by Tara Mills
When he got home later that night, Jackson changed into his swim trunks and headed upstairs to swim laps. He was too keyed up to sleep, and it was too late to call anyone. Swimming, exercise in general, was always a good way for him to organize his thoughts, exhaust himself mentally and physically. Before he brought Sabrina up here it had been several months since he’d made the trip.
A couple was just leaving when Jackson walked in with his towel over his shoulder. They caught his elevator and left him in peace.
Jackson went over to the wall and shut off the switches, leaving only the underwater lights in the pool glowing. It gave the room an otherworldly feel that he liked. He dropped his towel onto the nearest chair and kicked out of his sandals. Striding to the deepest edge of the pool, he looked out over the illuminated city and stepped off, plunging straight down. When he hit bottom he let his knees bend, then pushed off powerfully with his feet and shot to the surface. He took a breath and set a course for the far side and the marked lanes. Back and forth he went, his pace steady and his arm extensions smooth and strong.
Jackson’s thoughts followed the course of his body, each change in direction shifting his focus. When he was paddling toward the west his thoughts were focused on Sabrina. He remembered their first meeting, her eyes fixed blatantly on his fly. He recalled the rush it gave him, his surprise, amusement, and her obvious embarrassment when she realized what she was doing. At the time, his mind was firing at light speed trying to come up with a way to finesse her name and telephone number out of her. Not only was she startlingly pretty once he really looked at her, but that mixture of brazenness and bashfulness was seductive as hell. The transparency of her thoughts and emotions was equally compelling. Then he recognized her car and the mood had changed in an instant.
Jackson flipped around and paddled to the east and he was at the station. He thought of his responsibilities. He thought of his team, and he thought of how his life was teetering on a precipice that could start an avalanche of changes. One way or another, the dynamic at the station was going to change with the loss of Simon Yeager. Would he drive that wave like Neptune with his feet balanced on the backs of porpoises or would he remain in the water and be engulfed instead? Who knows what creative control he might lose with the next GM? His ego wouldn’t allow that. He liked the idea of taking the station and building it into something to be reckoned with. He had the tools at his disposal. He had the ambition, and he certainly had talented people to help him. Maybe it was time to let off the clutch and see what that baby could do.
Spinning around, he was back to Sabrina—sweet, screwy Sabrina. He chuckled and nearly choked on the chlorinated water. Damn, even miles away she nailed him. How did she get under his skin so fast? He had run the emotional gamut with that woman; arousal, hostility, fury, panic, and—seriously, was he really thinking the word contentment here? No way. Yes, yes, way. Some risks were simply impossible to pass up. He was faced with two of them, and he was pretty sure he knew his next move. He wasn’t a man to pass up a challenge, but he was going to make damn sure he studied them both from every angle first.
****
Jackson was outside Sabrina’s apartment at eleven o’clock sharp the next morning. She opened the door and goggled at him in much the same way his eyes passed slowly over her.
“Wow, you look incredible,” he said, stepping back to enjoy the full effect.
Sabrina blushed profusely, her thrill-o-meter needle off the charts. “Thanks. And you look—amazing.” She said a silent prayer that her roll-on would hold up under this kind of pressure. She had her doubts. “Is this dress okay?”
“Perfect.”
“I’ll get my purse.”
He waited just inside the door, patiently enjoying the way she moved, the flare of her skirt as she turned, and the bare skin on display. She had lovely shoulders and arms, and he was already familiar with her shapely legs.
She caught him looking at her legs and smiled. “So check this out—I’m wearing flats.” She turned her slim ankle and flashed her new shoes. “I’m determined not to trip and knock you down today.”
Jackson laughed. “Let’s wait and see.”
“Oh, come on, I’m making an effort here.”
He grinned. “And I appreciate that.”
If Jackson didn’t know better he would have thought their arrival was the event of the year for his colleagues. Everyone seemed to be waiting expectantly for him and Sabrina.
“They’re staring,” Sabrina whispered as they walked down the grass to the docks. “Why are they staring?”
He leaned closer. “Do you want the honest answer or something less embarrassing?”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Afraid not.”
She groaned. “Hit me with honesty.”
“Your reputation precedes you.”
“You mean…”
“Yep.”
“Why’d you tell them?”
“Calling in late when I’m never late pretty much warranted an explanation.”
“Terrific,” she grumbled.
Yeager himself welcomed them aboard.
Jackson introduced them. “Sabrina, this is the station manager, Simon Yeager.”
She blushed when Yeager gallantly kissed her hand. “I knew Jackson would have a beautiful woman on his arm.”
He gave Jackson a good-natured wink, then folded Sabrina’s hand over his arm and drew her toward the stern. It forced Jackson to follow them if he wanted to reclaim his date. Many more people tracked the trio with their eyes, but no one moved to intercept them.
Without warning Yeager’s face split into a delighted smile, and he cut toward a lovely woman waiting patiently by the rail. He leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek.
“Chloe,” he murmured, the affection in his voice unmistakable, “I’d like you to meet Jackson Murphy and his friend Sabrina…”
“Eckhart,” supplied Jackson.
