Monica gave Courtney the evil eye before guiding her mother away.
“Listen, little lady.” Andrew’s voice turned deadly cold. “Don’t you go telling me about my son!”
“Your son wants nothing to do with you,” Courtney responded with equal fervor. “Stop inserting yourself in his life.”
“And why is that?” Andrew asked. “Because of you and your damn family! You’ve turned my son against me.”
Courtney was taken aback by Andrew’s anger toward her. “Jasper hasn’t been a part of your life for many years, Mr. Jackson. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to you. I had nothing to do with his decision.”
“I don’t believe that for one second,” Andrew hissed. “Your entire family has had it out for me since day one, and I know you’re telling my son I’m the devil incarnate.”
“You’re delusional.” Courtney turned to move away, but Andrew jerked her arm back until she was inches away from him.
“I’m not finished with you.” He leaned down and glared at her.
“Well, I’m done with you,” Courtney responded. “Keep coming, keep trying your best to hurt my family, Mr. Jackson. Because you will find we’re a close-knit group and nothing can break us.”
“You think you’re pretty fearless, huh?” Andrew stared at her menacingly. “Well, you’re wrong, princess. You and your family have taken enough away from me. I will make you pay for turning my son against me. I will make you pay dearly.”
Courtney swallowed hard as a cold chill went right through her. For some reason, she believed Andrew capable of getting back at her, but would he really harm her physically? Or would he come after her family as he’d always done?
She quickly snatched her arm away and rushed back to the private dining room. When she returned, Jasper rushed to greet her. “Babe, where were you?” he asked.
“Having a word with your father.”
“Do you really think that was wise?” Jasper asked.
“I can take care of myself. He was all smoke and no fire.” Courtney laughed nervously. She decided against telling Jasper what his father had said. If he knew his father had just threatened her, the chasm that was already between father and son would only widen. She could handle whatever Andrew Jackson threw at her. She was an Adams, after all.
Chapter 14
“That was some dinner last night,” Kayla said when Courtney met her at the country club for a game of tennis. Kayla was ready for battle in her royal-blue tennis skirt and matching shirt.
Kayla had offered to come to the estate where the family had a perfectly good tennis court, but Courtney had opted for a less hostile environment. Ever since the introductory dinner to meet Jasper, her father had been staring daggers at Courtney from across the dining-room table. She knew he wanted to say something about Andrew being Jasper’s father and causing a ruckus, but surprisingly he was holding his tongue. Her mother was no doubt behind his restraint.
“Yeah, it was,” Courtney finally said, throwing down her tennis bag and removing her jacket. It was a slightly cool morning and she needed something on her arms to cover her sleeveless fuchsia tennis dress. Her honey-blond hair was slicked back away from her face and she wore no makeup.
Courtney removed her racket from her bag. “Are you ready to get beat?” she asked.
“How many sets are we playing?” Kayla asked, pulling a coin out of her purse.
“Best of three?”
“Sounds good to me,” Kayla said, tossing the coin in the air. “Call it.”
“Tails.”
The coin landed on heads on the pavement. “I serve,” Kayla said, smiling.
Courtney knew her sister was going to use it to her advantage to take the point, but she was prepared for it. Kayla served the ball exactly as Courtney knew she would, but Courtney’s racket connected with the ball and sent it right back at her. They continued volleying. It was only when Kayla ran a near-miss ball and used her famous backhand stroke that Courtney lost the point.
“Fifteen–love,” Kayla said, smiling smugly across the net.
Courtney won the next point. “Fifteen–all,” she announced.
They continued their game in much the same way as they always had. The score rallied back and forth between the two of them, 1–1 with each of them winning a set. When they were on their last set, Courtney was in the lead 2–3.
“Break point!” Courtney yelled when Kayla tossed the ball in the air. She hit the ball forcefully and it whizzed right by Courtney’s nose. “What the hell was that?” she yelled, throwing down her racquet and rushing toward the net.
“What are you talking about?” Kayla asked, coming forward.
“You damn near hit my face.” Courtney was furious. “This—” she pointed to her face “—is still a commodity to this family, at least for another few weeks.”
“Oh, Courtney, stop being so dramatic,” Kayla said. “I didn’t intend to hit you.”
“What’s your beef, Kayla?”
“I don’t have any beef.”
“No? Are you sure you’re not upset about dinner last night?” Courtney asked.
“Of course not,” Kayla replied. “Jasper was quite charming. He can’t help where he comes from.”
“So you finally realize that?”
“I do,” Kayla said. “But that doesn’t mean that the two of you are the right fit. I mean really, Courtney, he lives in the Dominican Republic and you live here. How is a relationship between you two going to work? Or had you not thought about that among all your romantic notions?”
Tears welled up in Courtney’s eyes. She knew Kayla had a point, but she didn’t have to be so brutal. “Gosh, Kay, do you have to sound so harsh?”
The moment she saw the tears in Courtney’s eyes, Kayla felt horrible. She never wanted to make her baby sister cry. She was supposed to be protecting her. “I’m so sorry, Courtney. That was horribly insensitive of me. I know you have strong feelings for Jasper, but even you must see the hurdles you’re facing. Both families are against you and you’re in a long-distance relationship. Is it really worth all this heartache?”
