I just shrugged my shoulders. “I haven’t been to many places. My family couldn’t afford much when I was growing up.”
“Would you like to see some snow?” Alexander asked.
The idea was a bit thrilling since I’d only ever seen a light dusting of snow during the time we’d lived in Texas. I could feel my face beaming at the idea, but suddenly I realized, “I don’t have the clothing needed for a winter vacation.”
Alexander shook his head. “You don’t need to worry about the clothing. We’ll get everything packed and ready for you two to take off the day after tomorrow. That should give you enough time to shop for Nicola and get your affairs in order at the office. I’ll handle the department while you’re gone.”
He turned to Derrick. “Call Andrew and have him get the plane ready, and I’ll call Harold and Phyllis to get the cabin prepared. I want one of you to stay here while the other goes with them. Also, I’d like to see if Ivan and Sophia are available to go as backup and to let them have a little romance time, as well. They’ve been working too hard lately, according to Dawn.”
Everyone kept talking around me, making all these plans that included me. I finally asked, “Where are we going?”
Jackson pulled me close and whispered, “Alexander and Celia have a nice cabin up in Vermont. They used to take their kids up there to ski during the winter. Our family and the Bradfords would sometimes follow them up and rent rooms at the lodge right down the road. There are a lot of good memories there.”
He turned my head toward him, kissing me chastely on the lips. “We can make a lot of wonderful memories there too.” His eyebrows did a suggestive wiggle, making me blush in front of everyone.
I was starting to calm down from the morning’s excitement when Derrick got a text on his phone. I watched as he looked down and then smiled up at me. “Your brother isn’t amongst the hostages. He’s still alive and out there. We just need to figure out where.”
I felt myself breathe a sigh of relief while sending up good thoughts to keep him safe until help arrived. I knew he was tough and would make it back when he could. He’d promised me, and that’s one promise I’d hold him to.
MY HEART BROKE FOR Robin. She’d already been through so much this morning regarding her brother, but hearing the news that he was still out there gave us hope and had her focusing her attention back toward making the holidays special for my daughter Nicola.
Alexander insisted we stay on for lunch to spend time with everyone and to let Robin calm down a bit further. Carol stuck around for a while catching up with Celia and making sure everything would be fine.
Before we left, Celia pulled me in to whisper, “She doesn’t need to buy a thing for the trip. I’ve already made calls to have some items delivered to your home later, and I’ve informed security of the deliveries.”
“Thank you. I’m sure this will help to take her mind off of things.”
She blushed a bit before adding, “I’ve also arranged a little surprise for the two of you. Go have fun and enjoy one another. We’ll make sure Nicola is well taken care of.”
I still couldn’t’ believe all that my former in-laws were doing for Robin. You could tell they approved of her and wanted to ensure her happiness and safety, as did I. I couldn’t believe how close we’d become in such a short span of time. Alexander kept dropping hints that he had his jeweler on standby if I wanted to have something made for Robin for Christmas.
The idea of marriage had crossed my mind once or twice, but I wasn’t sure Robin was in the right frame of mind for me to propose yet. I also needed to be sure that I was ready to take such a big step since I still had fears of losing her.
During lunch I’d watched Celia play with her collar, running it under her fingertips. It hadn’t taken Robin long to realize the symbolic nature of the jewelry. She seemed to blush when she asked about it - giving me thoughts of what kind of design I’d love to see around her neck. It was too soon to be thinking that far ahead, but if I did propose to Robin, I knew I’d want to collar her to make her mine in every sense of the word. She wouldn’t need to call me Master, but I would like to be the master of all her pleasure and show her my appreciation for helping me find my way back to my heart.
She was everything to me and our connection was as strong, if not stronger than what I had with Gabi. The realization came as I watched her looking through the various fashion dolls at the toy store, trying to find the one Niki had pointed to in the circular.
Rick ended up coming with us. I leaned over and asked, “Can you keep an eye on her for a minute? I need to make a call to the jewelry store.”
He nodded and raised his eyebrows. “Is it what I hope it is?”
“I’m not sure if either one of us is ready for anything more at this point, but why not go ahead and get things started, just in case. Maybe he can suggest something I can get her in the meantime for Christmas.” I admitted.
“I don’t usually comment about anything going on in the family, but she’s a keeper, Jackson. You’d be a fool to let her get away.”
I was a bit surprised by Rick’s candor. He’d always kept his thoughts to himself. “I’m not sure I could survive letting her go, if I wanted to be honest. She’s thawed my heart and captured my soul. Plus, Niki adores her and wants her to be her mother.” I laughed about how many family members wanted Robin to be a more permanent fixture in our lives. “I’m afraid I’d start a riot if I dared to walk away from her. Honestly,” I looked up to see his hardened expression soften just a bit, “I’m not sure I could ever leave at this point.”
Rick nodded. “Like I said, she’s a keeper. As for the Christmas gift, we can swing by the jewelry store after here. There’s something Derrick and I have been working on that we’d like you to give her while we’re away.”
I knew Rick didn’t have any interest in Robin because, according to Kent, he’d been playing at the club with a pretty little redhead named Ciara for the past few months. I just shook off the desire to get territorial. “What is it?”
