She’d pulled her shoulder-length hair back into a ponytail, tied it with a chiffon scarf, fluffed her bangs and added a string of fake pearls to complete the costume.
A knock on the door sent her hurrying across the hotel room.
She pulled it open and nearly swooned at the sight of Jackson in a very fitted white T-shirt and jeans. He’d slicked back his hair and rolled up the sleeves of the T-shirt. He looked both sexy and dangerous—a very tempting combination.
“West Side Story is one of my mom’s favorite movies,” she said with a laugh. “You’re the perfect Jet.”
He looked her over slowly enough for her toes to curl in her thrift-store oxfords. “Very nice. Like the skirt.”
She twirled. “I’ve never worn a petticoat before.”
“You look…”
“Wholesome?” she offered. “Virginal?”
“Like the kind of girl you give a class ring to.”
His words gave her a little jolt in her belly. She did her best to hide her reaction. “That’s me.”
She slipped her lip gloss and her room key into her pocket and motioned for him to lead the way out.
As they waited for the elevator, he leaned against the wall and watched her.
“Touching?” he asked. “No touching? How do we show the world, or at least your family, that we’re a couple?”
Sex, she thought unexpectedly. They could have sex. That would certainly do it for her. “Um, some touching. Courtney and Alex are all over each other, but at some point that just gets tacky.”
“Agreed.”
There was something about the way he was looking at her. As if trying to figure something out. His steady gaze made her nervous. She glanced at the floor, then forced herself to look at him. Was it just her or did it seem like the elevator was taking forever?
The seconds ticked past. Jackson straightened, moved toward her, cupped her face in his hands, then leaned in and brushed his mouth against hers.
The brief contact was soft, hungry and unexpected. Heat exploded inside her, making her strain toward him. He stepped back long before she was ready for him to, but kept his large hands on her skin, his thumbs caressing her cheeks.
“For practice,” he said, his eyes bright with amusement and something she could only pray was interest. “So we get it right, if anyone asks.”
She didn’t think there would be a required kissing demonstration, but it was good to be prepared.
Just as she was about to suggest another practice session, the elevator doors opened. Unfortunately, Aunt Tully was the only occupant.
“Katie!” the older woman exclaimed happily and threw herself out of the elevator. “I’ve been looking all over for you.” Tully shifted her attention to Jackson and raised her eyebrows. “Hello, gorgeous. Katie is very fond of me and likes to share.”
Jackson immediately dropped his hands to his sides and took a step back. If the situation hadn’t been potentially hazardous in more ways than Katie could count, she would have found it funny. Sort of.
Tully was her father’s sister. A round, short, blond dynamo who dressed like she was twenty…or maybe sixteen. Except for the jewelry. It was all flash and proof that she’d married well. Several times. Tully was currently looking for husband number six.
Married or not, Tully loved men. All men—even those who were married or involved with other women. She was the life of the party, a charming drunk and completely lacking in boundaries. Katie both loved and feared her.
Jackson seemed to recover. He held out his hand. “You must be Aunt Tully. Nice to meet you.”
“Come now,” Tully said, holding out her arms. “We’re family. We need to do more than shake hands.”
He moved in warily and leaned toward her, as if to give her a nonromantic A-frame hug. It was like one of those twisted reality shows on TV. As much as Katie wanted to look away, she couldn’t.
Tully waited until Jackson was close and slightly off balance, then grabbed him and pulled hard. He crashed into her ample chest, tried to right himself, and found the natural place his hands needed for leverage was her breasts. Obviously determined not to touch them, he flailed for a few seconds before managing to step away. But not before Tully planted a kiss on his mouth.
Tully smiled with satisfaction. “Any good?” she asked Katie.
Katie moved toward the slightly stunned Jackson and slipped her arm through his. “He’s mine. You can’t have him.”
Tully pouted, her blue eyes thoughtful. “Are you sure? I’ll buy you a car. The new Lexus hybrid.”
