She arched a brow. “So it could be an isolated incident?”
“I suppose it could be.”
“But you’d rather think the worst of him?” She looked at each brother and was somewhat gratified to see different degrees of guilt and contrition on their faces.
“We were just being cautious,” Clay said gruffly.
“What happened to innocent until proven guilty?” Her voice grew softer as her anger ebbed away. “We all have a past, and we’ve all done things we’re not proud of. I’m certainly not squeaky clean, and I would hate to think that any of you would judge me for being addicted to prescription drugs six years ago, or because someone I cared about died of an overdose when I was high myself.”
She swallowed past the tight knot gathering in her throat as she brought up that dark time in her life and the shame that came with it, but she had Clay’s, Levi’s, and Mason’s attention, and that’s what mattered to her. “You don’t know the reasons surrounding the assault charge, so how about you give Jackson the benefit of the doubt until he gives you a reason to worry? If you knew what he’d been through in his life, you wouldn’t judge him so harshly.”
“You’re right,” Clay said quietly.
Levi nodded his agreement.
Mason begrudgingly gave her a look of acknowledgement.
“Just . . . be careful, okay?” Clay said, unable to completely let go of that protective trait he possessed when it came to the people in his life.
“I can take care of myself,” she said with a smile. “I’ve been doing it a long time.”
“Doesn’t mean we can’t worry about you,” Levi said.
She’d said her piece and felt as though she could breathe easier now that she’d gotten everything off her chest. “Jackson is your brother. All he wants is to get to know you guys, so at least give him that chance without holding anything against him.”
Clay gave her a sincere look. “Fair enough.”
Tara was hopeful that she’d made headway with the brothers’ stubborn mindset when it came to Jackson, but their cooperation remained to be seen.
* * *
Jackson found himself being entertained by three lively women while Tara was inside the house with Clay, Mason, and Levi—the women’s vibrant personalities an antithesis to his brothers’ more serious demeanors. Then again, he supposed that’s why these ladies meshed so well with Clay, Mason, and Levi. It was a great example of opposites attract, strengths balancing weaknesses, and the philosophy behind all that yin-yang crap. With a dark, turbulent past like his brothers had gone through, these women no doubt provided a much-needed light and playful aspect to the relationships . . . just as Jackson realized Tara had done for him.
He leaned back against the deck railing, and as he took a bite of the most amazing cookie he’d ever tasted—a chocolate ganache French macaroon, according to Samantha—he listened to Katrina regale him with tales of Mason as an unruly teenager that made him laugh. His brother had been a defiant hellion and not much different from the man he detected even now. Jackson loved having insight to his brothers’ past and hoped one day they’d be the ones to share these kinds of amusing stories with him. But for now, at least, he had three allies, and he’d take whatever he could get.
The topic of discussion shifted as Sara asked Jackson about being an architect, and at the same time, the sliding glass door leading onto the deck opened. Tara stepped out with a satisfied smile on her face, looking more relaxed and optimistic than when they’d first arrived. Clay, Mason, and Levi followed her, the wariness they’d initially greeted Jackson with now almost gone.
He had no idea what had transpired inside the house, but clearly Tara had worked some kind of magic. To the point that Jackson actually felt comfortable breaking the ice, so to speak, and initiating a casual conversation with Clay, who’d grabbed a bottle of beer from a vat of ice and came to stand next to his wife.
“You’re a lucky man.” Jackson’s gaze met Clay’s as he filched another macaroon from the tray on a nearby table. “Your wife is a phenomenal baker.”
“Yeah, definitely one of the many qualities that won me over.” Clay slid his arm around Samantha’s waist to pull her close to his side. “But don’t let this sweet, innocent face fool you. She’s been known to bribe me for certain things with her desserts. Isn’t that right, cupcake?” he asked affectionately.
“Bribe you?” Samantha refuted his claim with an amusing eye roll. “You’re such a pushover, Saint Clay, whether you want to admit it or not.”
