Ice cream wasn’t the best way to start a workout, which was what Jackson had us doing. I wasn’t thrilled. Micah loved it. His mop of hair was soaking wet with sweat and he’d run inside to use the bathroom and get water for everyone. I was on the ground, glaring up at Jackson.
“You hate my body, don’t you? I know I’m softer and curvier, but I’m a chef. I love food. I’m not cut out for this trying to get skinny crap. Maybe we’re not meant to have sex together.” I was so exhausted that I was just spewing whatever came to my mind.
Jackson strode over to me and hooked his arms around me. He easily lifted me and pinned me to the tree behind me. His hands moved to my hips and then up my sides. “Your body is a fucking dream. The things I want to do to it… We’re definitely meant to have sex. A lot of sex. I’m just teaching you how to fight, Cammie. You can do it.”
I felt his erection pressed against me and tipped my head back. “This is torture.”
He lowered his head and ghosted his lips over the column of my throat. “You have no idea how bad I want to sink my teeth into you. I want to leave my mark on you. You make me fucking crazy.”
I caught his head in my hands, feeling the shaved sides and then the messy length on top. I lost my fingers in that messy part and tugged his head back. I looked down at him with eyes lazy with lust. “Kiss me.”
He shoved his hands into my hair and pulled my mouth towards his. Micah’s voice reached us and Jackson put me down and stepped away before kissing me.
“I couldn’t carry all the waters. I’ll go back and get the other one.”
I moved on shaky legs. “No, I’ll go. You two keep exercising if you want. I’m going to take a shower and relax for a while. I’ve had enough working out for the day.”
Jackson and Micah both answered in unison. “It’s not working out.”
I waved them off and hobbled away on sore and wickedly teased legs. I had to get away from Jackson or I was going to find some ridiculously long errand to send Micah on so I could have my way with the man. It was so unlike me to be thinking with my downstairs that I felt my head to see if I had a fever.
I retreated to my bathroom and turned the shower cold. It was becoming a staple.
The attraction to Jackson wasn’t hard to understand. The man was dangerously sexy. The intensity was what was so shocking. Being close to him made my body feel like it was going to implode if he didn’t touch me. Not only that, but I was enjoying him. He’d apologized. I’d never been apologized to by a man before. Sure, the bar was incredibly low, but it did funny things to me to know that he was willing to say he was sorry for how he’d treated me.
He’d also been so much nicer. He was seducing the hell out of me without even trying. I knew that as soon as we had time alone, it was going to happen. I was weak and he was so strong with all of those muscles.
I knew he’d be leaving when he didn’t have to protect me anymore, but I was willing to take what I could get while I could get it. I wanted to feel like a woman. I wanted that part of myself to come alive and explode under his touch.
The shower didn’t do a whole lot to sooth my frayed nerves so I went to the kitchen to lose myself in cooking something. I glanced in the pantry and decided that we needed a cake. If I couldn’t have Jackson, chocolate would be a nice second place.
I mixed up the batter and poured it into a few different pans before sliding them into the oven. I stood at the sink, licking the bowl clean, when Jackson walked in.
His eyes honed in on me and he ate up the space between us in just a few long strides. “Micah is playing fetch. We have a few seconds. Maybe.”
I opened my mouth to say something, I had no idea what, but Jackson grabbed me and pulled me into his body. His mouth crushed into mine, kissing me like I desperately wanted.
His hands locked on my hips as he tugged me harder into his body. His mouth moved over mine, his tongue swiping over mine so that I opened my mouth to him. He groaned into my mouth and his hands slipped around to my ass before squeezing and lifting me onto the counter.
The mixing bowl clattered to the floor and I wrapped my arms around his neck, holding on as he rocked me with a kiss. His tongue moved over mine, tasting and stroking. I nipped it and then gently sucked on it, exploring what he liked. Judging by the way he growled against my mouth, he liked everything.
He wedged his hips between my thighs and pressed his impressive erection against me. Tilting his head, he deepened the kiss and caught the back of my head in his big hand to move me the way he wanted to.
Feeling utterly helpless to the desire coursing through me, I rocked my hips into him and moaned as it rubbed me just the right way. I muttered his name as his mouth left mine to move roughly over my cheek and chin to get to my throat and neck. When he gently sucked my skin into his mouth and bit down, I arched my back, needing to feel more of my body rubbing against him. I wanted friction and lots of it.
