“If we do, and you have another nightmare, I’ll wake you up instead of trying to hold on to you.” I kissed the top of her head. I thought holding her tight would comfort her. I read her nightmare wrong; now I needed to make it right.
“Ok,” she whispered, her breath soft on my chest. I would do whatever it took to make everything better for her. I wanted to take all her fucking pain and swallow it whole.
I held her, caressing her gently, waiting for her to make a decision. Would she reveal her dark torment or pull away and bury her pain?
“My stepfather was overbearing and abusive. He used to make my mother beg for every little thing. As I got older, I started to question his behavior. I didn’t see other kid’s fathers behaving like this. It only made him direct the abuse towards me. When I misbehaved, he used to lock me in my bedroom closet until I begged him to let me out. What constituted as misbehaving was left to his discretion.”
“Your mother let him?” I already knew the answer. If Angelic's mother took the abuse, she probably felt powerless to stop it.
“She was weak. She used to tell me to stay in my room and not provoke him. I did, as often as I could. He would always find something anyway.”
‘How did you end up at Brentwood?” If her stepfather was controlling and abusive, it didn’t make sense he would let her go.
“My grandmother convinced him that Brentwood was run like a military academy. They would discipline me and he would not have to have me under foot or in his way.” There was a light hint of amusement in her statement.
“You’re close to your grandmother?” I liked this woman already, just for the fact she was able to get my Angel away from that abusive bastard.
“Yeah, she was my rock. She couldn’t get my mother to leave. She wanted to make sure she got me out.”
“That day, in the park, you told me your stepfather passed and you were trying to decide if you should go home to live with your mom. Why did you come back to Brentwood?”
“Turns out my mom is one of those people who aren’t happy unless someone is making them miserable. She had another man living with her before summer break ended. I didn’t want to stick around and watch herself self destruct. I couldn’t.”
She was clinging to me like a life raft lost in a storm. I let her take whatever comfort she wanted, needed. We laid there for a while. Her fingers traced the lines of my abs, feathering down my happy trail, stopping slightly above my shaft, then gliding back to my nipples.
Her touch did things to my sanity. She had crawled under my skin. I wish to god she never leaves. I wanted to make love to her. To prove there were good men. Men who would never ask her beg.
I was falling in love with her, Angelic. I had always loved my Angel. I had to know if she could love me back. I needed to be careful not to let my jealousy over a man she might have loved affect my emotions. This was about getting her to release her demons, not about me.
“Angelic, what does Liam have to do with your nightmares?”
The tension I was expecting did not manifest. Her body remained melted into mine and her breathing soft.
“After Brentwood, I joined the Army. I can hear you laughing, Jackson.” She looked up at my smiling face.
“The Army, really!”
“Yes, they paid for my education. I was a photographer. I photographed the aftermath of some of the destruction, for records.”
“Are you talking about war torn countries?” My shock resonated and her body tensed. This was hard enough for her without having my reservation projected upon her. I lifted her chin and brought her lips to mine. “You must have seen some pretty fucked up shit.”
“Yeah, it was hard a lot of the time. It made me think that maybe my stepfather wasn’t all that bad. How fucked up was that?”
She rolled her body over top of mine, her small frame bearing hardly any weight against me. She hovered, staring into my eyes. I didn’t know what she was hoping to find. My only wish was that she trusted me enough to continue her story.
She came down and brushed her lips to mine. I let her take whatever she needed. I was not finished with her. I knew she needed to come to me. I hoped she was not finished with me either.
She laid her head against my heart. “You’re a good man, Jackson.”
I wanted her to say she loved me, she trusted me, she wanted me. I would have to settle for her believing me to be a good man. There were times I doubted that.
Not with her, never with her.
“I was on an assignment and things went south. The area was supposed to be secure before my team went in. It wasn’t.” The slight hitch in her voice told me everything I was fearing when this story began.
“Angelic, were you a POW?”
“Yes.”
My heart wrenched and my gut contracted. I promised I would not hold her too tight. It was instinct, a natural reflex to protect, to comfort.
“How long?”
“How long was I kept or how long ago did it happen?”
“Both, if you can talk about it.”
“Six years ago. I was confined to a dark hole in the ground for a month.” The calmness in which she divulged the information concerned me. She should be furious. She would have had counselling to deal with the trauma. Obviously, if she was still having nightmares, it didn’t work.
I would insist she see someone. I would take care of everything. She would never have another nightmare again if I could help it.
“Jackson, do you know what Katie’s brothers do, exactly?”
“Some security shit.” Truth was, I had no idea what the Steele brothers did. It was common knowledge that if you did not ever have to do business with them, that was a good thing.
“The Steele brothers are the guys you call when you need a special service that bypasses red tape.”
“The Army called them to get your team out?” I was shocked. I always thought the Army took care of their own. How bad was Angelic’s situation that the Army called in outside specialist?
“They got us out, but my head was really messed up. They kept us confined and I was thrown back to all the times my stepfather locked me in a closet. I spent some time in a VA hospital.”
