Jackson
I’VE SHOCKED HER, which is a feat in and of itself. Smirking internally, I realize that I can’t push too much right now or she will shut down completely. But I’m a patient man. Hell, I’ve waited for Claire for over half my life. A little longer won’t kill me. But make no mistake, she and Sasha will be mine.
Shoving off the back of the couch, I walk over to where Claire is sitting. Squatting down so that we are eye level, I take my left index finger and reach forward to close her mouth. She doesn’t jerk away from my touch, which is progress.
Claire, in a lot of ways, is similar to my favorite Mustang. Skittish, wary, headstrong, and fucking beautiful. It might have taken me five years to bring my “lady” along, but with patience she bent to my will. So will Claire.
Looking up into Claire’s gorgeous green eyes is like coming home. I can see her fear, but her resolve and strength are shining through. It is that strength that has me leaning forward. Needing a taste of this woman. Just a small taste. And just as I’m about to make my move, Claire’s cell phone starts blaring Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong.
Abruptly standing to my full height so that Claire can get up and answer her phone, I realize that I need to touch her. Reaching out, I grab her left arm just as she passes.
Claire is a tall woman, but next to me she looks tiny. Turning toward me, she looks down at my hand on her arm and back up at me with one eyebrow arched, then over toward her ringing phone. I have seen her give people this look and normally I would back off, the look on her face right now means that she is about to let loose of her 169 IQ on me. Her phone is still blaring away and I know that she is desperate to get to it. But I’m not going to give in. Pulling her into me, I lean down and brush my lips gently over hers. It is our first kiss and although brief, it is fan-fucking-tastic!
Twice in under ten minutes I have managed to stun Claire, and it thrills me to my core. The look on her face is priceless and makes me chuckle. Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong has started up again, so I figure why not take advantage of the situation. Taking her by the shoulders, I turn her around and swat her ass for good measure. “Answer the phone, Legs.”
That snaps her out of her shock and gets her stupendous legs going.
Picking up her phone, she doesn’t even look at who it is, just swipes the answer button on her phone. “Zoey? Everything okay? Are you stuck on the floor again?” she says with a laugh.
Unable to hear Zoey’s side of the conversation, I decide to just watch Claire. She is momma henning Zoey and really, as long as those twins aren’t on their way, I don’t really care what the two are talking about.
Watching my girl, it hits me just how gorgeous the woman is. She normally is dressed to the nines. Have to admit that I always feel underdressed around her. But sometime between when I dropped Legs off earlier and when I got back here she changed her clothes. Yoga pants, off the shoulder t-shirt, and barefoot. I like this look on her. In fact, I prefer it actually. Her hair is in a messy, twisty thing that women do all piled up on the top of her head. There are loose pieces falling around her face, her make-up is minimal, and I don’t think that I have seen her look this innocent and fresh since the night I left her alone with Brad almost twenty-three years ago.
Claire is fucking stunning, and her looks have little to do with having me wrapped so tightly around her perfect little finger. It is that amazing brain and heart of hers. It is the strength that she has. It is the simple way that she loves those she loves. Her kindness and joy in the triumphs that Zoey and Sasha achieve are her triumphs. She doesn’t harbor one ounce of jealousy for their achievements but instead cheers them on.
Claire’s blatant dismissal of Zoey draws me out of my internal musings. She never dismisses her girls and that has my ears perking up.
“Zo…Zo…Zoey!” she yells into the phone. “Zo, I know that it’s a lot right now and if you can’t handle it, Fumble can come here.” She pauses in her speech and nods her head as though Zoey can see her and feel her empathy. After a few more nods and uh-huhs, she finally breaks in with, “Zoey Elizabeth! Take a breath. Christ! We have bigger fish to fry then the freaking puppy. Calm down and relax. Those babies are all that matter right now. I’m sorry that he has the boys all up in arms. I really am. But what do you want me to do about it?” A few more uh-huhs, an okay, and a final, “I will be there in twenty to pick him up,” and she hangs up the phone.
Turning to me, she says, “I’m sorry, Jackson, I have to go. Zoey is at her wits end with Fumble and he is freaking Sam out. We all know you can’t upset Sam! Christ, I’m just glad he loves Derrick.” She turns to leave the room.
“I understand.” Is all that comes to mind, but I quickly follow up with, “We need to deal with the Brad situation, Claire, and what it means that he is back.”
All I get is a, “Later,” from over her shoulder as she walks out of the office and toward the front door, followed by instructions to put the girls in the sunroom and lock up before I leave.
What the fuck just happened? I finally get my lips on the woman and she walks away as though nothing happened!