“Fuck.” Jackson pulled away and pulled me down from the counter. “He’s coming.”
I was stunned into a stupor, so Jackson grabbed my hips and turned me to face the sink before handing me the batter bowl. I glanced over at him, at the batter in his hair from my fingers, and bit my lip. “Tonight. After he’s asleep.”
He slid his hand over my butt and nodded. “Benadryl?”
I laughed, breaking the heady feeling in the room. “Not yet.”
The screen door slammed and then Micah came in with Deli at his feet. “I smell cake!”
“You’ve got a good nose.” I hurried through washing the bowl and put it down to dry before crossing to the oven and cracking the door. “A few more minutes and it’ll be out. I thought you’d need some chocolate to recover from all that working out.”
He grumbled at me but Jackson’s astonished face from beside me caught my attention. He mouthed the word “sugar” with such a disdain that I couldn’t help but laugh. Then, I thought about what it meant and swore under my breath. Micah would be up extra late with the sugar from the cake.
I palmed my face and shook my head. “It probably won’t be ready until tomorrow.”
Micah snorted. “Good one. I can’t wait to have some. I’m going to read before dinner.”
As soon as he left the room, Jackson crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. “You’re trying to kill me.”
*
Jackson sat across from me on the couch, scowling at the TV. Micah was on the floor, playing a loud videogame that I was about ready to stomp on. I was stretched out and Jackson’s fingers kept rubbing along the side of my calf, until I was delirious with desire.
It was late. Micah had been playing for so long and he’d progressively gotten wilder and wilder while playing. The cakethe twosliceshe’d eaten had left him wired. Normally, I wouldn’t have cared. Sugar highs were fun. That night, it was torture.
I glanced over at Jackson for the hundredth time and stifled a yawn. He saw it and grimaced, clearly resigning himself to a night on the couch. He didn’t understand my ability to rally. I wanted him and a little exhaustion wasn’t going to stop me from having him.
“Got it! I beat the tenth level!” Micah jerked around to face me and the grin on his face was infectious. “That was the hardest one yet! I’m going to start another one.”
The grin died on my lips and I let my head fall back on the couch. I glanced up when Jackson’s palm cupped my calf and kneaded it.
His eyes were heavy, too, and I felt some of my hope deflate. “I’m going to take a quick shower. I’ll be back.”
I nodded and watched him go, feeling desperate to feel his naked body against mine. It would have to wait, though.
Micah crawled onto the couch next to me and I wrapped my arm around his shoulder and pulled him into a forced cuddle. His faux grossed-out face was cute enough for me to forget my annoyance at his non-stop energy.
I closed my eyes and slowly heard the controller sounds less and less. Glancing down, I saw that Micah was knocked on with his head tipped back on the couch and his mouth wide open. He’d definitely crashed.
I stood up and tried my best to scoop him into my arms.
“I’ll take him.” Jackson appeared beside me and he easily took Micah into his arms. “I’ll put him in bed and be back for you.”
I liked the sound of that, even through my sleepiness. I sat back on the couch and listened to his footsteps as they moved upstairs and then across to Micah’s smaller room. My blood beat in time to them as they came back to me. I could tell that he was barefoot and that did something for me. A tough as nails man like Jackson in his bare feet was just sexy.
He knelt in front of the couch and ran his palms up my thighs. “Come on, I’ll take you to bed, too. Next time, you accidentally trip and throw the cake in the trash.”
I grinned and then squeaked as he lifted me in his arms and held me against his chest. “You’re going to hurt yourself. I’m heavy.”
He made a show of lifting me higher and then lowering me before tucking me against his chest again. “You wound me by not believing in how strong I am.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and rolled my eyes. “I highly doubt you could be wounded anywhere near that ego of yours.”
He pretended to drop me and chuckled as I clung to him. “Having a kid around is definitely an interesting addition. Are you sure Benadryl is off the table?”
I tugged at his hair and remained quiet. I was nervous and excited, a mixture that left me tongue-tied.
Jackson pushed open my bedroom door and then eased me onto the small bed. “Do you need anything?”
I sat up and nodded.
“What?”
“You. Lock the door, Jackson.”
He stared down at me and seemed to have an internal battle before speaking. “You’re tired. I don’t want to pressure you into anything.”
I grabbed the hem of my shirt and dragged it over my head, leaving me in just my cotton shorts. “Lock the door.”