With Nick behind the wheel and Davis in the back of Autumn’s SUV, Jackson climbed in the passenger seat. “We all know she’ll escape your father’s hold so one of us needs to be on the look out for her and her protection.”
“I will,” Nick said. “Where are we going? To crash the dog fighting party?”
“Yeah. Davis has been watching them and said it was set for tonight. What a perfect way to end all this bullshit and get him out of all our lives.” Jackson still couldn’t understand how he got the pictures of them. “You’d better not leave me alone with the bastard either because right now I could kill him and not think twice.”
“Calm down, Jack.” Davis stuffed his phone back in his pocket. “Autumn doesn’t want conjugal prison visits for the rest of her life over something as stupid as that. Just suck it up and at most blacken his eye or break his jaw.”
Nick snorted. “Is Jeff on his way?”
“Yeah. He’s meeting us there.” Davis leaned forward. “There’s also some special news. Kristin is pregnant.”
Jackson thumped his head against the head rest on his seat. “Don’t tell your sister.”
“She’s not okay, is she?” Davis asked.
“She’s tough. That’s about all I can say.” Jackson rubbed his eyes. “She feels guilty about not wanting the baby she miscarried with Gallagher and is grieving for this one.”
“Gallagher knocked her up?” Davis asked. “When did this happen?”
“A few years back. That’s what made her have the whole emotional thing when your father said your mother miscarried.” Jackson glanced out the window. “She’ll be fine though. She just needs to get her life back on track and Gallagher isn’t helping matters any.”
They rode in silence the rest of the way to Gallagher’s compound, talking only about their plan for when they got there. Jackson knew he was reacting based on his own emotions and the need to protect Autumn but he would see that Gallagher’s taunting ended tonight. Serious consequences or not.
* * * *
It’d been a long time since Autumn snuck out of her bedroom window like a love-struck teenager, a first for sneaking out of her own house. But this is where she found herself after making excuses to go to bed early.
She unlocked the window over her bed and slid it up. Thankfully she lived in a one-story house unlike her parents back when she was eighteen. She couldn’t count how many times she had to climb down trees outside her bedroom window to meet Jackson in the middle of the night. The man really could have been the death of her.
Once she jumped to the ground, she dusted herself off and pulled the window down. She parked her car to the side of the house instead of in the garage by pure dumb luck.
Autumn glanced around, knowing how her father was and how he had the ability to pop out of the shadows at any given moment. All was clear. She walked to the side and immediately noticed her SUV missing. Jackson. His truck was in the garage. Her brother’s were in the drive, yet she had no keys. And her father’s Lexus SUV sat at the end of the driveway beckoning her name.
Autumn smiled feeling like a cat burglar in the middle of the night. Her adrenaline spiked as she moved toward the vehicle. Her father always kept a spare key underneath in the fender. Being a country boy, and living on a ranch, he always forgot to take out his keys when in town.
She bent down and found the box and slid the key out. He was going to be so pissed at her, but she couldn’t help it. It was Jackson’s fault for treating her like a little kid and her father’s fault for imprisoning her in her own house. Once inside, she started the vehicle and pulled out of the drive.
She had overheard Davis mention something to Nick about a dog fight at Gallagher’s tonight. That had to be where they went. It’d been three years since she’d seen his place and she could honestly admit she never wanted to grace the grounds or Frank’s presence ever again.
So why was she going?
Autumn changed lanes. It didn’t matter. Jackson wouldn’t treat her like a little kid when she could and always had handled her problems herself. Her father may see her as the helpless victim as the rest of her family does, but she is perfectly capable of laying out Frank Gallagher all by herself.
“I’m ending it. . . . And I’ve stepped aside for the most part and watched you ‘handle’ it the entire time I’ve been here. . . . I’m not handling it, Autumn. I’m ending it. There’s a difference.”
Jackson’s words flooded through her mind along with his past. He took a gun. He shot his own father. She couldn’t help thinking his “ending” it meant the worst. Military trained. Dedicated to protecting his family. She worried about Jackson and knew it’d be up to her to keep him from hurting someone.
Amidst her thoughts a phone rang in the silence of the car. Autumn glanced to the side and picked up her father’s cell phone. The caller ID read Jackson’s cell number. Autumn picked it up and answered it.
“You just can’t obey orders for anything, can you?” He sounded angry. “Where are you, Autumn? And don’t you dare pull any bullshit with me.”
Autumn pulled down Gallagher’s street and slowed the car. “I’m close to Gallagher’s house. Why?”
“Turn around and go home.”
