“I just don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
If her feelings were a totem pole, uncomfortable wouldn’t even be on it. Nervous, anxious, confused, maybe a little happy, definitely excited, and now she was disappointed. And they’d be stacked in that order, especially now that he wouldn’t be kissing her as much.
“Oh, well, if you think we need to be a little more affectionate to sell it to Hannah, it’s okay.” Boy, it was hot in the kitchen, and the only thing sizzling was him.
His lips quirked at the corners. “You’d take one for the team?”
“As long as it’s yours.”
“Bret was a truly lucky man.”
She nearly fanned herself; her face felt so hot. “Uh.”
Her words seemed locked in her brain. Jackson had again complimented her, and she found herself liking it more and more. She had no idea what to say in return. So, she decided to turn the conversation back on him. “Do your arms still hurt?”
Jackson tipped her chin up. A playful smile greeted her, like her dodge hadn’t worked. “You’re an incredible woman, Grace Maddox.”
A hurricane of butterflies hummed in her stomach. His fingers were lightning rods, and her skin tingled everywhere he touched. Before she could respond, Hannah returned to the kitchen.
Jackson dropped his hand and cut a glance at Hannah. “I had an idea.”
“What now?” asked Hannah.
“Why don’t we go check out that stream tomorrow? We’ll scout it, and if it’s a nice place to go camping, we’ll plan for it sometime soon.” He winked at Grace.
Grace lowered her gaze and rolled her lips in. According to Jackson, it was something Hannah would hate. He might be letting her stay, but this was his way of giving her a smack on the wrist.
Hannah groaned. “That’s not my idea of a break.”
“You don’t have to go,” Grace said.
Hannah took a deep breath through her nose and let it out through her mouth. “You know what? I need to take a step out of my comfort zone. I’m going to have a positive attitude and go.”
“Okay, then the three of us can go. We’ll take a few sandwiches, some swimsuits, and see what the day brings.”
“Sounds great.” Hannah held her smile, but her jaw was clenched and her tone tight. She didn’t want to go camping any more than Grace wanted to take a stroll through a snake pit.
Grace chewed her bottom lip and grinned. “I think it sounds perfect.”
Jackson leaned forward and kissed Grace’s cheek. “I think it’s your turn for the shower.”
“Yeah, I can smell myself.” She laughed.
As she stood, Jackson curled his fingers around her hand, squeezing it before letting it go. “Dinner will be done when you get back.”
“Okay.” She smiled and quickly walked from the kitchen.
Her whole body thrummed from his touch. The memory of him kissing her roared to life, and as she reached the second floor, she leaned her back against the wall.
What was happening? Hadn’t she told him it was just a business relationship? She didn’t want to hurt him. Why was she letting him affect her like that? And why had she told him it was okay to kiss her and that he could do it again? If he needed her to? It was more like she wanted him to.
She rubbed the spot over her heart. It felt like a grape being crushed under a thousand pairs of feet. Next time, she’d have to keep her wits. If she led Jackson on and hurt him, she’d never forgive herself. She had to go back to Houston. Her life was there. His life was here. She was just here to help him restore the house. Next time, she’d be sure to keep that in the forefront of her mind.
Chapter 12
It’d been a while since Jackson had ridden a horse any length of time. The distance to the stream was a little farther than he anticipated, and it took longer to get there. His legs and butt were on the sore side, so he could only imagine how Grace and Hannah felt.
They rode in silence most of the way, giving him too much time to think about the kiss the day before. Whew, had it been a scorcher. If he let his mind drift enough, he could still feel the softness of her skin. It had kept him up most of the night too.
“You think we’re close?” Hannah asked.
Jackson shrugged, almost grateful for the distraction. He needed to tame those thoughts before they got him into trouble. “I don’t know. I didn’t think it’d be this far.”
“It’s been nice,” Grace said, shielding her eyes with her hand as she looked up. “There’s mostly been cloud cover. I was thinking it was going to be much hotter.”