Clay grinned at his wife, completely smitten, his adoration written all over his face.
“Oh, just wait until the baby is here,” Katrina interjected enthusiastically. “I’m betting Daddy and the three uncles are going to be like giant marshmallows.”
So easily, Katrina had included Jackson in that scenario, and he waited for one of his brothers to denounce his part in the baby’s life, but much to his surprise, and profound relief, it never came.
Levi took a drink of the orange soda he’d retrieved from the cooler. “It’ll be the first Kincaid baby, so of course we’re going to spoil the hell out of the kid.”
Mason smirked. “Even better that we can send that spoiled-rotten kid home for Clay to deal with.”
Clay arched a dark brow at his brother. “You know, Mason, karma is a bitch. Just keep in mind what a hellion you were growing up and that what goes around, comes around, which means you’re probably going to have a boy who breaks every fucking rule there is, and I’ll be the one laughing my ass off.”
Katrina gasped, her green eyes filled with feigned horror. “Oh, my God, if that’s the case, I’m never getting pregnant.”
Mason slung his arm around Katrina’s neck and leaned toward her to whisper something private in her ear. Something lewd, judging by Katrina’s appalled expression.
“I can’t escape your super sperm so don’t even try?” she repeated incredulously, then laughed at her husband’s cocky statement, as did everyone else. “Are you serious right now?”
“One hundred percent serious.” Mason waggled his brows at his wife, his gaze turning salacious as he nodded meaningfully toward the house. “Want to go test the theory?”
“Not in my goddamn bathroom,” Clay barked out adamantly.
Again, everyone laughed, and Jackson knew he was missing a key component in the conversation. A joke of some sort that everyone was privy to except him.
Tara must have seen the confusion on his face, because she linked her arm through his. The intimate gesture wasn’t lost on him or anyone else standing there.
“Clay caught this now reformed man-whore in the ladies’ bathroom at Kincaid’s, with different women, on more than one occasion,” she told Jackson.
“Reformed being the operative word.” Mason nuzzled Katrina’s neck and skimmed a hand possessively over her ass. “Now, my Kitty-Kat is the only woman I want, and all I can handle.”
Katrina gave him a playful shove. “And don’t you forget it.”
Once the lighthearted teasing died down, Clay cleared his throat and glanced at Tara, a fond smile on his lips. “So, I’d like to be the first to formally say congratulations, Tara, on getting your business degree. You worked hard. You were dedicated. You juggled a late-night job, school during the day, and a whole lot of cramming for exams. It’s a huge accomplishment we wanted to celebrate with you, and I couldn’t be prouder that you finally did it.”
She ducked her head in embarrassment, a warm, pink flush suffusing her cheeks. “Thank you. I seriously couldn’t have done it without your support, Clay.”
He shrugged off her gratitude. “You would have done it regardless, because that’s who you are, Tara. A woman who is determined and committed to whatever she sets her mind to.”
Everyone else echoed their agreement, telling Jackson just how much everyone cared about Tara and how much they meant to her in return. Tara had told him she didn’t see her family very often, but shouldn’t they have been
at something as important as a party to celebrate their daughter’s college degree?
He realized, for as much as Tara knew about him, he wanted—no, he needed—to know everything about her. Her secrets. Her pain. Her heartache and what made her the happiest. All those things mattered to him. She mattered to him.
Mason clapped his hands, getting everyone’s attention. “Now that all the sappy sentiments are out of the way, let’s get this party started!”
The women cheered in response, and the festivities were on. Over the next few hours, they grilled hamburgers, enjoyed the cake and desserts that Samantha had made, and Clay, Mason, and Levi made an effort to converse with Jackson. They asked where he went to college, where he currently lived, and about his job as an architect and what it entailed. They seemed genuinely interested, and while the topics were mostly superficial and nobody broached the subject of his family and childhood, it felt as though it was a start in the right direction.
