Chapter Six
“You’re taking me on a picnic in the park?” Rebecca asked, folding her arms. Jackson was standing at her door, looking sexy as sin, holding a wicker basket in one arm, and in the other, he held a single red rose.
She was totally smitten with him. Taking the rose, she pressed her nose against it and sighed.
“A beautiful rose for a beautiful woman.”
“You’re sweet.” She stared at the picnic basket. “You’re taking me out on a date?”
“I think seeing as we’re fuck buddies and texting buddies, I think it’s only fair we become dating buddies.”
“That’s boyfriend material, Jackson. Do you think you’re up for that?”
“I’m still here.”
She couldn’t stop smiling. “Okay then, I will get my jacket.”
Spring was fast taking over from winter, but there were still moments where it was too cold to go without a jacket. The sun was shining, and a picnic would be more than lovely. She always found picnics to be utterly romantic. Jackson was still waiting by the door. “I can’t interest you in coming inside?”
“If I come inside we’re both going to be naked on that bed, and I want this to be about something more.”
“You’re not after my body?”
“Oh, I’m after that as well, but I wanted to build up to it.”
She stored some cash in her jeans, and followed him out of the house, locking the door behind her.
“Can I ask why you brought the picnic upstairs?” she asked. “Why not leave it in your car?”
“It’s heavy, and I was hoping you wouldn’t tempt me and of course, you did, so I didn’t have much choice. I wanted to show you that I want more than a fuck.” They entered the main parking lot, and Rebecca chuckled.
“I don’t mind fucking though.” But I love this so much! “Been on many dates lately?”
“None that are worth it.”
“So what happened to the teenagers you were dating?” she asked.
He burst out laughing, storing the picnic basket in the back of his car. As he opened the door for her, she went to climb inside the car, and he caught her around the waist, pressing a kiss to her lips.
The moment his mouth touched hers, she lost all sense, all fight, and everything became about his lips. He pulled away, and she climbed inside.
“The women before you meant nothing. They were just scratching an itch. I don’t see them anymore.”
“I haven’t dated in a long time either.” She rested her hands on her thighs, trying to make her heart calm down. “This is nice, Jackson.”
“You’ve not even got there yet. It may suck.”
“I doubt it.”
“So, how is everything going?” he asked.
“It’s going great. Mom and Dad were at the restaurant last night, and kept calling me to talk to their business guests. It was some kind of fleet owner. They own boats or docks. Anyway, the guy has a son, and of course they want me to meet him. Now they want me to get married to a man of their choosing.”
She noticed his hands fisted the steering wheel.
“What do you want?” he asked.
“To live my life the way that I want to. I don’t want to feel pressured into marrying someone they pick out for me just because they think it’s right.” She leaned her elbow on the door frame, and rubbed at her temples. “You never forced this on Bella, did you?”
He shook his head. “I always believed that Bella was old enough to make her own decisions. Of course, when it comes to Alaric I think I should have interfered, but there’s nothing that I can do. They do love you.”
“I don’t know. You can say that my parents love me, but shouldn’t they love every single part of me, and not always think about what it would be like changing me? I’m a cook, but they wanted a chef. I’m happy being in a small apartment, and they’re trying to find me a bigger and better place.” She blew out a breath. “It’s tiring.”
“I’m sorry, baby,” he said.
He reached out placing his hand on her hand, and she smiled. “Thank you. For this, for trying to comfort me, I appreciate it.”
“Anytime, and just tell your parents no.”
“I’ve spent most of my life telling them no. They think I’m going through a crappy rebellious phase, and it’ll pass when I grow up.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m twenty-five years old. I’m twenty-six in a few months. Can’t they just leave me alone?” She sighed. “Sorry. I really shouldn’t be telling you all my problems.”
“You can talk about your problems all day long with me. I love hearing them.”
She chuckled. “You love hearing about my troubles?”
“Yes, it means that I’m doing something right. I’m not very good at this dating game. Shouldn’t couples tell each other everything?”
Couples?
Tell each other everything?
She was in a dream world, and right now she didn’t want to wake up.
“Okay, you want me to tell you everything?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Will you tell me everything?”
“Of course.”
“Have you ever done anal?” She giggled as he jerked the car a little when he stared at her. “I bet I surprised you with that one.” She had love the way he teased her ass, and it had made her curious. Jackson was old enough to be her father. He was wise, and loving, and gentle, and experienced. How experienced though?
“Yes. I’ve done anal.”
He already knew her answer.
“Do you want to fuck my ass?” she asked.
Her pussy grew slick.
“This was about you and me getting to know each other out of the bedroom. You’re not exactly helping.”
“You know everything that there is needed to know about me.”
“What team do you support?”
“Like sports?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“I don’t support anyone at all. I don’t do sports, Jackson.”