“No.”
“Autumn, turn the fuckin’ car around and go home.” His voice rose as she parked the car.
“Mind your own damn business, Jackson.” She clicked the phone off and he immediately called back. She turned it off and tossed it in the passenger seat. If he wanted to be an ass she could be a bitch. Simple as that.
The night was cold. Autumn climbed out of the car and replaced the key in its spot so she didn’t have to keep up with it. Darkness surrounded her. Only a few lights illuminating the drive as she walked up the gravel walk. Small pebbles crunched beneath her shoes, filling the silence around her.
Once she got closer to the people milling about, Autumn ducked into the shadows the trees provided. She moved toward a building that appeared to house the animals. A quick glance inside proved Jackson was right. Gallagher bred animals for the simple task of producing prime fighting dogs to win his competitions. She couldn’t help wondering if he ever sold any of the puppies to commoners or if he kept it within the dog-fighting cronies he knew.
The dogs started to growl at her, aware of her presence. She dodged behind the building. She heard Frank’s voice from a distance. He was informing someone about how the show was run.
“You pay your cash upfront and the winner splits the dough.” He opened the door to the puppy mill and the dogs started barking, growling and whining. Autumn listened as he continued to tell the person about his prime fighting dog, one he began to agitate.
The dog’s growl was anything but warning. It was out for blood and had it been loose, Autumn had no doubts he’d find blood to quench his hunger. How could someone dedicated and trained to help animals harm them in this vicious way? It broke her heart to think she helped him get to where he was today.
“What happens to the dead animals?” the other person asked.
“They’re tossed in the dump. No one ever finds out.”
Autumn moved to the edge in an effort to look around the building and came face to face with Frank Gallagher himself. At five-eleven and one hundred fifty pounds, Frank was hardly a threat to someone like Jackson. He was hardly a threat to anyone if Autumn recalled right. But the look on his face, the hatred, the surprise, the sadistic satisfaction that she was on his turf now gave her reason to fear him. The Frank Gallagher standing before her today was not the same man she knew all those years ago.
“Well, if it isn’t a blast from my past.” Frank came over to her with a sardonic smile on his face. “This is private property and I don’t recall inviting you.”
Smooth, Autumn. How are you going to get yourself out of this one? She crossed her arms over her chest and glanced around at the massive amount of people attending Frank’s ‘show’.
“I just thought I’d come to see with my own eyes the monster you’ve become. I can’t believe that after all your training and education, you’d do something so horrible to these helpless animals.”
Frank propped his arm on the building, forcing her to meet his eyes. “And what are you here for? To save the world?”
“I’m here to tell you to leave me the hell alone. Stop threatening me. Stop destroying my life to satisfy your meaningless one. I’m sick of it.”
Frank grabbed her arm in one hand and pulled her close enough that their foreheads almost touched. “You’ve destroyed my life. Why shouldn’t I return you the favor, huh?”
“Frank, show’s about to start,” someone yelled.
Frank’s cold expression changed before her eyes to a half-assed grin that was laced with nothing but malice. “We’ll be right there.”
He pulled her toward the walk. “Let go of me!”
“No. You wanted to see the show, you’re getting front row seats.” Frank dragged her to the crowd where she was greeted by over a hundred questioning faces. He leaned in and whispered, “They’re not used to me bringing my bitches to the show so this is a real treat for them.”
“Let go of me.” Autumn jerked her arm from him and scanned the crowd.
Jackson and her brothers were nowhere to be seen. Surely she hadn’t mistaken Davis’s message? She figured since Frank was here tonight this is where Jackson would go. Great. How are you going to get out of this mess?
Her cell phone buzzed and she jumped, forgetting she put it on vibrate. Frank cast her a glance and paid her no mind when she narrowed her eyes at him. She glanced at the screen to read the text message. It was from Nick.
Are you okay?
Autumn typed in “yes” and hit send. She glanced back to the cage where two men held the two dogs that were to fight. Both were pit bulls, one brown, one white like Dodo. Both were jumping, lunging at the other in an aggressive form of attack. Autumn knew what was about to happen and didn’t dare allow herself to react emotionally. Frank was baiting her, and if she wasn’t careful, she’d take the bait.
The dogs were released into a sealed, fenced cage. Autumn stared into the crowd, trying to avoid watching the viscous animal cruelty. The men in the crowd cheered as if they were rooting for their favorite football team. The sight sickened her almost as much as the blood spilling from the brown dog.