“Thanks, but no.”
“Cash?”
Jackson cleared his throat. “Ms. McCormick, while I’m flattered by—”
Tully dismissed him with a wave. “You don’t get to negotiate. Katie?”
“Sorry. No.”
“Fine. I’ll have to see who else is available. Does the groom have a brother?”
“No,” Katie said, proud of herself for not suggesting Alex instead. While there would be karmic justice in having the man Courtney had stolen taken from her, it would create too much trouble for everyone else. Besides, there was a slight possibility that Courtney really did love Alex.
The elevator returned to their floor. Tully got on it.
“We’ll take the next one,” Katie said, thinking Jackson would need a moment.
“See you at the party.”
The door closed.
Jackson leaned against the wall. “That was Aunt Tully.”
“I tried to warn you.”
“She wanted to buy me.”
“I know.”
“For cash.”
“She likes men.”
“She’s old enough to be my mother.”
“Technically she might be old enough to be your very young grandmother, but try not to think about it.”
He shook his head and straightened. “Now I know why you needed a date for the wedding.”
“My family isn’t all bad. My parents are great. Courtney is very pretty.” Katie wanted to add that it would be nice if Jackson didn’t fall for her sister, but what was the point? He either would or wouldn’t.
“Tully’s the worst of it, right?” he asked.
Katie laughed. “Yes. I promise. The rest of my family will only ask pointed questions. Things like how long have we been going out and what are your intentions.”
“They want you married, huh?”
“It’s an ongoing goal. You’d think having a great career and lots of friends would be enough, but it’s not. You, being a man, don’t get the same kind of pressure.”
“My mother makes not-so-subtle statements about wanting grandchildren, but I ignore her.”
If only she could do the same, she thought. She tried, but every now and then, the volume got to her.
She pushed the down button to call the elevator. “Which begs the question—why aren’t you married? Or are you one of those men who doesn’t want to be tied down?”
“I like the idea of a wife and family,” he said, moving next to her. “When I was younger, I couldn’t get the girl.”
She glanced at his broad shoulders, the sexy green eyes and the shape of his mouth. “At the risk of feeding your ego, I don’t think that’s a problem anymore.”
“No. Now the problem is finding the right girl.”
“What are you looking for?”
His gaze settled on her. There was something knowing in his expression. As if he thought maybe—
The elevator doors opened.
“Katie, darling. There you are.” Katie’s mother swayed slightly on her feet.
Katie got on the elevator and turned to her dad. “She’s drunk.”
“You think?” Her father held out his hand to Jackson. “Mike McCormick.”
“Jackson Kent. I’m Tina’s son.”
“Of course.” He kept his arm around his wife. “Your mother had two martinis.”
Katie winced. “One usually puts her on her butt. While she’
s a charming drunk, I doubt this is the time or the place.”
Janis patted her husband’s cheek. “Don’t be mad. You know you like me drunk. It’s when you get lucky.”
“Mo-om!” Katie covered her ears. “Please, stop. I don’t want to hear this.”
Janis smiled at her daughter. “You should be happy your parents are still having sex. It means we have a good marriage. You don’t want us getting a divorce, do you?”
“Should I hum loudly?” Jackson asked with a grin.
“You think this is funny?” she snapped. “Want to talk about your parents doing it?” Katie faced her mother, while trying to avoid looking at her father. “This is Courtney’s wedding. You have to focus.”
“I will. I’m just saying, the sex really does get better as one gets older. Back in the day, we always had to worry about you and your sister interrupting us. All those afternoon showers, when we were just trying to get in a quickie. But did you cooperate? Of course not. It was always Mom this and Mom that. You startled me so much once, I nearly bit off your father’s—”
The doors opened and Katie bolted out onto the lower level, where the party would be held. She walked fast, as if she could outrun the hideous image in her head.