“Me neither. I always get tickets to football and baseball, and other balls and things. I give them away. Never really understood it. My wife loved football though.”
She smiled. “What else would you like to know? How I tried to steal Bella’s homework because I totally ditched the class, and needed help?”
“You stole her homework?”
“Nah, I was going to, but I couldn’t do that to my friend. I cared about her, and I didn’t want her to get in trouble because of me.”
“That’s at least good to know.”
“I’m a good girl, Jackson.”
“Actually, I think you like to be naughty, Rebecca.”
“Being good all the time can be very overrated.”
Jackson pulled up outside a zoo, and she frowned. “A zoo? You’re taking me to a zoo?”
“I figured it would be fun, and I know they have a kickass picnic area. Deer roam freely, and I happen to like it here.”
They climbed out, and Jackson got their tickets. Folding her arms, she looked around at all the passing families. She had never been to a zoo. Her parents had always been too busy to bring her. Jackson came back to her. “Let’s go and check everything out, and then we can have lunch in a couple of hours.”
“I like that.” Linking her arm through his, they entered the main resort. “I’ve never been to a zoo.”
“Yeah, Bella let it slip that you hadn’t been. I wanted to do something special. Your parents never brought you here?” he asked.
“Well, my nanny hated animals, and she felt I could enjoy the mall a lot more than a bunch of stinking animals. Our days out usually consisted of different malls. It was okay, if you like that kind of thing, I guess.”
“I brought Bella here whenever she needed to forget about all of her troubles. I don’t know what it was, but it seemed to relax her here.”
“You’re a good father, Jackson.”
“Thank you. I’ve also been told I’m pretty good in the bedroom as well.”
She laughed, sighing, and pressing her head against his shoulder. This was perfect. Just being around him made her feel so happy.
Staring right in front of her, she saw a man holding a baby as he leaned down to kiss his woman, who was holding a little girl. They were the perfect family, and she saw the love on his face and on the woman’s face. What would it be like to be totally in love with one another that everything else failed to matter? She wouldn’t have to care about her parents or the restaurant.
Did she want to be a mother?
“Do you want kids?” she asked.
“I’ve got a very adult kid.”
“I know, silly. Did you want more kids?”
“I wanted loads of them, Rebecca. A whole house full of them. I wanted to be a family man, and instead I got a girl and a business.”
She heard the sadness in his voice. “Would you consider having more kids?”
“Rebecca?”
“No, you don’t have to answer right away. It’s … nothing. Forget I ever said anything. I’m just crazy. It’s all the marriage talk, and settling down that my parents were telling me last night. Ignore me.”
****
Jackson couldn’t just ignore her though. After they had gone to see the different species of animals, and Rebecca had pretty much crawled up his body over the spiders, he grabbed the picnic, and found a table by the lake.
He paused to watch her as she stared at the live deer drinking from the lake.
“They are beautiful,” she said. “So innocent and pure.”
No one approached the deer, and there was even a sign that asked for you to stay away. He set up their table instead, taking out the boxes of food that he had gotten from a deli Alaric had recommended.
Rebecca tucked some hair that had escaped her ponytail, and joined him.
Kids.
She wanted them.
He heard the yearning in her voice, and it saddened him that she might not want them with him.
Why can’t you have kids?
You’re still able.
You still want a big family.
He was approaching fifty. Was that a good thing to be having kids at that age? By the time he was seventy they would be twenty.
“I want kids,” he said, drawing her attention again. “I do. My age.”
“Men are having kids that are seventy.”
“They’re rock stars.”
She gave him that teasing smile, which held a twinkle in her eye. “You’re telling me that you’re not a rock star?”
“Ha, ha. You know what I mean.”
“It’s never too late to dream, and to find that dream, Jackson. You wouldn’t tell Bella to stop. I don’t see why you would do the same for yourself.” She reached for a cartoon of noodles and took a bite. “Wow, those are spicy,” she said, taking another mouthful. “They’re so good.” She twirled some on her fork, and held it out to him. He took the offered bite, and moaned. They really were flavorful and so good. “Told you.”
“Do you see yourself being married?” he asked.
“I don’t know. I see that there has to be a future, right? I can’t live my life pretending something wasn’t going to happen.” She sighed. “This is all depressing. Do people still get married really young?”
“I don’t know. I was young when I got married, and Alaric is going to propose to Bella.”
“Get out!” She placed her hands on the table. “Seriously?”
“Yes. You can’t tell Bella. She will know when the time is right.”
“I’m totally being the maid of honor.” Rebecca opened another pot that had some grilled chicken, and she took a bite. He loved watching her eat. She savored every bite, and the moans coming from her mouth made him think of other more delightful things.
“You really do love your food.”
“I do.” Her cheeks heated.
“Please don’t be worried by that. I like watching you eat. It’s good to see you eat.”