You don’t have to be here. You don’t have to watch this. Just get up and walk out of here. Autumn took one last look at the animals and immediately wished she hadn’t. The white dog ended the charade, leaving the brown lying limp in its own pool of blood. The white dog lifted its bloody face to the crowd with pride. She gasped, the urge to vomit striking her like a truck running into a brick wall. Never had she seen anything like this.
“Quite a show, huh?” Frank asked, leaning toward her. “That white one is mine. I bred her myself from only the finest dog lines and she just won me a quarter of a million dollars.”
Autumn stood. “You’re a sadistic bastard for treating these animals this way. I’m leaving.”
He grabbed her wrist in one hand and held a gun in the other. “I don’t think so.”
He pulled Autumn down beside him and poked the gun in her side. “Now, which one of the next two do you think will win, huh? The German shepherd or the black mix mutt? My money’s on the shepherd.”
Autumn stared at the man holding the German shepherd and tears formed in her eyes at the recognition. The dog was Bear, the cancer patient’s beloved pet that her brother saved from the fire.
* * * *
From where Jackson stood he had a clear view of Autumn, his damsel in distress. Damn it all to hell and back. Beside her sat the one and only Frank Gallagher with a gun pressed into her side. Jackson’s blood pressure spiked as did his adrenaline and fear for her safety. Why couldn’t the woman listen to him for once and stay home?
“What’s the plan, Jack?” Davis glanced around at the crowd. “Jeff is bringing the whole fuckin’ police crew, but I have a feeling we can’t wait until then. How do you suggest we get her out of this mess?”
Jackson kept his eyes on Autumn. She looked sick, like she was about to puke all over Frank’s expensive shoes. Fear wasn’t on her face but he could tell the love for animals she had was shining through. The longer she sat there watching them, the larger the emotional scar would be. A scar because she couldn’t help the animals.
“Keep your eyes on Autumn. We’ll wait until Jeff gets here, but if she moves all bets are off and we go in for her.” He looked at both Davis and Nick. “Got it?”
They nodded.
Damn this was fucked up. All he planned on doing was punching Gallagher around a little bit, then throwing him into Jeff’s arms for the police to handle the rest of the matters. He should have known Autumn wouldn’t back down. And he should have prepared for this predicament. He was a damn fool for provoking her into this mess.
He watched the fight while keeping an eye on Autumn’s face. She sat like a zombie staring at the bloody battle of the two dogs who went round after round in the enclosed cage. Unlike the first fight which was over in ten minutes, this one dragged out, dog whimpers and screeches filling the air over the crowd’s cheers.
Autumn held her emotions in really well, Jackson noticed, though her eyes spoke volumes on how she felt. Even though he was beyond pissed with her, she didn’t need to see the action taking place. She didn’t need to be put through this after going through weeks of hell prior. He clenched his fist and waited. Jeff would be here soon and then Autumn would be out of this mess. She would be in his arms before he knew it and he made a vow to see she never left them again, no matter how stubborn they each were.
“Dude, Autumn’s getting up.” Nick pushed Jackson’s shoulder and pointed.
She rounded the cage with Gallagher at her side poking the gun against her. She came to the opening and Jackson held his breath as the man in charge of entering and exiting the fighting cage opened the door for her to enter. Gallagher gave her a rough shove, and she stumbled inside with the two fighting dogs.
Jackson was on his feet in two seconds. “Get your brother here now because I’m fixing to kill the bastard.”
“You want to play doctor, go ahead,” Frank taunted. “Be my guest.” He shoved her inside the cage and locked the door behind her.
Autumn’s heart thumped against her ribs almost painfully while fear gnawed her deep inside. Never in her life had she been honestly fearful of an animal until now.
Bear stood above the wounded mutt nipping at it to make it yelp. He taunted it like Gallagher taunted her. What did he expect to come of this? For her to be eaten alive with witness to her death? Autumn clutched the chain link fence behind her, looking for an escape. Is this what they do? When dog fighting gets boring they go all Roman on each other and throw people into the lions den?
Bear lifted his head and turned toward her, done playing with the wounded dog. Although his mouth was dark she could still see the blood lining his lips. This wasn’t the dog she knew and took care of. This wasn’t the sweet, lovable creature that helped a child cope with cancer. No, this was a dog reacting to malicious treatment by its owner—the man who gave life to the small child dying with a horrible disease eating her insides up.
So what am I suppose to do?
Her first thought was to stay right where she was until Jackson arrived. She knew Jeffery was involved and knew the police would raid the place soon enough. Surely she could wait it out until they arrived.