“Kittens and puppies and ice cream,” she murmured as she moved. “London. I’ll think about London.” She came to a stop and covered her face.
Then strong arms were around her, pulling her close. The supportive gesture was mitigated by the shaking chest as Jackson laughed.
“If it makes you feel any better,” he said, “your father is mortified.”
“It doesn’t. How could she say that stuff?”
“There was alcohol involved.”
“Still.” She shuddered, her face still pressed into his shoulder. “It’s gross. Not the happy-marriage part. I want them to be happy, not just for me but for them, too. But parental sex shouldn’t be discussed in front of children.”
“You need a distraction.”
“Or some kind of mind meld.”
“Katie?”
Instinctively she looked up. As soon as she did, he kissed her.
His warm, teasing mouth claimed hers. Skin against skin, the sensual movement making her blissfully incapable of doing much more than feel.
He held her firmly, carefully, but with a confidence that made her willing to surrender. One hand was below the other on her back, angled so his fingertips lightly grazed the curve of her rear. Even through the layers of skirt and petticoat, she felt the heat of him, the pressure.
He touched her lower lip with his tongue and she parted. He swept inside, claiming her with his mouth. She angled her head to deepen the kiss, wrapped her arms around his neck and gave herself up to the moment.
Wanting swept through her. Need and hunger. It had been a long time since she’d been swept away. Too long. She’d forgotten how good it felt to be held. To have the solid strength of a man’s body right against hers.
In the distance, she heard the sound of conversation but ignored it. Nothing mattered but kissing Jackson. As far as she was concerned, she could do this forever.
Apparently he didn’t read minds as well as he kissed because after a few minutes, he drew back.
“Better?” he asked.
She blinked at the question. “You did that to distract me?”
“Partly.”
Great. So she’d been having an out-of-body, take-me-now experience and he’d been doing the sexual equivalent of patting her on the head.
His mouth curved into a sexy, promising smile. “I also did it because I wanted to.”
Four
The next morning Katie forced herself out of bed long before she was ready to leave, pulled on her workout clothes and made her sleepy way down to the hotel gym. She’d barely brushed her teeth, hadn’t done a thing with her hair and was pleased she’d remembered to bring a bottle of water. She was also expecting to find the room empty, except for a rabid business person or two.
Instead she found Jackson already sweating on one of the two elliptical machines.
He looked good in sweat, she thought as she stared at him. Tall and lean, but with enough muscle to make life interesting. He had on a headset and was watching the early-morning national news. So far he hadn’t noticed her.
After her mother’s sexual confessions and the mind-numbing kiss, the rest of the evening had been calm by comparison. Aunt Tully had kept her distance from Jackson, although she continued to eye him with interest. No one had gotten too drunk. But the weekend was young, Katie thought as she made her way to the second elliptical.
Not working out wasn’t an option. Not with her weight history and gene pool. If she didn’t watch what she ate and exercise regularly, she porked right up. Sad, but true. If she had to face Jackson while looking like a cross between a “before” picture and cat gack, so be it.
She got on the machine and studied the console. She used one just like it at the gym, so she knew what she was in for. After punching in her favorite program and only lying about her weight by seven pounds, she hit the start button and braced herself for pain.
Next to her, Jackson removed his headset. “Morning,” he said with a smile.
The man hadn’t showered pre-exercise, either. Had done nothing with his hair, hadn’t bothered shaving. So why did he get to look like a model advertising naughty sex first thing in the morning?
“Hi.”
“You’re up early.”
“It’s necessary to keep my BMI in the two-digit range.”
Jackson looked her up and down before shaking his head. “No way. You look great.”
She flushed with pleasure. As she was already red-faced from exercise, she had the comfort of knowing he wouldn’t notice. “Thanks, but it’s true. You saw me at my chunky best. I’m one uncontrolled corn dog away from that happening again.”
