by Gina Watson
Hmm, Clara smelled a rat. She would bet money the woman chose nursing so that she could meet doctors. It wasn’t uncommon and she seemed to fit the bill.
“What branch of medicine are you in?” Lexi asked.
“Emergency.”
“Oh, emergency is the worst.” Her arms flailed as she talked. “In school we had to do a rotation in emergency. It sucked. Had to be on call and it was just the worst hours and so messy. Yuck. And there’s so much paperwork and caregiver counseling. I hate emergency. Where will you specialize?”
“I am specializing in emergency.”
“For your career you mean? You actually want to work in emergency.”
“I actually do.” A nervous giggle escaped her throat.
“You enjoy a fast paced setting.”
“Something like that.”
Jackson got up and walked from the room, leaving the two of them alone.
Lexi’s nut-brown eyes shot to Clara. “So you’re the sister.”
“I’m the sister.”
“What’s it like being the only girl in a sea of men?”
She shrugged. “It’s great.”
“What do you do?”
“I work at an Italian restaurant.”
“A waitress.”
“I wait tables, but I also make mozzarella and a few other dishes.”
“That sounds interesting. Do you make that funny smelling cheese too?”
“Funny smelling cheese?”
“You know, the moldy one.”
“Do you mean blue cheese?”
“Yeah that one. They should throw it out once it gets moldy. That’s disgusting.”
“But they add the bacteria to the cheese so that it will age and mold.”
“Eww. It’s added on purpose?”
“Yes.”
Jackson was back and leaned against the fireplace with a smirk on his face. Evidently he thought this funny and Clara thought it anything but. She stood, grabbed her juvenile flip-flops, and walked into the kitchen to sit with the rest of her family. Her brothers discussed plans for the evening that included a dance hall concert by Andres Bellefontaine, one of her favorite zydeco singers. The women all headed upstairs to get ready and left her surrounded by her brothers.
Tired of always being left out, a thought formed in her mind. After all, she was eighteen now and in the state of Louisiana that meant she was legal. Legal enough to walk into a bar anyway. “I wanna go too.”
Clay was the first to answer her. “Baby girl, you don’t belong in a place like that.” He cupped her cheek in his hand and kissed the top of her head.
“Why?” She cocked her head at him. “I like Andres. And why don’t I belong in a place like that, but your wife does?”
The other brothers laughed at the point she was making and Clay raised a brow at her. “Did you say you were currently enrolled in philosophy?”
She felt her nose crinkle at his perplexing question. What did that have to do with anything? “Yeah, it’s utterly boring and useless.”
Logan answered, “Not so useless, you just rendered his logic inadequate.”
“I was trying to be nice, but the truth of it is there will be an odd number. I’ll be worrying after you all night.” Clay grumbled.
“Jackson doesn’t have a partner.” She retorted.
“He’s got Lexi.” Cash had returned and laughed as he discussed Jackson’s plight.
Her skin grew heavy as if it were being pulled down. She’d been unaware Lexi was going and never dreamed she’d go as Jackson’s date, on his arm, in her place. There was no way she’d be staying at the house.
Cash placed his arm around her. “Clara Bear, you’ll be my date. Isa wants to catch up on some much needed sleep and if I’m around it doesn’t really happen since I can’t keep my hands off of her.”
“Ugh.” Clara cupped her hands over her ears. “Spare me the details.” She started to walk from the kitchen, but turned back. “I’m going to get ready, don’t leave without me.”
She ran up the winding staircase taking the steps two at a time. Rounding the corner for the wing to her room she ran into Lexi. Lexi decked out in a red dress way more revealing than the one she’d worn previously. Clara had not thought that was even possible.
The front of the dress cut deep and all the way down to her navel. Lexi whose dress was barely enough to contain her melon sized breasts. Lexi who wore a necklace that was so long the dangling jewels dripped down into her cleavage.
“Hello there. You wouldn’t happen to have a flat iron would you?”