Bear barked at her, clearly a warning, she knew. She saw that the dog remembered her, sniffing the air in her direction. She hated being vulnerable. She hated she had a stupid stubborn streak that ran miles high and miles wide. But mostly she hated that the outcome was probably not going to be as well as she intended.
“Dr. Callahan?” Troy, Bear’s owner, asked her when he recognized her. “What are you doing here? What are you doing in there?”
She clutched the fence harder. “Oh, I just thought I’d drop by and stand in the middle of a cage with a possessed dog for fun. What are you doing here?”
His eyes widened and if she hadn’t been fearing for her life she would have laughed. Idiot.
“Go on, Autumn. Show everyone the work of the good doctor.” Frank grabbed the megaphone one of his cronies held. “Listen up, everybody. This here is the legendary Autumn Callahan, who is not only a fuckin’ goddess to all who hail her but a fuckin’ dog whisperer as well. She’s going to talk Bear down from his frenzied state.”
Bear growled at him, and Autumn smiled. “I’d let you bite him if there wasn’t a cage between us.”
Bear walked around toward the far side, away from Autumn, growling at the people that gathered around. Nobody stayed in their seats. They wanted to get closer to see what would come of her being in the cage with the sadistic dog.
“What’s wrong, Autumn? Have you finally met your match?”
“No. But you have.” Jackson pulled Frank back and slammed his fist into his face.
All hell broke loose after that. Autumn watched while the police raided the area making arrests and breaking up fights. Davis and Nick battled their own with Gallagher’s men. Bear went crazy in the commotion, climbing the fence and growling at the men on the other side.
Autumn watched Jackson and Gallagher while doing her best to keep an eye on Bear. Davis finally broke free from the fights and ran over to the cage, Bear following him along the way. He growled at Davis, snapping at the chain link with slobber flying from his gnashing teeth.
“It’s okay, big guy.” Davis watched Autumn as he talked to the dog. “You don’t want to hurt me or Autumn.”
“Davis, he feels threatened.” Autumn scooted farther back in the cage as the dog came closer to her. “He’s scared of his surroundings and is poised to do the only thing he knows to protect himself.”
“What do I need to do to get you out then?”
“Dig a hole on the other side?”
Davis gave her his Marine look. “Not funny, Autumn.”
“Distraction?” She flinched when the dog jumped up on the cage, the chain link clanking loudly along with the surrounding noise. “Unlock the door and go to the other side to distract him.”
Davis did as she said and started to agitate Bear at the other side of the cage. Once he had his attention, Autumn made her move and ran for the exit. Freedom never felt better than closing and locking that door behind her.
“Where’s Jackson?” she asked once Davis joined her again.
“With Gallagher. I don’t know where they are.” Davis grabbed her arm and led her through the commotion which was starting to clear out some as people tried to escape. From what she understood, the police surrounded the property.
Autumn’s adrenaline spiked as she scanned the crowd looking for Jackson. The last time she saw him, he and Gallagher were fighting and she remembered they both were carrying guns. She clutched Davis’s hand against her arm, and he pulled her closer to him.
“I’m getting you out of here, Autumn. Dad’s waiting out front and this time you will stay with him. No negotiations. We don’t need to worry about you while we look for Jackson. Do you understand me?”
They were at a distance from the main crowd. Autumn stopped and fell to the ground to heave the contents of her stomach in the grass. Davis waited, patiently giving her a little space yet being there all the same.
“Come on. Dad’s right around the corner. He’ll take you home, okay?”
Autumn clutched his shirt. “You’ve got to find him. Please, Davis. Don’t let him get hurt.”
Liking passing bread around the dinner table, Davis handed her off to Jeffery, who then put her in their father’s care. He wrapped his arms around her as she broke down, all the emotion of the night finally catching up with her. She pictured in her mind the dogs that died due to fighting and then pictured Jackson and Frank going at it with the probability of one ending the same way. The thought made her sick all over again.
“Sweetheart.” Her father brushed her hair from her face and lifted her chin to look into her eyes.
“I can’t leave, Dad.” She shook her head, a sob slipping out. “I can’t leave him.”
A gunshot rang through the air and Autumn sank to the ground again, waiting for the news of who had been killed.
* * * *
Life was a bitch. This was something Jackson always knew but hadn’t had thrown in his face until recently. When Gallagher’s fist contacted his stomach again, Jackson finally decided he had enough. After knocking him to the ground, he repeatedly pounded his fists into Gallagher’s face, unable to control himself.
