Hot to the Touch

by Jaci Burton

  He glanced at her. “Does love always have to be about sacrifice?”

  She stared at him. “I . . . have no idea.”

  “So you’ve never been in love.”

  She stared out the windshield as he exited the highway. “Not that I know of.”

  “You don’t know if you’ve ever been in love?”

  “No. I mean, how do you know if you love someone, Jackson?”

  “I don’t know.” He shrugged. “I know I love my parents and my brothers, but I’ve never been in love with a woman before. I know that kind of love has to feel different from how you love your family, but I’ve never felt deeply enough to tell someone I loved them.”

  “Me, either. So I guess you have to feel it, and when you do you’ll know.”

  “I think so.”

  Well. Weren’t they a fine pair. Two clueless, never-been-in-love people. The problem was she was having feelings. Those kinds of feelings.

  For Jackson.

  And the one person she wanted to talk to about them was Jackson. So what was she supposed to do? Because she sensed that if she tried to approach that particular conversation with Jackson right now, he’d run like hell.

  They pulled down a street that contained mature trees and houses that didn’t look new but were well maintained. The front yards were spacious, but not overly large.

  The house they stopped at was a one-story, very pretty Spanish-style home.

  “This one looks nice,” she said.

  “We’ll see what it’s like on the inside.”

  They got out and Jackson’s parents were waiting at the front door. They both hugged Jackson, which Becks thought was so sweet.

  “Our agent is already inside,” Josh said. “We told her we were waiting for you.”

  “It’s good to see you again, Becks,” Laurel said, giving her a hug.

  “You, too, Laurel. Thank you so much for what you did for Lexie.”

  Laurel smiled. “She’s settling in happily with the Rothmans. And they adore her. So do her new siblings. I think the placement is going to work out perfectly.”

  “I’m so happy to hear that.” There was nothing better than a happily-ever-after. To know that Lexie was going to have hers filled Becks with joy. She looked over at Jackson, who made eye contact with her as he was having a conversation with his dad. She cast a grateful smile at him.

  “It was all your son’s doing, Laurel.”

  “So I understand. He’s a good boy.”

  “Yes, he is.”

  Jackson and his dad came over.

  “Nice to see you again, Josh,” she said.

  Josh smiled at her. “We’re happy you decided to come along, Becks.”

  She always felt welcome in the presence of Jackson’s parents. Which meant she could be herself and didn’t need to have her guard up or feel as if she wasn’t going to be accepted.

  “The outside of this place looks nice, Mom,” Jackson said.

  “I think so. Your dad doesn’t care for it, though.”

  “Yeah? Why not, Dad?”

  “The trees are overgrown and it looks like the roof might need replacing.”

  “Something you can talk to the agent about,” Jackson said. “And you can always make roof replacement a condition of the sale.”

  Josh looked the place over. “I don’t know if I like it.”

  Laurel looped her arm in Josh’s. “How about we at least go inside first?”

  “You’re right. Sorry.”

  Laurel cast a smile over her shoulder at Becks. “No home will ever measure up to the one we have now. I’m not even sure why we’re bothering to look.”

  Becks suppressed a smile of her own at Laurel’s comment, then looked over at Jackson, who shrugged.

  They went inside. The foyer was open to a beautiful staircase. There was a chandelier overhead that was a little blingy for Becks’s tastes, but it wasn’t her potential house, so she’d withhold judgement.

  “Josh, Laurel, so glad you’re finally inside.”

  A well-dressed woman who looked to be in her forties came walking down the hall.

  “Jackson, Becks, I’d like to introduce you to our real estate agent Ellen Grayson,” Laurel said. “Ellen, this is our son Jackson and his girlfriend, Becks.”

  Becks blinked. Just like that, without hesitation, Laurel had assumed she was Jackson’s girlfriend.

  Though she and Jackson had decided not to put a label on things. And Becks was fine with that.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Jackson said.

  Becks forced herself out of her weird state of shock. “Nice to meet you, Ellen.”

  “Welcome,” Ellen said. “I’m so glad you both came along to see the homes I have on today’s tour. Let’s get started.”

  “This is nice and open,” Laurel said to Ellen, then turned to Josh with a smile. “I like the floors.”

  “Uh-huh,” Josh replied, following them down the hall. “There’s that weird wall between the kitchen and living room.”

  “Yes,” Laurel said. “I don’t like that too much.”

  There was a partial wall that separated the kitchen from the living area. But the walls were painted a beachy turquoise, which Becks liked. The floors were large white terrazzo tile and absolutely gorgeous but would probably show every speck of dirt and have to be constantly cleaned.

  Who would want to do that?

  They walked from the living area into the dining area, which had a table and four chairs along with French doors that led out to a nice Florida room.

  “We’ll go outside in a minute,” Ellen said. “Come see the kitchen first.”

  “Oh, a galley kitchen.” Laurel pursed her lips. “And it’s so closed off from the rest of the house.”

  Josh put his arm around Laurel. “It’s not the best option, is it?”

  “No. I so want something that’s open and spacious, especially the kitchen. I don’t want to be stuck in here cooking while everyone else is out in the living room. I do like these white cabinets and new appliances, though.”

