Jackson

“Jackson, I should head back to my room.”

There was something beyond those haunting ice blue eyes. I wanted her to tell me, I wanted her to trust me. The way she trusted me in the shower, the way she trusted to me when she needed to go to her room. The way she trusted me and returned. What could have happened in such a short time that made her want to leave my bed?

“You’re not going anywhere until you explain why a women who can pin me down in three seconds flat can’t ride through an orgasm. I’m good, but I know there’s something else going on. Please talk to me, Angel.”

She had that deer in a headlight look in those eyes. I wouldn’t push it. If I did, I might never get her back in my bed this weekend, maybe not ever. That thought sent a shiver down my spine.

“Does this have anything to do with what happened in the park?” It hit me, I didn’t remember if I asked her why she was in the park that night. I only remember my reasons for being there.

“Yes and no.”

She was being evasive, giving me a non-answer. We needed a distraction, something that felt natural. Noncommittal to get her to open up to me. Sex was definitely not the answer. I threw the covers off me and put on my boxers and a t-shirt. Her eyes watched me with a quizzical glare.

“Get dressed, we’re going to go downstairs and clean up that mess we left in the kitchen.” She said she would take care of it after she returned from getting her pictures. We got a little distracted and forgot about it.

“You think doing dishes during sex is going to distract me?” She attempted to walk away. I gently clasped her wrist and turned her to face me.

“Interesting, your first thought was that we were going to have sex.” My cock reacted to her blushing. It was the first time I’d seen her blush. I didn’t think it was something she did often. She was afraid of her vulnerability and something we did triggered it.

Something I did triggered it.

I closed the gap between us and I brushed my fingers across her cheek and cupped her chin. She met my eyes and I leaned in to kiss her passionately. She responded openly, hungry. Her body’s willingness to respond to my touch confused me. I needed to pull away before we end up back in bed, then end up right back here, with her wanting to leave.

She needed to get past her fear before she would open up to me emotionally. The physical connection we shared was not going to be enough to get her back into my bed.

To keep her in my bed forever.

I broke the connection. “No more until you get dressed and we clean that kitchen.” I left her standing alone while I made my way downstairs.

My cock couldn't contain its excitement when I saw her arrive in nothing more than a tank top and boy shorts. I already had the dishwasher loaded and pulled out a bottle of merlot and two wine glasses. I reached in the fridge for a cheese tray. No doubt put there for my staff’s arrival tomorrow.

“I thought we were going to clean the kitchen?” Her harsh tone took nothing away from the burning desire my body craved from her.

“I did, I put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher, I covered the leftovers and put them in the fridge. That was when I saw this,” I pointed to the tray sitting on the counter.

She pointed to the merlot. “You think adding alcohol to the situations is a good idea? You know what happened the last time you got drunk around me.” There was my snarky little Angel.

I pulled a stool from the other side of the counter. Her armor was thicker than I anticipated. “I think relaxing with good wine, good food and pleasant conversation is a very good idea.” I saw the apprehension in her expression. “ Plus, there will be three feet of granite between us.” My attempt at humor escaped her.

“Are you surprised I know how to load a dishwasher, Angel?” My mile wide grin told her I was not insulted. Why wouldn't she think I had no clue how to perform menial tasks? I was billionaire Jackson Naile, I had people to do those things for me, right?

I saw her expression soften. Was it foolish of me to think I was making progress? She sat her curvaceous ass on the stool across from me. I filled a Bordeaux glass with the merlot and slid it her way. She brought the bold burgundy liquid to her lips. I watched the subtle movement of her throat as she swallowed. I was immediately aroused by her simple actions.

I needed to break the silence in the room before I was hypnotized by her haunting eyes. I had to control the urge to pounce on her and take her here on the counter. I had never felt this out of control insatiable hunger until I was face to face with those unmistakable haunting crystal blue eyes.

“Angelic, did you know who I was before we met in the park?”

I watched as she took a deep breath and heavily sighed. “The truth is, Jackson, I knew very little about you.” I caught her blushing again. “I don’t say this to hurt your feelings but honestly, it wasn't like you were my secret crush.”

I took a sip of the wine. I hoped my hands were not shaking, giving away the calm facade I had been projecting. Before that night, I wasn’t even on her radar. If it wasn’t for that night, I probably still wouldn’t be. Before that night, she wasn’t on mine, either.