“We’re uncomfortable with how,” he started to say Declan, but quickly changed it, “Cain has been able to allude our every move and stay hidden. We can’t seem to get a lock on his location, so we’d feel better if we could fit you with a watch that has a tracking device, whereas we’ll give a necklace to Robin and a bracelet to Nicola with the same devices implanted inside. They’re made to be waterproof, and if there’s an emergency they’ll kick on by one of two means: depressing a hidden button or heat activation so sensitive it can even detect a spike in body temperature due to a stressful situation. They’re linked to all of our phones to notify us of any threat.”
I swallowed hard, not wanting to entertain the idea. “My daughter’s safety is at stake?”
He shook his head. “He’s only after Robin at this point, but we wanted to ensure everyone’s safety. We can’t be everywhere at all times, so we played around with the idea, went to Ivan and Sophia to see if it would work, and then created items for every family member. It’s better to over-plan and not need it, rather than fall short in the end.”
I was shocked to hear that the entire Prescott family, my family, and even the Bradfords and their kids had tracking devices. “Does my brother have one too?”
He nodded. “He thinks it’s from you, so just go along with it. Oh, and he hasn’t been told a tracking device is inside, but as long as he’s wearing the watch there’s no need to say anything. Your brother’s a stubborn one and so are your parents. FYI, your mom and sister have started talking to him when your dad isn’t around. Marcus still won’t come back to the area as long as your father still refuses to acknowledge him.”
I didn’t know how to respond to everything he’d told me. It was the longest conversation I’d ever had with Rick, and I felt closer to him as a result. “Thanks, man. I’ll make sure everyone thinks they’re getting early gifts before we leave, and maybe I’ll give Robin hers while we’re on the plane.” I put my hand on his shou
lder and gave it a squeeze, trying to show my appreciation.
“Sounds like a plan,” was his only response.
I lifted my phone and showed him I still intended to make the call. “I’ll only be a moment.”
He nodded and continued watching as Robin hemmed and hawed over a few outfits to go with the dolls. I’d never seen her with such delight on her face – looking like a kid in a candy store.
The phone call didn’t take long. I gave the jeweler a description of what I’d like to see in the form of a ring, and we discussed some options for necklace designs for a collar. Gabi and the other Prescott women had similar designs, only differing slightly with the color stones and quality of metals used. I wanted something that said second chances and expressed how I felt about her. He’d offered to get started on some different designs for each item and promised to send me pictures of the various drawings so I could select the one I wanted.
When I went back inside the store, I was surprised to see Rick still standing in the same location. Robin now had a shopping cart with a few dolls, several outfits, and a small house for the dolls to play in. I looked over at Rick with questioning eyes. He shrugged and responded, “She’s your woman. You might want to reel her in a bit, or she’ll have your daughter spoiled in no time.”
After we finished with Niki, we focused our shopping on the rest of the family and each other. I’d ended up buying her a pair of diamond stud earrings. I was so tired of seeing her wear her cheap costume jewelry. It didn’t suit her personality; she was more regal than that.
I’d already replaced most of her clothes over the last month. She tried to argue they were too expensive and even tried to repay me, but I wouldn’t take anything from her. I merely stated, “Your clothes are looking a bit worn, and you’ve lost so much weight that they no longer fit. I’ve already donated them to charity, so there’s no getting them back.”
I’d almost regretted having bought the form-fitting clothes because every man at work suddenly took notice of her. She’d gained a little of her curves back, making her look sinful – and she was all mine.
We arrived at the Prescott’s ski cabin; however, my thoughts were still all over the place. While still on the plane, I did end up giving Robin the necklace Rick had talked about. She was quite receptive to it. It was a gold chain with a ruby heart in the center. Rick had instructed me to tell her, “Whenever you need me in an emergency, all you have to do is press the red heart, and I’ll be there.” I knew it had been done as a romantic gesture, but I felt relieved to know that my phone had been hooked up to the emergency notification.
Declan, or Cain as we now knew him by, still hadn’t surfaced, and Robin still hadn’t discovered Declan had an identical twin. Prior to leaving, I’d had a lengthy phone discussion with Kent, Carol, Rick, and Alexander on whether she could handle the truth or if we should wait. The consensus was to wait for now. Carol felt Robin wasn’t strong enough to learn Declan had indeed loved her and bought a ring to propose marriage, but was killed before he could. She wasn’t sure how she’d respond to knowing his identical twin killed him, took over his life, and was the one who abused and assaulted her.
I knew what it was like to lose someone you loved, and I wanted to protect her from that revelation. I’d also seen the aftermath of what Marjorie had to deal with after her ex-husband had abused her. I didn’t want Robin to have to suffer through that knowledge. In all honesty, I was selfish; I wanted to keep her locked inside a bubble where no harm could come to her, and I’d have her all to myself. I’d come too far from my own internal demons to risk losing her now, even if it was to a dead guy.
Derrick had confirmed the timeline we’d all suspected. The change in Declan’s personality was the night Cain took over his identity, the night he was supposed to ask Robin to marry him, and the night he ultimately died.
