by Tawny Amaya
She laughed, warming my body with the sound. “I wish. Do you know your parents are having over five hundred people here in less than twenty-four hours? I have so much to do to get ready.”
“Then have dinner with me tonight,” I blurted out. I wanted to spend time with her in any way possible. Screw it if I looked desperate. “I’ll even have the cook make us something.”
“Oh, don’t bother him!” she said. “He’s so busy.”
“Fine, we will go out then.”
She bit her lower lip, and I felt the flare of heat shoot straight to my groin. She was going to be the death of me. “Alright.”
I grinned. “I’ll pick you up at seven.”
She smiled and pulled off, heading down the path, and I walked back to the house, whistling. Tonight, I would seduce Bree Wilkinson. I was running out of time to do so, and if I didn’t take this opportunity tonight, I might not have another one. It wasn’t right, to think of her in that way, but I was beyond caring. The heated look she had given me last night was enough for me to know she was feeling the same way. It was up to one of us to make a move and I sure as hell was going to move the fastest.
******
CHAPTER 10: Bree
I was going out on a date with Jackson Temple.
The thought had crossed my mind more than once throughout the rest of the day, and now I was standing before the bathroom mirror, attempting to not look nervous.
But I was nervous, a great deal nervous in fact. There were many times during my teenage years that had I imagined going on a date with him, what it would feel like, and how I would act. Now, though, as an adult, well, I was still thinking the same thing.
A knock on the door pulled me out of my thoughts, and I drew in a deep breath, walking out of the bathroom. It was now or never. I didn’t know what the night was going to hold, but the flutters in my stomach told me exactly what I was going to experience tonight. Was I ready? I would never be ready, but I was willing to try.
Walking to the back door, I opened it and took my view of Jackson, dressed in a light green dress shirt and khakis. He had that come hither grin on his handsome face, and I felt my stomach bottom out to my feet. I couldn’t handle this man. The teenager I had mooned over was gone and in his place, was this gorgeous man that was way out of my league.
“You ready?”
I nodded, unable to trust my voice and walked outside, shutting the door behind me firmly. His car sat idling in the drive, the top off and I climbed in, setting my purse on the floor. The night was gorgeous, the stars already starting to peek out from the dusky sky, the temperature perfect for a late summer day. “I hope the weather stays like this all weekend,” I commented as Jackson climbed into the car and started to back it down the driveway.
“My mom does as well,” Jackson replied as he maneuvered the car onto the road, pointing it toward town. “I don’t think the weather would want to handle her wrath if it wasn’t.”
I smiled. Every bride should have a perfect wedding day, and I was sure that Mrs. Temple was no different. “Where are we going?”
His grin was barely visible in the dying light. “That’s for me to know and for you to find out.”
I sat back, curious as we sped down the highway, unable to find anything wrong with this date so far. I mean Jackson could take me to the local burger joint, and I would be happy. I was with Jackson.
He pulled down a familiar road, the headlights hitting a familiar spot and I let out a laugh, unable to help it. “No way.”
Jackson put the car in park and looked over at me. “You remember this?”
I bit my lip as I looked at the place before us, the sudden rush of emotion catching me off guard. “Of course, I do. It was the best and worst night of my life.”
Jackson laughed as he opened the car door. “Come on. I promise it will be better this time.”
I climbed out of the car and walked to the gazebo, where a picnic basket sat on the wooden bench. The gazebo was really in the middle of nowhere, not far from the estate with a breathtaking view of the lake below. It was a popular place to take gorgeous pictures for proms, graduations, and weddings and most of the time was occupied. “How did you even remember this?” I asked as Jackson walked up the stairs and joined me.
He chuckled, a grin on his face. “You’d be surprised what I remember, Bree.”
I shook my head as I sat down on the bench, Jackson walking over to the basket and pulling out a bottle of wine from the vineyard. He popped it open and produced two solo cups, pouring the wine into them. I took one of the cups and took a healthy swallow of the potent stuff. Surprisingly, I was not much of an alcoholic drinker, but I took another swallow for fortitude. This was probably the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for me, including one particular night nearly twelve years ago.
I attempted to hold back the tears, not believing that this was happening to me. I shouldn’t have trusted Luke, to begin with, his invitation to prom coming out of thin air. We didn’t know each other really, and now I felt like it might have been more of a dare for a high school senior to ask out an unassuming fifteen-year-old.
What he didn’t realize was that I actually liked him. With a sigh, I leaned back on the bench, looking at the water below. I had spent every last penny of my savings on this dress, styling my hair and even putting on heels to impress the senior. Now all of that was a moot point. He wasn’t coming.
Headlights caught my attention, and I pushed off the bench, a tear streaking down my face as I hurried to wave them down. I had gotten my father to drop me off here, thinking Luke was a better guy and now if I didn’t get a ride back to the estate, then it was going to be a long walk home. In the dark.
The car slowed, and I wiped my face, my mascara no doubt running. Without a mom to help out, I had done the best I could with adult makeup. For no reason.
The car door opened and I blew out a breath as I recognized a familiar face. “Jackson.”