She put on a wicked grin. “Everyone knew about the Brentwood five.” She blushed again. “I was there to study, not to party. I wasn’t one of your adoring fans.”

“The Brentwood five,” I repeated. “You know, it started as a joke, but our antics quickly became folklore.” It was the stuff legends were made of. We were filthy rich and spoiled. The girls flocked to us and we enjoyed all the privileges that came with our notoriety.”

“That night in the park when you asked me to drive you home, I was impressed at your maturity. You understood you were too drunk to drive. I was a little taken aback that you would let a complete stranger drive your car.” She looked down at the plate of fruit I placed in front of her. “What I hadn't counted on was that kiss.”

“I wish I could remember more about that night.” What I wanted to say was that I wished I remembered her. “Looking into your eyes, I can understand why we kissed.” I wanted her to know I did remember, just not enough.

“Why did I call you Angel?”

“You asked if I was your guardian angel. I thought you knew my name was Angelic and you were teasing me. I said yes.”

“How much time did we spend in the park?”

“A couple of hours, I think. It was as natural as two friends having a conversation. I asked you why you were upset. You told me about your father. You asked me why I was upset, and I told you my stepfather passed away and I had to decide to finish my education at Brentwood or move home and be with my mom.”

“What did you decide to do?” It didn’t matter if she had returned, I was graduating and would not have seen her again after that anyway.

“I came back to Brentwood after the summer break.”

“Did you ever tell anyone about what happened?”

“I told my grandmother. I didn’t have a lot of friends. Like I said, I was there to study, not party.”

“You said you never told me because you wanted more from me and was afraid I couldn’t give it. Did you not want to know for sure?” I was still confused why she would not have at least let me know who she was so I could thank her for getting me and my car home safely.

“I figured if you really wanted to know you would have gone to the guard house and ask to see the security footage at the gate. It would had shown you who drove your car back. I’m sure someone on the faculty could have told you who I was.”

I ran my hand through my hair. “Fuck, I really am as dumb as the tabloids say. Why the hell hadn’t I thought of that?” I turned my back, not willing to let her see the frustration on my face. Was I really that dense, or was I too young to understand what it was I was searching for these past eleven years?

I reached over and filled her empty glass. She took a sip and licked the remnants from her lips. I wanted to reach over and hold her hand, to touch her, to run my fingers through her soft curls. I knew touching would lead to sex, and sex would lead to her pulling back. I want her to open up to me. I wanted to know this could be more than sex.

I needed to know this could be more than sex.

“How does what happened in the park relate to you leaving my bed?” There it was, on the table.

She lowers her eyes, not able to look at me. “It wasn’t what happened in the park, it was what happened after the park.” She stiffened her posture and stared me down. “That kiss was the most incredible thing I have ever experienced. The most incredible experience I will ever have.” She picked up the wine and finished it off. I hoped it was not the wine talking.

“It’s not like I had been sitting, waiting and pining, for you all these years, Jackson. But I did search for that feeling for eleven years. Tonight I finally found it. But fireworks like that, they burn out, eventually.”

“You’re afraid the fireworks will burn out, so you won’t even set them off? That’s no way to live, Angel.” Even if the fireworks did burn out, it was too late; I’d already been burned. The minute I touched her lips, she burned deep inside my veins, straight to my blood.

“Angelic, what was this weekend about?” She had been honest with me thus far, would she continue?

“It was about finding out if after eleven years, the fantasy was real and not something I remembered in my mind. Not something I over exaggerated in my mind. It was about one night of mind blowing sex, then Sunday we both go home.”

“This is good, we’re on the same page. We spend the weekend having mind blowing sex, then Sunday we go home knowing we were both right. There was more to that kiss.” I reached for her hand and she pulled it away.

“I’m not spending the weekend in bed with you. I had my one night. It’s over.”

She got up to leave and I had to stop her. I didn’t understand how she could walk away after what happened between us. She was wrong; the fireworks wouldn’t burn out. I wouldn’t let them. I couldn’t let her leave until she told me, for her, it was only sex.

“Angelic, was this weekend simply about getting nailed by the famous womanizer Jackson Naile?”