We were all surprised to learn their parents wanted Cain found at all costs. They were distraught and emotional because he had fooled them too. They gave the security team permission to take him down by any means necessary. As far as they were concerned, he was dead to them the moment he killed Declan.
The whole matter was fucked up, and my mind wondered if I was doing the right thing. I kept hearing Gabi’s voice telling me to “Protect her”, but would hiding the truth be protection or pushing her away? I needed to seal her to me somehow.
My mind was brought back into focus as Robin took in the size of the cabin. “This isn’t a cabin – this is a mansion!”
The cabin was modern, looking quaint on the outside, but spacious with sweeping views on the inside. This place had been built to withstand severe weather conditions. It had two stories, five bedrooms, three baths, a large gourmet kitchen, a hot tub on the second story patio just outside the master bedroom, a huge fireplace, and tons of security features.
I’d felt comfortable coming here since there were enough rooms to give us privacy, but we still have the added benefit of a security detail nearby. The place had been decorated for the holidays and the pantry and refrigerator fully stocked.
Sophia had gone into the kitchen to inspect things and discovered a casserole waiting for us to cook. “I’ll get dinner started while you two rest for a bit.”
I took Robin’s hand in mine, noting how her smile spread from ear to ear. “Is this okay?”
She nodded. “It’s more than okay. It’s a dream come true.”
I led her to the stairs. “Why don’t we check out the bedroom and take a nap before dinner?”
I heard a bit of a laugh come from Rick and wondered what was going on. Was there something I didn’t know about?
The moment I opened the door I realized what he’d been hiding – Celia’s surprise for us. He’d slipped into our room and lit all the candles she’d had placed on every hard surface. The flames cast shadows against the red silky sheets on the bed. There was a bouquet of red, pink, and white roses on top of the chest of drawers, and rose petals on the floor leading from the bathroom to the bed and even some in the sheets. A silver platter held a bowl of strawberries, a bottle of Cristal champagne, two flutes, some whipped cream, and a small dish of chocolate with a candle lit underneath to keep it warm.
Robin’s hand came up to touch the side of my face, “This is all so beautiful, Jax,” before placing a kiss on my mouth.
I’d been holding back the past couple of days, letting her have some space to deal with the issues of her brother, but her kiss just sealed our fate for the next several hours. I pulled her inside and pushed her up against the door. With both of my hands holding her face I said, “I’d like to take credit, but all I asked was for Celia to make it romantic. I never expected all of this, but I’m more than happy to show you how I plan to tie you up and use all these items to make you come over and over and over again. What do you say, honey?”
I’D SUSPECTED THAT JACKSON had been holding back on me. When we’d first walked into the room, I’d tensed a little thinking back to the night Declan had last taken me to the club, but I realized that was the past and here standing before me was my present. The detail and beauty of the room was overwhelming.
When he pressed me against the door and said he wanted to make me come over and over again, I couldn’t resist. My center clenched at the idea of him bringing me pleasure. I was already pressing my thighs together trying to keep him from sensing how wet he’d already made me. The fact that he took the lead on things had me hot and hungry for him.
His lips started kissing a soft path down the side of my neck and back up to my ear, sending a shiver through me as he bit down on my earlobe and whispered, “I want you, Robin, right here, right now, in this room. I want your complete submission; I want you to tell me you’re mine.”
“I’m yours, Jax.” My voice was barely audible. He’d had my mind so scrambled and my body heated to the point I felt I would combust if I had to wait much longer.
“Tell me again, love.”
He’d called me love. “I’m yours, sir.”
His lips continued a path down my neck and over my cleavage. His length pressed into my stomach as his hands began fumbling with my shirt. He started cursing when he couldn’t remove it fast enough, and I felt the shirt rip and heard the sound of buttons flying everywhere.
His lips paused against my neck, his breathing erratic, “I’m sorry, honey. I want you naked so I can bury myself deep inside you. I want to become one with you where no one can tell where one of us begins and the other ends. I’ve fallen in love with you, and I can’t hold back anymore.”
I placed my hands on his chest and felt how erratic his heartbeat was. I knew this was hard for him. We’d shared some wonderful times together in the bedroom, and I’d hoped that our feelings would grow to something more, but his admission took my breath away.
“Don’t leave me hanging here, honey. I just admitted I love you.”
I could see his face beginning to panic, so I finally let him out of his misery. “You don’t have to hold back – let me see who you really are, Jackson. Let me see the man I’ve fallen for. I love you too.”
I’d thought I’d seen all of his dominance, but I’d only scratched the surface. He had shucked his clothes, torn mine to shreds, and had me on the bed with my hands tied together at the headboard before I could even blink.
The times we’d made slow passionate love were nice, but the animalistic desires he was creating had me already humming against the edge of an orgasm, and he hadn’t even touched me where I needed him most.
He moved the tray over to the side of the bed and grabbed a towel to place underneath my thighs. I started to question the towel, but his lips silenced mine as he pushed his tongue into my mouth surprising me with a sip of champagne. I swallowed, causing him to moan as he ravaged my mouth with his.
He whispered against my lips, “I like seeing you like this, tied up and at my mercy to do anything I want to drive you insane. Do you trust me?”
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