Forever Freed

by Kathleen Brooks

  “Aniyah,” Jackson practically growled because right now all he could think about was stripping Evie down and playing those kinds of games with her. Well, maybe not the biting unless she wanted it. He was thinking of the kind where he handcuffed her to the bed and explored every inch of her with his mouth.

  “Earth to Jackson,” Aniyah said as she snapped her fingers in front of his face to bring him back from the fantasy. “Want me to leave the oils?” she whispered.

  “What did you need, Aniyah? Do you need us to help with the wedding?” Jackson asked, ignoring the oils question. “I thought you’d be with your family.”

  “DeAndre said you’d played a part in helping to get everything ready for the wedding next week. Thank you, sugar. That was really sweet of you. I know you two have a lot going on, so I won’t bother you with any more wedding planning.”

  “If I’m still here, then I’d be happy to help. I was a bartender. I could help you come up with a signature drink,” Evie offered and Jackson felt the first crack in her determination to leave.

  “Really? Oh, that would be so cool. But what do you mean, if you’re still here?”

  Jackson didn’t answer for Evie. She had to face Aniyah herself.

  “I wouldn’t want my stepbrother hurting anyone here or possibly disrupting your wedding. I was thinking of going off the grid in the mountains for a while.”

  Aniyah didn’t look impressed. Her lips thinned and her perfectly manicured hands went to her hips. “Lord have mercy, what are you thinking? Bless your heart, but that’s the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard. Don’t you know you have a whole town of friends willing to help you?”

  Evie turned to Jackson and leaned closer to him. “Did she just call me stupid?” she whispered.

  “No, she called your plan to run away stupid. But she blessed your heart, so it’s all good.” Jackson almost had to bite his lip to keep from smiling at Evie’s confused look, but it was obvious that Evie did not speak Southern. Luckily, Aniyah took over again and Jackson was happy to let her.

  “You have a family who sent you a gift and I brought you a welcome to Keeneston present myself. And you are thinking of leaving?”

  “I’m sorry. I thought it was for the best,” Evie said apologetically.

  “Well, now you know better, right? And what a disappointment. I thought for sure those handcuffs were something kinky. I was going let you borrow my oils and here you were looking to run off.”

  Jackson knew his shoulders were shaking with silent laughter, but Aniyah’s outrage and Evie’s look of desperation were just too much. “You mentioned a gift?” Jackson said as he took a deep breath to calm himself.

  “Yes, your momma and sister thought Evie would like this after having fun practicing with it today,” Aniyah said, holding out the axe.

  “That’s very nice of them,” Evie said, stepping forward to reach it.

  Jackson stopped her. “Are you going to chop off my hand to get free?”

  Evie rolled her eyes at him and Aniyah chuckled. Jackson let go of her hand and Evie took the axe in her free hand. “Good thing I throw left-handed.”

  “And then I got you this after Paige and Greer gave me the axe. It’s one of mine, but it’s perfect for storing an axe. The inside is black leather,” Aniyah said, holding up a large pink leopard print purse. “It’s reversible, but with the axe you’d want the leather on the inside.”

  Evie took the bag and sure enough, the axe fit perfectly. “Thank you, Aniyah. That was so thoughtful of you. And you know, I do feel better having this on me. That way if I see Jon, I can defend myself.”

  * * *

  Evie’s mind calmed. Her desire to run had calmed. Jackson promised her that he’d be able to handle this. Aniyah had promised. Jackson’s friends and family had all promised. Maybe it was time to take control of herself and listen to what they said.

  “Can I have a moment with Evie for a little girl talk?” Aniyah asked and Evie looked down at her cuffs, wondering how that would be possible.

  Jackson took a step away so that both their arms were outstretched and the chain of the handcuffs was now straight from the tension of their hands being separated.

  Aniyah’s soft brown eyes rolled at Jackson and Evie even found herself laughing. “Seriously? You’re like three feet away.”

  “With my wing span it’s closer to six.”

