by Kai Juniper
It's happening again. The feeling is building, even faster than before. When it hits me I'm not prepared for it, or how long it lasts. I'm panting, my hands digging into Jackson's back. I feel his hips jerk forward and then relax.
"Sorry," he mutters, breathing hard. He looks at me. "I couldn't stop."
"What do you mean?"
"I was supposed to wait for you."
"You didn't have to." I smile. "I finished. Twice."
He smiles back. "I was going for three times."
Chapter Nine
He moves off me. "Be right back."
Before I can ask where he's going, he's headed down the hall. I hear the bathroom door open and close and realize he's getting rid of the condom. I didn't even see him put it on. I wasn't thinking about it when we were doing it. Axl refused to wear one after I went on the pill, saying we didn't need it since we'd only been with each other. But that was only true for me. I'm sure he was with that other girl when he was still with me.
Jackson returns, laying beside me and pulling me onto his chest. "Say you'll spend the night with me."
"What if Trystan and Braden come home?"
"They aren't going to check your room."
I kiss him. "Then I'll stay."
He runs his warm hand over my skin. "You still want to get something to eat?"
"Yes. I didn't have much for dinner." I turn to him, laughing. "I made Brock go to that taco place."
"He actually took you there? I can't believe he'd risk being seen there."
"We weren't there long. We had to eat fast so we'd make it to the game on time." I slide my hand up his chest. "Tell me about the Legion game. Was it an easy win?"
"No, this was one we were worried about. The team we played has two new guys and they're fucking tough, built like a damn tank. I swear, you slam into them and they barely move."
"Did you get hurt?"
"Yeah, but that's nothing new. I'll ice it tomorrow and see the massage therapist on Sunday."
"Is she pretty?" I ask, resting my head on his arm.
"She is a HE, so no. I'd rather not have a dude touching me but the guy knows his shit. He's the only person I found that could fix me after a game." Jackson smiles at me. "Why are so jealous?"
"Of your massage guy? I'm not. I just asked what he looked like."
"You asked what SHE looked like."
"It was just a question."
"Rumor, I'm around other girls all the time but you're the one I want. You don't have to be jealous."
"I never was until I was cheated on. Now I assume every girl is out to get my boyfriend."
"You don't have to worry about that with me."
I raise my brows. "Kristen?"
"I'm not doing anything with her. It's over."
"She doesn't seem to think so."
He sits up. "I get that you're finding it hard to trust guys after what your ex did but I can't keep doing this."
"Doing what?"
"Defending myself. I've told you it's over with Kristen and I need you to believe me. If she's here it's because she needs a place to hang out, not because I'm doing anything with her."
"I came here because I needed a place to hang out, and look what happened."
"You came here because you wanted to see me. And I wanted to see you." He runs his hand along the side of my face. "You knew there was something between us. You could feel it. So could I. That's why you kept coming over."
"If that's true then why'd you act like you didn't like me?"
"Because you had a boyfriend. I don't try to steal some other guy's girl."
And yet he did. He dated Andrea, Braden's girl, and Kristen, another girl who had been with Braden.
"That's not really true," I say, knowing it might anger him but it needs to be pointed out. He can't tell me he wouldn't do something if there's proof he's done it before. "You took Braden's girl."
"I didn't take her. She came to me."
"You mean Andrea?"
"Who else would I be talking about?"
"Kristen. Didn't Braden used to date her?"
"They weren't dating. They just went out a couple times. And it was the same thing. She dumped him and came to me. I didn't go after her."
"Does Braden think you did?"
"I don't know, and I really don't fucking care. He can think what he wants. The way he treats girls, he shouldn't be surprised they leave him for someone else."
Jackson's phone dings with a text, and then another.
"You need to check that?" I ask.
He reaches across me to pick up his phone and reads the text.
"Secret message from Kristen?" I ask, knowing I shouldn't keep pushing him to tell me about Kristen but feeling angry that he won't.
He turns his phone to me, showing me her texts.
The first one reads, They're fighting.
"Does she mean her parents?" I ask.
"Yeah."
The second text says, She brought up divorce. We need to talk.
"What does that mean?" I ask. "Why would she need to talk to you?"
"If her mom gets divorced, Kristen will lose even more of her inheritance."
"Yeah? So? Why does that involve you?"
"It doesn't, but it involves Twisted Pine. If Steven gets a huge payout in the divorce, there's a chance he'll give some of it to the school, helping their plan to expand."
"Steven is Principal Edwards, right?"
"Yes."
"So you're helping Kristen make sure Principal Edwards gets nothing in the divorce? What if they don't divorce?"
"They will. Her mom has never had a marriage last more than five years and she's on year three with Steven."
"What are you going to tell her?"
He takes his phone back and texts her, then shows it to me.
I'm with my girlfriend, it reads. We'll talk on Sunday.
"Sunday?" I say. "Why Sunday?"
"Because I'm busy tomorrow." He kisses me. "Didn't I tell you? You're spending the day with me. We'll start with a driving lesson. You can drive us to breakfast."
"I'd love to but I can't. Trystan and Braden will be back and Brock might show up."