“Bree,” he exclaimed, hurrying over to me. “What the hell are you doing out here, alone?”
I looked up at my handsome neighbor and burst into tears, hearing him curse before his arms wrapped around me. “H-he stood me up.”
“Asshole,” Jackson said, tightening his grip. “I’ll beat his ass. Don’t worry.”
I choked out a laugh, tears still streaming down my cheeks. “I, all I wanted to do was dance.”
He pulled back and smoothed my hair out of my face, his expression hard to read. “Dance.”
I nodded, and Jackson let me go, walking back to the car and turning up the radio. I watched as he approached me, grabbing my hand and tucking it against his chest as his arm encircled my waist. “A dance you shall have,” he murmured, pulling me close.
“You saved me that night,” I finally said after a moment.
“All I did was dance with you.”
******
CHAPTER 11: Jackson
I watched as Bree drew in a breath, my nerves on edge. When I had started to think about dinner tonight, there was only one thing I wanted to do, and it wasn’t dinner.
But then this memory popped into my head, and I knew if I was going to win her over, this was the way to do it. Apparently, it was working like a charm.
She looked at me, her eyes shining with tears and I felt a kick to my midsection, remembering how she had looked that night, so alone and beat down when her damn prom date hadn’t shown. I had been just a kid back then, and she had been my best friend. Of course, I was going to rescue her. It was my job to do so.
So why was I feeling the same way now? Why did I feel like I should take her into my arms and never let her go? I only wanted to have sex with her or at least that was what I was telling myself.
“More wine, please.”
Shaking out of my troubled thoughts, I reached for the bottle and filled her empty cup to the top, figuring she could use the extra alcohol. “I didn’t mean to make this a bad night.”
“Oh, you didn’t,” she s
aid softly, a hint of a smile on her face now as she took a sip. “There was nothing bad about that memory, thanks to you.”
Feeling vaguely uncomfortable with the sudden rush of tenderness, I stood, draining my own cup. “Are you hungry?”
“Depends on whether it has pineapples on it or not.”
Leave it up to Bree to break the tension. I grinned as I pulled the food out of the basket, turning back to face her. “This is the best I could do.”
She eyed the brown bag before bursting into laughter. “Is that burgers?”
I nodded. “You were right. The chef nearly ran me out of the kitchen when I asked for a dinner for two. I had to resort to the burger joint in town.”
“It’s perfect,” she said as I dug around in the bag. I doled out the burgers and chose the seat across from her, still unsure of how I felt about the turn of direction for this night. Despite the years of separation between us, I felt like I had never left for college or left Bree.
“God this is good,” she announced a moment later, a large bite missing out of her burger. “But I bet you are used to this food all the time in the big city.”
I frowned as I looked down at my burger. “Not really.” Half the time I was schmoozing with customers in expensive restaurants, racking up the corporate credit card. I always left it up to them to pick where we ate.
“What?” she said, looking at me funny. “You live in the greatest city for food, and you are telling me you don’t enjoy it?”
I shrugged, not sure what to say. My life in New York was vastly different than what I was experiencing this weekend. Work covered most of my day, and up until recently, Monica covered the rest, and the last thing she did was eat. Hell, she would probably have a heart attack if I had handed her a burger like I had Bree.
“Well it sounds like I need to make a visit then,” Bree said, polishing off her burger and glass of wine. “Somewhere between college and your job, you’ve become nothing but a workaholic, Jackson. You know that’s not good for you.”
I chuckled and put my burger back in the bag, not hungry now. Bree’s eyes were shining from the alcohol, her face flushed and I knew we were about to get into something. “Glad to hear you are worried about my health, Bree.”
She stood and stumbled back a few steps, grabbing onto the side post to steady herself. Bree had never really been a drinker growing up, having nipped a few of the wine bottles back in our teenage years. It was good to see that some things truly never change. I rose to my feet as she giggled, reaching out to grab her hand. She stumbled into me, and I grabbed her around the waist, flushing her body to mine. Her hands reached out and gripped my shoulders, her eyes colliding with mine. “You’re so strong,” she said, a catlike smile on her face. “And so gorgeous.”
I flushed with heat as her body melted against mine, fighting the urge to lower her to the floor and have my way with her. “You’re drunk Bree.”
“I am not,” she pouted, her fingers trailing up my neck to delve into my hair. “but if I was, at least you are here to save me again.”
What I wanted to do to her had nothing to do with saving. Groaning inwardly, I curled my arm around her waist. “You were never one to hold your alcohol darling.”
“Darling,” she sighed, laying her head on my shoulder. “I’ve always wanted to hear you call me that.”
“Why?”
“Because it would mean you would like me.”
“I like you far too much Bree.”
She blew out a breath as I navigated us down the stairs and toward my car, our night officially over with. There would be no seduction tonight.
I loaded her into the car and drove back to the cottage, helping her out of the car with some difficulty. “Is your father home?” I asked as we walked to the back door.
“Course not silly,” she giggled, her words slurring a bit. “It’s his poker night.”
Thank god. I doubted he would want to see his daughter like this. I got her into the house and maneuvered us down the hallway to her room, forcing her in. “You need to go to bed Bree.” She was going to hate herself in the morning.