* * *
What Jackson remembered most about Katie as a teenager was how pretty she’d been, even when she’d threatened to beat him up. He hadn’t wanted to waste his afternoon with a kid, but the second he’d seen her, he’d been…intrigued. As much as a repressed, nerdish sixteen-year-old boy could be.
He wasn’t repressed anymore, he thought, doing his best not to stare at her breasts bouncing along in time with her movements. Not only didn’t he want to get caught looking, his workout shorts wouldn’t hide the inevitable reaction to his interest and wouldn’t that make for an awkward moment.
“You worry too much,” he told her.
“You weren’t ever fat,” she told him, her blue eyes bright with amusement. “But it’s okay. I’ve been exercising regularly for nearly twelve years and I’m to the point where I almost like it.”
He chuckled. “Is that the goal? To enjoy it?”
“Everyone deserves a fantasy life.”
“Is that when you got interested in sports? You were exercising?”
She reached for her water bottle and took a long drink. “No. I’ve always loved sports. I think it’s my dad’s influence. My mom says instead of reading me fairy stories at night, he would read the sports page. I grew up interested in football and baseball.”
“Do you play any?”
She shook her head. “I wish. I’ve tried them all. The best I can say for myself is I wasn’t hideously bad at soccer. I wasn’t close to good, but that’s okay. I’m just not coordinated. Or fast. Or athletic. You met Aunt Tully. Physically, I take after her. So it’s that old saying—those who can do. Those who can’t write about it. I went to Ashland College to learn how.”
“Where you studied sports communications.”
Something flashed in her blue eyes. “You remembered.”
He’d remembered nearly everything she’d said, he thought. She was the kind of woman a man would have trouble forgetting.
“You’re my first sports communications major,” he said lightly. “A guy remembers his first time.”
She laughed. “You’re good. Seriously. Have you been bac
k to your high school reunion?”
He shuddered. “No, thanks. I’d rather face the fires of hell.”
“You should think about it. You’re the guy who will cause quite the reaction. All those girls who blew you off will be all over you.”
“Maybe I don’t want them all over me.”
“You’re not into revenge?”
“No. I don’t need their approval to enjoy my life.” He studied her. “Are you into revenge? If you are, this is the weekend for it.”
She wiped her face with a towel. Even sweaty and hot, she looked good, he thought. Her hair stood in spikes, her breasts continued to bounce. This was his idea of a great morning.
“To quote you from a second ago, no, thanks. I’m not interested in Alex. He had his chance with me and he blew it.”
“The man’s an idiot.”
Katie smiled. He felt the heat of if all the way down to his groin.
“You say the nicest things,” she told him. “Courtney can be a pain. But you have to understand the context. She was sick when she was a kid. Cancer. Everyone spoiled her and when she got better, we all kept treating her like she could die any second. She got used to the attention, and then she grew up gorgeous and guys kept falling for her. She’ll grow up someday, and when she does, she’ll be a good person. For what it’s worth, I think Alex really does love her. This is their weekend. I want everything to go well for them.”
Although his workout was over, he kept going until she was done. They walked out of the gym together and headed for the stairs. On the main floor, he was about to ask her to breakfast, when someone touched his arm.
“Jackson? Hi.”
He turned and saw Ariel standing in the lobby. She was still tall and beautiful, with golden-red hair and eyes the color of spring grass. Pretty enough, but not anyone he’d missed after she’d left.
“Ariel,” he said, then shifted his attention to Katie. “Katie, this is Ariel, cake decorator extraordinaire.”
Katie glanced between them, then gave a smile that didn’t seem happy. “Great. We’re thrilled you’re here. Have you had a chance to see the kitchen yet? We spoke to the staff and they’ve set up a work area for you. The pastry chef made the cakes last night, so they should be cooled and ready for you to work on. We all really appreciate you helping us out.”
Susan Mallery Fool's Gold Series Volume One: Chasing PerfectAlmost PerfectSister of the BrideFinding Perfect Page 56