In that moment, knowing that she could lose Jasper, Courtney realized she was in love with him.
* * *
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Jasper asked when they were lying in the king-size bed at his hotel suite the following evening. After a long day at the office, Jasper had had a picnic delivered, complete with champagne, fruits, sliced meats, pâté, cheeses and French baguettes. He’d wanted to make it up to her since he’d had to deal with some business on Sunday and hadn’t had a chance to see if there was any fallout from dinner.
Courtney sipped on the bubbly, but had hardly touched the food. Jasper searched her eyes for a sign of what could be bothering her, but they were unreadable.
“My sister made me think about a problem in our relationship,” she finally said after several moments had passed.
Why was he not surprised? Although Kayla Graham had been more than pleasant to him at the dinner, he got the distinct impression that she did not want him with Courtney. “What did she say?”
“She reminded me of our living arrangements,” Courtney said, sitting upright on the bed. “That I live here and you live in DR. Even though subconsciously I knew it, we’ve never really talked about this. I mean, how do we make this—” she pointed to the two of them “—work?”
“Well.” Jasper rubbed his goatee thoughtfully. “I’ve been thinking about that.”
“And?” Courtney’s voice rose slightly. “You know I can’t leave my family or Adams Cosmetics, and I just got my dream job and my rightful place there.”
“I realize that, Courtney.”
“Well, then?”
“I will move back here,” Jasper replied, looking her square in the f
ace with no hesitation. “You know, make Atlanta my home base.”
“You would do that?”
Jasper nodded. “It’s why I went back to Punta Cana to talk it over with my head of development, Mark. I don’t need to be on-site to oversee the building of the new hotel now that I have a contractor I can trust. I moved an ocean away to put distance between me and my father, and apparently even an ocean wasn’t enough. The man has haunted me and probably always will.”
“Are you sure about this?” Courtney asked. She didn’t want him to regret his decision and later come to resent her for taking him away from a life he loved. “You love the beach and the ocean. You love the carefree lifestyle on the island.”
“I do,” Jasper admitted. “But you and me—” he pointed to her and again to him as she had done “—is more important. How can we build the framework for a relationship if an ocean is separating us?”
“It would be pretty difficult.”
“Well, then it’s settled,” Jasper said. “And since I will be staying here, I think it’s time you met my mother.”
Courtney gulped hard. “Your mother?”
Jasper noticed the concern that came across Courtney’s face. “Don’t worry, she’ll love you.”
“Don’t you think it’s a little too soon?”
“Soon?” Jasper asked. “I’ve already met your parents, heck, your entire family.”
“And look how well that turned out,” she said.
“My mother is one of the kindest, gentlest people you’re ever going to meet,” Jasper said. “She will adore you from the minute she meets you, just like I did.”
Courtney smiled broadly. “Hmm...I don’t recall it being instantaneous. If I remember correctly, you were going to leave me, the princess, on the side of the road.”
Jasper pulled Courtney into his arms. “True, but I came back for you,” he said as he brushed his lips across hers.
The sweet intensity sent Courtney swirling, and all she could mutter was “And I’m oh so glad you did” before wrapping her arms around Jasper’s neck and lowering herself to the bed. Jasper’s full body weight came on top of her and Courtney welcomed the feeling. Their tongues mated and danced in a delicious game of cat and mouse.
He moved from her lips to her earlobe and then to her neck. He kissed, licked and teased, sending flames shooting through Courtney. His hot tongue left a trail as wide as Texas and she responded in turn, brimming with passion. He stopped to sample her breasts, and it was there that he took an inordinate amount of time. He pushed down the tank top she was wearing to wet them with his tongue, and they became taut with tension. He eased the tension with delicious flicks and licks across her nipples.
As he took liberties with her breasts, she allowed her hands to roam Jasper. She was eager to explore the angles of his muscular body. When she found the hard velvet part of him in his jeans, she squeezed purposefully and he pulsed underneath her hand. Jasper let out a groan.
“I think we’re both wearing too many clothes, don’tcha think?” he murmured. Every touch, every taste of Courtney was firing a need deep inside him that needed to be quenched.
Instantly, they were tearing at each other’s clothes, eager to be naked. When they were both clothes free, they reached for each other and tumbled back onto the bed.
Jasper took charge. His hands roamed downward so they could play and dally with her nether lips. When he confirmed she was wet and ready for him, he sheathed himself so he could root himself deep inside her.
“Please, I need you inside me....” Courtney made whimpering noises, begging him to take her.
“With pleasure,” he said, burying himself deep within her sweet haven.
She raised her hips as he thrust in and out, and the bed squeaked underneath them. Their cries and groans echoed throughout the room. Before his release could claim him, Jasper switched positions until Courtney was kneeling and facing the headboard, and he took her from behind. He quickened the rhythm and Courtney thought she might die from pleasure. The position was extremely stimulating because it gave Jasper easy access to stroke her breasts and play with her womanly lips, but also because it hit her sweet spot. The force of his thrust had her coming and flying over the edge. Jasper came right behind her, yelling out his joy, and Courtney fell forward on the bed.