Clara shook her head. “No.”
“Didn’t think so since your hair is”—she regarded her for a moment—“well it’s natural.”
She proceeded down the stairs, the back of the dress as revealing as the front with its low plunge that almost exposed butt crack. Her platform heels were silver and it awed Clara yet again that she could float along as she did in shoes that had her foot at a ninety-degree angle with the floor. The shoes made her butt stick out and the fire engine red lipstick she wore drew attention straight to her mouth.
In her room Clara looked at herself in the mirror. Her lips weren’t as thick as Lexi’s so outlining them in red lipstick just seemed foolish. She undressed and considered her smaller natural looking breasts. Breasts that would get lost in a dress with a plunging neckline. She turned and looked at her scarred up shoulder and back. Deep jagged rivers meandered down to her lower back. The skin puckered white, but in places was darker than the rest of her pigment. She cringed as a burning sensation radiated through her at the memory of her accident. Being back at the estate made those memories more vivid, but she loved this land and would endure the darkness.
She would never, could never, wear something backless. An A-line dress with a floral pattern hung in her closet. It didn’t have sleeves but at least two inches of material covered the shoulders. The dress came to her knees and the only heels she had were beige kitten-style pumps. Compared to Lexi it seemed she was headed to a convent to celebrate her celibacy. She wondered if Jackson would even notice her next to the siren in red.
She took a deep breath and brushed her long bangs down across her forehead, almost covering her eyelids. Calling on her philosophy class she mumbled, “It is what it is.” She could never be the type of woman who would serve as flashy arm candy and she really didn’t want to be, but if Jackson liked that kind of woman then she would reconsider, for him. She wanted to be what he desired and what he needed.
The best thing about me is you. She pulled a post it from the side of her mirror that hadn’t been there before. Jackson. She’d recognize his barely legible scrawl anywhere. She took the piece of paper in her hands and pulled it close to her heart. “I love you Cracker Jack.” Somehow he always knew what she needed even before she needed it. It was more than incredible. She retrieved her purse and placed the note in the pocket and patted the outside with her hand.
Back in the living room everyone was paired off. As she entered, Cash opened his arm to her. “Clara Bear, you’re beautiful. I’ll be the envy of every man.” She smiled at Cash while she basked in his adoring words.
Across the room her eyes connected with sizzling sapphire jewels. Dressed in a gray Henley and black jeans that fit his body like a glove highlighting every muscle, Jackson embodied every woman’s late night fantasy. Her mouth opened and she breathed out a short shallow breath of air. Standing beside him, also taking him in, was Lexi. Her eyes practically bulged as she scanned down his body and back up, but he didn’t connect with her. Instead he stared into Clara’s soul, their connection, even from across the room, was unmistakable and she hoped no one else would become aware.
Since there were fourteen in their party they loaded into two SUVs. Cash and Clara rode with Logan and Jessie, taking the third seat while Lexi and Jackson took the middle.
Jackson turned to face her and smiled. “Bellefontaine’s playing. You love him.”
“I do.” She ret
urned his smile. “I like the rubboard the best.” Lexi turned and observed their interaction.
Lexi began to twirl her fingers in Jackson’s hair. His hand closed over hers as he placed her arm back on her side of the seat. A few minutes later her body inclined toward his and her fingers found their way back into his hair. Her long sculpted nails raked his neck. When he grasped her fingers this time he wasn’t as gentle. He tossed her arm down and said, “Stop.” Her eyes locked with Clara’s and the fire she saw in them made her uneasy. What was she thinking? Was it Jackson’s presence that caused her to look so vibrant?
Next to her, Cash was oblivious as Isa texted him pictures of herself and the baby.
The next few hours were an exercise in futility. Lexi started to drink and became even more belligerent with Jackson than she’d been in the car. Around the dance floor her hands were all over him. He tried to keep his distance, but it was useless. As the night wore on he actually had to hold most of her body weight up to keep her from falling flat on the floor—a sight Clara knew she would enjoy, but felt guilty for thinking.