“Stop, Jackson.” Davis and Nick were both there pulling him off the nearly limp Gallagher. “He doesn’t deserve his blood on your hands. Let Jeff handle the rest.”
He wiped the sweat from his brow with his arm, his knuckles covered in both Gallagher’s blood and his own. His lip was swollen, and he’d probably have a few bruises but he was essentially okay otherwise. He’d been scarred much worse in battle zones, so the minor bumps and bruises were nothing to him.
“Where’s Autumn?” He spat, the metallic taste of blood lingering in his mouth.
“She’s with Dad.” Davis nudged at his shoulder forcefully to get him to turn away from Gallagher. “Come on. She’s scared to death that you’re hurt. Go be with her.”
They turned their backs and started walking. Jackson couldn’t believe the way the night turned out and didn’t want to think about what Autumn had been through. He pulled his shirt up and wiped his face, hoping to rid himself of most of the ugliness that lingered from the fight.
“You think you’re so smooth?”
Jackson and the two Callahans turned around to find Gallagher pointing the gun, right at Jackson’s chest. “If she just stayed out of my business, out of my family, then none of this would have happened,” Gallagher said, jerking the gun then bringing it back level with Jackson’s chest.
Jackson swallowed hard. He wasn’t threatened by the gun so much as he was the damn dog standing next to his side. Dodo had nothing on the macho pit bull. Thankfully though another man held the dog’s leash, hopefully able to hold the beast back.
“And if you left her the fuck alone, you wouldn’t have that broken nose either.” Jackson fisted his hands to his side, knowing the gun at the small of his back was there for his utilization.
“Such a cocky bastard. I don’t see how you and that bitch ever got along. It’s not like she’s good at anything but running her damn mouth and being Little Miss Perfect all the time. Hell, she couldn’t even get sex right.”
Davis gripped Jackson’s arm. “He’s not worth it.”
Jackson jerked away from his friends grip. “Funny. She said the same thing about you.”
Anger rolled off Gallagher in waves. He pointed the gun at Jackson, poised to pull the trigger. Although when the gunshot came, it wasn’t from Gallagher’s gun. Jeffery stood behind him in official police mode.
“Get the hell out of here,” he said shifting the gun to the man who held the dog.
Jackson didn’t have to be told twice. He, Davis, and Nick headed for higher ground, away from the madness of the night.
* * * *
Autumn was flooded with relief when she saw Jackson running toward her. Davis and Nick were nowhere to be found. He wrapped her in his arms and glanced over at the Major.
“Jeff said we need to get out of here. I’ll take Autumn in your car and meet you at her house.”
He nodded and made his way to Davis’ truck. Jackson helped Autumn in the passenger seat of the Lexus and hurried to the drivers side. After they were on the road, he reached for her hand and brought it to his thigh.
“What happened?” Autumn squeezed his hand.
“Don’t worry about it.” He glanced over at her. “Why didn’t you stay at home?”
“You know why, Jackson.”
“No, I don’t. Do you deliberately try to raise my temper or is it spontaneity that drives you?” He blew out a breath. “I nearly lost it when he put that gun to your side, and I saw red when he trapped you in the cage with the dog.”
Autumn glanced out the side window. “I’m sorry.”
“Autumn, I love you. Please believe me when I say I’ll take care of you.”
“I was scared. After all that’s happen, all you’ve told me, and all I’ve seen, I was scared you’d do something stupid and go to jail for it.” She pulled away from him and folded her arms across her chest. “Or worse, die trying to avenge my name. Jackson, I can handle the bad reputation, the going nowhere career and all the other shit—even the pictures. I can’t handle losing you again. I’ve done it once and it was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do and I don’t want to do it again. If you can’t understand that then there’s nothing else I can say to make you see my point of view.”
They rode in silence the rest of the way home, stopping only to pick up some fast food. Autumn didn’t bother waiting for Jackson. He carried her food to her bedroom, closing and locking the door behind her. She relocked the window and spread the food out on the floor beside her bed. It’d been a long day and an even longer night.
“Jeff just called. It seems Gallagher wasn’t licensed to practice. The board revoked his license for a previous dog-fighting allegation and never renewed it. They investigated and found dried blood on the ground but no animals. He wasn’t charged, but the board saw him unfit to practice and pulled his licensure.” Jackson came in and grabbed a box of French fries. “That was three years ago.”
Autumn nodded and bit into her burger.
Jackson stopped eating and set the box down. “I understand where you’re coming from, sweetheart, I do. But you got to have a little faith that I know what the hell I’m doing and that I can take care of myself.”
“Why can’t you have that same faith?”
