Chapter Five
Jackson lowered his head to capture her lips again. He took his time tasting her, exploring every inch of her mouth with his searching tongue. It was a struggle to take it slow, but he wanted to savour every second.
Her hands plunged into his hair, holding him closer. She kissed him back with a passionate urgency that made his blood simmer with heat. He paused, drawing in a ragged breath, before lightly kissing a trail along her collarbone.
“Jackson.” His name on her lips was the sweetest thing he’d ever heard.
He lifted his head. “You’re absolutely breathtaking tonight.” An ember of doubt flashed in her eyes, but this time she accepted the compliment. He wanted to reassure her that she was not only breathtaking but beautiful, and amazing as well, but decided to show her with actions instead of words.
He shrugged out of his tuxedo jacket and dress shirt, spreading them over the scattered hay before gently laying her on the ground. Covering her with his body, he cupped her face in his hands, and simply stared into her eyes that were now the colour of silver under the gleam of the moonlight.
His next breath caught in his chest as he held her gaze, the quiet vulnerability he glimpsed in her eyes causing a lump to form in his throat. She was remarkable to him in every way. She was tough as nails, smart as a whip and full of sass, and yet there was a gentleness to her that called to his soul and raised his instincts to cherish and protect her.
He froze when he realised what was happening—he was falling for her. It was inconceivable. Months ago he’d been battling his feelings for Camille, but he now recognised those feelings for what they were—a combination of lust and a deep, abiding friendship. They were a pale comparison to what he felt for BJ.
She touched his face. “What is it?”
He wanted to tell her, but he wasn’t ready. He needed to sort a lot of things out within himself, but also with Camille and Jacob, before he revealed his feelings.
“Nothing.” He cupped her cheek. “Are you uncomfortable?”
She smiled as she shook her head, her hand curling in his hair to pull him in for another kiss. All thoughts of Camille, Jacob and the past vanished the moment their lips touched.
He skimmed his hands down the length of her body, sucking in a sharp breath when he reached the bare skin of her thighs. He hiked the skirt of her dress up to her hips, his hands dipping between her legs to remove her panties. He moved down the length of her body and settled between her parted thighs, his eyes dancing with mischief just before he lowered his head to drink from her pussy.
“Jackson.” She cried out, her back arching off the makeshift bed.
He closed his eyes, the sweet musk of her arousal filling his lungs. She was wet and juicy, the taste of her like honey on his tongue. He devoured her with his mouth, sucking on the hardened nub, flicking it with his tongue until she was writhing and panting before him. Hot juices flowed from her cunt and he lapped them up as he speared her with his fingers, dragging a long, harsh moan from her lips. Her body began to tremble and vibrate all around him, her thighs trapping his head between her legs. Her moans grew louder, as her fingers dug deeper into his scalp. He knew the moment she came, her entire body stiffened as tangy, sweet wetness gushed from her pussy to fill his mouth.
“Jacksonnnnn.” She screamed out as her body shook from the tremulous force of her orgasm.
While spasms still racked her, he released his cock and covered her body, surging into her clenching heat. She screamed louder and he squeezed his eyes shut, forcing air into his lungs to keep himself from splintering apart right then and there. The tight, wet vise of her pussy gripped him as he began to move in and out of her, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to last for long.
She felt too good around him, surrounding him, drawing him deeper and deeper into her body until he wasn’t sure who was claiming who or who was taking whom?
Those longs legs he’d fantasised about since the day he’d met her, extended up to his shoulders and clasped at the ankle behind his back.
“Bria,” he rasped, the new position sending him deeper. He pinned her hips, trying to still her movements. He would never last if she kept meeting him thrust for thrust.
It didn’t work. He felt his balls draw up tight to his body, just as a tingle shot up from the base of his spine.
“Bria. Oh God.” He surged into her once, twice, three more times before he shattered. He swore he blacked out as he came, filling her up with his hot cum.
He collapsed atop her, his entire body jerking as he continued to ejaculate inside her. He closed his eyes, as he struggled to even his breathing. She stroked his sweat slick back, her long limbs sliding up and down his legs.
When he could finally draw in a full breath of air, he rolled off her.
For a long time they laid there in silence, staring up at the twinkling stars.
He turned to glance at her when her breathing grew low and even. She was asleep.
He let out a long yawn, his lids growing heavy. It was the perfect night and with the perfect woman. He couldn’t have imagined a more perfect moment for their first time together. He looked up at the heavens again, a smile on his face. Moments later he drifted off to sleep with BJ nestled in his arms.
* * * *
“What are you two doing here?”
“Do you answer your front door in nothing but a towel nowadays? Where are your clothes, bro?” Jason said as he pushed past Jackson, with Jeff at his heels. Jackson glowered at his two younger brothers, slamming the door behind them.
“I had to rush to get down here. You two were leaning on the bell.”
“Yeah and what took you so lon—”
“Jackson?”
He let out an inward groan when BJ chose that moment to come down the stairs still wet from their shower, with nothing but a towel wrapped around her body. He fought the urge to strangle his brothers when he glimpsed the appreciative looks on their faces.
“It’s nothing Bria. Just my younger brothers.”
She stopped on the stairs, her gaze darting between the three of them. “Oh. Hi.”
“I’ll be back upstairs soon—”
“You know what, I’ll just go change.” She looked uncomfortable. “I’ll only be a few minutes.”
“Bria—” She was already headed back upstairs. “Damn it.” He rounded on his brothers, who both wore shit eating grins. He wanted to pummel them.
“I’m going to ask one more time, what the hell are you two doing here?”
The look passed between them said it all.
Fury bubbled up inside of him. “Jacob,” he said flatly.
