. She went to the closet one more time and finally emerged with a flower-covered sundress. She had a cobalt blue cardigan that matched. She’d take it with her. The temperature would drop after the sun went down.
She walked across the hall to the bathroom. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror. She always wore her hair up and tied back, especially on the job. Tonight, she wanted to do better than that. The better she looked, the stronger her confidence would be. And she needed all the inner strength and confidence she could muster to get through tonight. She gently removed the elastic band holding her hair in place. She brushed through the long blond strands until they shined, then she tossed them behind her shoulder.
She could feel the silky, smooth hair brush against the naked skin of her neck and upper back. The sensual feel made her shiver. It reminded her of Jackson’s touch. Maybe wearing her hair loose hadn’t been a good idea after all, but it was too late to do anything about it now. They were going to be late if she didn’t hurry. One thing she knew about her mother, she couldn’t stand being late, for anything.
Her mother was waiting for her when she emerged from her bedroom. She was glad to see that her mom was dressed. She even looked eager for the upcoming dinner. “Oh, there you are, darling. I was starting to worry we’d be late. I guess you want to look your best since Jackson’s going to be there,” she winked at Mandy.
Mandy didn’t wink back. If anything, she scowled. “Mom, I see Jackson all the time at work, so it’s no big deal.” Yeah right, she told herself. That’s why this is the fifth outfit you’ve tried on tonight. “Let’s go.” The quicker they got there, the sooner this would be over. “I’m sure Emma went to a lot of trouble. I think this is the first dinner she’s hosted since she married Landon.”
“I think you’re right,” her mom agreed. “It was very nice and also very smart of her to start with the neighbors. I am looking forward to seeing Nancy again. And it’s been so long since I left the ranch.”
Mandy’s heart felt just a little lighter. Her mom was looking and sounding like her normal self. Maybe everything was going to be okay after all. Now if she could just get things straightened out with Jackson, her life would be back on track.
****
They arrived at James Ranch a few minutes later. Mandy
was dismayed to see that the Walkers had also just arrived. She watched with widening eyes as Jackson walked to her car and opened the door for her. This was an unexpected move on his part since he had snubbed her all week at work. Her body trembled. She wanted to blame it on nerves, but she knew it had everything to do with Jackson’s powerful magnetism and the physical attraction that existed between them.
He offered her his hand. She would have liked nothing more than to ignore him, but that was impossible with both their mothers anxiously hovering nearby. Mandy closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She needed to find her inner strength. She had to share a meal with Jackson and act normal for the sake of their moms. She had to do this, knowing that the last time they were together they had almost devoured each other.
She took the hand he offered and allowed him to assist her out of the car. She had every intention of pulling away from him once she was standing, but he nicely sidestepped that idea too. Before she could blink, she found her arm tucked into the crook of his arm. When she tried to untangle their arms, he tightened his grip. There was no way she could put distance between them now without being obvious. Causing a scene was the last thing she wanted. She wouldn’t give Jackson the satisfaction, not with their mothers looking on.
“I love the dress,” he whispered. “All those sunflowers remind me of your re-entrance into my life.”
She was surprised he remembered the sunflower from the wedding bouquet. Men didn’t notice stuff like that, did they? Before she could answer, they arrived at the front door. She pasted a small smile on her face for the benefit of their host and hostess who greeted them at the door. Landon who she’d known all her life pointedly looked at her and Jackson and raised his eyebrows. She offered him a small shrug then turned her attention to Emma. “Thank you so much for inviting us to dinner. My mom and I have been looking forward to it all week.” A small fib, but who would it hurt. She wanted to make friends with Emma, and she was happy that her mom was finally out of the house. She felt Jackson’s grip loosen and she surged forward to give Emma a friendly hug. “Emma this is my mom Barbara Tyler.” She moved to the side away from Jackson to allow her mom to come forward and shake hands with Emma.