  Evie laughed harder at Jackson and the annoyed look Aniyah gave him. Aniyah turned to her purse and pulled out her phone and some ear buds. She turned on the music so loud that Evie could hear it before she even handed it to Jackson.

  “Are you going to talk about kinky sex again? If so, I’ll gladly put these in.”

  Evie gasped as she tried not to laugh. “In your dreams,” she told Jackson.

  “Every time I close my eyes now. Actually, I don’t even have to close my eyes to think about it. I’m thinking about so much more now, thanks to Aniyah.”

  “You’re welcome, sugar,” Aniyah told him a moment before she shoved the ear buds into Jackson’s ears. “I should have known he had a kinky side. He has a look of a man who could devour his lover.”

  “It’s those eyes, right?” Evie said and then fanned herself with her free hand. The two women dissolved into laughter but it wasn’t only Jackson thinking hot thoughts. Being devoured by Jackson was something anyone would dream about and she was handcuffed to him.

  “Earth to Evie.” Aniyah shook her head. “You two got it bad.”

  “Got what bad?”

  “Girl, that man wants to do kinky things to you, is handcuffed to you, and is in full protection mode. He’s literally thinking about your body every second of the day. That’s called having it bad.”

  “No, that’s called lust and maybe a lack of opportunity, so I’m called convenient.”

  Aniyah shook her head and gave her a look that left Evie thinking Aniyah was calling her stupid again. “That man could have any woman in this town. The Belles, that’s the unmarried ladies’ charity, have a vicious bet going about who can land Jackson. He’s drop-dead sexy and he’s a straight-up nice guy. Trust me, if he wants you, which it’s clear as day he does, it’s not for lack of opportunity.”

  “Why me then? I’m nothing special. I come with baggage—baggage full of death and destruction.”

  “Well, after you left the café, his whole family talked about how nice you are. I’m guessing the fact that you’re nice and determined to do the right thing is a turn-on for Jackson who is surrounded by bad people in his work. And then here, the Belles just want him because he’s the most eligible bachelor and they want to be married. I don’t think they see the real Jackson—the one who has to take down the most despicable people in the world. Do you know he has rescued women and children from all sorts of horrifying situations? Sometimes even he can’t rescue them all. That’s some dark shit to deal with right there.”

  Evie nodded her head in understanding. “He told me about it.”

  “Really? He never talks about it much here. I only know because two of his team, Lucas and Talon—”

  “They’re coming tomorrow,” Evie added.

  Aniyah nodded. “We only know some of what they go through because Lucas and Talon like Poppy and Zinnia and sometimes they let slip what they’ve seen. Especially if it’s bad and they need a pick-me-up. Poppy and Zinnia will spoil them with their cooking if it looks like they need some extra love.”

  “I didn’t know they were dating.”

  Aniyah shrugged. “I don’t think they are officially dating. It’s a tough life they lead. But I do know all three of them came to Keeneston to find sanctuary.”

  “And now I’m bringing trouble to their sanctuary.”

  “See, that’s what I’m trying to tell you. You need to change your thinking. You’re not bringing trouble here. You’ve come here for your own sanctuary. In Keeneston we rally around those who need us and right now you need us. That’s what I wanted to tell you. We are all here for you. I don�
�t want you worried about my wedding or bringing danger to our doors. We can handle ourselves and we want to give you sanctuary, so please stay.”

  Evie thought about what Aniyah said. She did need a sanctuary, some place safe where she could bring Jon and his group down. “I’ve been stupid, haven’t I?”

  “I wouldn’t say that,” Aniyah said in a way that said just that.

  Evie smiled and took a deep breath. “That was really nice of you to bring me a purse for my axe.”

  “You’re welcome, sugar. Tomorrow I’ll bring you that book and you’ll thank me even more.” Aniyah winked and they both laughed, only now Evie was really thinking about it. “In the meantime, you can borrow this.”

  Aniyah handed her a little bottle that read Spark! Sensual warming oil.

  “Um, thanks, but we’re not together like that yet. I just found out he thinks of me as his girlfriend.”