"We'll figure it out." His arms wrap around me as he kisses my neck. "Maybe I'll sneak in your room."
"It's too risky. Braden almost caught you tonight. I can't believe he didn't."
"I'm not worried about Braden."
"You should be. If he finds out about us, it's over. He'll tell Brock, who will lock me in my room and put guards at the door."
"That's not gonna happen. Trust me." He pulls me closer. "I just want to stay here all night. Here on the couch. Your naked body wrapped around mine."
Damn, he turns me on. Not just his body but his sexy words. His deep voice.
We remain there, our kisses quickly turning into more. We end up in his bedroom, finishing what we started before falling asleep.
"Rumor," I hear Jackson say.
I flip over in his arms and open my eyes, noticing the light coming through the windows. "What time is it?"
"Eight. Your phone's going off."
I bolt up. "Shit. Where is it?"
He reaches across me and picks it up off the nightstand, handing it to me.
"It's Brock," I say as it continues to ring. "What should I do?"
"Answer it." Jackson gets out of bed. "See what he wants."
"What if he's home looking for me?" I ask, distracted by Jackson's backside. It's all muscle, just like his front.
"It's up to you, but I think you should answer it." He goes in the bathroom and shuts the door.
"Hey, Uncle Brock," I say, yawning for effect. "Why are you calling so early?"
"I thought you'd be up. Are the boys home?"
"I don't know. I've been asleep. I saw them last night and then went to bed. I haven't seen them since."
"I'm hoping they didn't get in any trouble last night. Those first few football parties tend to get out of hand. But as long as the pol
ice didn't show up at my door, we're probably good."
"Did you decide to stay in LA?"
"I will as long as Morgan doesn't kick me out."
I hear her laughing in the background. "Brock, don't say that."
"Is Livia around?"
"She's going out with a friend today. How about you? Any plans?"
"You grounded me, so no, I'm stuck here."
"You could have someone over."
"Good idea. I'll see if Shayla is free."
"Rumor, we talked about this. I don't want you being friends with that girl. You'll only make things more difficult for yourself. Punching a girl was bad enough. You don't need to damage your reputation even more."
"I didn't damage it. People admire me for hitting her. Everyone wanted to and I finally did it."
"It's not going to happen again. Understand?"
"Yes, Uncle Brock," I say in a smart-ass tone. "I'll behave."
"I'll be back tomorrow. Tell the boys to call me when you see them. They're not answering my messages."
"I will. Bye." I put my phone back on the nightstand and sink into the soft sheets, pulling the fluffy down comforter over me.
"What'd he say?" Jackson comes out of the bathroom, a towel around his waist.
"He's staying in LA. Coming back tomorrow." I sit up. "I almost forgot. I need a ride to an ATM. I had to bribe Morgan's bratty daughter to convince her mom to get Brock to LA last night. Cost me five hundred dollars, which I didn't have so I took it from Brock's desk. I have to put it back before he finds out."
Jackson walks to his dresser and opens the top drawer. He comes over to me holding a stack of cash. "Take what you need and put the rest back."
It's a stack of hundred dollar bills.
"I don't need this. Just take me to an ATM."
"I would, but I was thinking we shouldn't be seen around town together, especially during football season."
"You're right. I wasn't thinking about that."
"Just take the money and put it back in Brock's desk before you forget."
I count out the bills, then get up and put the rest of the money back in his dresser.
"You have time for a shower?" I hear Jackson say as he comes up behind me, his arms wrapping around my waist.
"Just a shower?" I say, sounding disappointed.
"Come with me and find out."
I turn and kiss him, running my hands over his muscular chest, already feeling the heat building inside me.
The doorbell rings, startling us both.
"Who the hell is at my door this early?"
"Kristen," I say with a sigh.
"She wouldn't ring the bell. She'd just let herself in, even though I keep telling her not to."
The doorbell rings again.
"Maybe it's a delivery guy," I say.
"Not this early." Jackson lets me go and walks over to his nightstand and picks up his phone.
"What are you doing?"
"Seeing who's there." He swipes through his phone. "I can see the view from the cameras on my phone. He stops swiping and looks closer. "You've gotta be fucking kidding. What the hell does HE want?"
"What? Who is it?"
I've barely got the words out when I hear his voice.
"Jackson! Open the damn door!"
"It's Braden!" I whisper, running up to Jackson.
"Yeah, I know." He points to the bathroom. "Go in there. I'll get rid of him."
"You're answering the door? Just pretend you're not home."
"If I do, he'll just come back later."
"He's looking for me," I say, panicking. "He knows about us! He knows I'm here!"
"Jackson!" Braden yells, pounding on the door.
"Get in there," Jackson says, motioning to the bathroom. "I'll be back in a minute."
I go in the bathroom and lock the door. I put my ear to it but can't hear anything.
How would Braden find out about us? Jackson and I haven't gone anywhere together since we started dating.
Turning to face the mirror, my eyes lower and I see a tube of mascara on the counter. It's Kristen's. She must've left it here last night.
It had to have been Kristen who told Braden about us. She couldn't stand seeing Jackson with me so she told on us, hoping it'd make us break up.