“I’m blushing right now.” She pressed her hands to her cheeks. “Sorry. I think food just means a great deal, you know. I made Bella some chocolate chip cookies, and she promised to be my friend for life. Food has a way of saying sorry, and being welcoming, and just everything that you can love about food, you know?”
“Speaking of love. Why don’t you tell me about how you’d like your dream kitchen in your restaurant or diner?” Work had already begun on the old café he had purchased. Ben had put a rush on it for him, and Jackson had gone out of his way to get the people in to do the work as fast as possible.
He gave her a little notebook to draw. She told him everything, designing it as best she could. The animated look on her face let him know he was doing the right thing.
After an hour, she was finished, and he had all the notes that he would need.
“Don’t I bore you?” she asked.
“Not at all. I love listening to you speak.”
“What are you going to do about that modeling place? Bella told me that you bought it for her?”
“Yeah, I’ve already got plans to give it to Alaric. I think he could do something better with it than I could. I’ve already spoken to the original owner, and she’s happy with what Alaric wants.”
“Why? She sold it. She shouldn’t really have any say, should she?”
“Well, no, but I find in this ever-changing business, it’s better to be respectful than it is to crush them. For as much as you can crush someone and watch them fall, when they get back up, they tend to do so with revenge.”
She took a piece of carrot and began to chew. “Is that what happened to you?”
“In the beginning, I made a lot of mistakes. I stumbled just like everyone else. Business is cutthroat. It’s dangerous, and it can bite you in the ass at every turn. You do not want to be making enemies in a market that thrives seeing people fall.”
“You’re a good man, Jackson.”
“Is that what you always had a crush on?”
She chuckled. “No. You were just a hot older guy that I liked. Still do.”
“I like you, too, Rebecca. You have proven to me time and time again that I can be wrong about people.”
“You thought I was a no-good troublemaker.”
“You are a troublemaker. What I was wrong about, and I learned my mistake years ago, was I thought you were the kind of person who didn’t own up to their mistakes. You do, and that I respect. If Bella got in trouble, you were right there.”
“Maybe I just wanted a spank.” She winked at him.
“That’s not it at all. You were a nice person, Rebecca. Still are.” It was a shame that her parents didn’t see what a good person she was inside and out.
Just then the sky went dark, and Jackson groaned.
“It looks like that rain they forecast is about to come true,” Rebecca said.
“I didn’t check the weather.”
“You didn’t check the weather?”
“Didn’t think it was necessary,” he said with a chuckle.
They packed up the picnic basket, and then hand in hand, rushed out of the picnic area just as it was starting to rain.
He held Rebecca’s hand tighter as they ran toward his car. Opening the car, he threw the basket into the back, and climbed in beside her. The front windows steamed up, and she was laughing, wringing out her hair.
“Wow,” she said. “They did warn it could be a quick downpour.”
“Let’s head over to my place.”
He worked his way out of the zoo parking lot, and was on the road toward his country home. The heaters were on, and by the time he made it home, the rain had subsided.
Climbing out of the car, he grabbed her hand, and together they went inside his home.
Once inside, he took her straight upstairs to his en suite bathroom.
“Let’s get out of these wet clothes,” he said.
They were both shivering. Removing their clothes, he climbed into the shower, taking her with him. The water was warm, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close.
“I love it when your arms are around me,” she said.
“It’s funny, I like having you in my arms.” He leaned down, and pressed a kiss to her lips.
She moaned and tilted her head back. He couldn’t resist, and he pressed another kiss to her lips.
Running his hands down her back, he gripped her ass and pulled her closer. His cock was rock hard, but he didn’t want to just fuck her. He wanted to kiss her mouth, and memorize every little response that she gave him. Releasing one of her ass cheeks, he cupped her face, tilting her head back so that he could deepen the kiss.
Kissing her, making love, fucking her, it was never enough, and he always felt like each moment could be their last.
Pressing her up against the stall of the shower, he nibbled her lip, as she locked her leg over his hip.
Running the hand on her face down, he cupped her pussy and began to stroke her swollen clit.
She gasped, pulling away, and glancing down at where he was touching her. He was driving her wild, and he loved that he was doing that. Smiling, he went further down, pressing a finger into her pussy, watching as her head fell back, and she arched up into his touch.
“Do you want this, baby? You want me to fuck you?”
“Yes. Yes, I do.”
Taking her down to the shower stall, he put her on her knees, gripped his cock, and filled her pussy. Lifting her up with an arm around her waist, he pressed a kiss to her neck. “I’m never going to get enough of you. You drive me wild, so fucking wild.” He began to pump inside her, knowing that he wasn’t going to last.
Sliding a hand between her thighs, he teased her clit, bringing her off on his cock, and he joined her seconds later.
It was quick, fast, and fucking wonderful.
Rebecca was only making him want her more.
He didn’t know if it was ever going to be possible to let her go.