He nodded. “Yeah, me too. So far, that little breeze we’ve been getting has helped with the heat.”
Hannah gasped. “Is that water I hear?”
All three of them were quiet, trying to listen.
“I think you’re right,” Jackson said.
A few minutes later, they were stopping their horses and surveying a wide stream of beautiful water. Willows lined the area, and beautiful dark green grass was everywhere. It was like an oasis. Not that the rest of the area wasn’t lush and green. This part was just more so.
“This is great,” Grace said as she stopped her horse next to Jackson’s. “I can’t wait to come back and camp.”
Hannah dismounted and took her horse to the water. “I have to admit, this is really nice. If I was staying here and I liked camping, this would be five stars.”
“Yeah, this is better than I hoped for.” Jackson threw his leg over and slid to the ground.
Grace copied Jackson and slid to the ground. “Oh, wow, my legs feel like jelly, but that was fun.” She wobbled to the edge of the water and smiled her brightest smile. The one that made his heart race. “This is unbelievable. People will be clamoring to ride out here and camp.”
“I think so too,” Hannah said. “I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but the longer I stand here, the more I think I wouldn’t mind camping here. I even want to go swimming now.”
“Me too.” Grace pulled off her boots and then peeled her clothes off.
Jackson turned away. The last thing he needed was more images of Grace keeping him awake at night. He knew she was attractive, but mercy, she had a great body. She didn’t feel the need to show it off either. Her little one piece hit all the right spots, though.
“Oh, the water is great. A little on the cool side, but after riding, it feels good,” Grace said.
He turned, and she’d waded out to her waist.
“It looks a lot faster than it is, too. This is just heavenly.”
Hannah grinned at Jackson, kicked off her boots, and shimmied out of her jeans and t-shirt to reveal a tiny bikini. She placed her hands on her hips and rolled her shoulders back, pushing out her chest. “You going to swim, Jackson?”
Jackson shook his head, and as he looked past her, Grace stared at them with wide eyes. When she realized he’d caught her, she quickly turned around and swam farther out.
“Hannah, I don’t know what your game is, but I’m not playing. I’m not you, and I don’t cheat.” He quickly took his boots off and stripped down to his swim trunks. “I’m not interested in you.”
She scoffed. “You like what you see. You always did.”
“Yeah, well, people can change, right?” He pierced her with a look and stalked off into the water.
Never in his life had he wished so badly to go back in time and rectify ever giving her the time of day. He pushed through the water toward Grace, who had her back to him.
“Grace, she was just being…”
“Hannah.”
“Yeah.” He raked his hand through his hair. “Are you upset?”
She threw a tiny glance over her shoulder at him. “I don’t know. I shouldn’t be. This is pretend, but it bothers me that she does that stuff. And after last night, when I know what she’s trying to do…”
“It hurt your feelings?”
“Yes,” she said softly.
He stepped closer and wrapped his arms a
round her, pulling her back against his chest. “You have no reason to be upset.”
“She has more…assets.”
“Nah, she thinks she does, but all she’s got is on the outside. There’s nothing inside. Not like you. Not only are you beautiful, but you’ve got the things that matter. Things time won’t wrinkle or break. Like how you fight for people, your talent, your kind nature. A whole heap of things that are worth more than double anything she’s got.”
She turned in his arms and looked up at him. “I don’t even know why I let her get to me.”
Man, did the sun bring out those sapphire eyes of hers. They twinkled and shined. His heart picked up speed. “Well, don’t let her.”
Her lips twitched at the corners. “I’ll try not to.”
“Good.” He paused and flashed a wide smile. “Ready to have some fun?”
“Don’t you dare.”
“You don’t even know what I was gonna do.”
She quirked up an eyebrow. “I’ve been around enough men in water to know exactly what that face means.”
“My face? My face is innocent.”