“Sabrina, Jackson, my beautiful wife, Chloe.” He released Sabrina to put his arm around his wife.
“How nice,” Chloe said with a warm smile, shaking their hands. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
Sabrina turned on Jackson, a sharp rebuke in her eyes.
“Hold it,” he said with a laugh, both hands raised. “I think she means me, Sabrina.” He looked at Chloe to back him up. “Am I right?”
She frowned in confusion. “Yes. Am I missing something?”
“Later, darling,” Yeager said with a chuckle and gave his wife a fond squeeze.
The boat finally cast off, backing away from the docks and heading for the St. Clair River’s open water. The top two decks were filled with cheerful KBHY staff and guests.
Ten minutes later, men and women wearing matching Hawaiian shirts circulated with trays of Champagne and hors d’oeuvres.
Jackson handed Sabrina a delicate flute and took another for himself. “Simon, Chloe, would you excuse us? I want to introduce Sabrina to a few more people.”
“Go ahead,” Yeager said. “I imagine we’ll see you two again later.”
Sabrina smiled and accompanied Jackson to the other end of the deck.
“Over there,” he said, steering her with his hand on the small her back. His touch made her entire spine flare with heat.
They joined another foursome. “Sabrina, this is my right hand, Van Dwyer, Tawny Newcomb, Justin Case, our up-and-coming anchor, and our summer intern Marcie Hopper.”
“Hi.” Sabrina smiled at the group.
Van leaned forward confidentially and cocked his head toward Justin. “You should probably know that we’re the ones who shoved Jackson onto the stage with you a few weeks ago.”
Sabrina brightened. “I heard about you guys. And you’re still walking?”
Van winked. “Well, I’m pretty hard to catch.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” Tawny said with a playful nudge. Van gave her a swift kiss, not caring who saw.
“I understand I have a reputat
ion to live down too,” Sabrina said with good humor.
Justin raised his glass in acknowledgement. “I’d say the crew’s a little curious about you.”
“To put it mildly,” Sabrina said. “When we got here, I could have sworn we were walking on the red carpet in front of the rabid paparazzi.”
Jackson chuckled. “No kidding. That’s exactly how it felt.”
Sabrina smiled at him, then turned back to the others. “So tell me something. What’s the consensus on Jackson’s turtle fixation?”
Jackson’s smile dissolved.
“Oh, I think they’re cute,” said Marcie.
Van laughed. “I think Jackson always wanted to be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.”
Jackson snorted. “Hardly.”
“So you’ve seen his office, then?” Justin asked Sabrina.
“No, I haven’t, but his apartment’s full of them.”
“Oh, it doesn’t end there, trust me,” said Van.
Tawny turned to Jackson. “Have you ever counted all of them?”
“No.”
Van gave Sabrina a devious grin. “So what’s your theory?”
Jackson raised his eyebrows curiously and she blushed at him. “I’m afraid it’s not something I’m willing to share.”
“Oh, now you have to,” said Tawny.
“Sorry.” Sabrina shook her head firmly.
Jackson gave her a grateful smile. “Come on, there are a few more people you haven’t met yet.”
“See you later,” Sabrina said over her shoulder.
As they walked away, he leaned in and asked, “Why did you bring that up?”
“Your turtles intrigue me.”
He laughed and hooked her arm, bringing her over to Becky and her date, who were chatting with Bonnie and her husband Earl.
“I know you,” Sabrina told Becky as they shook hands. “I mean, I don’t know you but I’ve seen you. What’s your name again?”
“Becky, but you probably know me as Sunny Saunders.”
“That’s why I’m confused.”
“Happens all the time.”
Her date offered his hand to Jackson. “Phil Whitaker.”
“Phil.” Then Jackson turned and greeted Bonnie’s husband. “Earl, how’s it going?”
“No complaints.”
“That’s good. You know I—”
But his words were cut off as lunch was announced. They were summoned inside, where large round tables were beautifully set with floral centerpieces, linens, and shining cutlery. Yeager was watching for them when they walked through the door, and he waved them over to his table. Chloe smiled at Sabrina, inviting her to take the chair next to her. Van and Tawny made their way over, followed by Justin and Marcie. As soon as they were settled a woman came around their table asking for their lunch selection. Sabrina chose the delicious shrimp salad and Jackson ordered the fresh tuna. Conversation picked up again, much of it centered on the station.
Sabrina and Chloe, being the only ones without anything to contribute to the topic, chatted pleasantly together about the day they were having, the wonderful meal, and simply let the conversation unfold.
After lunch Jackson quietly invited Sabrina to slip away. They carried their glasses of wine to the prow, where they stood companionably and watched the sharp hull slice lazily through the water.
“The bluffs are beautiful. I’ve never seen them from the river, but I climbed them when I was a scout,” Sabrina said.
Jackson glanced at her and smiled. “You were a scout?”
“Beanie and everything.”
“Sorry I missed that.”
Sabrina laughed and watched the picturesque banks go by.