  Evie got the “you’re stupid” look again. “You’re handcuffed to the man. I give you two thirty minutes after I leave.”

  Aniyah pulled out her phone and Evie gasped. “Don’t you dare place a bet on that!”

  Aniyah lowered her phone with a sigh, “Fine, but only because you’re my new friend. And as my new friend, you will meet with us ladies the day after tomorrow for wedding planning. Did you really mean it about helping me come up with a signature cocktail?”

  “I’d love to. Text Jackson a list of your and DeAndre’s favorite tastes and liquors. I’ll bring samples to the wedding planning party.”

  Aniyah reached over and yanked the ear buds from Jackson. “Great. I’ll see you at the café day after tomorrow for lunch. I’ll bring the book.” Evie turned red and Jackson raised his eyebrow. “Don’t worry, Jackson. I don’t think Evie will run now, but you might want to keep the cuffs on for fun.”

  Aniyah winked at them and then sauntered out the door, her hips swaying back and forth.

  “If everyone here is like her, Jon better just turn himself in,” Evie muttered.

  “So, what were you two talking about?”

  Evie looked down at the handcuffs and then the oil she still held in her hand and swallowed hard. It was going to be a long night filled with very detailed dreams.

  20

  “So, where’s the key to the cuffs?” Evie asked as she shoved the oil into her pocket. They sat back down on the couch and Jackson held her cuffed hand in his. Goodness gracious, his thumb was making these soft little circles on the top of her hand that were driving her wild.

  “It’s hidden. I can’t have you seducing it from me now, could I?”

  Evie gulped as she looked at his eyes. Devour was right. She was ready to raise her hand and volunteer to strip naked for him if he didn’t stop looking at her like that. “You don’t need to worry about me running away anymore. Between Aniyah’s pep talk and yours, I’m not going anywhere. It’s taken me a while to believe there was a whole town out there that wanted to help me, but you really do. You’re so lucky to have friends like this.”

  “Now you do too.”

  “Jackson, I’ve never had anyone to rely on except myself—ever. It’s going to take some time to get used to.”

  “Well, first let’s make you feel safe. Come with me to the kitchen. I need to lock up. Then we can go back to bed and . . .”

  Evie’s whole body flushed with desire. “And what?”

  “Anything you’d like. We can sleep. We can talk. We can do whatever you want. For the next twelve hours, there’s no one but us. No Jonathan, no Aniyah, no Rose sisters, no family busting in. Just us.”

  Jackson stood up and Evie followed him as he held her cuffed hand in his and made his way to the kitchen. He locked the door, checked the windows, closed the curtains, and armed the alarm system. Maybe that was the point of the cuffs too. For her to see that Jackson was making sure she was safe. For the first time in weeks, Evie took a deep breath and felt the fear slide away. Jonathan was coming but he wasn’t coming tonight.

  “Thank you, Jackson. You are a great boyfriend.”

  Jackson’s lips turned up into a full smile. “Boyfriend, huh? I thought for sure the cuffs would drop me back down the relationship ladder.”

  “They did, but you’re working your way back up.”

  Jackson closed the small distance between them. “Anything I can do to reach the top?”

  “You can kiss me.”

  “My pleasure.”

  His voice seemed to send sensual waves through her body before he leaned forward to capture her lips in his. She was learning how he liked to explore. A touch there, a kiss here, an increase of pressure, a decrease in speed, all working together to drive her wild.

  Jackson told her he was good at interrogation and that was exactly what this was—an interrogation of her body. Evie groaned in frustration when he slowed things down and he immediately replied by pushing her against the table until she was sitting on it and Jackson was standing between her open legs.

  “Wrap your legs around me,” he ordered in between kisses as his one free hand moved up her leg to the underside of her upper thigh. The hand with her hand attached by the cuffs was under her shirt and wreaking erotic havoc upon her breast, especially with her own hand in play.

  As soon as Evie wrapped her legs around him, his hand dropped from her breast and she was being lifted. She would have squealed, but his mouth was back and stealing her breath from her as he carried her to the bedroom.