“None of us had heard from you in a while,” Jeff offered by way of explanation.
“So what? Jacob sent you two instead because he didn’t think I would pick up if he called.”
Jason shrugged as if to say, pretty much.
“You are all ridiculous.” He glared at them. He couldn’t believe Jacob had sent them to check up on him. What? Did Jacob think he’d flung himself off a bridge or something absurd?
“I need to go change.”
“Yeah. About that…” Jason looked towards the stairs. “So, new girlfriend?”
“Definitely a hottie,” Jeff added.
Jackson scowled at both of them. “Her name is Bria. She’s Natalie’s sister and the foreman here and we’re trying to sort out what we are at the moment, which is why it would be a big help if you two left, like, now.”
Jason raised a brow. “So you’re over Camille?”
“And so soon?” Asked Jeff.
“None of that is any of your business.”
“Does Bria know about Camille?” Jason chimed in.
Jackson closed his eyes and counted to ten. He didn’t need this right now.
“No. She doesn’t know,” he bit out. “And I’m not planning to tell her anytime soon, and neither are you, if you wind up staying longer than the five minutes I want you to.”
“Oh, we’re staying.” Jeff glanced towards the stairs again, and the expression on his face had Jackson seeing red.
“Don’t even think about it. I’m not sharing her.”
That raised some eyebrows. “Why not?” Jason questioned.
“Because I like her.” I think I love her is what he wanted to add, but he wanted BJ to be the first person to hear those words, not his younger brothers.
“That’s never stopped you before.”
Jackson gave Jeff a long, hard look. “She’s different.” He stared Jason down to be sure the message was clear. “Stay away from her. Both of you.”
Their mutual nods tempered his anger, but the smirks on their faces raised his ire all over again. Damn it. Why had they shown up at that very moment? He’d just broken through BJ’s seemingly impenetrable wall the night before. Their lovemaking in the barn had been magical. He didn’t want to run the risk of having her withdraw from him, and one slip from either of his brothers about Jacob and Camille would no doubt send her retreating from him as fast as she could.
“I need to change. Do me a favour and disappear while I’m gone.”
* * * *
BJ traded her terry cloth towel for a pair of jeans and a work shirt and headed back downstairs, but stopped on the first step when she heard her name.
She hadn’t planned to eavesdrop. She’d been all set to turn around, go back upstairs and wait for Jackson. But her curiosity got the best of her, especially when she heard one of Jackson’s brothers ask if he was over Camille?
She stilled, her ears perking up. Neither Jackson, nor his brothers revealed much else about Camille and her relationship with Jackson, but she was able to fill in the missing pieces. He’d been involved with this woman—apparently not too long ago—and from what she could tell it must have been quite a break-up for his brothers to arrive unannounced to check up on him.
She gasped, the wave of jealousy that swamped her was so unexpected and so overpowering. Jackson had shared pieces of his story with her already. She knew he’d hesitated with her because his heart still belonged to another. Although she’d been aware of this before getting involved with him, it still didn’t make it any easier to hear.
She started to turn around again, but stopped when she heard what Jackson said about sharing her. Sharing her? Why the hell would they want to do that? The Downing brothers were notoriously good looking and known ladies’ men. They didn’t need to share women—women were the ones who had to share them.
Her heart did a little flutter at Jackson’s declaration. He liked her? Thought she was different? She wasn’t against being shared by the Downing men—after all, they were fine. But it warmed her to know Jackson was possessive about her, although from the way he’d handled Lou, she’d already got a pretty good glimpse of his jealous side.
A renewed sense of hope flared inside of her. She still stood a chance. Jackson may have loved—may still love this Camille woman—but his words made it clear that at some point he could learn to love her too.
She tiptoed back upstairs, clinging to that thought with a smile on her face.
* * * *
Jackson knew it was too much to ask for younger brothers who actually listen to him and do what they were told.
“Didn’t I tell you two to get lost?” he said fifteen minutes later as he entered the kitchen.
Jeff’s gaze was glued to BJ, a silly grin plastered across his face. “Yes, but the lovely Bria told us we could stay for as looooonnng as we wanted.”
His gaze snapped to the woman in question, who gave him a sheepish grin.
“They drove all this way.”
He didn’t give a damn. They were going to fuck this up, he knew it.
“One night.” He slumped into a chair. “Tomorrow morning you two ride out of here.”
His attention went back to BJ when she moved towards the door. “I need to get going,” she said and he instantly shot to his feet.
“It’s Saturday. Take a day off.”
Her smile was wistful. “Wish I could, but you stay and enjoy your time with your brothers.”
He cast a baleful glance towards them. Not likely. He wanted to enjoy his time with her, preferably twisted in his bed sheets.
“Keep your phone on. I’ll meet up with you in an hour and help you finish up early.”
“You don—”
He silenced her with a kiss, pointedly ignoring the loud throat clearing behind him. His brothers soon disappeared from his consciousness completely as she melted into him, her mouth fusing with his.
He could have stayed locked in her arms forever, but he needed air. He lifted his head, a smile curling his lips at the dreamy expression on her face.
“I’ll see you soon,” he whispered.
She nodded, still dazed. “Nice meeting you both,” she called to Jason and Jeff from over his shoulder. “I’ll see you soon,” she said to him in a low, breathless voice and then walked out the kitchen door.
He stared at her all too tempting backside until it disappeared from sight.
“Damn, you got it bad. Almost as bad as Jacob…”
“If not worse,” chirped Jason.
He grimaced. Trust his brothers to snap him back to reality.
He turned around and flopped back down into his chair. He had twenty-four hours until his brothers got lost. These were probably going to be the longest twenty-four hours of his entire life.