“Bed?” she asked as I got her sit down on the bed. “Aw Jackson, you are such a party pooper.”
“I’ve been called worse,” I muttered, bending down to remove her heels. “You’ll thank me in the morning.”
She made a sound, and I rose, finding myself being pulled over onto her. “Please don’t leave me,” she whispered, her voice having an emotional edge to it now. “I-I miss you when you are gone.”
Not exactly what I wanted to hear. I wanted to seduce the hell out of her, not feel these emotions with every word. “I’m not going anywhere.”
She apparently liked my answer, curling her hands into my shirt as I shifted my body so that we were lying side by side. I breathed in her scent as I smoothed back her hair, seeing that her eyes were already closed, her breathing even. How in the hell did I get myself into this type of mess?
It was Bree. I was never one to say no to her. Looking down at her face, I felt an ache in my chest. She had pleaded with me not to leave her, but I was going to. In three days, I was going to drive off yet again and leave her here, amongst the vines and even more memories of our time together.
******
CHAPTER 12: Bree
My head hurt.
No, it didn’t just hurt, it was splitting in two, and my mouth tasted like old socks.
I winced as I opened one eye, groaning at the sun as it shone on the wall above my TV. My entire bed smelled, like, like.
I shot up then, ignoring the wave of nausea that hit me and looked down at my state of dress, finding that all my clothes, including my underwear, were still in place. Letting out the breath that I didn’t know I was holding, I laid down carefully, wanting to bury my head in the pillow instead. So, I didn’t have sex with Jackson. I didn’t know if that was a blessing or a curse really. I had such high hopes for last night, especially when he had taken me to the gazebo.
But after that, I didn’t remember much.
“You’re such an idiot,” I muttered to myself, grinding my eyeballs with the backs of my hand. What had I done last night, when I got home? What had I said?
I couldn’t very well wallow in my self-pity and embarrassment either. Tonight, was the rehearsal dinner and in two days, Jackson would be gone, and I would be left here, alone.
Groaning, I forced myself to get up, the sun already well up in the sky. There was so much to do today, and even with a hangover, I was going to have to get it done.
And not think about Jackson leaving.
I walked to the kitchen and saw a glass sitting on the counter, the dark liquid looking like sludge. Was my father doing some kind of weird soil experiment? I walked over and saw a piece of paper sticking out underneath it, some familiar, bold writing on the white background. Picking it up, I read the contents.
A cure for your hangover.
You slept like a baby.
See you tonight.
My cheeks heated as I reread the words, no signature needed to know who it was from. So, he had stayed some if not all of the night last night. How embarrassing. He probably did it so I wouldn’t choke on my vomit because I was a dumbass and got drunk while on a date with a hot guy.
“Ugh,” I uttered, picking up the drink and sniffing it. Not only did it look like dirt, but it also smelled like it too. There was no way I was drinking that.
“You look like death.”
I looked up to find my father in the doorway, his clothes already covered in smudges of dirt and mulch. “I feel like it.”
He chuckled as he stripped off his gloves, slapping them on his palm. “I caught Jackson Temple sneaking out of the house this morning.”
Embarrassed, I busied myself with pouring the drink down the drain. “Nothing happened.”
“You’re old enough to take care of yourself, Bree.”
I wasn’t, but I wasn’t going to mention that to him right now. My father
walked over to the fridge and opened the door, grabbing the eggs from the shelf. “A good cure for a hangover is a hearty breakfast.”
I groaned as my stomach rolled at the thought of eating. “I think I am just gonna take a shower.” I was almost to the door before he stopped me. “I can’t tell you what to do, all I can tell you is to be careful baby girl.”
Sudden tears rushed my eyes, and I blinked them away. “Thanks, dad.”
“Anytime.”
I walked to the bathroom, shutting the door behind me before sinking down on the toilet, my head in my hands. My head wasn’t the only thing that was hurting. It was my heart as well. Jackson had stayed the night with me. Plus, he had tried to be romantic, which had been far above what I thought we were going to do last night.
I wasn’t stupid though. There was no doubt the look of intensity he gave me, the heat that we danced around and pretended didn’t exist. It was there all right, and I had thought that maybe last night would have been the night.
But then I had gone and screwed it up. It was because of the stupid memory of the gazebo that had me drinking so much. He had remembered too, which was surprising to me given the time we had spent apart.
That and it hadn’t been anything for him to remember. Sure, it had been a single most important night of my teenage years, but to him, it could have been just another night he had saved Bree Wilkinson from certain embarrassment. We hadn’t talked about it before last night, and I had woken the next morning embarrassed that I had been stood up more so than I had been concerned about being in Jackson’s arms.
But now, now we were adults, our lives on two different tracks. Maybe it had been better for last night to turn out the way it had. That way I wouldn’t be nursing the hurt of him leaving.
Who was I kidding? It didn’t matter if we had slept together or not. What I felt for Jackson ran deeper than any sexual encounter ever could. I had denied it for years, chalking up my feelings to my adolescent years and a crush, but deep down inside, I knew I was in love and would forever be in love with Jackson Temple.