“Why should I? Let me take care of you. You’ve spent most of your life fighting your own battles whereas it’s my job. Depend on me to win your wars for you, Autumn.”
“I don’t depend on anyone to do anything for me.”
“Why is that?” He tilted his head to the side. “You told me you wanted Prince Charming to rescue you from distress. I know you don’t believe in fairy tales anymore, but I want to be your Prince Charming. I want to be the one who makes you feel safe and secure because you know no matter what the world throws at you, I’m there. All you have to do is wake up in the morning and I’ll take it from there.”
Jackson lifted a hand to her cheek and brushed away the tears. “I love you, Autumn. I’ve waited so long for my life to finally mean something and I thought I’d found meaning in my work but I didn’t. You gave me a new meaning and I want to give you the same. You’re the one I want to be with, the only person in this world that I love and care about. I want you to be my wife.”
Autumn wrapped her arms around his neck, the food forgotten. “I want to be your wife.”
* * * *
Three weeks after the raid, all the Callahans pitched in to clean up the old clinic. Autumn and Jackson adopted a brand new six-week-old puppy from Gallagher’s puppy mill and named it Roscoe.
“So are all the loose ends tied with Gallagher?” the Major asked Jackson while they shared a beer on the back deck. Roscoe chewed on a toy at his feet.
“Pretty much.” Jackson grabbed a toy of Roscoe’s and pitched it out in the yard. The little puppy took off after it, running as fast as his little legs would carry him. Jackson tipped his beer to his lips. “His alibi fell through, and he was charged with arson for Autumn’s clinic on top of everything else. Two or three police officers made note that he tried to buy them off to cover his ass. I’d say Frankie is staying in the ole pokey for a while.”
The Major nodded. “Job well done, son. I guess I need to pay you for your time.”
Jackson set the beer on the table between them and picked up the toy Roscoe brought back and threw it again. “Use the money to buy Autumn the clinic she wants. She’s been talking nonstop about a doggy ambulance service and from what I hear it’ll be expensive.”
The Major took a drag from his bottle. “She has so much of her mother in her. She’s always wanting to help someone or something. Faye would be so proud of her and what she’s doing with her life.”
Jackson nodded watching Roscoe lay in the grass and chew on his toy. “It’s hard not to be proud of Autumn.”
They shared small talk for a while enjoying each other’s company. The Major talked about his time in Africa and all the work they were doing. Jackson asked him about getting a local job and the Major couldn’t have been happier to help him out.
“Hey, guys.” Autumn slid the door open and Roscoe immediately grabbed his toy and ran to her. “Hello, baby. You want to play?”
She grabbed the toy and threw it out in the yard. “The boys went to the movies without me. Mind if I spoil your party?”
Jackson waved her over. Autumn sat in his lap and picked up Roscoe. The puppy licked her face. “Roscoe, calm down.”
The Major laughed. “Someone’s happy to see you.”
She rubbed his head and kissed him. “He’s such a good boy, aren’t you?”
Jackson rested his hand against her hip. “I was thinking of a June wedding. Maybe at the ranch if the Major will let us. What do you think?”
She smiled. “That sounds great. Mom’s birthday was in June. We could have it on the twenty-third in memory of her.”
He drank from his beer. “Whatever you want.”
The Major rubbed his hands together. “Will I be getting a grandbaby anytime soon?”
“Dad.” Autumn groaned. “Jeffery told me two days ago he and Kristin are having a baby. And we got you a grand dog. Isn’t that enough?” She turned the puppy to face him, pouting as she positioned him against her cheek.
The Major laughed. “Not the same. You’d make an excellent mother and we all know it.”
Jackson grinned. “I think he wants a little girl. One that’s just like his little girl.”
“Damn straight I want a little girl. I’m already planning Jeffery’s to be a boy. Yours will be a girl.” The Major chuckled. “Got any names picked out?”
“I’m thinking Chloe.” Autumn set the puppy down and turned to face Jackson. “It’s a beautiful name. It would be perfect for our first child.”
Jackson smiled at her, feeling so much love in his heart. “Chloe Faye.”
* * * *
Autumn crawled into bed while Jackson took a shower. She pulled on a sexy red baby doll nightie she picked up at Victoria’s Secret around Valentine’s Day when she was feeling sorry for herself and her pathetic love life. If she couldn’t have sex, the least she could do was look sexy. Though when she brought it home, she found it pointless to put on such a erotic garment when there was no one to wear it for.