“You’re still having nightmares, didn’t the therapy help?” Let me help, I wanted to plead, make her accept and come home with me.
“The therapy helped a little. When I was recovering, Liam, Katie’s brother, came to check on me a few times. He offered me a job. I would be a forensic photographer. Sometimes after a job, they would get accused of property damage done. My job was to take photographic proof in case of future lawsuits.”
“It sounds safe.” I had no idea how to respond. This was a heavy conversation and she was trusting me with her demons. I wasn’t going to let her down.
“Did you learn those wicked moves in the Army or working for Katie’s brothers?” She packed a lot of power beneath that petite frame.
She laughed at my question. “Both. The Army conditioned me to train. Liam taught me the self defense moves.” Her body tensed. “Jackson, I became involved with Liam.”
She said no more, gauging my reaction. She looked up and met my eyes. I hoped all she saw was the love I felt for her in this moment. Love and an overpowering need to protect her. She ran her fingers across my sweet spot. I was putty in her hands. She could tell me she was in love with Liam and I would still want her.
“Except for tonight with you, Liam was the only man I had spent the night with. He helped me with the nightmares. He knew when to hold me and when to wake me up. He did more for me in three months than a year with the therapist.”
She continued to stroke the side of my face. “I’m sorry I called out his name.”
“Don’t be sorry, my Angel. You were searching for something familiar. Something to chase away the nightmare. I did it all wrong this time. I will learn, I swear, Angelic, I will learn to hold you just right. I will learn to chase away the nightmares.”
She propped herself on he
r elbows staring at me with her beautiful blue eyes wide and mocking. “Jackson, he didn’t chase them away. He fucked away the pain. He distracted my brain with pleasure. That’s all it was, a physical distraction.”
“Now I’m confused. If fucking him made the nightmares go away, why did what we did bring one on? Angelic, am I the reason you had the nightmare? Are you afraid of me?”
Chapter 14
Angelic
He seemed less concerned that I called another man’s name and more concerned why I needed to in the first place. I haven’t lied to him so far. My nerves were still raw from the nightmare. I could either tiptoe around him the rest of the weekend or lay everything out.
I rolled off him and propped myself up against the headboard. He took the space beside me and gestured for me to lay my head on his shoulder.
“This is hard for me, Jackson. I don’t do feelings.” I looked up into those piercing blue eyes. It would be so easy to get lost in those eyes, block out the world and lock ourselves in the cabin.
If I sat here any longer wrapped in his warmth, I would drift off again. That would put us right back where we started.
His patience enveloped me, soothed me.
“For weeks after we kissed, I secretly dreamed you would have come looking for me. Weeks turned to months, then months turned to years.” He stroked the side of my face with his soft loving caresses.
“When I thought this weekend might be my second chance, I was over the moon.” With his warm muscular arms wrapped around me, he brought me in for a hug, and kissed the top of my head.
“What I didn’t expect was how strong these feelings I had would affect me.”
“I’ve felt them too, Angelic.” He laced his fingers with mine. “It was as unexpected for me, but in a really good way.” He leaned in to kiss me.
I turned away.
“Jackson, I still believe that if you really wanted to find me, you would have.” If this was going to play out, he needed to know everything I was feeling. I didn’t want a single twinge of resentment settling in.
“I’m afraid if I fall too hard, too fast, I would break all my rules and beg you not to leave when the weekend ends. I need to walk away before that happens. I never should have started down this road.”
I attempted to get out of bed but he pulled me back and turned me to face him.
“Do you still think this is about the fantasy and not the person you are today? I won’t lie to you, you’re right. If I wanted to find out who my Angel was, I could have found a way. I can’t tell you why I didn’t. Too much time has past.”
He was right, there were too many whys and what if’s.
“What I can tell you, Angelic, is that it’s too late for me. I’ve already fallen too far, too fast and I will beg you not to leave. I want this to continue long after this weekend is over. I lost you once, I don’t want to lose you again.”
He claimed my mouth with a heated passion. I fell into him and gave no resistance. He was right, it was already too late. He was not the only one who had fallen too far.
“Do you think you can stay here with me tonight?” He looked into my eyes with such passion, such devotion. “I don’t want to leave your side, not now, not ever.” His declaration tore at my defences.
“I don’t want to leave either.” I couldn’t fight it any longer. I gave in to a longing that I’d waited to fulfill too long. We laid there, our bodies entwined. A lightness engulfed me and I drifted asleep.
I woke to the smell of coffee. I stretched my arms above my head as my eyes fluttered open. He was standing over the bed, coffee in hand, his steely blue eyes drinking in my half naked body.
“Do that again, Angel, and we may not make it to the wedding.”
“What time is it? I need to shower and get to Mackenzie.” He was not the only one leering at a half naked body. God, I loved his happy trail. A small smattering of hair leading to that perfect V. My tongue had a mind of its own as it slowly glided across my lips.
He placed the coffee on the table beside the bed.