Leaning against the wall, she and Cash were taking a break when Lexi and Jackson approached, “You wanna give me a break here Cash?”
Cash exhaled through clenched teeth. “I guess I can do that, but to be fair Dad intended her for you.” Cash laughed at his plight. “Probably wouldn’t have to work very hard to take advantage of that either.”
“Not interested.” Jackson’s head shook.
“Yeah, that’s a high maintenance nightmare.” Cash walked over to Lexi who was too drunk to have followed their conversation.
Jackson stood next to Clara and exhaled long and slow. “Bug, you’re so beautiful.” At his words she sat up a little straighter. His thumb slid under the shoulder strap of her dress. “I love you in this dress. So pretty.” He leaned close to her ear and inhaled. “I need you so hard right now. Dance with me.”
He led her to the dance floor and when their connection was finally secured she watched him breath in deep. “Clara, I can’t go so long without touching you. It makes me anxious. I can’t explain it, but I’m like a runaway train. The only thing that can stop me from destructing is you.” His right hand knotted in her left while his arm slid across her back, pulling her in close—so close they were no longer moving their feet, just swaying in the space as couples swirled around them.
Jackson pulled her to a dark corner and that’s when she noticed there were two guys she didn’t recognize dancing with Lexi while others watched from the sidelines. She put on quite a show in her red siren’s dress. The men cheered and whistled, motivating her to continue. Her dress crept up while her neckline plunged creating an erotic display. She seemed like one of those playboy models. Jackson’s face looked pained.
“Jackson?”
“Yeah.”
“You don’t like her?”
His hands on her tugged her into his side. He kissed the spot behind her ear that made her giggle. “She’s all surface with no deep structure.”
Hmm. He spoke in guy code. She didn’t know what he’d meant by that. “Do you like to watch her?”
“The spectacle she’s creating? She’s making idiots of those men. It’s also kind of sad don’t you think?”
“She’s sophisticated and confident. Kind of sexy.” She shrugged.
He pulled back to look down into her eyes. “You know what’s special, Bug?”
“What?”
“The way I make you confident in the privacy of our bedroom. That you save it just for my eyes. That’s sexy. That’s sophisticated.”
She smiled and leaned into his neck using her teeth to trace the slightly raised vein.
“Mmm, don’t do that here or I just might combust on the hardwood floor.”
“I’m not going to stop.”
“I don’t want you to.”
“What are you going to do with her?”
“I guess I’ll see her back to the estate since she’s in no shape to see herself back.”
The light from the bathroom illuminated their private alcove. Eve exited and looked straight into Clara’s eyes and then she took in their provocative position—Clara’s legs wedged between Jackson’s and their bodies linked together with arms that entwined tightly.
Clara’s head popped up from where it rested on Jackson’s shoulder. “Here comes Eve.” Clara knew Eve hadn’t mentioned a word to Clay about their relationship. If she had the atmosphere wouldn’t have been so festive.
“So you two are still together.”
Jackson cleared his throat. “It’s much more than that.”
“Are you deliberately trying to be discovered?”
He shook his head. “The corner is dark until the bathroom door opens.” She turned to test his statement.
“So what’s the plan?” She pointed between them. “You need to come clean and tell the family.”
Clara jumped in. “They will never understand. They won’t accept our relationship.”
“Why not?” Eve frowned.
“Jackson is one of their brothers. It will be seen as betrayal.” Clara’s foot tapped nervously on the dusty floor.
“I stayed with them for a while after my parents died. Until I went off to college.” Jackson clarified.
Dawning spread across Eve’s face. “Oh.”
“But it’s not betrayal, we want to get married.” Clara smiled.
Eve gasped. “Clara!” Her hand went to her chest. “You’re way too young to get married.” She set her intense gray eyes on Jackson. “What are you thinking to allow these fantastic notions to run through her head?”