She lay back against the pillows in the middle of the bed, feeling giddy inside. Jackson turned the water off and she smiled to herself. She felt like a teenager on prom night waiting to have sex with the hot guy on campus for the first time. She forced herself to relax, to appear as if there was nothing out of their normal routine.
When the door opened, steam flowed out around him. Jackson stood with a towel wrapped around his waist and flipped off the light switch. The candles she lit earlier cast the room in a soft light, making the room romantic and sensual.
Jackson didn’t comment on her attire as he walked to the bed. She saw the lust in his eyes, something that almost overpowered his love. Almost.
“Where have you been hiding that number?” He dropped the towel and crawled across the bed toward her.
She smiled, crazy in love. “I bought it for Valentine’s.”
“But I wasn’t here for Valentine’s.” His hand slid along her stomach in between the two ends of the fabric. “God, your skin is so soft.”
He leaned forward and licked her cherry-flavored lip gloss–covered lips. She opened her mouth, and he plunged his tongue inside. With Jackson, his kisses were anything but calm and gentle. He was like a starving man and she was his first meal after the fast.
It’d been a couple days since they last had sex, though the intimacy of their relationship never dwindled. He was the boyfriend she’s wanted, the fiancé she thought she never needed, and the one true love she’d waited her lifetime for. He held her hand for no reason at all. He kissed her when he wanted to, where he wanted to. Although he didn’t say, “I love you” too often, when he did say it, it meant so much more than three simple words coming from his mouth. He was by her side when he could be and missed her when he couldn’t. And she loved the man, with all her heart, mind, body and soul.
Autumn ran her hand over his chest and brushed against the dog tags she bought him. “I can’t believe you’re still wearing these.” She fisted them in her hand and kissed his lips.
“You never did tell me what yours said.” She pushed him up and reached for the bedside table. After searching in the drawer she pulled her set out and handed them to him.
He laughed as he read it. “I heart horny boy.”
“Yeah. I was mad at you that day and found myself typing in it into the engraving machine. Totally messed up, huh?” she joked.
He kissed her again and then gave her a devious grin. “Hold that thought. I want to do something we talked about earlier.”
Autumn gave him a questioning look though she didn’t say anything. She watched Jackson walk to the door naked, open it to look out into the hall and then step out completely in the buff.
When he returned, she laughed at what he held in his arms. “You are crazy. I put on a very expensive piece of lingerie to turn you on and you want to get messy with whipped cream and strawberries?”
Jackson set the dish of strawberries on the nightstand and then shook the can of whipped cream. “Take it off.”
“It cost seventy bucks. You take it off.” Autumn laid back waiting for him to make the next move.
“I have to take it off because it cost seventy bucks?” He knelt on the bed beside her.
“At least acknowledge it.”
“Sweetheart, I’m hard. How much more acknowledgement do you need?” He set the whipped cream down and pushed the front of the baby-doll nightie apart to feel her warm skin. He leaned down to kiss her stomach while he pushed the sheer fabric up towards her breasts.
“Okay. You acknowledged it.” She reached for the tie around her neck.
Jackson was poised over her, waiting for the ties to fall free from their bow. “You are so beautiful.”
Autumn pulled the top over her head and threw it across the room. “You’re already going to get laid, ace. You don’t have to compliment me.”
Jackson moved between her legs and pulled her body down, off the pillows. “I’m just speaking the truth whether I get laid or not.”
His hands glided up her legs to her thighs stopping when he reached her hip. “Cute panties.” He traced the black lipstick impression on the front of the sheer red thong with one finger. “These I like a lot.”
“What’s with guys? I think I’m sexy in a seventy-dollar piece of lingerie and you like a ten-dollar pair of panties. What the hell is up with that?” Autumn wrapped her legs around him, locking him to her body.
“Sweetheart”—Jackson leaned down to kiss her—“you should know less is more when it comes to clothing.”
He reached for the whipped cream. Autumn knew they were about to make a mess in her bed, and almost regretted not changing the silk sheets before they began. She planned a romantic night of sex taking Jackson in as many different positions she could think of. Jackson had evidently planned a night of sticky, dirty food sex that she was helpless to say no to.
He pulled back and pointed the nozzle toward her. The cool cream shot out right above her nipple, chilling her heated flesh. Autumn whimpered as he started to draw on her, making lines with the topping as he used her body for a canvas. When he was done, he tossed it to the side and grabbed the dish of strawberries.
“Lie still.” He planted her hands on each side of her body.