Grace backed away. “That’s what your lips are saying, but the rest of you has other plans.”
She had him there. He lunged for her and grabbed her around the waist.
“Jackson! Don’t you dare!”
He held her as he let himself fall backward, plunging them into the water. The cool stream rolled over them, and he stood them back up. He let her go and scrubbed his face with his hands. “Now, was that so bad?”
When he opened his eyes, he was met with a murderous glare. “Pay. Back.”
“I’m bigger than you.”
“I’m feistier and quicker.”
Faster than he could say spit, she was on him, her fingers zipping around his ribs and stomach faster than lightning strikes. “Stop it! No. Tickling.”
“You dunked me. All’s fair, Jackson.”
“Is this love or war?”
She froze, and he took advantage of it, grabbing her around the waist again and pinning her arms behind her back. “No. More. Ticklin’.”
She pointed her face up at him. “Big baby.”
In an instant, the air around them felt charged. Her lips were so close. It was like a crab was sitting on his shoulder singing to him. He hadn’t kissed her all day, and to keep up pretenses, he needed to kiss her, right? For Hannah to keep believing the ruse? A quick kiss would be okay.
His head and his heart pounded the gavel and screamed, “So ordered.” He pressed his lips to hers and held them there a breath before releasing her hands.
She pulled back, and stormy eyes met his. For a brief second, he thought she’d walk away. Instead, she took his chin in her fingers and pulled his lips down to hers.
He wrapped his arms around her, and he couldn’t hold her tightly enough. The quick kiss he’d decided on was a sign in the rearview mirror.
She nipped his bottom lip with her teeth, teasing and caressing his lips with hers. It was like gasoline running through his veins, and he’d been touched with a lit match. He kept one arm around her and held her face in his hand, capturing her lips with his.
“All right, enough. I got the message,” Hannah called from a few feet away.
Grace pulled back, and for a second, she held his gaze, looking stunned. “Well, I guess that’ll show her, huh?” she whispered.
Is that why she’d kissed him like that? To get back at Hannah? Isn’t that why he’d kissed her in the first place? This show of theirs was getting confusing. He was tempted to get a calendar and count down the days until this was over. “Yep, we sure did.”
“I’m ready for some lunch, are you?”
Actually, he wasn’t hungry at all. He felt like he’d been kicked in the gut, and for no good reason. It was nuts. He’d just met her, and they were business partners. He didn’t want more than that anyway. She was his interior designer, and he was her landlord.
He pushed down all the crazy thoughts and ignored his twisting stomach. “Starved.”
“This’ll be so great. People will love coming here. You’re going to have a packed house.”
“That’s the plan.” He lowered his voice to keep Hannah from hearing. “I mean, that’s why you’re staying here, right? To see this place working again?”
She smiled and pulled away. “Exactly.”
Jackson nodded and walked to the edge of the water, kicking water onto the grass as he stepped onto dry land. He parked himself close enough that he could still poke his toes in the stream. His thoughts were wild and raging. One minute he was fine, and the next he felt miserable. It made no sense at all.
He chuckled to himself. It was loneliness. Being by himself for so long had gotten to him. That’s what it was. Months of solitude had made everything feel more intense. Why hadn’t he thought of that before? If it wasn’t Grace, it’d be someone else.
His gaze landed on her as she wrung water out of her hair, and his pulse jumped. She certainly had an effect on him.
When she turned, her eyes locked with his, and he swallowed hard. Well, there went that theory. Was he lonely? Sure, but there hadn’t been a woman who made his heart race like her. She checked all his boxes and organized them by color.
If he felt this way already, how was he going to feel when she was packing her things and leaving? How could he keep his head on straight until then? Could he?
Her cheeks turned pink, and she pulled her gaze away. Was it possible she was having trouble too?