After a while, Tara opened the presents that the girls had clearly bought for her, which included bath products, a gift card to her favorite boutique, and a narrow silver cuff bracelet that came in the well-known light blue box that signaled the gift was from Tiffany’s. That last gift caused tears to fill Tara’s eyes as she thanked everyone for being so thoughtful.
The day passed quickly, and to his surprise, Jackson enjoyed it immensely. Not only had his brothers warmed up but they seemed to relax around him as well, and that meant more to Jackson than anything. And he had Tara to thank.
The rapport was developing, the tension no longer a black cloud hanging over them, overshadowing their ability to truly get to know one another. Things weren’t perfect, but their tentative acceptance felt like a solid start to something more.
And that was enough for Jackson. At least for now.
Chapter Eight
“Did you have a good time today?”
Jackson glanced at Tara, who was sitting in the passenger seat of his Porsche as he drove them back to her place. She looked good in his car, her stunning blue eyes bright with contentment and happiness and her long dark hair falling in soft, loose waves around her shoulders. The serene smile lifting the corners of her mouth made that sexy-as-hell diamond above her lip wink at him flirtatiously. He couldn’t wait to kiss her again.
“I did have a nice time,” he told her, which was true.
He’d enjoyed talking to the women and liked seeing the way they interacted with their significant others. Even his brothers, once they’d finally come out of the house with Tara, had been more open and seemed to relax with him as the afternoon and evening went on. Which made him curious to know what had transpired once Tara had ordered the three men into the kitchen while Jackson made his way outside with the girls.
“What did you say to the guys in the house that made them more amicable?” he asked.
Tara grinned at him. “In a nutshell, I told them to pull their heads out of their asses and be nice.”
He chuckled as he shifted his gaze back to the road. “Well, it definitely worked.”
“They’re men. No sense in sugarcoating the truth,” she said, a teasing lilt to her voice. “As we were leaving, I heard Clay ask you if you’d like to come by Kincaid’s sometime next week to have a drink with him, Mason, and Levi.”
Jackson hadn’t expected the overture so soon, and he’d readily agreed since it was another opportunity to connect with his brothers. “Shocking, right?”
“No, not really. I think deep down inside, they really do want to get to know you better.” She grew quiet and stared out the window, a pensive expression on her pretty face.
He reached across the console and squeezed her thigh. “Hey, where did you go?”
She turned her head and met his gaze, the soft blue lighting from the dashboard highlighting the hesitation he saw in the depths of her eyes. “I really want to ask you something, but I’ll understand if it’s something you don’t want to talk about.”
Okay, that was never a good sign, and while something pitched uneasily in his stomach, he had nothing to hide from her. “Sure. Go ahead and ask.”
She worried on her lush lower lip for a second. “Levi mentioned that you were arrested for assault a few years ago but the charges were dropped. What happened?”
He swore beneath his breath and returned the hand that was on her leg to the steering wheel. “Is that why they’ve kept their distance? Because they thought I might be unstable?” And Jesus, they’d actually run a background check on him?
The quick flash of guilt that passed across her features was his answer, even though she didn’t deny or confirm his question.
“I figured there was a good reason the charges were dismissed. I also pointed out to the guys that they don’t have sterling pasts, either, and not to jump to conclusions they know nothing about.”
“Thank you.” The fact that she’d so staunchly defended him without knowing any of the facts of his arrest stirred something emotional in Jackson’s chest. He wasn’t used to anyone standing up for him. “If it was an issue, why didn’t they just fucking ask me?”
“Because they’re men, and therefore they’re stubborn and hardheaded,” she said as if that explained their actions.
He gave her a quick, sidelong glance at her description of the male population in general. “Just in case it’s escaped your notice, I’m a man.”
“Oh, yeah, I noticed. Quite a few times today.” Her sweet, seductive voice stroked along his senses before she added more impartially, “And I’m sure you’re not impervious to being obstinate about certain things yourself.”
Okay, that was true. For the most part, men were stubborn creatures, and pride sometimes got in the way of rational thinking. He was definitely guilty of that a time or two over the years.