  “Evie,” Jackson said, his voice almost tortured as they fell onto the bed together. “Are you okay?”

  Evie nodded. Her heart was beating fast and her breathing was ragged from the passion between them.

  “I’m moving too fast. Let me slow this down,” Jackson said, taking a deep breath.

  Evie gasped then as her eyes popped open. “Don’t you dare. I’ll die if you slow it down. I’m having trouble breathing as it is.”

  The smile was back and Evie just wanted to climb on top of him and make love to the man who was rescuing her from way more than her brother. He was rescuing her fractured heart from a lifetime of loneliness.

  “We can’t have that, can we?”

  Jackson and Evie worked together shedding their clothes until all they were left with were two shirts stuck on the handcuffs.

  “Take off the cuffs,” Evie groaned before Jackson’s lips were on hers.

  “Would take too long to get the key,” Jackson murmured as his lips went back to hers before trailing down her throat. She was breathing hard when she heard their shirts ripped free from the cuffs. Finally, Jackson lowered her to the bed. He covered her body with his, his weight heightening Evie’s anticipation, as his mouth was instantly upon her, learning every inch and sending her senses reeling.

  “My turn,” Evie finally managed to say once Jackson proved her right in his ability to read her body.

  Jackson wrapped his arms around her and flipped her until he was lying on his back and she was straddling him. The oil Aniyah gave her was by his leg and she reached down and picked it up. “It says here that it sparks a fire to fuel your pleasure.”

  Evie normally didn’t do sex goddess, but Jackson made her feel free and beautiful, and right now that was how she felt. She was a sex goddess and she was ready to grant Jackson’s wish of pleasure after he’d worshiped her.

  Evie bit her lip seductively as she made a show of opening the oil and pouring it into her hand. Jackson’s eyes were hooded and Evie let her eyes take in the wide chest, the thick biceps, the chiseled ridges of his abs, and that little arrow of hair leading right to . . . Evie ‘s heart raced at the thought of what she was going to do. She channeled her inner goddess as she clamped her hand around him. She began slowly and seductively sliding her hand over him.

  Jackson sucked in a breath and Evie felt powerful. She was a seductress as he started to breathe hard. She gained confidence when she saw his body flush red and she saw beads of sweat along his rippled stomach.

  “Hot. Oh god, that’s hot,” Jackson
gasped as he eyes flew open and went to where she had him in hand.

  “You like that, don’t you?”

  “So hot!” Jackson yelled.

  “It’s so hot seeing you underneath me,” Evie said in her best seductress voice.

  “No! The oil is burning! My dick’s on fire!”

  Evie stopped and looked down. She removed her hand and jumped off him. Oh no, it was flaming red.

  “Hot! Hot! Oh shit, it’s burning!” Jackson leapt from the bed and began to run, but was yanked back by the handcuffs when he tried to run out of room. Evie, on the other hand, was yanked forward and almost tumbled out of the bed.

  “Get the key!” Evie cried as Jackson bounced from foot to foot while using his free hand to try to fan himself.

  “It’s getting even redder!” Jackson cried.

  Evie scrambled to her feet. “Get the key!”

  “It’ll take too long!” Jackson grabbed her hand in his and ran. Evie tried to keep up as he shoved open the bathroom door, dragged her into the shower, and turned it on full blast.

  Evie screamed as the ice-cold water hit her but Jackson ignored her as he aimed the showerhead right at his, well, his head. “Soap!” Evie called out as she looked around for soap to get the oil off.

  “Where’s the body wash?” Jackson asked in confusion when he finally looked around.

  Evie bit her lip and ignored the question. The body wash was in her bag because she had wanted to remember Jackson’s smell when she ran away. Instead, Evie spotted the hand soap on the sink and stepped halfway out of the shower, stretched over the toilet, and tried to reach it. “Jackson, take a step closer to the sink and I can get the soap.”

  Jackson was trying to take shallow breaths to control the pain, but took a quick step out from under the water long enough for Evie to grab the soap. She pumped the liquid soap into her hand and lathered up like never before.