“It’s only six, you have plenty of time.” He sat on the bed. “We have plenty of time.” He took my hand and kissed the tips of each finger. When he got to my thumb, he encased it with his sultry mouth and sucked on it. I let out a small moan as the pooling began between my thighs.
“Angel, you have to stop doing that.” His piercing blue eyes and low guttural growl had me aroused and flushed.
“Stop doing what, this?” I traced my hand over his washboard abs towards the waistband of his jeans.
“No, you can keep doing that. You have to stop licking and biting your lip, that’s my job.” He crushed his lips to mine and I clung to him with everything I had. I was conscious of the taste of mint and coffee on his breath.
I pulled away. “Oh God, my breath must be horrible.” I couldn’t help but giggle. It had been a long time since I had to deal with morning breath.
“You worry too much.” He stole another kiss before releasing me. He handed me the coffee and stood, walked away from the bed, and put on his shirt and slipped on his shoes.
My displeasure was written all over my face.
“Come back to bed, you said we had plenty of time.” I gave him my most seductive come hither look.
“You remember what today is, don’t you?” He raised an eyebrow and smirked wickedly.
“Today’s Richard’s and Mackenzie's wedding day. Today is actually a full work day for me.” I wasn’t sure what he was hinting at but I knew it was something sinister. “Don’t you want to take advantage of what little time I have free?”
“Today is the day you are going to seduce me into your bed.”
Like that was something I could forget.
“I guess I should get working on that,” I teased.
“I think you should. Despite my reputation, I’m not that easy. I expect some effort put into it.” He walked over, leaned down and kissed the top of my head, winked and walked out the door.
My heart was ready to bust out of my chest. Jackson Naile expected me to seduce him tonight after the wedding. This could be very interesting indeed. I finished the coffee he made for me, contemplating all the wonderful ways I could entice him.
I found my clothes, got dressed and headed to the inn. It was too early for anyone to be up. I tiptoed to the top of the stairs and heard the shower running. I debated joining him.
Would the conquest be that much sweeter if I waited until tonight? I hoped so.
I laid out my blue dress and the sexy lingerie I purchased for my grand seduction. I knew I would only have a half hour in which to change from my casual attire. I didn’t have to see myself in the mirror to know I had a sinister smirk plastered across my face. I already had a plan for my grand seduction in place before I got here.
I pulled out my tablet and check my itinerary for today. I had every moment scheduled to perfection. This was my big break and I couldn’t let Jackson distract me from what I came here to do.
I got my gear organized, took my shower and headed downstairs to start my workday. I stood back and watched Jackson interact with his associates. He definitely was a take charge kind of man.
The thought that he was letting me take control tonight had me flushed. I grabbed my equipment and headed out to get what could be the most important photos of my career.
I briefly stopped to give instructions to Jackson’s photographer as to what kind of shots I would like him to take for me. I didn’t need much, just a few of the men getting ready before the ceremony. I tried to focus on this while I noticed in my peripheral vision Jackson looking my way.
I really needed to get out of here. Now.
This, by far, had to have been the easiest photo shoot I had ever done. No bridezillas or divas in the bunch. They were as friendly and welcoming as they were at the bridal shower. I almost felt guilty charging for my services. Almost.
With all the preliminary shots done, I decided to take a few moments to head out to Ric
hard’s boat and take a few photos of my own.
I knew I had Jackson’s photographer doing this for me but there was something nagging me about the quality of his equipment. Maybe I was being too picky. Maybe I was too much of a perfectionist to consider someone else might be able to take better pictures than me. I wasn’t exactly sure.
As I headed to the dock, I noticed the men dressed in their wedding attire. I stood back and lifted my camera to get some candid shots of the men being themselves. The way they stood, the way they were conducting themselves.
If Mackenzie had any doubts of Richard’s love for her, all she would have to do was stand here and see the expression on his face at this very moment. My only wish was that my camera would capture what I was seeing through my lens.
I snapped away from a distance, not disturbing the scene. I wasn’t sure at what point I stopped, only focusing on Jackson until I saw him look my way.
He winked, letting me know he knew what I have been up to.
My God, that man was a walking orgasm and my panties were living proof. I needed to get myself cleaned and suited up for the ceremony. I couldn’t lose focus now. My job was to get those perfect wedding photos.
Then and only then would I be able to focus on the other reason I came to this island this weekend.
I was glad I wouldn’t be starting from scratch. I wouldn’t have to explain how we knew each other. I wouldn’t be waiting for the other shoe to drop when he remembered who I was.
All the hard stuff was out of way. He said he wanted to explore these feelings we had for each other.
I couldn’t let my fears and insecurities take over. Not tonight. Not when I was this close to getting what I had wanted for so many years.
I took one last look in the mirror. I barely recognized the vision looking back at me. Could this person, this seductress, be everything Jackson needed in the real world?
The world beyond this island?
The world beyond the fantasy we created?
Chapter 15
Jackson
Womanizer Heir (The Heirs Book 4) Page 8