There were times when the gentle breeze shifted and unexpectedly carried a hint of her fading perfume over to Jackson. He liked that she wore something delicate and floral. It beckoned him, made him want to draw the feminine scent deep inside him. Relaxed by the swaying of the boat, intoxicated by the air and the excellent pinot gris in his hand, and alive to Sabrina’s presence beside him, Jackson was a man at peace with the world.
It was several minutes before Sabrina glanced over and broke the silence. “Thank you for asking me to come along. I can’t remember the last time I felt this relaxed.”
“You’re welcome.” He smiled and glanced at his watch. “Too bad it’s nearly over.”
She turned and leaned against the rail to look at him. “Did you plan to be a news director when you were younger or did it just sort of happen?”
Jackson chuckled. “No. I was going to be a treasure hunter and go down in small submarines to loot old shipwrecks.”
“So how did you find yourself at KBHY?”
“I got a job interning at the station when I was nineteen.”
“And you changed course.”
He shrugged one shoulder and nodded, looking at her for several beats before finally asking, “So how about you?”
“Me? I didn’t know what I wanted to do.” She sighed and looked out over the water. “I thought I wanted to go into education, but that idea fizzled during my second year of college. I knew it was the wrong direction for me.”
His eyes traced Sabrina’s lovely profile, following the soft contours of her face. He liked how her brow curved gracefully down to her little upturned nose. He liked the space between her nose and upper lip, the dare-to-be-natural lips, and her perfect little chin. She had a lovely neck, an edible neck. He wanted a taste of her ears, and his nose wanted to nuzzle and find all the spots she’d dabbed with that faint perfume. It took some effort to return to the conversation. “So what did you do?”
She shook her head and brought her gaze back to his. “I decided to take a break and give myself time to figure out my next move. I was waiting tables at the Oasis part-time, doing the occasional cocktail shift. The more I worked, the more they ended up needing me. I never went back to school. I didn’t even have a chance to think about it, because the Oasis took all my time and energy. So here I sit, caught in a dead-end job with a salary cap that’s sitting right here.” She placed her hand right over her head, touching her hair, and laughed sadly. “I keep thinking it was a mistake not to finish school, but honestly, I still don’t know what I want to do with my life, so I get up every morning and go to my job and feel like life is passing me by.” Her lips trembled at the corner when she smiled. “How’s that for down and depressing?”
“There’s always time once you figure it out.”
“I keep telling myself that.”
“Good.”
They gazed at each other and time seemed to slow. Jackson felt the same recognizable force between them that he’d experienced in the elevator. It collapsed like matter and drew him forward. Sabrina’s chin rose as his lowered and their sweet breath mingled, but just before their lips brushed Sabrina jumped back with a flush, her eyes wide as she looked over his shoulder.
Jackson turned and saw Derek and Tom heading toward them. He silently cursed their piss-poor timing.
“Sabrina,” he said with a heavy sigh, “you haven’t met our sportscaster, Derek Mattox, or our rising reporter, Tom Butler, yet.”
“Tom, Derek,” she said with an uncomfortable smile. How much had they seen, anyway?
Derek hardly spared her a nod before he looked at Jackson excitedly. “I just got word that Keenan Noble got into it with some guy at Hooters and a fight broke out, last count seven guys involved, not counting the assistant manager and the waitress. He made the mistake of trying to break it up and got his nose broken, and the waitress grabbed one of the guys and he bent her fingers back, breaking two of them.”
“Was Noble the only Grizzly?”
“Not sure yet.”
“Is anyone in custody?” Jackson asked.
“It’s still hot.”
Jackson looked around and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the approaching shore. “We should be docking in five minutes. Call the station and make sure there’s a camera crew on their way, an
d you get your ass over there.”
“I want in on this too,” said Tom.
“Fine, go with him. But this is a pro athlete, so I want Derek on camera.”
“Excellent,” Tom said, pumping his fist. They hurried away, Derek’s phone already pressed to his ear.
Sabrina smiled weakly. “Well, that sounds exciting.”
“Hopefully we won’t be the last on the ground.”
“Does this mean you have to go in to work now?”
He hemmed and hawed for a second before nodding. “I want to drop by the station. On the weekends there’s a separate crew and I don’t generally like to step on their toes, but this is a big story and it’s going to have some mileage. I can’t sit this one out.” He looked at her thoughtfully. “You want to come with?”
“To the station?”
“Yes. With you there, I won’t wear out my welcome.”
“You think there’s a chance of that?”
“Good possibility.”
‘Then I’d better.”
“And later, if you’re good, I’ll give you a little tour.”
“I promise I’ll be very good.”
Thrown for a second by her double entendre, Jackson gave her a look hot enough to leave whisker burns in all the right places. Then he caught Sabrina’s hand and ran for the side of the boat so they would be among the first to disembark.
Chapter 20
Sabrina was glad she was wearing flats, because Jackson walked fast when he was excited. They blew through the front doors of the station like a hurricane and raced down the corridor to the news offices. A woman noticed him right away and cut over to meet him.
“Jackson, I thought we’d see you.”
“Lisa. Anything yet?”
She was looking Sabrina over when she answered. “Nothing confirmed, but we got a tip that one of the guys with Noble was Austin Black.”