Reaching Tara’s house, he pulled into the driveway and parked next to her compact car. He shut the engine off, and when she unbuckled her seat belt and moved to get out of the vehicle, he gently grabbed her arm to stop her.
She blinked at him questioningly.
“You wanted to know about the assault charge,” he said, not wanting to bring this conversation into the house with them. Because once they stepped through the front door, there was only one thing he wanted between them . . . pure, unadulterated pleasure. And sinning. An entire night of it.
She shook her head. “Jackson . . . you don’t have to tell me.”
Without knowing why he’d been accused of a violent attack, she trusted him. The knowledge humbled him like nothing had in a very long time. He smiled and skimmed the backs of his fingers along her soft cheek, the caress tender and gentle. “If I tell you my secret, will you tell me one of yours?” he teased.
She stiffened ever so slightly. “What makes you think I have a secret to tell?”
That night at the donut shop, she’d been evasive about a few things he figured were personal and private. “Don’t we all?”
She swallowed hard, and he didn’t miss the pained look in her gaze. “I don’t want one secret to depend on the other. So if you don’t want to share, I understand.”
“You’re right.” Okay, maybe she wasn’t ready to tell him what had put those shadows in her eyes, and he decided he was willing to wait until she was, of her own accord. “But I do want to tell you what happened to me.”
She settled back into the leather seat and turned her body toward him. The street lamp in front of her house bathed the interior of the car in a soft glow of light, just enough for him to see the genuine kindness and caring etching her features.
“I was married a while ago,” he started, and didn’t miss the surprise that flickered in Tara’s eyes at the admission. “Collette and I met at a work party and dated for about eight months before getting engaged. I honestly thought we had the same vision for our future, and we both talked about starting a family soon after we got married. I thought we were trying for a baby, that everything was great and wonderful, until I came home from work early one day and fou
nd her in our bed fucking a colleague. The guy was a cocky asshole. But he also had a shitload of family money that made me look like a pauper in comparison, and for Collette, that made his dick look a lot better than mine.”
Tara quietly placed her hand over his, and he expelled a harsh breath.
“Was I angry to find her screwing another guy in our apartment? Hell, yes. But all I did was tell the prick to get the fuck out of my house, and he literally got in my face and shoved me, as if it was all somehow my fault. He was this short little shit with a Napoleon complex, and as soon as his hands touched me, my first instinct was to throw a punch to defend myself. That one and only blow shattered his perfect fucking nose and had blood streaming down his face.” Jackson smirked in satisfaction.
Tara tried stifling a giggle behind her hand. “I know I shouldn’t be laughing, but anyone stupid enough to pick a fight with you shouldn’t be shocked when you flatten them. You’re a big guy.”
He shrugged. “It was just an instinctive reaction, and I didn’t touch him after that, but the damage was done. Collette was screaming at me like I was a monster, and Brad called the cops to have me arrested for assault. A few weeks later, he dropped the charges because his family didn’t want the publicity. I was grateful not to be dragged through a trial.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I filed for divorce from Collette, and I can’t say I was surprised when she married rich, trust-fund baby Brad as soon as the divorce papers were signed.” He shrugged. “A short while after that, they had a kid, which was probably the hardest thing for me, since I believed that’s where my marriage had been heading.”
“I’m sorry,” Tara said softly.
“It is what it is, right?” he said, and they both smiled.
He shook his head. “You know, I feel like most of my life has been a series of blindsides. Just when I feel complacent or comfortable, something comes along to shatter that illusion.”
She tipped her head to the side. “Like what?”
Where did he start? The list was a long one. “Being an only child and my mother doting on me until my brother, Oliver, was born and that all changed without me understanding why. Getting married only to have my ex-wife cheat on me with someone with a bigger, more attractive bank account than I had. Finding out I was adopted and had a twin and other siblings I knew nothing about and having to prove myself to them. It seems like whenever I feel good about my life in general, something else happens to shake everything up all over again.”
Dirty Sexy Sinner Page 10