I really hate that girl. I feel bad she has family problems, if that's even true, but I can't stand her as a person. She's mean and manipulative and has involved Jackson in something he won't even tell me about.
Each minute that goes by feels like an hour. What's taking him so long? What if they're fighting? What if one of them is dead? They both have access to guns. Jackson has one sitting in his living room and Braden could take one of Brock's. I'm sure he knows the code to Brock's sex room, where he keeps the guns.
More minutes tick by, then someone tries to open the door.
"Rumor, unlock the door."
It's Jackson. I was sitting on the counter but I jump down and run to the door, my hands fumbling to unlock it.
"What's taking so long?"
"Sorry. Hold on." I finally unlock it and open the door.
Jackson is standing there, now dressed in jeans and a shirt. There's a look of shock or confusion on his face. I can't tell which. And his eyes are darting around in an anxious, nervous way.
"He knows," I say, breathing hard. "Braden knows about us. That's it, isn't it?"
Jackson takes my hand and pulls me back in the bedroom. "Get dressed. You need to go."
I see the clothes I left on the living room floor last night are now on the bed.
"What happened?" I ask, putting on my jeans. "Did Braden already tell Brock?"
I quickly put on my bra, struggling to fasten it because my hands are shaking. I'm not scared of Brock yelling at me, or Braden. My fear is that I might lose Jackson. I've fallen for him really hard the past couple weeks. I might even love him, so the idea of losing him, after everything else I've lost, is too much for me to handle.
"Braden doesn't know about us. That's not why he was here."
"Then why? Why was he here?"
Jackson comes up to me, rubbing his hand over his jaw. "They found something."
"Who?" I pull my shirt on. "What are you talking about?"
He doesn't answer, his eyes distant.
"Jackson." I grab his arm, trying to get his attention. "Tell me why Braden was here."
"Andrea," he says, looking down. "I thought it was over but..." His voice trails off.
"But what?" I grasp his shoulders. "Jackson, look at me. What's going on here? What are you telling me?"
His eyes slowly move to mine. "The cops are looking into it again."
"Why? She fell. It was an accident. The cops even said it was."
"And now they're not sure. They want to look at the case again."
"Why?"
"Apparently there's new evidence. I don't know if someone brought it in or if the cops found something they didn't find before."
"What's the evidence?"
"I don't know. They didn't say."
"That's why Braden was here? To tell you this? Who told him?"
"The cops asked him to come in for questioning."
"Is he going to?"
"He doesn't know. He's calling his dad. I'm sure Brock's already on his way back. You need to get home." He takes my hand and pulls me to the door.
"Jackson, stop." I yank my hand back. "What does this mean? Why was Braden telling you this?"
"Because he's not the only one they're questioning. The cops are coming after me too." He shakes his head. "I thought it was over. What the fuck could they have found?"
"Maybe they didn't find it. Maybe someone gave it to them." I pause. "Someone who wants to get back at you for not doing what she wants."
"Who are you talking about?"
"Kristen."
Chapter Ten
Jackson turns and walks off, shaking his head. "No fucking way. Kristen wouldn't do that."
I follow behi
nd him. "She would if she was angry you rejected her."
"I've rejected her plenty of times. When she used to come over here, before we had our arrangement, she'd come onto me and I'd tell her no. I didn't want to get involved with her."
"But there wasn't another girl back then. She didn't have competition. It's different now. You have me, and she expects you to choose her over me."
"That's not enough reason for her to try to put me in jail. She needs me. She's not gonna try to get rid of me."
"What about Braden? Does she have something against him?"
"Not that I know of. Even if she wanted to get back at him, or me, or both of us, she wouldn't have evidence to use against us. I'm not even sure Kristen was at the party that night. If she was, she would've left early. She never sticks around at parties."
"Then who would it be? Who would have evidence?"
"I don't know, but we don't even know if the evidence came from someone. The cops might've just uncovered something themselves. Something they missed before." Jackson walks to the sliding door and opens it. "Rumor, you can't stay. You need to get to your room in case someone starts looking for you."
"They'll see me on the camera. You don't have time to have your friend erase it, and with all this going on they're going to be monitoring it more. I'll go out the front and pretend I was just out on a walk." I turn and head toward the front door.
"Wait!" Jackson catches up to me. "Someone could see you leaving. Go out the back and down a few houses, then go up to the sidewalk."
I nod. "Okay."'
He takes my face in his hands. "I don't know when I'll be able to see you again."
"I know." I look down.
"I'll still text you. And maybe we can talk at night."
"Yeah," I say, already feeling sad I won't see him.
He leans down and presses his lips to mine. "I'm sorry about this."
"Me too," I whisper before pulling away. I turn and walk to the back door.
"Hey."
I look back at him. "What?"
"I still owe you more driving lessons. And I never fed you last night so I owe you dinner."
I half smile. "Okay."
"I also owe you a day. A day with just you and me. I was hoping we'd do it today but..."
"It's not gonna happen." I turn to leave.
"It will," he says, and I feel him behind me. "I promise you, it will." He turns my face to his and kisses me. "I'll see you soon."