He grabbed five strawberries out of the container and laid them in the valley between her breasts. He hooked his fingers in the waistband of her panties and leaned forward to kiss his way down her body as he slid them off. When he removed them, he pushed her legs apart so he could fit between them and continued to paint her body with the topping.
“There’s a song,” he said as he squirted the cool cream along her stomach, “that says something to the effect: I want to lick you from your head to your toes.” He looked up with mischievous intent. “That’s my goal tonight.”
He continued making streams down her legs to her toes, making her squeal from the delight. She squirmed on the bed, clutching the silk sheets beneath her.
“Start licking.”
Jackson grinned and lifted her foot. His tongue traced the path of the whipped cream sliding along her skin. He took his time, making sure he hit every erogenous zone in his path.
Once he was done with one leg, he started on the other, giving it the same treatment. She knew the song he spoke of and decided this was one of her ultimate fantasies.
When he was done with her legs, he leaned over her and took the tip of one of her breasts in his mouth. She ached to touch him, to feel his body close to her, deep inside her but she remained still. This was his show, and she’d get her turn next. That thought alone thrilled her beyond her wildest imagination.
He picked up a strawberry and then bit into it, squirting the juice on her stomach. The tiny beads of fluid rolled down each side of her as he teased. He ate one half and then leaned forward to feed her the other half. Autumn opened her mouth to accept the fruit, biting into the delicious offering he gave her.
“The strawberries are sweet, but not as sweet as you.” He licked the whipped cream off her neglected breast and selected another strawberry. This time, however, he sucked the whipped cream off and skimmed it along her skin. “Do you know how long it’s been since I touched you?”
While he traced the strawberry in his hand along her stomach, he ate another one, this time keeping it for himself. Her body buzzed, and she soared higher than ever. She counted the days they spent at the clinic, those same days they came home showered separately and fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow.
“Two days,” she replied with a whisper.
He sat back on his heels, staring down at her while he sucked the juice from the strawberry and played with the other along her stomach. He swirled the whipped topping around her navel with the fruit, and then continued his path downward.
“I never did show you my gratitude for the blowjob in the shower, did I?” Jackson lifted the strawberry that played along her stomach and bit into the juicy fruit.
Autumn watched him with dazed eyes. “No. But in all honesty, we’ve been busy.”
Jackson glanced down. “That’s true. But a promise is a promise, right, sweetheart?”
He bit into another strawberry, briefly dipping it in the whipped cream on her body. He didn’t care about the juice rolling down his face or the fact he was making a big mess all over her.
“Jax, quit teasing,” she whimpered, and didn’t care how pathetic it looked. Her hips lifted off the mattress in invitation though he sat still with a smug smile on his face.
“Patience, sweetheart.” He picked up the last strawberry from her chest and dipped it in the whipped cream he had yet to lick off. “Good things come to those who wait.”
He ate it slowly, his motions playing before Autumn like a silent movie. He savored every bit of the fruit, licking off the whipped cream before he bit into the juicy strawberry. She thought she’d die just watching him, his body completely distanced from hers. She wanted to touch him, to lick and suck him the same way he had her.
“Jax, now.” She ran her toes along his legs. “Please, now.”
“What do you want me to do?” He leaned down and sucked the juice and whipped cream from her navel. His tongue dipped inside and swirled around. “I was going to eat your pussy until I wore you out and then fuck you, but I’m in a generous mood. I’ll let you choose. What do you want me to do?”
“Please, Jax, just love me.”
He kissed her and whispered, “I do.”
Jackson moved between her legs, kissing her inner thighs. She lifted her hips and pressed herself against his face. The small act shot a bolt of pleasure through her body, forcing her orgasm closer to the brink. And then he licked her.
“Oh, God.” She clutched the sheets, fisting the silk in her hands and pulling at it. Jackson finally held her hips so she couldn’t move and sucked her clit in his mouth. Autumn arched her back with a silent cry.
She came hard against Jackson’s mouth and he didn’t stop the stimulation. Two fingers pressed deep inside her while his tongue continued to lick her clit, circling and lashing as if she hadn’t climaxed at all. It was almost too much to handle. She clenched her thighs around him and cried out in pleasure as she came again.
Jackson removed his fingers from her body and smiled. “You are one amazing woman.”
Autumn refused to keep still any longer and pulled him to her. “Make love to me, Jackson.” She kissed him, tasting the delicious cocktail of the whipped cream and strawberries mixed with her juices and his sexy flavor. “Not just sex. I want your love.”
Jackson positioned himself at her entrance and slowly pushed inside. “You’ve got it, Autumn. Anytime and every time you want, you’ve got it.”