Kicking and Screaming (10 page)

JACKSON

Damn, I knew she would do this to me. Knew from the moment I opened my mouth and invited her here, that this is what I was really after.

With the backdrop of my home behind her, the abundance of wild Texas rose that was my mother’s favorite framing her, she fit.

When I’d held her face just now I’d seen it. Seen her here with me, and our children.

It was so real that quick flash, like I could reach out and touch it. Scared the shit out of me truth be known.

Even with my hands stuffed in my pockets, I could still feel the electricity. I needed to get away from her for a while, needed to get my thoughts together.

Things had just entered a whole new stage. Maybe I’d toyed around with the idea of having her. I did want to see where those kisses lead.

But now we had crossed over into familial territory. My father and grandfather had both had those flashes.

It was something to do with the land or so the legend went. The land knew and welcomed the new lady of the house in just that way.

It had been that way with my mom and my grandma and the others before them. My family had a whole cabinet of documents dedicated to what I had always counted as an old wife’s tale.

The male’s obsessiveness in the tales was always a bit fantastical for my taste, but if there was any truth to them, then I might be in trouble.

It was said that the man grew increasingly possessive and pretty much loses his fucking mind.

If the tall tales bore any truth, then it won’t be long before she was all I thought about before I finally took her beneath me.

Since I wasn’t too fond of procrastination, and wasn’t looking forward to losing my fucking mind, we were gonna have to speed things up.

Besides the clock was already ticking since I’d seen it, which meant that from this moment on, she was mine. All five foot two inches of fire breathing hell that she was. Well shit.

MAXIE

"Jackson, don't keep her out there bring her on in here." The voice jumped me out of my daze. I’d been staring back at him while he studied me like a bug under a scope again.

I turned around to see a very beautiful woman in a wheelchair. Oh no, please tell me that’s not his mom. I felt deflated. Two years he had commissioned me to hold a private recital for his mom.

It wasn’t something that I did too often, but every once in a while I caved. I’d been excited to meet him then, but circumstances had caused me to cancel.

Now I looked like I might’ve been wrong, and to top it off, his mom was in a wheelchair. I felt lower than dirt in that moment. Like all the things my mother was fond of accusing me of being rolled into one.

"It's okay Firefox, you didn't know." He whispered the words in my ear and squeezed my shoulders. I couldn’t look at him, I felt too ashamed.

I felt like crying, he'd been trying to get me here to perform for his mother, who had a collection of my recordings and wanted to hear me play in person.

I'd denied his invitation, even though at the time I would've given anything to meet the dashing Jackson Collins.

What he doesn't know is that at about the time he'd been contacting me I'd just found my first real crush.

I'd seen him in a magazine only a couple weeks before. Then I’d thought my luck had changed for the better, when my new roommate on the concert circuit let it be known that they were old family friends.

He and his family were great patrons of the arts, that why he’d been featured in the magazine I’d been perusing. He’d just dedicated a musical wing to some establishment or the other.

I’d thumbed that page so much it had become worn in a couple days. In the picture it was as if he was looking right at me.

There was something in those eyes, even through the pages of a magazine that seemed to reach out and grab me, almost as if he was calling me and only me.

I’d become obsessed, searching the net for anything to do with him. As the days wore on my obsession only grew stronger.

I was almost to the point of a meltdown when I met my new roommate, and was blown away when she caught sight of the magazine article and shared the fact that she knew him.

I'd sneakily milked her for every bit of information on him; until the invite came and she'd dropped her little bombshell.

Now here we were, full circle.

“Come on, let’s go on in before mom starts lecturing me on proper etiquette.”

He still had that strange look on his face and I was beginning to wonder if he was already having second thoughts about bringing me here.

But when he led me over to his mom and introduced us, his hand remained possessively in my back and his words were warm.

“Why Jackson she’s stunning. I’m ever so pleased to have you in my home, I hope you don’t mind but I’ve told all my friends about your coming, they’re absolutely green with envy.”

“Mom...”

“Oh hush Jackson, why don’t you run along and tell cook to prepare a late night snack.”

“We had dinner not long ago mom, I think Maxie might be ready for bed. You can have her to yourself for a short time tomorrow okay.”

“Why a short time?”

“Because I want to show her around before I have to head back to the office. Then you’ll have her all to yourself until I come home in the evenings, but then she’s mine again.”

The two of them bartered good-naturedly for my time. It was fun watching and listening to them. There was so much warmth in the byplay.

Janet and Mike were already gone so it was left to Jackson to show me to my room.

“I’ve decided to put you here, close to me.” This way if you need me in the night I’ll be right here to hear you.” He frowned after saying it and I was back to wondering what the hell was going on with him.

“Are you sure you’re okay there pretty boy? You’ve been acting very strange since we got here. If you’re having second thoughts...”

He clasped my face in his hands. “Not even close.” And he kissed me right there in the hallway where anyone could walk by and see us.

“You’d better go in baby.” “Why, why do you always stop just when it’s getting good?” Crap I hadn’t meant to say that out loud.

“Because we just met, and I was thinking that as much as I’d like to bury myself inside you in the worst fucking way, you might need time.”

Well, wasn’t much I could say to that now could I?

***

JACKSON

I could see that my words had obviously thrown her. “Don’t look so worried I said I’ll give you time, but to be fair, it might not be as much as you like. Go on in; this room connects with mine so I’d hear you if you need me.”

Why do I keep saying that? Like I was expecting her to wake in the night needing me.