  “Noted,” Ellen said. “I just thought you’d like the pool.”

  As Ellen walked off with Laurel and Josh, Jackson and Becks lingered.

  “There’s a lot more to a house than just the pool,” Becks said. “And more to pleasing a woman than what’s in the backyard.”

  Jackson gave her a knowing smile. “I know how to please a woman.”

  She nudged him with her shoulder. “Not at all what I’m referring to and you know it.”

  “Huh. I thought you were asking me for sex when all you’re really interested in is a fancy kitchen and stainless steel appliances.”

  She nuzzled her chin against his shoulder. “A woman has priorities.”

  He looked over the top of her head, then grasped her hand and placed it on the ridge of his zipper.

  “I’ve got a priority for you.”

  She quickly snatched her hand away. “Oh my God, Jackson. Your parents are in the next room.”

  He laughed. “We’re not sixteen, Becks.”

  She narrowed her gaze at him. “You must have been horrible at sixteen.”

  “Wrong. I was a freaking angel.”

  “I do not believe you.” She pivoted and hurried to join the rest of them. She caught up to Laurel and Josh in time to see Laurel shaking her head at the master bath.

  “This house needs too many renovations, Josh,” she said. “If we were going to do that we could just stay in our house.”

  “I agree,” he said.

  Laurel turned to Ellen. “We need a more updated house, Ellen.”

  “Of course. And I have just the thing. It’s only a mile or so from here.”

  They all piled into their cars and followed Ellen.

  “What�
��s your dream house?” Jackson asked as they trailed behind Josh and Laurel’s SUV.

  She glanced over at him. “Honestly? I’ve never thought about it.”

  “Really.”

  “Yes. Why? Does that surprise you?”

  “Yeah. Don’t most women have the house of their dreams already made up by the time they hit puberty?”

  “Jackson. By the time I hit puberty I had been homeless for three years. My dream was just a roof over my head. Any roof. Decent shelter was always my dream.”

  “Yeah, but that was when you were thirteen. And you’ve had a roof over your head for—what?—nearly ten years now?”

  “Yes. So what’s your point?”

  “My point is that maybe between the homeless years and the roof-over-your-head years, you might have had some time to dream, Becks.”

  She was getting a headache. Between her conversation with Margie and now this one, she was more confused than ever. Why couldn’t they just have some fun looking at houses?

  “Well, the truth is, I haven’t dreamed.”

  He made a right turn and entered a gated community. Nice, with well-manicured lawns and some beautiful homes. Now maybe they could focus on the fun stuff.

  “Why not?”

  “What? Why not what?” She dragged her gaze away from the pretty houses and shot a questioning look at Jackson.

  “Why no dreams, Becks?”

  “Because the only things I dreamed about were making rent and hoping my business would stay afloat, so I could pay my bills and never have to worry about being homeless again. Those were my dreams.”

  “Yeah, but those are practical things. How about something frivolous and fun or a reach-for-the-stars kind of dream?”

  She shook her head. “I can’t afford to think beyond practical.”

  “Sure you can. You’ve got a great job and your business is growing.” They pulled in front of a gorgeous two-story contemporary home that looked brand spanking new. “It’s okay to dream, even if that dream is never realized.”

  She grabbed the handle to exit the car and looked over at Jackson, sending him a shrug. “Then what’s the point of dreaming?”

  She needed out of that car, away from the tight space with Jackson. Away from the thought of dreams and the future and a pretty house. Because she was already in emotional trouble, and she didn’t need a pile-on.

  She headed toward Laurel, who was already beckoning to her with a wave.

  But Jackson caught up to her, leaning in to whisper in her ear. “Our conversation isn’t finished.”

  As far as Becks was concerned, it was.

  Dreams were for suckers. She was way too grounded in reality to be waylaid by fantasy.

  Like this house, for instance. She was in love with this house. It wasn’t super fancy on the outside, but there was something about it that seemed perfect for Laurel. Maybe it was the slate gray roof in contrast to the dark blue painted wood and dark gray shutters on the sides of every window. The large porch had wide pillars and enough space that it contained a small table and a couple of oversized, cushioned chairs. There was even a ceiling fan on the porch.

  It was pretty without being ostentatious, yet also had that homey feel that she thought might appeal to Josh.

  “What do you think?” Laurel asked.

  “I like the outside. It’s unique, yet also feels like home, if that makes sense.”

  Laurel slid her arm into Becks’s. “It makes so much sense, because it’s the exact thing I said to Josh when we pulled into the driveway.”

  Becks smiled at her.

  “Okay, before you start moving our furniture in, shouldn’t we see the inside?” Josh asked.

  “There you go, being all practical,” Laurel said.

  Becks laughed.

  “If you like the outside, you’re going to love the inside,” Ellen said. “It’s modern and beautiful and only three years old.”

  Josh leaned over to Laurel. “That means expensive.”

  She rolled her eyes. “This is not my idea, mister. I’m happy with our current house.”