“Were it up to me, I would have already married her.”
Her head shook. “This is so bad. Clay is just going to kill you.”
Jackson grimaced. Cara didn’t like when Eve said that particular phrase. A phrase she was beginning to use a lot lately. Clara knew Jackson looked up to Clay and the last thing he wanted was to cause a rift between them and lose him as a friend and brother.
“You can help us.” Clara said.
“No.” Her head shook vigorously. “Please don’t ask me to do that.”
“But he’ll listen to you.”
“I can’t talk about this here.” She seemed frayed as she trudged off to link up with Clay on the dance floor.
“Well Bug, we’re loving on borrowed time.” Jackson stared out onto the floor, watching Eve with Clay.
Clara took his hand in hers. “No matter what happens we will always be together.”
He kissed their connected hands. “Always.”
Chapter 7
Given the late hour, the dance hall had emptied by half and some of the brothers had wanted to head back to the house. Jackson tried to pull Lexi away from the dance floor, but he couldn’t get through the pack of rabid males. As a result, they’d missed the first SUV back to the estate. She’d been shoeless for the last hour. The slit in her dress had torn and now was actually revealing things that should not be uncovered in public. When he’d tried to tell her she cooed in his ear and asked if he liked what he saw. He couldn’t be more disgusted with his current predicament. Did her father know she had a drinking problem? He suspected not, but he wasn’t very happy at getting stuck with her for the evening. Meanwhile his sweet Clara was back in her room with the pink-canopied bed. A bed he wished he shared with her.
The night wore on and even the youngest St. Martin brothers had had enough. Cory spoke up from the sidelines where they all currently watched. “Jackson, if you don’t go and physically throw her over your shoulder so we can leave I’ll fucking do it.”
From beneath his arm Brook spoke up, “Over my dead body. She came with Jackson, he needs to be the one manhandling her.”
Exasperated, Jackson exhaled. “She didn’t come with me. She was thrown at me by her father.” Cal laughed from his position atop a barstool.
Chloe took a swig from her beer and said, “It’s been a while since we’ve been able to get ou
t. My stamina for this stuff is not what it used to be. I’m beat. If you don’t go and fetch her, I’ll freaking do it.”
They all laughed and Cal said, “I think you could take her.”
Shit. He headed onto the dance floor to retrieve this privileged daughter of some land tycoon who had an overblown sense of entitlement. What problems did she have that she needed to conduct herself in such a manner? Tomorrow morning when her head was nice and fat because her electrolytes would be out of sync he’d give her a piece of his mind, and he’d do it loudly.
When he arrived at the center of the wooden floor she brashly slurred, “Jackson, you super fine man, get that juicy ass over here and let me grab a handful.”
He bent and shoved his shoulder into her abdomen and threw her over his shoulder.
“Oomph.” She expressed.
He’d be lucky if she didn’t vomit down his back.
“You’re a strong man.” She squeezed his ass.
“Will you please stop violating me?” The brothers howled with laughter. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
Back at the estate he carried Lexi up to her designated room and placed her on the bed. She immediately started to gag so he turned her onto her side and held a trashcan beneath her head. Once she was done gagging he went to the attached bathroom and ran cold water over a rag. On the bed her top had unhooked and her huge jiggly breasts were exposed. And yeah, they were attractive but there were some problems: A) they were silicon, unnatural; B) She’d gone a few sizes too large and they extended the width of her back. He personally didn’t like that look; C) They weren’t Clara’s.
“Will you help me get this dress off?”
Of course he would. He just felt sorry for her now. He peeled the dress down and since she’d been showing what she had all over the dance floor he wasn’t surprised to find her completely naked beneath. He wiped her face with the cold rag and gave her a bottle of water.
“If you stay, I’ll fuck you really well.” Her hand grasped his crotch hard and he instinctively pushed her away. “You like the daughter.”
His head shot up and he looked into her eyes. “What?”