As the night darkened, Courtney lost track of time because they were voracious for each other. They made love on a chair, on the floor with Jasper thrusting into her and her gripping him as wave after wave of sheer delight coursed through her. They made love again on the credenza in the suite, in the shower and then finally in front of the cheval mirror.
“In front of the mirror?” Courtney raised an eyebrow when Jasper set her on the floor.
“Yes, I want to see your face when I make you come,” Jasper croaked hungrily as he dropped from the bed to one knee.
Jasper shamelessly spread her legs and Courtney gasped when she saw his mouth on her derriere, licking her naked cheeks. But it also felt good—so she didn’t protest. She didn’t stop him when his tongue found its way to her aching clitoris and he teased it and then bathed it with broad strokes. “Jasper—” she shouted, swaying until she found Jasper’s strong hands there to steady her as her orgasm hit her full force.
“Was it good?” Jasper asked as he rose to his feet behind her.
Courtney blushed. “You know it was.”
“I’m not done yet,” Jasper said.
He lowered himself on the bed and then placed Courtney above him so she could ride him. He positioned her in front of the mirror and from that vantage point she could see the moment his erection reached her brown curls. The mirror revealed the sight of him pushing and disappearing inside her. It also showed a wanton woman with disheveled hair, swollen lips and heavy-lidded eyes. Courtney reveled in her sexuality and bounced on Jasper, her bottom jiggling.
Jasper was enjoying watching Courtney get off. “Yes, baby, you are in control, ride me!”
With her legs on either side of his muscular thighs, Courtney slammed into him and Jasper arched his hips upward so he could pound into her. Courtney panted and threw her head back. Her breasts jutted forward and Jasper used it as an opportunity to ravish them—suckling and pulling one and then the other into his mouth. Courtney surrendered and gripped Jasper’s shoulders, screaming out his name as her orgasm overtook her.
“I’m going to come,” Jasper said as pleasure roared through him. He pushed hard one final time before he collapsed back to the bed.
When they were done, neither of them could move; all they could do was give each other a satisfied smile before drifting off to sleep.
* * *
Andrew Jackson fumed as he sat in the study of his twenty-bedroom plantation on the outskirts of Marietta later that night. He sat at a large mahogany desk with the lamp on low lighting. A half-full cognac decanter sat next to his empty glass. Andrew reached for it again and poured himself another generous glass. He was still smarting over the fact that his son had deserted him publicly in front of all those damn Adamses a week ago. Andrew could spit he was so angry.
He’d given that boy everything money had to offer. He had the best toys, the finest clothes and a superb education, bar none. He’d even bought an Aston Martin in preparation for his sixteenth birthday, but Jasper had just spit it back in his face. Told him he was going to live with his mama. He was just as ungrateful as she was.
The only reason he’d married Abigail was that he’d knocked her up. He’d been drunk the night he met her and on a bender. He’d just found out that his former best friend was going to marry Elizabeth. The knowledge tore through his heart like a bullet. He still had the scars because he’d never recovered from the wound.
Nevertheless, the moment he’d found out he was going to be a father, he’d slapped a ring on the backwoods girl and m
arried her. His father would have expected nothing less from a true Southern gentleman. Not to mention the fact that she might be carrying his heir. And she had been. She’d tried to have other children, but Abigail and pregnancy didn’t mix after that, and she’d suffered two miscarriages in the span of three years.
If she wasn’t going to be a broodmare, Andrew hadn’t seen much use for her. It wasn’t long before he began straying from the marital bed. Of course, he had been having affairs before then, because despite fixing her up in the best clothes, hair and makeup, Abigail was just a poor country girl with no skills in the bedroom. She eventually got the hint that he had no feelings for her whatsoever and took a hike.
The one good thing she’d done was produce a son. His son. Jasper had been the joy of his life from the day he was born, which was why he’d fought tooth and nail to keep him. It was only when Jasper had found out some of his business secrets that he’d had to let him go. And he had done so, because deep down he always thought Jasper would see the error of his ways and come back someday. Kind of the way he thought Elizabeth might leave Byron and come back to him, but neither of those scenarios had ever happened.
Instead he’d married or settled again. This time to his current wife, Blythe, who already had a daughter, Monica. Blythe had been a single mother working as an administrative assistant at Jax Cosmetics. She’d been happy to get out of her nowhere job and move up to the house on the hill with her daughter. She was tall and a beauty, a real nice arm piece, but he didn’t love her either. He doubted he would ever love a woman other than Elizabeth. And Monica, well, she was truly the son he never had. She was cunning and ruthless, a real ballbuster. She was just like him, but she still wasn’t Jasper.
The more time passed, the angrier Andrew got. Over the years, he’d had some slightly successful attempts at damaging Byron’s company by stealing a couple of employees, ensuring that their shipments broke down and things like that. But none of them were as brilliant as convincing the vengeful actress Noelle Warner to come to his aid, thanks to Ethan’s enormously large ego in thinking he could have an ex working for him with no repercussions.
Formula for Passion Page 14