  Ellen stepped between the two of them. “And I’m fully aware of your maximum budget, so don’t worry. This fits.”

  Becks looked over at Jackson, who shrugged. “We’ll see,” he said.

  Becks just wanted to get a peek at the inside, because the outside was pretty.

  Ellen opened the door and Josh and Laurel walked in. Jackson and Becks followed, and to Becks, it was like someone had read her mind.

  If she had a dream house—which she did not—this might come pretty close to being it.

  Planked tile floors were shaded gray, lending them a woodlike appearance. The entire living room and kitchen/eating area were open, making the space look huge.

  Okay, it didn’t just appear to be huge, it was huge. The kitchen was expansive and bright, and there were windows everywhere. The kitchen had modern appliances and a large island, and there was a lot of cabinet space.

  Laurel wandered through without saying much or asking questions. No one spoke because they could tell she was seriously inspecting every corner of this house, from the downstairs bathroom to the laundry room to the bedrooms.

  The bedrooms upstairs were spacious and had plenty of room for whoever wanted to sleep there. The master was huge, had a gorgeous, extremely roomy walk-in closet and an amazing master bath with an oversized shower and an extremely tempting soaker tub.

  Laurel’s eyes seemed to gleam with pleasure.

  “Shall we go take a look at the backyard?” Ellen asked.

  Laurel looked over at her and smiled. “Yes. Let’s.”

  Becks thought this place was amazing, and so far Laurel hadn’t said much.

  “What do you think?” Jackson asked after his parents went downstairs.

  “Honestly? I love it.”

  “Yeah, me, too. It’s a great house. Though I’d change a few things if it were my house.”

  She leaned back. “Really. Like what?”

  “Wood floors instead of tile. Bigger shower and no tub in the master.”

  “Huh.”

  He cocked his head to the side. “What does ‘huh’ mean?”

  “Just thinking about what you said. By the way, I disagree.”

  “Which part? Or all of it?”

  “I agree about the wood floors. But I like taking a bath.”

  “That’s what the other bathroom is for.”

  “No. That’s the kids’ bathroom.”

  He laughed. “What kids?”

  She was about to say our kids, but caught herself. “The kids I’m going to have someday.”

  “By yourself?”

  She lifted her chin. “Maybe. Women can do that, you know.”

  “Really. In what magical way can women have kids by themselves?”

  They made their way slowly downstairs. “Come on, Jackson. You’re smart. I can get inseminated. Or I can adopt. In fact, you want to talk about my dreams? If I were to have dreams, that would be one of them. I do plan to adopt. God knows there are plenty of kids out there in foster care who’d love to belong to a family.”

  “I don’t disagree with you there. But tell me you’re not planning to do that alone.”

  This conversation wasn’t going places she wanted to go right now. “I don’t know what my plan is. I’ve never thought that far down the road.”

  She paused. “Have you?”

  “Not before.”

  She stilled on the bottom step. “Before what?”

  “I was just hoping that maybe—”

  “There you two are,” Laurel said. “I thought maybe you lost yourselves upstairs in that amazing bathroom.”

  Becks wanted Jackson to finish his sentence, because she needed to know what he’d been hoping. But inst
ead she smiled at Laurel. “I have to admit that soaker tub was tempting.”

  “I know, I loved it,” Laurel said. “I love everything about this place. The location is perfect for both Josh and me. It’s close to work for both of us, and oh, you have to come see the backyard.”

  Now Laurel was talking. She liked the place. Really liked it. And, for some reason, that made Becks extremely happy.

  Laurel took her hand and led her through the kitchen and toward the sliding glass door.

  “Wow,” Becks said. “This is like an oasis.”

  Laurel grinned. “Right?”

  There was a good-sized pool centered in an even bigger yard. One side of the pool was shaded by palms and beautiful bushes, giving it a tropical feel. There was also plenty of grass and entertaining space.

  “I like it,” Jackson said. “You could have some serious parties out here.”

  Josh nodded. “We’re already planning on it.”

  Becks turned to Laurel. “This is the place?”

  Laurel nodded. “There’s no point in looking at anything else. The location is ideal in terms of Josh’s work and mine. There’s plenty of space, and I’m in love with every room. Other than some minor changes like painting a few rooms, I’m ready to move in tomorrow.”

  Josh laughed. “We’ve gotta sell our house first, babe.”

  “I know, but our house should sell easily.”

  “It should, Mom,” Jackson said. “You’re in a prime location and the house is in great shape. A few repairs and some paint and it’ll be ready to sell.”

  “You and your brothers have done a fantastic job helping us to get the house ready to sell.”

  “Which we’ll do right away,” Ellen said. “Once you spruce up your existing house and get it ready, I’ll organize an open house and I can guarantee we’ll get offers that day.”

  Becks loved Ellen’s positive attitude. She reminded Becks a lot of Margie.

  They all walked out front.

  “Come by the office tomorrow and we’ll get the offer in,” Ellen said.

  “We’ll do that,” Josh said. “Thanks, Ellen.”

  After Ellen walked away, Laurel turned to Becks and Jackson. “We need to celebrate. Come to the house for dinner.”