I went next door and breathed a sigh of relief as the door closed behind me.

This was too strange to be real. Two years ago I’d contacted her for my mother’s sake as well as my own.

Our collection of her work had drawn me in since the first moment I’d heard it, but when she’d turned us down I hadn’t given it much thought after that.

Now to have met her and have the vision didn’t seem real. Was this meant to be two years ago?

And if so, what or who had waylaid it. Granted two years ago I was nowhere near ready for marriage and she would’ve been too young at eighteen, but still, I wonder.

I stayed awake half the night listening for her voice. When I couldn’t stand it any longer I snuck through the connecting door and stood over her as she slept.

She slept like the innocent I’d come to see in her. Had we really only just met? How could I feel what I was now feeling as I looked down at her beauty in the moonlight?

Reaching down, I lightly stroked her hair with my fingertips. Who would’ve thought the Firefox would turn out to be my future?

Leaning over, I kissed her forehead before slipping from the room again. Now I just have to see that whatever happened two years ago didn’t happen again, if only I could figure out just what that was.

MAXIE

I woke up to someone in my bed. It took a few seconds for me to process what was going on, and I barely curbed my natural instinct to come up swinging.

Cracking my one eye open, I saw the very naked and very muscular back of a man lying next to me.

I was pretty sure of who it was, but that didn’t stop me from screeching and almost falling off the bed, which I would’ve done had he not reached out a hand to catch me.

I was about to ask him how he knew I was going to fall when I noticed him watching me in the mirror over the bureau that was across from the bed.

“What are you doing in here, are you mad?” I sat up with the covers pulled up to my chin.

“Is this how you plan to wake up every morning love? Because if it is, then we’ve got to work on that.” He rubbed his ear as if my screeching had hurt it.

“What the hell Collins?” he sat up and stretched before kissing me on the lips and getting out of bed.

I hid my face and screeched again before looking through my fingers. He was bare ass naked.

My face was like ripe pimento and I was about to pass the hell out as I buried my face in the pillows. “You can look now.”

He was pulling up the pajama bottoms that he’d obviously dropped at the side of the bed before he climbed in.

“I couldn’t sleep with you so near so I slid into bed with you in the early morning hours. You didn’t seem to mind since you cuddled into me like a kitten, but then I had to let you go for reasons of self preservation.”

I didn’t like the sounds of that. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means that you’re fiery even when you sleep. By the third time you almost geld me, I figured if you wanted me to father your children in the future, it would be best if I turn you loose.

Another thing we’ll have to work on, since I find I like holding you when we sleep. Your weight on me feels about right.”

“You didn’t do anything else to me while I was asleep did you?” I checked my body to be sure there was nothing missing.

“There will be many times in the future when I will take you in your sleep. With my working hours, I’m sure there will be many nights when you go off to bed before I make it home and I’ll be so starved for you by the time I get here that I won’t be able to help myself.

But now, this first time, while we’re still doing the dance, I want you wide awake for everything I plan to do to you.”

“Oh my.” Dammit, didn’t mean to say that out loud either.

“Let’s go have breakfast, who knows what mom has planned and I’m sure your sister will want you to go over the wedding stuff with her. Plus I have some things to look over.”

“I’ll get up when you leave.”

“If you’re trying to hide the fact that you’re wearing a tank and underwear, too late. I already saw and looked my fill sorry. It was too good to pass up.

“What a pig.” He laughed and left the room and I rushed from the bed to the shower, feeling a small fire starting in the pit of my stomach.

***

JACKSON

She was too adorable, and utterly cute in her innocence. After I’d gone back to my room last night, I’d tossed and turned until I left my bed in a fit and came back to her.

It was as though there was an invisible string leading from one to the other.

I’d been very careful not to disturb her as I’d climbed in with her, but she’d still known I was there.

She’d turned and cuddled into me so naturally with a sigh, that I’d held her in slight wonder for the first five minutes.

I hadn’t lied about her sleeping habits though; she was as wild in her dream state as she was awake. I’d dodged her knees and elbows until I couldn’t anymore.

I had the feeling that after spending that one night with her, it was going to be next to impossible to sleep without her again.

I knocked on her door half an hour later. “You decent in there love?” I didn’t exactly give her a chance to answer before pushing the door open.

She was in the middle of brushing her hair which she stopped doing at the sight of me. I didn’t miss the way she swallowed as she took me in.

I had dressed in my usual uniform when I was home on the ranch. Jeans, boots and Stetson, today’s top was a Henley; it was still too warm out for chambrays.

“You ready?” I leaned against the doorframe and took in the relaxed way she went back to stroking her hair with the brush.

I couldn’t resist walking over and wrapping my arms around her from behind. “Hmmm, I love your scent.” I nuzzled her neck before turning her around in my arms.

The kiss was long and hard and left us both wanting. “Let’s go trouble.”

“Hey, you’re in my room, remember?” I pulled her along behind me before she could gear up for battle.

I felt giddy as a kid as I made my way down to the breakfast room with her hand in mine. I just had to leave her for a little bit today and then I was hers for the next few days.

I can’t wait to share my home with her, to see it again through her eyes. As we passed by one of the huge bay windows in the downstairs, the morning sun shone through clear and bright, catching her just right.

She looked so young, and little. Back in her home it had been easy to miss just how little she really was. No wonder, with that mouth of hers.

But here she looked so small and fragile, I had the strong urge to bundle her up and tuck her away somewhere safe.

Knowing her she’d probably knee me in the balls if she knew what I was thinking.