Chapter 13
The sun beat down on Grace through the intermittent clouds as it made its way to the treetops. She’d pulled herself out of the water after kissing Jackson, but not before taking a few dips to cool the heat coursing through her. Her plan to keep her lips to herself had been thrown out the window the moment he bent down and kissed her.
The man could kiss, and goodness help her, she sure liked being kissed by him. Hannah had crowed, and that was that. It was over before it’d barely begun. When Jackson leaned back with an unreadable expression written on his face, she knew she’d gone too far. In hindsight, Hannah breaking the spell wasn’t a bad thing.
She hadn’t meant to kiss him like that, but his lips were so soft. He’d wrapped his arms around her, and her brain had gone to mush. If he hadn’t been holding her, she would have drowned. This pretend junk was getting to her.
What happened to her plan to keep their partnership in the forefront of her mind? Him. What was it about him that made her so, well, gooey. She closed her eyes and started ticking things off like she was at a grocery store. He had arms the size of missiles, muscles that could give Superman a run for his money, his smile made her heart dance—what was she doing? She needed to get her purse and leave this store immediately before she got to the more important qualities she liked about him.
A current of air moved as a body sat beside her. She didn’t know who she wished it was, Jackson or Hannah.
“He is a good guy, you know?” Hannah’s voice was nails on a chalkboard at the moment.
Grace peeked at Hannah with one eye and remained quiet.
Hannah pulled her knees to her chest and put her arms around her legs. “I think that’s what’s messing with me. I made so many mistakes, and I hurt him. He was a rodeo star, and I liked that. People would shower me with attention too. It was fun, and I didn’t want it to end. I guess it got to me, and when he said he wanted to quit, I lost it. I did a lot of stupid things.”
Grace sat up and crossed her feet at the ankles. “You’re a manipulative woman, aren’t ya?”
Hannah grinned. “Yeah, I am.”
“And you know I know that, so I don’t know what game you’re trying to play.”
“Better to have your relationship tested now than later.”
Grace cocked an eyebrow. “Honey, I’m confident enough in my man to leave him in a room alone with you until the chickens roost. He’d never be unfaithful to me.” She nearly choked. Where had t
hat come from? Oh yeah, she had binge-watched some reality show where the main character didn’t put up with stupidity. Maybe she was channeling that.
Hannah chuckled. “You do seem a lot more confident than I gave you credit for.”
“If you think you’re coming to my party to run me over, you better get a bigger truck. And if you think I’m putting you on the curb, you’ve got another think comin’. Jackson needs help getting his family’s bed and breakfast running. If I have to walk over bodies to see that it happens and to see him happy, then that’s what I’ll do.”
“Consider me warned.”
Oh, this woman. Grace took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to keep her temper in check. “Now, if you want, we can be friends, and if you don’t, that’s fine too. I won’t put up with your nonsense, and if you say something to hurt him again, you’d best hope someone holds me back. Are we clear?”
“We’re clear,” Hannah said and stood. “Game on.”
Grace shielded her eyes with her hand as she looked up at her. “Hope you’re ready to congratulate me, because I don’t lose.”
“What’s going on?” Jackson asked.
“Just a talk between women, honey,” Grace said. “Just a friendly talk.”
Hannah smiled. “Yep.” She walked to the bag they’d brought food in and pulled out a bag of chips. From there, she found herself some shade and plopped down.
Jackson took a seat next to Grace. “If that was a friendly talk, why is your face so flushed?”
“She was trying to manipulate me, and I called her on it.”
“How did you know she was trying to do that?”
Grace leaned back. “Jackson, please. She strips down to her itsy-bitsy like she’s some feature in a Sport Illustrated swimsuit magazine and then comes over here, acting like some bird with broken wings? Uh, no.”
He cleared his throat. “You always speak your mind like that?”
“Mostly. I don’t know how I managed to do what I just did. I think I channeled a Jersey Shorer just now.”
The Cowboy's Fake Marriage (Sweet Fake Marriage Romance Book 1) Page 9